Thian Og Bay is a beautiful beach in the south of Koh Tao. It is one of the lesser known and lesser visited beaches on the island located in the Gulf of Thailand. It reminds me of some of the deserted beaches on Koh Phangan, in that you visit the main drag and then you go to a beach like Thian Og and you wonder why everyone stays at an inferior beach.
It is one of those sad phenomena that people tend to follow each other. This is how fashion works and the same principle applies to tourism – everyone tends to stay on the same beaches. In Koh Samui it is Chaweng. In Koh Phangan it is Haad Rin and in Koh Tao it is undoubtedly Sairee beach. All three of these beaches are nice but they are noisy and of course developing world sanitation means that nature is being negatively impacted by the growing numbers of visitors and the development that this encourages.
Thian Og Bay is situated in the south of Koh Tao. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the beach from the main port town of Mae Haad. The beach is a small crescent with fine powdery white sand. The beach is fringed with palm trees and other vegetation supplying shade. The sea is perfect for swimming as there is very little tidal change.
Although Thian Og Bay is also known as Shark Bay it is not a dangerous place to swim. The sharks congregate far out in the bay. Contrary to the impression put out by some Hollywood movies, sharks are not looking to gobble up tourists swimming just off the beach.
The great thing about Thian Og Bay is that it has a beautiful beach and some good accommodation options. There are both cheap bungalows on the beach as well as stylish resorts with air-con rooms. Jamahkiri Spa and Resort is purchased on the rocks at the end of the beach and has rooms with great sea views.
There are a few restaurants, bars and shops near the beach but generally Thian Og Bay is a quiet and peaceful beach. If you stay there you can often find yourself having the whole place to yourself.