A diving capital
Schools all along the beach.
User: (WT-shared) Whatsinaname at wts wikivoyage — Public domain · David Wilmot from Wimbledon, United Kingdom — CC BY 2.0 · David Sim — CC BY 2.0 · kallerna — CC BY-SA 4.0
Koh Tao's longest beach and the heart of the island, running about two kilometres along its west coast with golden sand, palms and huge smooth boulders at its northern end. Along it are most of the dive schools that made Koh Tao one of the world's best-known places to learn to dive, plus resorts, restaurants and cafés on the sand. Its water is calm for most of the season, good for swimming and kayaking, and longtails leave from here for Ko Nang Yuan opposite. Sunset is among the island's best, when the sun drops behind the islands on the horizon and the dive boats come home. In the evening the southern end gets louder with bars, music and fire shows. The beach is free. Families will find the northern end calmer, and the daytime better than the night. Restaurants are plentiful and varied, so ask about halal, or look for the island's small Thai Muslim restaurants. The Gulf of Thailand runs on a different calendar from the west coast: the sea is calmest from February to September, with heavy rain from October to December. If you want to try diving for the first time, this is the place, with certified schools and short beginner courses in calm, shallow water.
Schools all along the beach.
Huge and smooth by the water.
Behind Ko Nang Yuan.
West coast of Koh Tao, north of Mae Haad pier
By day yes, especially the north end; in the evening the south has bars and loud music.