A spectacular reef dive with mesmerising coral formations and a memorable swimthrough, Hin Daeng is one of the great hidden gems of Koh Tao
Besides Chumphon Pinnacle, Hin Daeng is my other personal favourite amongst Koh Tao’s dive sites. Hin Daeng (Thai for “Red Rock” and a common dive site name around the country) is basically a reef dive, running from the shoreline down to about 20 metres. Divemasters who know what they’re doing can navigate to the great swimthrough at around 12 metres, which lets divers swim U-bend style through a rock crevice which has beautiful streams of light coming from above and acts as a grotto for many fish who hang in the still waters sheltered by the rock. I’ve seen banded sea snakes in here as well, which are quite rare to spot. Besides the swimthrough, Hin Daeng’s coral formations are quite breathtaking. They are clumped together in huge spires, spread out as far as the eye can see like an organic underwater city. The soft forms of the coral and its mixture of reds and yellows makes it look like something celebrated Barcelona architect Gaudi would have built. At Hin Daeng a humble reef dive is transformed into something that sparks and inspires the imagination. As you can guess, I really like it. Beyond the coral, there’s also the chance to see the reef’s resident turtle, one of the few remaining turtles around Koh Tao (which is, incidentally, Thai for “Turtle Island”.)
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