Currents and exposure: Bays are usually gentle, but offshore pinnacles (Chumphon, Southwest, Sail Rock) can have stronger current and surface chop. Follow the guide's briefing and stay close to the group.
SMB discipline: Carry a surface marker buoy and know how to deploy it. Boat traffic around Koh Tao is busy and ascent visibility matters.
Conservative profiles: Save your deeper and more exposed dives for earlier in the trip, when you are rested and hydrated.
Flying after diving: DAN consensus guidance recommends at least 12 hours after a single no-decompression dive and 18 hours after multi-day repetitive diving, with longer intervals after decompression diving. Plan your last dive day accordingly.
Freediving safety: Never train breath-hold or depth alone. Use formal buddying and surface supervision, and treat "one more attempt" fatigue as a red flag.

Koh Tao has a public hospital and private clinics for basic care, but advanced cases may require evacuation to Koh Samui.

Local care: Use Koh Tao Hospital or a clinic for evaluation, wound care, and initial stabilization.
Diving injuries: The Gulf region is supported by a recompression chamber facility on Koh Samui (SSS Network) that serves Koh Tao, Koh Samui, and Koh Phangan.
Emergency response: Thailand's national medical emergency number is 1669. Tourist Police can be reached at 1155 and can assist with language and coordination.

Currents and exposure: Bays are usually gentle, but offshore pinnacles (Chumphon, Southwest, Sail Rock) can have stronger current and surface chop. Follow the guide's briefing and stay close to the group.
SMB discipline: Carry a surface marker buoy and know how to deploy it. Boat traffic around Koh Tao is busy and ascent visibility matters.
Conservative profiles: Save your deeper and more exposed dives for earlier in the trip, when you are rested and hydrated.
Flying after diving: DAN consensus guidance recommends at least 12 hours after a single no-decompression dive and 18 hours after multi-day repetitive diving, with longer intervals after decompression diving. Plan your last dive day accordingly.
Freediving safety: Never train breath-hold or depth alone. Use formal buddying and surface supervision, and treat "one more attempt" fatigue as a red flag.

Koh Tao has a public hospital and private clinics for basic care, but advanced cases may require evacuation to Koh Samui.

Local care: Use Koh Tao Hospital or a clinic for evaluation, wound care, and initial stabilization.
Diving injuries: The Gulf region is supported by a recompression chamber facility on Koh Samui (SSS Network) that serves Koh Tao, Koh Samui, and Koh Phangan.
Emergency response: Thailand's national medical emergency number is 1669. Tourist Police can be reached at 1155 and can assist with language and coordination.

During the most variable months (often November to December), strong wind-waves in the Gulf of Thailand can delay or cancel ferries.

Sites like Chumphon Pinnacle and Sail Rock can have stronger current and fast-changing surface conditions.

Popular bays have longtails, snorkel tours, and dive boats moving through.

Road injuries are one of the most common reasons visitors need medical care.

Koh Tao's reefs are heavily visited, so small choices add up.

Follow the simplest rule: look, do not touch. This includes turtles, coral, and all marine life.
Do not feed fish or chase animals for photos. Keep enough space so turtles and sharks can surface naturally.
Support operators and programs that maintain mooring buoys and fund reef restoration. On Koh Tao, coral-restoration work is conducted with permission from Thailand's Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, and local programs run coral nurseries, cleanups, and monitoring projects.
Reduce plastic waste on ferry days and beach days. Some islands (like Koh Nang Yuan) enforce stricter rules on single-use plastic.

Contact	Role	Phone	Availability
Thai Tourist Police Call Center	Tourist assistance and coordination	1155	24/7
Thailand Medical Emergency	Ambulance and emergency medical response	1669	24/7
Royal Thai Police Emergency	Police emergency line	191	24/7
Thailand Fire Emergency	Fire emergency line	199	24/7
Koh Tao Hospital (Public)	Local hospital near Mae Haad	+66 (0)77 456 490	24/7 emergency
SSS Network Recompression Chamber (Koh Samui)	Recompression chamber serving Koh Tao region	+66 (0)81 081 9555	24/7 emergency mobile

Koh Tao

Safety And Conservation