Whale shark spotted at Sail Rock near Koh Phangan island

Another whale shark was recently spotted by divers at Hin Bai, also known as Sail Rock, a popular diving spot south of Koh Tao and Koh Phangan islands in this southern coastal province, according to a local media report.

The shark, about 3-4 metres long, was sighted by a team of diving instructors from Ban’s Diving Koh Tao. It was swimming about 18 metres under water, surrounded by various species of fish.

The scuba divers were very excited by the sighting of the whale, and christened it “Phi Chut” (Spotty) due to the spots on its skin.

In May, divers from Koh Tao Thai Divers came across a larger whale shark while exploring Hin Khieo or Green Rock. That shark was estimated to be 4-6 metres long and was swimming at a depth of 16.3 metres. 

Wichawut Jinto, the governor of Surat Thani, said the sighting of at least two whale sharks in the area was an indication that the richness of undersea natural resources near Koh Tao had returned.

In the middle of last year, a whale shark, about 4 metres long, was spotted by divers near Kong Chumphon, another diving spot on Koh Tao, he said.

For more details about scuba diving around Koh Phangan please visit Haad Yao Divers.

Thank you to Bangkok Post  “Another whale shark spotted near Koh Tao” which was brought to us by Google Alerts.

Photo credit @ Ban’s Diving Koh Tao via Bangkok Post