Shark Bay is a private bay with a beautiful beach of fine white sand. It is shaded by tall coconut trees and Pemphis Acidula which is called ‘Thian’ by the locals, thereby giving the bay its original name – ‘Thian Og Bay’.
Shark Bay is a lovely, quiet place of Koh Tao to come and relax. It is named after the blacktip reef sharks that frequent here. An entrance fee is charged when using the main access. You can also visit the bay by boat or kayak. Alternative access can be found via a few resorts on Chalok Baan Kao Bay’s east shore that connect to Shark Bay’s west shore. This area of Koh Tao is also a shark nursery where young sharks can be seen at certain times of the year. There are larger sharks; to see them, you need to swim out about 250 metres from the beach to where it drops down deeper to 3 – 4 metres. They are more likely to be found around the east shore near Sai Daeng Beach.Look out for green turtles as well, as many live in this bay too and are amazing to see. Some of them are huge, larger than a metre long. They are friendly, unafraid of humans, and sometimes swim very close to you. Please be sure not to touch them, as bacteria on our skin can significantly affect their health and cause harm. Though the coral reef in the bay was vastly destroyed by El Nino in 1998, Shark Bay is the only place on Koh Tao where you can find sea turtles every day.
Shark Bay is named after the blacktip sharks that live here. This is the only place on Koh Tao where you can find sea turtles every day.