Thailand

Water Activities in Koh Samui

Q: When is Ang Thong Marine Park closed?

Every year from 1 November to 15 December, weather depending. There is no public ferry, so a licensed tour boat is the only way in – book dry-season dates early.

Q: Is the Pig Island trip about the pigs or the snorkeling?

The reef does the work. Koh Tan's coral sits in 2–5 m of water 5 km off Samui's south coast – shallow enough for first-timers – with Pig Island (Koh Madsum) a short hop on. It's a half-day, back by lunch.

Q: Is the Koh Samui sunset cruise a short evening ride?

No – the product that dominates this market is a full-day cruise to Koh Phangan that finishes at sunset. Read "full-day" before "sunset" or it wrecks your evening.

Q: Should you rent a jet ski on the beach in Koh Samui?

The risk is contractual, not nautical – beach rentals have a long history of damage disputes and passport deposits. A booked guided safari to Pig and Virgin Islands is a different transaction, and prices like one (~$195 for a group of two).

5 guidesUpdated August 2026

Koh Samui's boat trips are quieter and fewer than Phuket's. The headline day is Ang Thong Marine Park – an archipelago of 42 islands that closes 1 November to 15 December with no public ferry, so the only choice is which boat. Closer to home, Pig Island and Koh Tan sit over shallow reef 5 km off the south coast and are back by lunch; the "sunset cruise" that dominates the market is actually a full-day trip to Koh Phangan; and Koh Tao is a long crossing north for serious snorkeling.

Headline trip: Ang Thong Marine Park (from $35 pp)
Half-day reef: Pig Island & Koh Tan (~$48 pp)
Ang Thong closed: 1 November – 15 December
Where to book: GetYourGuide

The big day out → Ang Thong Marine Park. Half a day, back for lunch → Pig Island and Koh Tan. Serious snorkeling, whole day → Koh Tao. A guided jet ski (not a beach rental) → the Pig & Virgin Islands safari.

Ang Thong Marine Park Tours from Koh Samui: the Six Weeks You Cannot Go

Mu Ko Ang Thong shuts for around six weeks every year and there is no public ferry, so the only decision left is which boat you get on. Speedboat against big boat, what the fare leaves out, and the two tours worth comparing.

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Jet Ski in Koh Samui: the Real Decision Is Rental or Guided Safari

The risk on a Koh Samui jet ski is contractual, not nautical. Beach rentals have a long history of damage disputes and passport deposits; a booked guided safari is a different transaction, and it prices like one.

Read the guide

The sandbar connecting Koh Nang Yuan's islands, Thailand

Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan from Koh Samui: the Long Way North

Every other boat trip from Koh Samui stays inside the neighborhood. This one crosses 70 km of open Gulf to a different island group with its own economy, and it comes with a rulebook that gets checked at the pier.

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Pig Island and Koh Tan Snorkeling from Koh Samui: the Reef Does the Work

The pigs put the island on the map and the coral is what you actually came for: Koh Tan's reefs sit in two to five meters of water, close enough to Samui's south coast to be back by lunch. Which boat, which pier, and what the trip really covers.

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Sunset over the water near Koh Phangan, Thailand

Sunset Cruise from Koh Samui: the Flagship Is a Full Day, Not an Evening

Searchers expect a two-hour evening ride. The product that actually dominates this market is a full-day cruise to Koh Phangan that finishes at sunset, and the difference decides whether the day works or wrecks your evening.

Read the guide

Every tour here is matched to its live GetYourGuide or Klook listing before we publish — never a generic search link. Prices are per person unless a guide says otherwise, and hedged because operators move them by season.

Compare

Ang Thong, Pig Island, Koh Tao or the sunset cruise

	Ang Thong Marine Park	Pig Island & Koh Tan	Koh Tao	Koh Phangan sunset cruise
Best for	The big landscape day – 42 islands, a viewpoint climb and kayaking	Shallow, first-timer reef; back by lunch	Serious snorkeling, with a whole day set aside for it	A long, unhurried day that ends at sunset
What you do	Speedboat or big boat ~30 km northwest into the marine park; there is no public ferry, so the boat is the only way in	15-minute boat ~5 km off the south coast to coral in 2–5 m of water, then Pig Island	1.5–2 hour catamaran ~70 km north to Koh Tao and the Koh Nang Yuan sandbar	Full-day cruise to Koh Phangan; the sunset is the last hour, not the whole trip
How long	Full day	Half day	Full day, early start	Full day
Season	Closed 1 Nov – 15 Dec	Year-round	Year-round	Year-round
Price	from ~$35 pp	from ~$48 pp	from ~$57 pp	from ~$100 pp

The Ang Thong park fee (~300 baht) is often left off the headline fare. A guided jet ski safari (~$195 for a group of two) is the other option – booked and guided, not a beach rental. Dry season is roughly November to April.

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