Things to Do in Koh Tao in October

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Stay in Koh Tao in October

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October opens Koh Tao's wet season and is the second-wettest month of the year after November. Daytime highs sit around 27.7°C (82°F) and nights rarely drop below 25.4°C (78°F), so the island stays warm under the cloud. The rain here rarely feels cold, arriving heavy, steamy, and loud on the tin roofs of Sairee.

The Gulf of Thailand runs on a different calendar from Phuket and Krabi: the northeast monsoon starts pushing in during the second half of October, and the east-facing bays at Tanote and Hin Wong usually feel it first. Sairee and Mae Haad on the west coast stay more sheltered, and most of the island's dive schools are there.

The upside is space. Dive schools in Sairee and Chalok Baan Kao run smaller groups, and bungalow owners are currently far more willing to bargain than they will be in January, though a run of 3 grey days in a row is quite possible in late October. This month suits divers with flexible dates far better than beach sitters on a 4-night schedule.

Why visit in October

Open Water classes in Sairee tend to run 2 to 4 students per instructor in October, compared with fuller classes from December to April.
Sea temperatures stay near 29°C (84°F), so a 3mm shorty is warm enough for 3 dives a day.
Koh Nang Yuan's sandbar sees a fraction of the day-trip boats that cross from Koh Samui and Koh Phangan in high season.
Bungalows on the quieter north end of Sairee often accept walk-in rates well below the prices posted on the booking sites.

Worth knowing

After heavy runoff, visibility at Chumphon Pinnacle and Sail Rock can drop to 5-10m (16-33 ft), while on a good dry-season day it passes 20m (65 ft).
The catamaran crossing from Chumphon takes about 1 hour 45 minutes, and once swell builds late in the month it gets rough, with sailings sometimes cancelled.
Snorkelling at Tanote Bay and Aow Leuk turns choppy and murky once the northeast winds arrive in the last 10 days of October.
Some smaller restaurants in Chalok Baan Kao and bars in Sairee close for staff holidays, usually from late September into early November.

Best for

Think twice if

Weather measured 28° / 25°C 275mm rain · 26 rainy days · 81% humidity rains perceptibly ~4.8h/day · 52% of mornings dry

Crowds low

Pack Quick-dry shorts and synthetic tees, a packable rain shell, and sandals with grippy soles for the slick concrete roads between Mae Haad and Sairee.

The 5-year average is 275mm (10.8 in) of rain spread over about 26 rainy days, with humidity around 81%. Most wet days bring a hard burst of 1 to 2 hours in the afternoon or overnight, not constant drizzle. The last week of October tends to be the worst, when the northeast monsoon can settle in for 2 or 3 days at a time. After a storm the Sairee footpath smells of wet earth and frangipani, and the air stays warm even at midnight.

Seasonal caution

Heavy monsoon rain. October's total runs above 200mm, and the runoff makes the steep concrete roads down to Tanote Bay and Aow Leuk dangerously slippery. Scooter falls on those hills are among the most common tourist injuries on the island.
Ferry disruption late in the month. Thailand's Marine Department can suspend Gulf crossings when northeast swell reaches 2-3m (7-10 ft), and it tends to happen after the 20th.

Year-round climate

Averages from the last 5 years.

Monthly climate averages for Koh Tao
Month	Avg high (°C)	Avg low (°C)	Rainfall (mm)
Jan	27	25	20
Feb	27	25	76
Mar	28	26	33
Apr	29	27	80
May	29	27	189
Jun	29	27	120
Jul	29	26	172
Aug	28	26	145
Sep	28	26	192
Oct	28	25	275
Nov	28	25	336
Dec	27	25	135

Holidays and festivals in October

Public holidays

King Bhumibol Memorial Day(วันคล้ายวันสวรรคต ร.9)13 October 2026
King Chulalongkorn Day(วันปิยมหาราช)23 October 2026

Best things to do in October

PADI or SSI Open Water course in Sairee

diving

A 3 to 4 day entry-level dive course covering pool or shallow-bay sessions, theory, and 4 open-water dives at sites such as Twins and Japanese Gardens.

Low season means small classes and instructors who aren't rushing through a queue of students, and the west-coast training sites stay fairly sheltered from October's weather.

Booking tipBook on arrival rather than weeks ahead: most Sairee schools can start a new course the next morning in October.

Dive Chumphon Pinnacle

diving

A granite pinnacle about 11km (7 mi) northwest of Koh Tao, dropping from 14m to 36m (46-118 ft), covered in anemones and circled by schools of barracuda and batfish.

Whale shark sightings tend to pick up around September and October, though nobody can promise one, and the pinnacle runs quieter in low season because fewer boats make the trip out.

Booking tipAsk for the morning boat. Afternoon squalls cancel more second dives than first ones.

Early morning on Koh Nang Yuan

beach

Three small islands joined by a white sandbar, a 10-minute longtail ride from Sairee, with a coral garden right off the beach that's good for snorkelling.

Very few day-trip speedboats come over from Koh Samui in October, so if you arrive before 9am you might have the sandbar almost to yourself before the midday clouds build.

Booking tipArrange a longtail on Sairee Beach the evening before, and bring cash for the entry fee at the jetty.

Blacktip snorkel at Shark Bay (Ao Thian Og)

snorkelling

Juvenile blacktip reef sharks and hawksbill turtles feed over the reef flats in the southeast bay, usually in the first hours after sunrise.

The first half of October is usually still calm before northeast swell reaches the southeast bays, but later in the month visibility here drops quickly.

Booking tipGo before 8am and on a weekday, and rent fins in Chalok Baan Kao.

John-Suwan Viewpoint climb

hiking

A steep 15 to 20 minute scramble over granite boulders above Chalok Baan Kao, with views from the top of Shark Bay on one side and Chalok Bay on the other.

Rain clears the haze out of the air, and the bay colours look sharpest on the morning after a storm.

Booking tipSkip it right after heavy rain, because the boulders get slick, and pay the small path fee at the entrance.

Muay Thai training in Sairee

fitness

Group pad sessions and sparring at the roofed gyms along Sairee's inland road, with morning and late-afternoon classes most days.

Roofed gyms give you a proper workout on the 1 or 2 afternoons a week when the rain shuts down beaches and dive boats.

Booking tipOnce you've tried a single session, buy a 5 or 10 class pass. Low-season passes are easy to negotiate.

What to eat in October

In season: fruit

Longkong
Southern Thailand's longkong harvest runs roughly August to October, and the pale clusters come over by boat from the Chumphon and Surat Thani markets. The translucent flesh is sweet and slightly sour.
Som-o (pomelo)
Pomelo season runs from August to November, with fruit stalls near Mae Haad pier selling peeled segments in bags with a salt, sugar and chili dip.

On menus now

Khao tom
Rice soup with fish or pork, ginger and fried garlic, served steaming hot and cheap at the Mae Haad evening food stalls on any rainy night.

Festival food

Khao tom mat
Sticky rice and banana steamed in banana leaf. Families make it for the Ok Phansa merit-making at the end of Buddhist Lent, and it smells of coconut cream and smoke.
Jay vegetarian food
During the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, a few Thai-Chinese cooks on the island hang yellow flags and serve meatless jay dishes for the 9 festival days.

Regular events in October

Ok Phansa (end of Buddhist Lent)Free

Thais make merit at the island's temples to mark the end of the 3-month rains retreat, with monks receiving alms at dawn and candles lit in the evening.

Full moon of the 11th lunar month, usually in October

Chak Phra Festival, Surat ThaniFree

Koh Tao belongs to Surat Thani province, and the province celebrates the day after Ok Phansa with decorated Buddha floats pulled through Surat Thani town and boat processions on the Tapi River.

The day after Ok Phansa

King Bhumibol Memorial DayFree

A national public holiday for the late King Rama IX: banks and government offices in Mae Haad close, and some Thai families come over from Chumphon for the long weekend.

October 13

Chulalongkorn DayFree

A public holiday honouring King Rama V, when banks close and people leave wreaths at his portraits in government buildings.

October 23

Nine Emperor Gods FestivalFree

A Taoist festival of vegetarian jay eating, marked by yellow flags. The scale is much bigger in Phuket, but a few Thai-Chinese households and food stalls on Koh Tao observe it.

9 days starting on the first day of the 9th Chinese lunar month, late September or October

Halloween parties in Sairee

Beach bars along Sairee Beach hold costume nights, with dive instructors and long-stay backpackers making up most of the crowd.

October 31

Best places this October

Sairee Beach
beach
This 1.7km (1.1 mi) west-facing strip is the best-sheltered long beach on the island in October, and sunsets often break through between storms.
Sairee
Mae Haad pier and evening food stalls
market
The ferry landing and the island's main village: the food stalls set up near the pier in the evening, and it's the place to check sailing notices.
Mae Haad
Chalok Bay
bay
A shallow south-coast bay lined with dive schools and cafes, and a good base if you want quieter nights.
Chalok Baan Kao
Freedom Beach
beach
A small cove between Chalok Baan Kao and Shark Bay, reached by a 10-minute walk and calm in early October.
Chalok Baan Kao
Mango Bay
bay
A cove on the north tip, reached by longtail, that stays protected from both monsoons and has decent snorkelling when the east coast is rough.
Sairee
Hin Wong Bay
bay
A boulder-lined east-coast bay with some of the island's clearest water in the first 2 weeks of October, before the swell arrives.
Hin Wong
Tanote Bay
bay
A deep east-coast bay with a cliff-jump rock, best visited in the settled first half of the month.
Tanote
Love Koh Tao Viewpoint
viewpoint
A hilltop lookout above Mae Haad with views over the west coast, worth a short ride up for sunset when skies clear.
Mae Haad

Your packing checklist

Tick items off as you pack. Your progress saves in this browser.

0 of 8 packed

Packable rain shellMost downpours last 1 to 2 hours, and a thin shell keeps you dry on a scooter or longtail without making you overheat. Shop
10-20 litre dry bagLongtails to Koh Nang Yuan and Mango Bay take spray over the bow, and sudden squalls soak anything left in a backpack. Shop
Motion-sickness tabletsTake them 30 minutes before the Chumphon or Surat Thani crossing, when the late-October swell is up. Shop
DEET insect repellentStanding rainwater means more mosquitoes, and dengue cases across southern Thailand usually climb through the wet months. Shop
Waterproof phone pouchAfternoon rain arrives fast, so a pouch lets you keep navigating on a scooter or boat. Shop
HeadlampStorms knock out power in Chalok Baan Kao and the hill bungalows for an hour or more at a time. Shop
Anti-fungal powderDamp wetsuits and constant humidity leave divers dealing with ear and foot fungus after about a week. Shop
Sandals with grippy rubber solesWet concrete ramps and the boulders at the viewpoints get slippery, and flip-flops cause falls. Shop

Insider tips

Book the morning catamaran from Chumphon: afternoon sailings get cancelled more often once swell builds, and the morning boats connect with the overnight train from Bangkok.
When the wind turns northeast, local boat captains move snorkel trips from Aow Leuk to Mango Bay and Koh Nang Yuan, so ask your longtail driver in Sairee which side is calm that day.
In low season, Sairee dive schools often include free fun dives or discounted rooms with a course, so ask what's included before you pay.
Check a wind forecast app each evening: the swell usually hits the east bays about 12 hours after the wind turns northeast.

Avoid these mistakes

Booking a same-day ferry and Bangkok flight connection in late October: one cancelled sailing strands you, so plan a buffer night in Chumphon or Surat Thani.
Riding a rented scooter down the steep Tanote Bay road in the rain: take a 4x4 taxi from Mae Haad instead.
Assuming the Gulf and Andaman coasts share a season: Phuket and Krabi start drying out in November, while Koh Tao gets wetter.
Planning a snorkel day on the east coast for the last week of the month, when murky swell there is the norm.

Practical tips for October

Lomprayah, Songserm and Seatran run the Chumphon and Surat Thani routes year-round, but post schedule changes at the Mae Haad pier offices, so check the day before you leave. Banks and the government offices in Mae Haad close on the two national holidays listed above, and many smaller venues in Chalok Baan Kao shut until November, so ask before walking there in the rain. Temples expect covered shoulders and knees during Ok Phansa merit-making. Tipping dive instructors about 10% of a course is normal but optional. Keep a scooter rental contract photo and your own helmet, because police checkpoints at Mae Haad continue through the wet months.

FAQ

Is October a good time to visit Koh Tao?

For divers and travellers with flexible dates, it makes sense. It ranks near the bottom of the year for beach weather, but course groups are small and rooms are easy to bargain for. If you want reliable sun, come between February and April.

What is the weather like in Koh Tao in October?

Warm, humid, and wet on most days, with rain arriving in short, hard bursts. The worst of it tends to come after mid-month, when the northeast monsoon moves in.

Can you still dive in Koh Tao in October?

Yes. Boats run most days and the water stays warm, though visibility drops after heavy rain, and a few days a month the far sites are cancelled for swell, so plan for 1 or 2 spare days.

Is Koh Tao crowded in October?

No. It's one of the quietest months, and the Koh Nang Yuan sandbar and Sairee's beach bars are noticeably empty compared with the July and August rush.

Is Koh Tao safe for solo travellers in October?

Mostly, yes. The island scores 7.6/10 for solo-traveler safety (see the TTDI Solo-Safety Index), and the main wet-season risks are scooter crashes on slick hills and night swims in rough water.