White-eyed Moray near Chumpon Pinnacle

Boat dive

Chumpon Pinnacle

A cluster of submerged granite pinnacles in open water northwest of Koh Tao, reached by boat, with tops at about 12 m and walls dropping to around 45 m.

Depth
12-45 m
Level
Advanced
Visibility
18–30 m
Water
28–31 °C
Entry
Boat dive

Is it right for you?

Compare 11 dive centers
All 4 photos
The verdict

A good dive, worth a day.

A cluster of submerged granite pinnacles in open water northwest of Koh Tao, reached by boat, with tops at about 12 m and walls dropping to around 45 m. The upper rock is carpeted in anemones with pink anemonefish, and soft corals and sea fans grow on the deeper faces.

Schools of barracuda, trevally and batfish circle the pinnacles, giant groupers shelter among the rocks, and whale sharks pass through in season. Currents can be strong, so the site suits advanced divers with good buoyancy who keep a close eye on depth and no-decompression time.

Location

Map & nearby sites.

Interactive map loads here. Every site on it is also listed on this page.

10.1725° N, 99.7787° EBoat dive · Koh Tao, ThailandOpen in Google Maps
Nearby sites straight-line distance, nearest first
Right now · updated 12 Nov 2026

November is one of the best months here.

November scores 8.3, against 8.3 in its best months. Live sea readings from NOAA Coral Reef Watch and NOAA WaveWatch III as of 10 Nov 2026.

Water30 °C+1.1° vs normalTick: normal for Nov, 28 °C
Visibility21 mtypical for NovPoor days 18 m · 1 day in 4 is worse
Waves1.2 mModerate6 s period
Reef stressNo stressNOAA Coral Reef Watch heat stress

Diving in Koh Tao in November

When to go

Best Jun-Nov.

Every month gets its own Divegrade score from that month's marine life, visibility, reef and reviews. Across Koh Tao as a whole, the best months are Mar-May.

Divegrade score by monthPick a month for its full guide
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Water temperatureSurfaceDive depth28–31 °C
31°29.5°28°JFMAMJJASOND
VisibilityBad day to great dayTypical10–34 m
35205 mJFMAMJJASOND
How is this measured?

Mostly from years of satellite readings of how clear the water is around this site. Each bar runs from a bad day, which about 1 day in 10 is worse than, to a great day, which about 1 day in 10 beats; the line marks a typical day. Satellites can't see through cloud, so stormy days are underrepresented and the real bad days can be murkier. For 12 months here, local dive centers report worse days than the satellites see, so the bar starts at their figure. Logged dives will sharpen it over time.

Chance of seeing it on a dive, by monthThe big draws first, then the most frequent. Share of sampled dive days that recorded the species. Months with few dives on record lean on the months around them and the rest of the year, and are shown lighter. A dash means under 1 %.
Marine life at Chumpon Pinnacle: percent chance per dive, by month
SpeciesJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Pickhandle barracuda242420192224242831293126
Striped Seapike162122161416162021141214
Herring scad242420192224242326333426
Longfin Batfish242420192224242326333426
Orange-spotted Trevally242421192225252832303126
Bigeye Trevally161613131416162025211614
Oxeye Scad161613131416162021172119
Mangrove red snapper242420192224242831293126
Moon wrasse181815141619191819232721
Regal Demoiselle171714141517171721262016
Ringed Angle fish171714141518181721262016
Three-spot Dascyllus171714141618181718222620
Marine life

What you'll see at Chumpon Pinnacle.

8.6Big draws. A shark, ray, turtle or other big draw on about 8 dives in 10 in the best months, most often pickhandle barracuda, striped seapike and herring scad.
6.3Reef life. Variety: how many different species a few dives here turn up, compared with other sites.

The big draws first (sharks, rays, turtles, octopus and the like) when they turn up on at least 1 dive in 20 in their best month, then the regulars, ranked by how often divers record them across the year. Each percentage is the share of sampled dive days that recorded the species. Where this site has few records of its own, sightings from similar nearby sites (same side of the island, similar depth and exposure) are added at a lower weight and marked "seen nearby".

113 species likely at Chumpon Pinnacle: 40 recorded here, 73 at similar sites nearby, from divers' logs, GBIF and iNaturalist. iNaturalist observations by their observers, CC BY SA 4.0.See them by month
Photos

4 photos. All from this site.

Divers pick the cover photo. Open any photo and vote for it; the one with the most votes leads this page.

Diver reviews

No reviews yet.

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Reviews linked to a logged dive, and reviews from experienced divers, carry more weight in the score.

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a review backed by a logged dive here, vs. one that isn't
2×
a review from a 100-dive diver, vs. a first-timer's
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Dive centers

11 dive centers run Chumpon Pinnacle.

Confirmed: each lists this site on its own website. Listed alphabetically.

Dive centers whose own websites list Chumpon Pinnacle
DIVE CENTERAGENCIESNITROXCONTACTAction
Big Blue DivingKoh Tao
SSINot knownWebsite+66 77 456 123View
Crystal DiveKoh Tao
SSIYesWebsiteView
Dive Center "Scuba Birds"Koh Tao
PADINot knownWebsite+66990307571info@scubabirds.comOSMView
Dive Poin Koh TaoKoh Tao
SSIYesWebsite+66 77456231OSMView
French Kiss Divers - ChalokKoh Tao
SSIYesWebsite+66641276082frenchkissdivers@gmail.comView
Goodtime AdventuresKoh Tao
SSIYesWebsite+66872753604OSMView
Hydronauts Diving ResortKoh Tao
RAIDNot knownWebsite+ 66 080 065 8782OSMinfo@hydronautsdiving.comOSMView
Nava Scuba DivingKoh Tao
PADIYesWebsite+66 77 601198OSMinfo@navascuba.comOSMView
New Heaven Dive SchoolKoh Tao
SSINot knownWebsite+66 77 457 045info@newheavendiveschool.comView
Siam Scuba Dive CenterKoh Tao
BSAC, CMAS, NAUI, PADI, RAID, SSINot knownWebsitesiamscubadivep@gmail.comOSMView
The Dearly Dive Koh TaoKoh Tao
PADI, RAID, SSINot knownWebsite+66-(0)77-332-494info@thedearlykohtaohostel.comView

Not confirmedThree more centers likely dive here

These centers run trips to sites near Chumpon Pinnacle or are based within 10 km, but their own websites don't name Chumpon Pinnacle. Ask them before you book. Run trips here? Claim your listing and add it.

Dive centers that likely dive Chumpon Pinnacle, not confirmed
DIVE CENTER · WHY LISTEDAGENCIESNITROXCONTACTAction
KTD - Koh Tao DiversNot confirmed Runs trips to No Name, 6.6 km away
SSI, TDINot knownWebsiteView
Nang Yuan Easy DiversNot confirmed Based 7.3 km awayOSM
Not listedNot knownWebsiteView
New Way DivingNot confirmed Based 9.9 km awayOSM
Not listedNot knownWebsite+66 77 456 527OSMinfo@newwaydiving.comOSMView

OSM From OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), not from the center's own website.

Safety & rules

Know before you drop.

Depth, current and certification are safety calls. This isn't a dive briefing: your guide gives that on the boat or at the entry.

Hazards

No specific hazards recorded. That doesn't mean there are none: ask locally.

Rules and requirements

Who can dive it
Advanced Open Water (or equivalent), typically to 30 m. Koh Tao sites for Advanced Open Water divers
Local rules
No specific rules recorded.
Park fee
None known
Depth limits
The site goes past 30 m, the usual recreational limit. Plan your depth with your guide and set your computer's ppO₂ alarm if you dive nitrox.
Sources
Dive center websites, derived, gbif locality, NOAA Coral Reef Watch and NOAA WaveWatch III.
If a diver is hurt: oxygen first, then call for helpFor suspected decompression sickness give 100% oxygen right away and contact local emergency services. DAN emergency hotline: +1 919 684 9111. Check where the nearest recompression chamber is before you travel, and carry dive insurance with evacuation cover.

Questions

When is the best time to dive Chumpon Pinnacle?

June, July, August, September, October, November score highest for Chumpon Pinnacle.

What certification do you need for Chumpon Pinnacle?

Advanced Open Water. Advanced Open Water (or equivalent), typically to 30 m. Depth 12-45 m.

Destination · Koh TaoDiving in Koh Tao.Best Mar-May5 days of diving23 graded sitesThailandOpen the Koh Tao guide
How we grade

One number, built from dives people actually logged.

Never paid for. Dive centers can reply, not change a score.
  • Big draws or varietyMarine life scores the better of two things: how often sharks, rays, turtles and other big draws turn up, and how varied the reef life is, plus a little for having both. Both are per dive, so busy sites can't win on volume.
  • By monthEvery month has its own score. Pick a month to see yours.
  • Thin data, cautious scoreFew dives or reviews? The score leans toward the regional average.
  • Graded as a pinnacleChumpon Pinnacle is a deep, exposed offshore site, dived for the structure and the life it draws more than for coral. Marine life counts for 45% of the score here and the reef 10%.
  • Reef healthThe reef score counts coral variety, and recent marine heatwaves that bleach coral take up to 3 points off it, fading over the years after as the reef recovers. Here: the 2024 marine heatwave (peak 8.3 °C-weeks of heat stress, when coral bleaching is likely), −0.9.
  • Hard isn't worseCurrent and depth are shown on their own. A tough site can still score 10.
Sources for this page

Site facts: Dive center websites, derived, gbif locality, NOAA Coral Reef Watch and NOAA WaveWatch III. Occurrence data from GBIF.org; sea conditions from NOAA Coral Reef Watch and Copernicus Marine. Score computed 12 Nov 2026 from 10 logged dives and 0 reviews: low confidence.

Water temperature: average surface temperature by month from NOAA OISST climatology; at a typical dive depth here from the E.U. Copernicus Marine Service ocean reanalysis. Visibility: NASA satellite water-clarity data, local dive center reports and logged dives.

Photo credits

White-eyed Moray near Chumpon Pinnacle: (c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY), via iNaturalist (CC BY). Oxeye Scad near Chumpon Pinnacle: (c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY), via iNaturalist (CC BY). Herring Scad near Chumpon Pinnacle: (c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY), via iNaturalist (CC BY). Bigeye Trevally near Chumpon Pinnacle: (c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY), via iNaturalist (CC BY).