Mottled Lightfoot Crab near King Kong Rock

King Kong Rock

King Kong Rock is a group of small granite pinnacles on Koh Tao's southwest coast, between Shark Island and Sai Daeng Beach, roughly 20 minutes by boat east of Chalok Bay.

Also called King Kong

Depth
5-18 m
Level
Open Water
Visibility
18–30 m
Water
28–31 °C

Is it right for you?

Compare 2 dive centers
1 photo
The verdict

A good dive, worth a day.

King Kong Rock is a group of small granite pinnacles on Koh Tao's southwest coast, between Shark Island and Sai Daeng Beach, roughly 20 minutes by boat east of Chalok Bay. The boulders rise from a sandy floor and form a maze of gaps and swim-throughs, with depths from about 5 m down to 18 m.

Indian caloria nudibranchs and shore crabs have been recorded in the area. The site is open to Open Water divers, and the swim-throughs make good buoyancy practice.

Location

Map & nearby sites.

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

10.0756° N, 99.8478° ENot yet known · 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 7.6 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 17 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-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°27°JFMAMJJASOND
VisibilityBad day to great dayTypical10–39 m
45255 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 King Kong Rock: percent chance per dive, by month
SpeciesJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Orange-spotted Trevally3332261042495
Neon Damselfish89879101171126167
Doublebar Rabbitfish1113129813242520221510
Moon wrasse10121091113201712182313
Tattooed Parrotfish101211101113201712192312
Yellow Scale Parrotfish101211111114232214171911
Thicklip wrasse9111011141523231211108
Pearly Monocle Bream1012109111218211622159
Sling-jaw wrasse911107712222213161811
Hongkong Butterflyfish111313141313181918211410
Lemon Damsel6765471181020135
Coral Rabbitfish8109891115161219138
Marine life

What you'll see at King Kong Rock.

2.2Big draws. A shark, ray, turtle or other big draw on about 1 dive in 10 in the best months, most often 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".

300 species likely at King Kong Rock: 2 recorded here, 298 at similar sites nearby, from divers' logs, GBIF and iNaturalist. iNaturalist observations by their observers, CC BY 4.0 and CC BY SA 4.0.See them by month
Photos

1 photo. All from this site.

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 King Kong Rock?Sign up free to share how it went. Import your dive log and your review counts as verified.
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Nobody has reviewed King Kong Rock yet. Be the first: reviews from divers with a logged dive here count most.

Dive centers

Two dive centers run King Kong Rock.

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

Dive centers whose own websites list King Kong Rock
DIVE CENTERAGENCIESNITROXCONTACTAction
Big Blue DivingKoh Tao
SSINot knownWebsite+66 77 456 123View
Hydronauts Diving ResortKoh Tao
RAIDNot knownWebsite+ 66 080 065 8782OSMinfo@hydronautsdiving.comOSMView

Not confirmedEight more centers likely dive here

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

Dive centers that likely dive King Kong Rock, not confirmed
DIVE CENTER · WHY LISTEDAGENCIESNITROXCONTACTAction
Crystal DiveNot confirmed Runs trips to Aow Tanote, 900 m away
SSIYesWebsiteView
Goodtime AdventuresNot confirmed Runs trips to Aow Tanote, 900 m away
SSIYesWebsite+66872753604OSMView
Nava Scuba DivingNot confirmed Runs trips to Aow Leuk, 900 m away
PADIYesWebsite+66 77 601198OSMinfo@navascuba.comOSMView
New Heaven Dive SchoolNot confirmed Runs trips to Aow Leuk, 900 m away
SSINot knownWebsite+66 77 457 045info@newheavendiveschool.comView
The Dearly Dive Koh TaoNot confirmed Runs trips to Aow Leuk, 900 m away
PADI, RAID, SSINot knownWebsite+66-(0)77-332-494info@thedearlykohtaohostel.comView
Dive Center "Scuba Birds"Not confirmed Runs trips to Shark Island, 1.5 km away
PADINot knownWebsite+66990307571info@scubabirds.comOSMView
Dive Poin Koh TaoNot confirmed Runs trips to Shark Island, 1.5 km away
SSIYesWebsite+66 77456231OSMView
French Kiss Divers - ChalokNot confirmed Runs trips to Shark Island, 1.5 km away
SSIYesWebsite+66641276082frenchkissdivers@gmail.comView

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
Open Water Diver (or equivalent), typically to 18 m. Koh Tao sites for Open Water divers
Local rules
No specific rules recorded.
Park fee
None known
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 King Kong Rock?

July, August, September, October, November score highest for King Kong Rock.

What certification do you need for King Kong Rock?

Open Water. Open Water Diver (or equivalent), typically to 18 m. Depth 5-18 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, 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 48 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 King Kong Rock: (c) Jean Jacques Godon, some rights reserved (CC BY), via iNaturalist (CC BY).