Koh Lanta Snorkeling

Snorkelling is a great way to observe Koh Lanta’s beautiful coral reefs and stunning underwater life in a natural setting without the equipment and training required for scuba diving. Pretty much anyone can snorkel as it requires only the ability to swim and to breathe through the snorkel. If you’re not a strong swimmer, all the diving and snorkelling operators should be able to provide you with a lifejacket so that you can just float and admire the tropical marine life with the minimum of effort.

 

Most of the dive operators welcome snorkelers onto their trips and the best snorkelling is to be found at Koh Haa and Koh Rok. It’s also possible to snorkel at Koh Phi Phi. There’s a lot more to snorkelling at the islands around Koh Lanta than just the fish!

 

The stunning Emerald Cave at Koh Mook – hidden right inside the island, used to be a pirates treasure trove. Koh Kradan boasts some of the prettiest beaches in Thailand and Koh BuBu is a tiny little island where it’s possible to stay overnight, have a BBQ on the beach and string up a hammock under a shady palm tree.

 

The most popular snorkelling trips are Koh Rok and the 4 Island Tour. You can book trips by traditional Thai longtail boat, speedboat or small ferry boat. You can stay overnight at most of the islands, but you’ll need to arrange this in advance. Koh Rok The twin-islands of Koh Rok Nok and Koh Rok Nai boast an entire square kilometre of coral gardens with beautiful visibility and colourful reef life. The uninhabited islands of Koh Rok are part of Koh Lanta’s National Marine Park and are named after a small furry animal (called ‘Rok’ in Thai), which can occasionally be spotted on the islands. Giant monitor lizards (often over a metre in length) are regularly seen on the beautiful, powder-white sandy beaches.

 

4 Island Tour This trip takes in the nearby islands of Koh Mook, Koh Chueak, Koh Waen and Koh Ngai in a one-day trip. The Emerald Cave or ‘Tham Morakot’ is usually the highlight of the day. Swim through an underwater tunnel that opens out into a secret lagoon hidden inside the island of Koh Mook. Limestone cliffs soar high above you on all sides – it’s an amazing experience to emerge from a dark tunnel into a stunningly green tropical paradise, complete with large white-sandy beach. You can’t help but imagine what it felt like to discover this, almost film-set like place, for the first time. The cave used to be a smugglers resting place and is reputed to have been used by pirates as a secret and secluded place to stash their treasure.

 

It retains an air of mystery and romance and it’s easy to imagine smugglers hiding out with their loot inside the cave. Waterproof bags (dry bags) are a really good idea, so that you can take your camera etc. with you, as you swim inside the cave. A torch is also not a bad idea, as the guide’s torches seem to have an uncanny knack of experiencing battery failure at the crucial moment!