Meet Shark Island: Our Favourite Sea View from Baan Talay
If you’ve ever stayed at or visited Baan Talay, Koh Tao, you’ve probably noticed the beautiful rocky island sitting just offshore. It’s hard to miss from our hillside sea view.
That little island is Shark Island.
But what exactly is Shark Island? Are there really sharks there? And what is hiding underneath the water?
Shark Island - Koh Tao
Shark Island is a small rocky islet just off the southeast coast of Koh Tao, near Aow Leuk Bay and Baan Talay. From a distance, its distinctive shape almost looks like a shark fin rising from the sea, which is where its name comes from. It also has a Thai name known as ‘Gong Sai Deang’
For us, Shark Island has become one of our favourite natural landmarks in Koh Tao. We see it every day from Baan Talay, and somehow, it always looks a little different depending on the weather, the tide, and the light.
Sometimes peaceful and blue. Sometimes dramatic with waves crashing around the rocks.
Are There Sharks at Shark Island?
The short answer is: sometimes!
Despite its name, Shark Island is not a place where you should expect to see sharks swimming around the rocks every time you visit.
Koh Tao is home to different marine species, including Blacktip Reef Sharks, and they can occasionally be spotted around the island and nearby bays. However, shark sightings in the area are never guaranteed, and that is part of what makes encountering one so special.
Underwater, Shark Island is much more than its name suggests.
What’s Underneath Shark Island?
Above the water, Shark Island is a beautiful rock formation. Below the surface, it becomes a completely different world.
The rocky underwater landscape provides habitat for colourful reef fish, corals and other marine life. Depending on the conditions and your dive, you may find yourself swimming around soft corals and watching schools of fish move through the blue.
Shark Island is also known as a Koh Tao dive site. Thanks to the often strong currents, Shark Island is full of marine life beneath the surface! From tiny treasures like nudibranchs to the incredible whale shark, there’s always something exciting to see. Divers and snorkelers may also encounter sea snakes, stingrays, octopus, sea turtles, great barracuda, blacktip reef sharks, and even large schools of barracuda and batfish. The underwater scenery and marine life make it an interesting place for experienced divers to explore
And this is where our connection with Shark Island goes a little deeper.
Dive at Shark Island with New Heaven
Baan Talay and New Heaven Dive School are part of the same family, so the ocean you see from our seaview is also the ocean we spend so much time exploring and protecting.
New Heaven is a small, family-run conservation dive school in Koh Tao, with a strong focus on marine life, responsible diving, and ocean conservation.
So while you are enjoying a quiet morning at Baan Talay, looking out towards Shark Island with your coffee, someone from our family might be looking at exactly the same view from underwater.
It’s a nice reminder that the ocean is not just something beautiful to look at. It is a living world beneath the surface.
Read more about Shark Island - Koh Tao Dive Site Here
From Wellness Retreat to Beneath the Surface
At Baan Talay, we love the idea that wellness doesn't always need to be complicated.
Sometimes it is a yoga practice with an ocean view. A quiet breakfast.A swim in the sea.Watching the changing light over Shark Island.
For those coming to Koh Tao for a wellness and retreat experience, Shark Island becomes part of the scenery. A natural landmark that quietly sits beyond the bay while island life happens around it.
And if you feel curious about what lies beneath that beautiful sea view, perhaps it’s time to put on a mask, fins, and tank and discover another side of Koh Tao with New Heaven.
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