Mottled Lightfoot Crab near Junkyard Reef

Updated 49 minutes ago

Boat dive · Macro

Junkyard Reef

Junkyard Reef is a purpose-built artificial reef off Koh Tao's west coast near Mae Haad, made from repurposed objects and concrete structures sunk to give coral a place to settle and to take pressure off the natural reefs.

Also called Junkyard, Junkyard Artificial Reef, Junkyard artificial reef on Koh Tao

Depth: 7-12 m
Level: Beginner
Visibility: 18–30 m
Water: 28–31 °C
Entry: Boat dive

Is it right for you?

Compare 4 dive centers

All 3 photos

The verdict

A good dive, worth a day.

The structures sit on a gentle slope between about 7 and 12 m, a shallow, easy boat dive suited to beginners and also dived at night. Moray eels, blue-spotted stingrays, batfish and pufferfish are regulars, and the site is popular for macro, with nudibranchs and other small sea slugs seen in the area.

Macro diving in Koh Tao

Location

Map & nearby sites.

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

10.0907° N, 99.8238° 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 7.5, 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

Diving in Koh Tao in November

When to go

Best Jul, Oct-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

Your month6.7

Your month6.5

Your month6.7

Your month6.9

Your month7.1

Your month7.5

Your month7.2

Your month7.4

Your month7.6

Your month7.5

Your month7.0

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

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 %.

Marine life at Junkyard Reef: percent chance per dive, by month
Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Ribbontailed Stingray	4	8	4	2	2	3	6	6	5	7	4	2
Orange-spotted Trevally	2	1	1	2	2	5	9	4	4	6	3	1
Moon wrasse	6	4	4	4	5	8	13	10	17	21	14	9
Redbarred Roccod	5	4	5	6	9	9	14	10	10	16	14	8
Wimple Fish	6	7	5	5	4	8	15	11	11	12	7	7
Orange-spotted Grouper	3	2	2	2	3	3	5	3	4	9	15	8
Chocolate Hind	3	3	3	3	3	6	12	9	12	14	10	4
White-dotted maori wrasse	4	4	5	5	8	11	11	8	12	14	9	5
Ringed Angle fish	4	3	2	4	6	5	6	5	9	12	14	6
Pearly Monocle Bream	3	4	5	4	4	6	10	9	9	13	9	5
Mourning Dorid	4	7	10	13	6	5	2	2	2	1	1	2
Hongkong Butterflyfish	7	7	4	4	4	7	13	12	8	8	8	10

Marine life

What you'll see at Junkyard Reef.

2.5Big 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.

7.8Reef 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

Ribbontailed StingrayTaeniura lymmaSeen nearby

5%of dives

Elasmobranchii

Photo: Jens Petersen, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.5 · taken elsewhere

Peaks in Jul

Orange-spotted TrevallyFlavocaranx bajadSeen nearby

3%of dives

Photo: portioid, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · taken elsewhere

Peaks in Oct

Moon wrasseThalassoma lunareSeen nearby

9%of dives

Photo: Leonard Low from Australia, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · taken elsewhere

Peaks in Oct

Redbarred RoccodEpinephelus fasciatusSeen nearby

9%of dives

Photo: Totti, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY SA 4.0 · taken elsewhere

Peaks in Jul

Wimple FishHeniochus acuminatusSeen nearby

8%of dives

Photo: (c) Gonzalo Ganda Álvarez, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · taken elsewhere

Best Jun–Oct

White-dotted maori wrasseCheilinus chlorourusSeen nearby

8%of dives

Photo: (c) Valentin Moser, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · taken elsewhere

376 species likely at Junkyard Reef: 17 recorded here, 359 at similar sites nearby, from divers' logs, GBIF and iNaturalist. iNaturalist observations by their observers, CC BY SA 4.0 and CC0 1.0.See them by month

Photos

3 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.

Dive centers

Four dive centers run Junkyard Reef.

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

Dive centers whose own websites list Junkyard Reef
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
Goodtime AdventuresKoh Tao	SSI	Yes	Website+66872753604OSM	View
Nava Scuba DivingKoh Tao	PADI	Yes	Website+66 77 601198OSMinfo@navascuba.comOSM	View

Not confirmedEight more centers likely dive here

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

Dive centers that likely dive Junkyard Reef, not confirmed
DIVE CENTER · WHY LISTED	AGENCIES	NITROX	CONTACT	Action
Dive Center "Scuba Birds"Not confirmed Runs trips to HTMS Sattakut, 1.7 km away	PADI	Not known	Website+66990307571info@scubabirds.comOSM	View
French Kiss Divers - ChalokNot confirmed Runs trips to HTMS Sattakut, 1.7 km away	SSI	Yes	Website+66641276082frenchkissdivers@gmail.com	View
Hydronauts Diving ResortNot confirmed Runs trips to HTMS Sattakut, 1.7 km away	RAID	Not known	Website+ 66 080 065 8782OSMinfo@hydronautsdiving.comOSM	View
KTD - Koh Tao DiversNot confirmed Runs trips to HTMS Sattakut, 1.7 km away	SSI, TDI	Not known	Website	View
Siam Scuba Dive CenterNot confirmed Runs trips to HTMS Sattakut, 1.7 km away	BSAC, CMAS, NAUI, PADI, RAID, SSI	Not known	Websitesiamscubadivep@gmail.comOSM	View
The Dearly Dive Koh TaoNot confirmed Runs trips to HTMS Sattakut, 1.7 km away	PADI, RAID, SSI	Not known	Website+66-(0)77-332-494info@thedearlykohtaohostel.com	View
Dive Poin Koh TaoNot confirmed Runs trips to Japanese Gardens, 2.8 km away	SSI	Yes	Website+66 77456231OSM	View
New Heaven Dive SchoolNot confirmed Runs trips to Japanese Gardens, 2.8 km away	SSI	Not known	Website+66 77 457 045info@newheavendiveschool.com	View

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 Junkyard Reef?

July, October, November score highest for Junkyard Reef.

What certification do you need for Junkyard Reef?

Beginner. No certification needed: try dives and guided discover-scuba sessions. Depth 7-12 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.
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 7.8 °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 74 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

Mottled Lightfoot Crab near Junkyard Reef: (c) Kat Lim, some rights reserved (CC BY), via iNaturalist (CC BY). East-Indies Parrotfish near Junkyard Reef: (c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY), via iNaturalist (CC BY). Flat-tailed House Gecko near Junkyard Reef: Brandon Gravett, no rights reserved (CC0), via iNaturalist (CC0 1.0).