Peaks in FebRibbontailed StingrayTaeniura lymmaSeen here
4%of dives
Elasmobranchii
Photo: Jens Petersen, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 · taken elsewhere
Boat dive · Coral
Japanese Gardens
Japanese Gardens (Aow Sam) is a sheltered coral bay off Koh Nang Yuan's east coast, in the shallow channel that separates it from Koh Tao, and it holds some of the biggest coral heads in the area.
Also called Aow Sam, Japanese Garden
- Depth
- 2-18 m
- Level
- Beginner
- Visibility
- 18–30 m
- Water
- 28–31 °C
- Entry
- Boat dive
The verdict
A good dive, worth a day.
Japanese Gardens (Aow Sam) is a sheltered coral bay off Koh Nang Yuan's east coast, in the shallow channel that separates it from Koh Tao, and it holds some of the biggest coral heads in the area. The reef runs from about 2 m down to 18 m, broken up by sand and a set of concrete blocks that groups use for buoyancy practice.
Hawksbill turtles, blue-spotted stingrays, pufferfish, clownfish and batfish turn up here, and staghorn corals are recorded nearby. The easy conditions make it a common pick for first dives, newly certified divers and snorkellers, so expect other groups in the water.
Location
Map & nearby sites.
Interactive map loads here. Every site on it is also listed on this page.
Right now · updated 12 Nov 2026
November is a good month to dive.
November scores 7.3, against 7.5 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
Visibility20 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
When to go
Best Jul, Sep-Oct.
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
Water temperatureSurfaceDive depth28–31 °C
VisibilityBad day to great dayTypical10–36 m
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 %.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribbontailed Stingray | 4 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
 Orange-spotted Trevally | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
 Vielle Chocolat | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 16 | 9 | 7 |
 Regal Demoiselle | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 24 | 11 | 4 | 4 |
 Yellow Scale Parrotfish | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 17 | 13 | 9 |
 Chocolate Hind | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 10 | 20 | 11 | 7 | 5 |
 Redbarred Roccod | 7 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 19 | 16 | 10 |
 Doublebar Rabbitfish | 11 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 13 |
 Unidentia aliciae | 4 | 10 | 19 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
 Wimple Fish | 6 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 11 | 7 | 7 |
 Amphimedon sulcata | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 3 |
 Scissortail sergeant | 16 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 15 |
Marine life
What you'll see at Japanese Gardens.
1.9Big draws. A shark, ray, turtle or other big draw on about 1 dive in 10 in the best months, most often ribbontailed stingray and orange-spotted trevally.
7.0Reef 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".
Peaks in Feb
Peaks in SepOrange-spotted TrevallyFlavocaranx bajadSeen here
3%of dives
Photo: portioid, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · taken elsewhere
Peaks in SepDoublebar RabbitfishSiganus virgatusSeen here
10%of dives
Photo: H. Schlegel, via Wikimedia Commons · PD · taken elsewhere
Peaks in SepVielle ChocolatCephalopholis boenakSeen here
10%of dives
Photo: portioid, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY SA 4.0 · taken elsewhere
Peaks in JulWimple FishHeniochus acuminatusSeen here
10%of dives
Photo: (c) Gonzalo Ganda Álvarez, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · taken elsewhere
Peaks in OctRedbarred RoccodEpinephelus fasciatusSeen nearby
9%of dives
Photo: Totti, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY SA 4.0 · taken elsewhere
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.
Verified dives count more.
Reviews linked to a logged dive, and reviews from experienced divers, carry more weight in the score.
- 2.5×
- 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
Dived Japanese Gardens?Sign up free to share how it went. Import your dive log and your review counts as verified.Share how it went. Divers with a logged dive here get the verified badge.
Nobody has reviewed Japanese Gardens yet. Be the first: reviews from divers with a logged dive here count most.
Dive centers
Ten dive centers run Japanese Gardens.
Confirmed: each lists this site on its own website. Listed alphabetically.
| DIVE CENTER | AGENCIES | NITROX | CONTACT | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Big Blue DivingKoh Tao | SSI | Not known | Website+66 77 456 123 | View |
Crystal DiveKoh Tao | SSI | Yes | Website | View |
Dive Center "Scuba Birds"Koh Tao | PADI | Not known | Website+66990307571info@scubabirds.comOSM | View |
Dive Poin Koh TaoKoh Tao | SSI | Yes | Website+66 77456231OSM | View |
Goodtime AdventuresKoh Tao | SSI | Yes | Website+66872753604OSM | View |
Hydronauts Diving ResortKoh Tao | RAID | Not known | Website+ 66 080 065 8782OSMinfo@hydronautsdiving.comOSM | View |
Nava Scuba DivingKoh Tao | PADI | Yes | Website+66 77 601198OSMinfo@navascuba.comOSM | View |
New Heaven Dive SchoolKoh Tao | SSI | Not known | Website+66 77 457 045info@newheavendiveschool.com | View |
Siam Scuba Dive CenterKoh Tao | BSAC, CMAS, NAUI, PADI, RAID, SSI | Not known | Websitesiamscubadivep@gmail.comOSM | View |
The Dearly Dive Koh TaoKoh Tao | PADI, RAID, SSI | Not known | Website+66-(0)77-332-494info@thedearlykohtaohostel.com | View |
Not confirmedEight more centers likely dive here
These centers run trips to sites near Japanese Gardens or are based within 10 km, but their own websites don't name Japanese Gardens. Ask them before you book. Run trips here? Claim your listing and add it.
| DIVE CENTER · WHY LISTED | AGENCIES | NITROX | CONTACT | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
French Kiss Divers - ChalokNot confirmed Runs trips to Twins, 550 m away | SSI | Yes | Website+66641276082frenchkissdivers@gmail.com | View |
KTD - Koh Tao DiversNot confirmed Runs trips to No Name, 1.1 km away | SSI, TDI | Not known | Website | View |
Nang Yuan Easy DiversNot confirmed Based 350 m awayOSM | Not listed | Not known | Website | View |
New Way DivingNot confirmed Based 2.3 km awayOSM | Not listed | Not known | Website+66 77 456 527OSMinfo@newwaydiving.comOSM | View |
Apnea TotalNot confirmed Based 2.6 km awayOSM | Not listed | Not known | Website | View |
Rainbow Fish DiversNot confirmed Based 2.9 km awayOSM | Not listed | Not known | Website+66 89-521-7738OSMstefan@rainbowfishdivers.comOSM | View |
Flow DiversNot confirmed Based 3.0 km awayOSM | PADI | Yes | Website+66 82 679 2382OSMinfo@flowdivers.comOSM | View |
Freedive Koh TaoNot confirmed Based 3.0 km awayOSM | Not listed | Not known | Websiteinfo@freedivekohtao.comOSM | View |
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
- No certification needed: try dives and guided discover-scuba sessions. Koh Tao sites for Beginner divers
- Local rules
- No specific rules recorded.
- Park fee
- None known
- Sources
- Dive center websites, derived, geoparse, 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 Japanese Gardens?
July, September, October score highest for Japanese Gardens.
What certification do you need for Japanese Gardens?
Beginner. No certification needed: try dives and guided discover-scuba sessions. Depth 2-18 m.
How we grade
One number, built from dives people actually logged.
- 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.
- 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 7.9 °C-weeks of heat stress), −0.8.
- 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, geoparse, 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 75 logged dives and 0 reviews: medium 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
Pearly Monocle Bream near Japanese Gardens: (c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY), via iNaturalist (CC BY). Neon Damselfish near Japanese Gardens: (c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY), via iNaturalist (CC BY). Bluering Angelfish near Japanese Gardens: (c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY), via iNaturalist (CC BY). Commercial Top Shell near Japanese Gardens: (c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY), via iNaturalist (CC BY).