Koh Lanta Diving Season: When to Dive and Where

Featured image: Marcin Konsek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Quick answer: when to dive Koh Lanta

Dive operators describe diving here as year-round. What shifts is the menu. Koh Haa is closed for conservation in July and August, and scuba classes move to Bida during those months. Boats can leave from a beach jetty from November to April, while May to October means a transfer to Saladan Pier. Pick November to April for the simplest logistics, and plan around the closure if you travel in midsummer.

• Open all year: diving in Mu Ko Lanta National Park, per operator pages
• Closed July and August: Koh Haa
• Jetty pickup: November to April, ฿1,000 per person surcharge
• Pier boarding: May to October, about 30 minutes by transfer from Pimalai

Season at a glance

This table is the Season Comparison for planning. Prices and hours were checked November 2026 against operator pages, and park fees are listed per day. Anything not shown, such as visibility by month, is best asked of your operator when you book.

Dive sites and how season affects them

Our Koh Lanta dive site guide covers each reef in depth. Here is how season touches the main five.

• Koh Haa from Koh Lanta: Diving, Snorkeling and Day Trips: famous for its Cathedral, with two large caverns and a lagoon suited to all levels. It is closed in July and August.
• Hin Daeng and Hin Muang: red and purple coral walls that drop to 60 m. Operators recommend them only for advanced divers with recent experience.
• Koh Rok: reef sites with snapper, moray eels and surgeonfish, plus turtles. Park fees apply.
• Bida Islands: Koh Bida Nok, Koh Bida Nai and Hin Bida in Phi Phi Marine Park. Black tip sharks and sleeping leopard sharks are reported here.
• Kled Kaew Shipwreck Park: an artificial site built for conservation and awareness.

Which month or season suits you

Match your level to the calendar. New divers should favor November to April, when Koh Haa is open and courses run at the main site. Certified recreational divers can dive any month, but July and August swap Koh Haa for Bida. Advanced divers can target Hin Daeng Diving from Koh Lanta: Who It Suits and How to Go and Hin Muang Dive Site: Koh Lanta Trip, Depth & Who Can Dive with recent logged dives. Wildlife is the open question. Operators mention manta rays and whale sharks at those pinnacles without naming a month, so read the whale shark page before planning around a sighting. Surface water is often near 28°C (82°F) to 30°C (86°F), and a 3mm wetsuit is on rental lists. See Koh Lanta Water Temperature by Month (and Diving) for monthly detail, since conditions at depth can feel closer to 27°C (81°F).

Boat departures: Pimalai jetty vs. Saladan Pier

From November to April, the dive boat can leave from Pimalai's beach jetty for ฿1,000 per person. From May to October, guests make a transfer of about 30 minutes to Saladan Pier. The jetty suits families, early starters and anyone who hates a road leg before a full dive day. The pier suits budget travelers and those staying near Saladan, where Ko Lanta Diving Center has its shop at 180 Moo 1, Ban Saladan. For a two-person trip, the jetty adds ฿2,000 in total.

What it costs: trip, park fees and extras

Your total is the operator's trip price plus the daily park fee, insurance and any jetty surcharge. One operator's day-trip pricing includes equipment, hotel transfers, lunch and drinks, with up to 4 guests per guide. Park fees and insurance are extra. Per the operator's page, check current rates before you pay. Divers can compare cover through Divers Alert Network.

• Formula: trip price + park fee per day + insurance + ฿1,000 jetty surcharge (November to April only)
• Fees apply at Koh Haa, Hin Daeng, Hin Muang and Koh Rok (Koh Lanta Marine Park) and Koh Bida (Phi Phi Marine Park)

Learning to dive in season

Koh Haa is the main class site, so courses from November to April run there. In July and August, classes move to Bida. Beginners can start with our PADI course guide, which explains the certification path. Certification standards are set by PADI. Compare schools in our dive center roundup, including small-group options like Phoenix Divers. Already certified? Book a fun dive and ask which site is running that day.

Mistakes to avoid and how to book

Most seasonal problems come from planning around the wrong site. Ask these questions when you book, and again the evening before.

• Planning a Koh Haa day in July or August. It is closed.
• Assuming Hin Daeng and Hin Muang suit every certification. Depths reach 60 m.
• Forgetting park fees and insurance, which sit outside the trip price.
• Skipping the departure question. Ask whether you board at the jetty or at Saladan Pier.
• Not asking what the backup site is if conditions change a trip.