Chumphon Pinnacle

Chumphon Pinnacle is a submerged granite pinnacle off Ko Tao in the Gulf of Thailand, part of the Ko Pha-ngan area dive sites, reached by boat from Ko Tao itself. The pinnacle rises from a rocky bottom with a maximum depth of around 45 metres, and it is rated an advanced dive. It is best known as one of the more reliable spots in the region to encounter large schools of barracuda, along with fusilier, grouper, trevally, and occasional whale sharks passing through. Divers have also reported batfish, clownfish, leopard and zebra sharks, manta rays, moray eels, reef sharks, snapper, and stingrays around the formations. A steep drop off near the pinnacle has been noted as a hazard, and combined with the depth range, this keeps it a dive suited to those with more experience.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Reef sharkReef sharkReported here · unconfirmed
• Whale sharkWhale sharkConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
• GrouperGrouperConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• StingrayStingrayReported here · unconfirmed
• Moray eelMoray eelReported here · unconfirmed
• Bull SharkCarcharhinus leucasReported here · unconfirmed
• BarracudaBarracudaConfirmed present · 4 independent sources
• SnapperSnapperReported here · unconfirmed
• ClownfishClownfishReported here · unconfirmed
• Whale SharkRhincodon typusConfirmed present · 5 independent sources
• TrevallyTrevallyConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
• FusilierFusilierConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
• Leopard / zebra sharkLeopard / zebra sharkReported here · unconfirmed
• BatfishBatfishReported here · unconfirmed
• LionfishLionfishReported here · unconfirmed
• Manta rayManta rayReported here · unconfirmed
• ScorpionfishScorpionfishReported here · unconfirmed