Hin Ngam

Also known as: Hin Ngam Bay · Ao Hin Ngam

Hin Ngam, whose name roughly means 'beautiful rock', lies on Koh Tao's southern coast near Shark Island, at the southern side of Aow Leuk. Its specialty is the combination of natural reef and coral restoration: granite boulders and three small pinnacles covered in hard coral mix with man-made reef modules and nursery frames that corals and sponges have now largely overgrown. Fusiliers, snapper, bannerfish, groupers and sweetlips move between the structures, while moray eels, lionfish, blue-spotted stingrays, scorpionfish, pipefish, shrimps and porcupine pufferfish hide among them, and yellowtail barracuda hunt around the edges. Depths range from about 5 m on the shallow reef to about 18 to 22 m. Current is mostly light to moderate, and the site suits Open Water divers with good buoyancy; it is also used as a drop-off on the way into Aow Leuk.