Japanese Gardens

Shallow bay with stunning, towering coral gardens.

- Access
12m Avg Depth
20m Max Depth

About this dive site

This dive site, Japanese Gardens, is a popular destination on Koh Tao, located within one of the three large bays frequented by divers and snorkelers. It's situated directly opposite Twins, separated only by a sandbar connecting the peaks of Koh Nangyuan. The bay offers excellent reef exploration from paddling depth to approximately 14 meters. The area’s primary appeal lies in its exceptionally diverse coral formations. Towering Compact Coral and Lobed Pore Coral heads reach impressive heights of around five meters, creating stunning underwater structures. These are interspersed with fields of various soft corals including Lettuce, Staghorn, Mushroom and Slipper Corals. Within the Lobed Pore Coral, you’ll discover vibrant Christmas Tree Worms and Boring Clams adding to the site's visual interest.

Diving Freediving Snorkeling

Site Ratings

Big Marine Life Fair
Macro Marine Life Very Good
Landscape Quality Excellent
Water Visibility Very Good Viz
Famousness Famous

Plan Your Visit

coral reefturtlebeginner friendlyshallowphotography

Marine Life

Christmas Tree WormsBoring ClamsCompact CoralLobed Pore CoralLettuce CoralStaghorn CoralMushroom CoralSlipper CoralParrotfishButterflyfishAngelfishBlue-spotted stingray

Things to Note

Difficulty:

Beginner

Shallow depths (to 14m) in a protected bay make it ideal for new divers and training.

Hazards:
boat traffic
Current Strength:

Mild

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