Gulf of Thailand Climate and Seasons

Introduction

Part of the reason Koh Tao and this region of Thailand are so popular is because we have great year round weather.
Unlike the ocean-facing west coast of Thailand, Koh Tao has a sheltered position within the Gulf of Thailand.

Firstly that means it’s less windy here, plus since the wind blows across less sea we generally only get very small waves. That means it’s never a problem for ferries to reach the island, plus ferry crossings are more comfortable.  In addition it has some pretty big implications for our diving – less wind and waves mean better access to dive sites, easier conditions and generally better underwater visibility, which makes us very lucky.

Daytime high temperatures are usually between 32-40C throughout the year. The weather is fantastic most always, except for the end of the year when we go through a monsoon for a few weeks somewhere around November or December.

Monthly weather patterns

Through Jan to March, weather is normally fine and sunny, with temperatures ranging high 20s [°C] to mid 30s. April is our hottest time of year when it gets close to 40°C, again dry and sunny.
During our summer months the temperature cools of a little to a more comfortable mid 30s range, and still very little rain. This pleasant spell continues right through till late October.

The weather normally degrades during November – it’s impossible to predict exactly when it will occur, but normally around the end of November we get our spectacular monsoon, which is actually quite an exciting time after so many dry months! We get heavy rain for a few hours each day and wind strength picks up a bit – this normally lasts for 1 – 2 weeks. Then during December, the weather usually recovers back to our regular fine sunny conditions.