Koh Tao in July

[SaltyKSue]

But July is monsoon season on te West Coast/Andaman Sea side of Thailand. I'd bag Thailand altogether and go to Bali in July for great diving, weather, and culture. See my trip reports in the Indonesia sub-forum.

We have been considering that! I'll go take a look at your trip report!

 

[berndo]

If you had stayed in Mae Haad then you would had noticed the place is dead quiet in the evening.

Yeah, Mea Haad but the street that goes from Mea Haad to Sairee and Sairee is or at least was all bars, dive shops and beach clubs. It may have changed since the pandemic but it used to be full of early to mid 20s kids... and they do like to party on occaision I've been told. I only been there a few years pre pandemic.
I suggested the west coast because OP is looking for stuff to do on land and about enjoying culture... which I assume means visiting temples and stuff. I did say I don't know that many places in Thailand... but I know there is not much to do on land on Tao, no real local culture stuff... and I don't think the diving is all that good around Tao.

 

[SaltyKSue]

July is the right time to dive Koh Tao. It is the LOW season in the West coast because of the weather.
Diving from Samui can be expensive because of the distance in travelling eg. Koh Tao. Really make sense to use Koh Tao as base for scuba diving.
Koh Tao is neither a party nor backpacker island, you go to Koh Phangan for the infamous Full Moon Party. There are various types of hotels available to suit one's budget.
Ferry terminal in Koh Tao is in Mae Haad and Master Diver is my suggestion.

Master Divers CDC | Don't Just Learn To Dive, Master It! - Koh Tao

Discover top-quality diving on Koh Tao with Master Divers. Small groups, pro training & eco-friendly dives. Explore reefs & marine life safely with us!

www.master-divers.com

Definitely NO cattle boat.

BTW, I am also going to Koh Tao in the beginning of Jul 2024.

Phuket in Early July

July is the time of the first few flooding events in urban areas and streets and a time when the people are and infra is generally unprepared to deal with whatever comes with the years rains. I would avoid. Search the net for “Thailand floods” then make up your mind… Disclaimer: As seen on TV...

scubaboard.com

We have read that July would be the time to go diving in Koh Tao - we were thinking of staying and diving there for one week and then heading back to Koh Samui (since we have to fly out of there anyway) and hopefully do some diving from there along with getting in some land based things- like doing a tour and "seeing Thailand" but if Koh Samui is expensive for diving and really doesn't have much in the way of "culture" then ..... I don't know!
Decisions decisions!

 

[SaltyKSue]

Yeah, Mea Haad but the street that goes from Mea Haad to Sairee and Sairee is or at least was all bars, dive shops and beach clubs. It may have changed since the pandemic but it used to be full of early to mid 20s kids... and they do like to party on occaision I've been told. I only been there a few years pre pandemic.
I suggested the west coast because OP is looking for stuff to do on land and about enjoying culture... which I assume means visiting temples and stuff. I did say I don't know that many places in Thailand... but I know there is not much to do on land on Tao, no real local culture stuff... and I don't think the diving is all that good around Tao.

Good to know- It's not that we are against PARTYING but it just isn't important. A few of us are in our 60's and a few are in their 40's -
If the diving isn't really all that great In Koh Tao maybe we need to rethink this and do what JonnieB suggested and go to Indonesia instead!!

 

[Centrals]

Yeah, Mea Haad but the street that goes from Mea Haad to Sairee and Sairee is or at least was all bars, dive shops and beach clubs. It may have changed since the pandemic but it used to be full of early to mid 20s kids... and they do like to party on occaision I've been told. I only been there a few years pre pandemic.
I suggested the west coast because OP is looking for stuff to do on land and about enjoying culture... which I assume means visiting temples and stuff. I did say I don't know that many places in Thailand... but I know there is not much to do on land on Tao, no real local culture stuff... and I don't think the diving is all that good around Tao.

Mae Haad is dead quiet.
You need to walk quite a distance away from Mae Haad to hit those places you had mentioned. I tried it once several yrs ago. My last visit was on Aug 2019.
Which places on the West coast offer culture that tourists will be interested?

Good to know- It's not that we are against PARTYING but it just isn't important. A few of us are in our 60's and a few are in their 40's -
If the diving isn't really all that great In Koh Tao maybe we need to rethink this

West coast of the Kingdom offers the best diving eg. Koh Lanta, Koh Lipe and Similan(LOB).
If you want to see some culture in Thailand then you should spend few days in Bangkok, fly down to Samui and transfer to Koh Tao.
Diving in Koh Tao is NOT great(Chumphon Pinnacle and Sail Rock are not to be missed) but it will be relaxing after the hectic few days in Bangkok.

Finding local culture and good diving around the same area?

 

[Edward3c]

With climate change the distinct seasons on Koh Tao no longer exist. Diving is what you made it, I’ve been diving over 45 years starting in the Caribbean and still find Koh Tao interesting. See here, from June. I travel to Thailand as its half to price of Florida, Central America or the Caribbean islands.

 

[JonnieB]

Good to know- It's not that we are against PARTYING but it just isn't important. A few of us are in our 60's and a few are in their 40's -
If the diving isn't really all that great In Koh Tao maybe we need to rethink this and do what JonnieB suggested and go to Indonesia instead!!

All you really need to know about what Koh Tao is all about is they issue the most PADI OW certifications per year than any other place on earth. It's a place for cheap diving certs and partying for a mostly gap-year college and young adult crowd. The diving itself is marginal, except some of the open water pinnacles 1-2 hours by boat from the island.

 

[SaltyKSue]

All you really need to know about what Koh Tao is all about is they issue the most PADI OW certifications per year than any other place on earth. It's a place for cheap diving certs and partying for a mostly gap-year college and young adult crowd. The diving itself is marginal, except some of the open water pinnacles 1-2 hours by boat from the island.

I think we have decided now to head to Lembah instead as it is supposed to have fantastic muck diving and that July is a great time of year to go..... so now I'll hop over to the Indonesia platform and start asking questions on there!
Then we can spend a few days diving in Bali and get a lot of "culture" there!

 

[Centrals]

I think we have decided now to head to Lembah instead as it is supposed to have fantastic muck diving and that July is a great time of year to go..... so now I'll hop over to the Indonesia platform and start asking questions on there!
Then we can spend a few days diving in Bali and get a lot of "culture" there!

Do not limit yourself to Lembeh only.
Bangka could be more interesting.
Bunaken is another option.
Two centres.

If you want "culture" then this place is far more interesting:

Tana Toraja Regency - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[JonnieB]

I think we have decided now to head to Lembah instead as it is supposed to have fantastic muck diving and that July is a great time of year to go..... so now I'll hop over to the Indonesia platform and start asking questions on there!
Then we can spend a few days diving in Bali and get a lot of "culture" there!

Great choice...you won't be disappointed. The northern tip of Sulawesi is fantastic diving. My itinerary would be to fly into Manado and dive the Bunaken National Marine Park for open water dives for a and then transfer to Lembeh for the second part of the trip for superlative macro. It will be the dive trip of a lifetime!