The Yellow Boxfish is one of the reef’s most instantly recognisable characters. With its bright yellow body and neat black polka dots (especially as a juvenile), it looks almost cartoon-like — a tiny floating cube drifting through the coral. Juveniles are vivid yellow with bold black...
The White-Eyed Moray Eel is one of Koh Tao’s most recognisable reef predators. Growing up to around 1 metre in length, they are slender, muscular and usually seen with just their head protruding from a coral crack or rocky crevice. They’re easily identified by their pale body covered in fine...
The Giant Moray is the largest moray eel found on Indo-Pacific reefs — and an unmistakable presence around Koh Tao. Growing up to 3 metres in length, they are thick-bodied, muscular predators with a mottled brown and cream pattern that helps them blend perfectly into coral and...
The Black & White Banded Sea Snake — more accurately known as the Yellow-Lipped Sea Krait — is one of the most striking and occasionally encountered reptiles around Koh Tao. With bold black and white bands wrapping around its body and a distinctive yellow snout, it’s unmistakable...
Seahorses are among the most magical and delicate creatures you can encounter underwater. With their horse-shaped head, curled prehensile tail and upright posture, they look almost mythical — yet they’re perfectly adapted reef fish. Around Koh Tao, sightings are rare and special. They’re usually found clinging...
Razor Fish — often called Shrimpfish — are some of the most unusual fish on the reef. With extremely thin, blade-like bodies and a long tubular snout, they look almost two-dimensional from the side. Their most distinctive behaviour is swimming head-down in a vertical...
Pipefish are slender, elegant relatives of seahorses, sharing the same family (Syngnathidae). With their long, tube-like bodies and extended snouts, they often look like animated pieces of sea grass drifting through the reef. Around Koh Tao, pipefish are occasionally spotted weaving through coral branches,...
The common lionfish is a species of ray-finned fish found in the Indo-Pacific region. The scientific name comes from the Greek word ‘pteron’, meaning “wing”, and the Latin word ‘miles’, meaning “soldier”. Common lionfish can grow to be fairly large, up to 14 inches in...
The Giant Grouper is the heavyweight champion of the reef — the largest bony reef fish in the world. Growing up to 2.7 metres long and weighing over 400 kg, encountering one underwater is an unforgettable experience. With a massive head, thick lips and broad body...
