Chumphon Pinnacle, Koh Tao: Depth, Wildlife & Who It Suits

Featured image: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Chumphon Pinnacle at a Glance

This site is one long granite pinnacle in open water, roughly 12 km (7 miles) northwest of Koh Tao according to Black Turtle Dive. Published depths disagree, so the list below shows each range. PADI's dive-site entry gives a maximum of 30 m (98 ft), while Black Turtle Dive and SSI quote up to 40 m (131 ft). Prices and hours are not relevant here, but all figures were checked November 2026. Ask your shop which profile it plans before you book.

• Location: about 12 km northwest of Koh Tao; PADI lists coordinates 10.16120, 99.78779
• Site type: large granite pinnacle with smaller clusters off the southwest and north sides
• Top of the pinnacle: about 14–16 m (46–52 ft)
• Maximum depth: 30 m (98 ft) per PADI; up to 40 m (131 ft) per Black Turtle Dive and SSI
• Average depth: about 22 m (72 ft) per Black Turtle Dive
• Visibility: 10–40 m quoted, often 20 m (66 ft) or more
• Water temperature: 29–30 °C (84–86 °F) per SSI
• Entry: boat; PADI suggests carrying a dive computer
• Typical level: Advanced Open Water

What You'll See Underwater

The top of the pinnacle is carpeted with anemones, and pink anemonefish dart between them. Crabs, shrimps, scorpionfish and white-eyed moray eels hide in the fissures below. PADI describes a large fissure toward the south end and a swim-through at the bottom of the central buoy line. Look across from the mooring line during your descent, because batfish often gather there. Over the top, trevally, fusiliers and juvenile yellow-tailed barracuda hunt in schools.

Barracuda Rock lies southwest of the main pinnacle. Marbled groupers wait in the deeper shadows, and chevron barracuda swim between the rocks. Look into the cracks for banded boxing shrimp and pipefish.

Sharks are the uncertain part. Black Turtle Dive reports the most whale shark sightings of any local site here, and SSI makes a similar claim. Another dive writer reports gray reef sharks near Barracuda Rock at 25 m (82 ft) and deeper. That same writer saw no whale shark in more than 100 dives. Treat any shark as a bonus, and expect fish schools, anemones and groupers instead.

Who Should Dive It (and Who Should Wait)

Dive centers list Advanced Open Water as the usual level. The top sits near 14–16 m, but the sand and the lower rocks lie at 30 m or deeper. Depth, offshore swell and current all stack up here. Deep Diver training is a sensible step before you chase the 40 m end of the range. Nitrox is worth asking about, because Black Turtle Dive recommends it, or a second dive here if your boat offers one. Carry a dive computer and sound insurance, and see Divers Alert Network for coverage options. A local instructor can tell you whether you are ready.

• Wait if you hold only Open Water certification and have never dived below 18 m.
• Wait if you have not logged a deep dive or felt a current before.
• Wait if your buoyancy is shaky, because anemones carpet the top and need clear space.
• Skip it on days when the shop reports a rough sea or strong current.
• Go if you hold Advanced or Deep Diver training and are comfortable with a mooring-line descent.

Getting to Chumphon Pinnacle and Planning the Day

Boats leave from Sairee Beach and take about 40–45 minutes to reach the site. SSI says local centers visit almost daily, usually in the mornings. Divers staying on Koh Phangan or Koh Samui face a 1.5–2 hour transit, per SSI. Ask whether your operator runs the trip from there at all. The site is offshore, so wind raises waves and current. Shops can cancel or change the site for weather. Ask for the fallback before you pay.

Buoyancy practice helps on a pinnacle like this, and Buoyancy World is one local option to look at. If the sea is rough, sheltered options include Green Rock and White Rock. Confirm with your shop which is calmer that day.

Cost and Booking Trade-offs

No marine-park or entry fee appears in the published site data, so your cost is the boat trip. Three things move that price. A single trip costs differently from a double-dive day, a Nitrox surcharge may apply, and course add-ons such as a deep-dive session change the total. Ask each shop three questions. Is the second dive also at Chumphon Pinnacle? Is Nitrox included? Is there a refund or reschedule if weather cancels the trip? Compare the answers before you pick the cheapest quote, because a longer transit to a calm site may suit you better.

Chumphon Pinnacle vs. Other Koh Tao Sites

Use the table to match your experience to a site. Chumphon Pinnacle is the deepest and largest around the island, per Black Turtle Dive. Fill in depths with your dive shop, since figures vary by source.