Koh Lipe
Diving around Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe is a true gem of an island all the way in the south part of Thailand, in the Andaman Sea.
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The island is part of an archipelago of which every island is uninhabited except for Koh Lipe. There are over 25 dive sites to explore and always a nice place to explore.
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Whether you stay here for 3 days or 3 weeks, you can explore a different dive site every day!
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Diving is best between October and May as is true for the entire Andaman Sea. Visibility will be best and once the rain has stopped, you will be in paradise!
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The islands offer every type of diving you could wish for, most of them within 45 minutes by boat. Wreck, reef, drift, deep, and muck diving are all available and top-class.
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Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe is a very small island that you can cross in 20 minutes. It has 2 main beaches: Pattaya beach and Sunrise beach.
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Pattaya beach is perhaps the more developed. The ferries will arrive here and you will find a lot of restaurants and hotels on the beach.
When wanting to explore the main street, called "walking street" you will find more restaurants, bars, hotels, and dive centers.
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In about 15 minutes you will arrive at the sunrise beach. A little less crowded and not as overrun with bars and hotels, this might be a nice spot to relax and watch the boats and people pass you.
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Accommodation is available in every price range, with hostels focussed mainly on walking street and more high-end resorts along the edges of the beach on top of the cliffs.
"Koh Lipe is the island the farthest south of all in Thailand. Escape to paradise in great diving conditions!"
Additional Information
Where to stay?
As stated before: Koh Lipe has 2 main beaches: Pattaya beach and sunrise beach.
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Pattaya beach is a bit more crowded and you will find many bars offering happy hour deals, while fire dancers perform their skills.
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Sunrise beach offers bungalows on the beach and feels more like the "local feel" as schools, churches, and people's homes are more concentrated here.
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Whichever you choose, you can't go wrong! Dive centers are everywhere, with more than 20 operating and offering their deals on this island.
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Diving in Koh Lipe:
Koh Lipe has a wide variety of dive sites. With wrecks and reefs visited by most operators.
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There are however also specific dive sites for muck diving and photography enthusiasts. Or, if you wish to visit the famous 8 miles rock to the south, certain operators offer this in a more steady supply.
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Diving costs between 1000 - 1600 bath per person, per dive. And packages offering even better prices for more dives can make this place an absolute joy to visit!
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How to get there?
By Boat from Thailand:
Infrastructure in Thailand is very well maintained. You can visit Koh Lipe from as far as Phuket directly by ferry. You can hop on a ferry for example:
Phuket - Krabi - Pakbara - Koh Lanta - Koh PhiPhi
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Prices have been increasing since after the pandemic, so expect to pay 3400 baht per person for a ferry between Koh Lipe and Phuket being the farthest connection I could find.
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By Boat from Malaysia:
Koh Lipe is the most southern island in Thailand en thus, very close to Malaysia, and Langkawi specifically.​
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Many tourists, therefore, choose to go to or from Malaysia via Koh Lipe.
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Once you arrive in Koh Lipe or Langkawi, you will pass immigration and you're good to go!
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I recommend using the links I provided to book your trip as they're usually the cheapest and easiest.
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Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe is quite a trip to get to, however, trust me when I say it's worth it! The beaches are gorgeous, and the dive sites are versatile. You can find many smaller creatures and also see big pelagics at 8 miles rock.
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Stonehenge in particular is perhaps one of the most beautiful coral reefs I have ever seen in my life!
Diving sites, more in depth:
Below I will go more in-depth (pun intended) into these dive sites. The history is very often interesting! I will not note currents here, since there are almost none in the area.
"Stonehenge"
Perhaps one of the most beautiful dive sites and coral gardens you will ever see. Also called the purple forest, this dive site is an underwater mount absolutely covered in purple corals. You will see barracudas, jackfish, nudibranchs, Zanzibar shrimps, and if you're lucky, you might see a Marlin hunt here!​
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Depth: 8 - 22 meters
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"8 Miles Rock
8 Miles Rock is a pinnacle dive 8 miles south of Ko Lipe. It's in international waters right between Thailand and Malaysia. You will need 1 - 1.5 hours to get here with a big boat. You can see incredible amounts of pelagics, manta, whale sharks, trevally, you name it!​
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Depth: 40 meters
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"Far Islands"
The Far Islands is the short name given by the local people to the island in the most western part of the archipelago. About 1.5 hours by long-tail boat. You will arrive in absolutely gorgeous coral gardens and stone formations! Currents can be stronger here, but it's a lot of fun!​
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Maximum depth: 25 meters.
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"Koh Taru"
Situated about 45 minutes by long-tail boat from Ko Lipe, you will head to the east side of the archipelago. Beautiful coral reefs and huge schooling fish will greet you there!
Maximum depth: 25 meters.
