Hin Wong Pinnacle

Hin Wong Pinnacle is a group of granite rocks off Koh Tao's east coast, about 1.5 km from Hin Wong Bay, and serves as the east side's deep site when conditions on the west coast are poor. Its specialty is the coral cover: purple soft tree corals, gorgonian sea fans, sea whips and blue sponges grow more densely here than at most other sites around the island. The site runs north to south with a table-top feature at the shallow southern end at about 8 to 12 m, a long trench to swim through, and rocks sloping beyond 30 m. A resident hawksbill turtle, porcupine pufferfish, blue-ringed angelfish, banded sea kraits and large marbled groupers are typical, and trevally, barracuda and occasionally whale sharks pass in the blue. Currents can be strong at times, and a thermocline and changing visibility can occur, so most centres recommend it for Advanced Open Water divers.