I went out to Sail Rock hoping for a whale shark and actually got one

Every dive shop chat group on the island has been buzzing about whale sharks at Sail Rock for weeks now, and I've been burned by "definitely still around" claims before — usually it means someone saw one three weeks ago and everyone's just been repeating it since. So I went and checked myself. 🦈

Getting out there

Sail Rock sits between Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, and honestly a lot of people don't realise you can dive it straight from Phangan — you don't need to be based on Tao. Several shops here run the trip, boat ride's a bit over an hour depending on conditions, and it's usually paired with a second dive at Chumphon Pinnacle in the same run.

What I actually saw

Two different whale sharks have apparently been doing rounds of the area — a bigger one, around 6 metres, dark-bodied with a distinctive notch near its mouth, known for nudging up against dive boat ladders (charming, slightly terrifying the first time it happens near you). A smaller, lighter-coloured one, closer to 3 metres, tends to hang around schools of fish rather than boats. We got the bigger one, cruising slow near the pinnacle wall, completely unbothered by the six of us frantically trying not to kick each other in the face with excitement.

Honestly, no photo I took does it justice — the scale of the thing up close is just a different category of experience than seeing one in a documentary.

Is it a sure thing?

No, and I want to be honest about that. Sightings have genuinely picked up this year, and Sail Rock, Chumphon Pinnacle and Southwest Pinnacle are the three spots worth asking your dive shop about specifically. But it's still wildlife — nobody can promise you a whale shark on any given day, whatever a hyped-up group chat message implies. Go for Sail Rock itself, which is a genuinely excellent dive regardless (there's a chimney you can swim up through from 18m that's worth the trip alone) — treat the whale shark as the best-case bonus, not the whole plan.

If you want to try

• Ask your dive shop directly if they've had recent whale shark sightings on their last few Sail Rock trips — shops that go regularly usually know
• Morning trips tend to have calmer water and better visibility
• Bring a wide-angle lens or GoPro if you have one — a whale shark is way too big for a standard reef-camera setup
• Don't touch it if you're lucky enough to get close. I know it's tempting. Don't.