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Do ferries to Koh Tao get cancelled in monsoon?

By DigiTao editorial.

The monsoon reaches the Gulf side in late October or early November, and Thaizer puts the worst of it from late November to early December. The Koh Tao Complete Guide dates the rough seas from mid November to the end of December.

What actually happens to the boats

Operators keep sailing through most of it. Ferries usually continue with waves up to 4 metres and stop only when conditions get worse than that. Thaizer confirms that ferries can be cancelled when seas are rough, and that notices on the pier then advise passengers with connecting flights to travel back to the mainland 24 hours before their flight. Wonderland Koh Tao names October to December as the months of highest cancellation risk, March to May as the calmest, and says Lomprayah usually rebooks you onto the next available sailing rather than refunding you.

How to protect your plan

  1. Leave a buffer day before any onward flight. One rough afternoon should never cost you a long haul ticket.
  2. Take the first boat of the day, so a cancellation still leaves you later sailings.
  3. If you dive, stack the buffer with the 24 hours the Koh Tao Tourism Association asks you to leave between your last dive and any flight.
  4. Check the operator's own page the evening before rather than a booking aggregator.
  5. If you get seasick, remember that the Chumphon catamaran is about 1 hour 45 minutes, while the Surat Thani night boat spends 8 to 9 hours on the water.

The upside of arriving anyway

October is the cheapest month of the year on the island, with rooms 50 to 60 percent below peak. Crystal Dive notes that heavy rain can cut visibility to 5 metres or lower from October to December, against 20 to 30 metres from March to May, and Thaizer says some dive operators close for a while. It is a poor month to learn to dive and a good month to sign a three month lease.

Read November on Koh Tao for the wettest month in detail, compare every route in how to get to Koh Tao, and see the seasons on our Koh Tao page. Every operator's fare for the crossing itself is set out in our Koh Tao ferry price guide.

Sources

  1. Wonderland Koh Tao, Koh Tao low season, updated 28 July 2026 (Lomprayah cancelled two or three times across all our years here, rooms 50 to 60 percent cheaper, October the cheapest month), accessed .
  2. Koh Tao Complete Guide, Koh Tao weather (monsoon mid November to end of December, ferries usually continue with waves up to 4 metres), accessed .
  3. Thaizer, Ko Tao (monsoon timing, some dive operators close, ferries cancelled in rough seas, pier notices about flights), accessed .
  4. Wonderland Koh Tao, Chumphon to Koh Tao ferry (October to December highest cancellation risk, March to May calmest, Lomprayah rebooks, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours), accessed .
  5. Wonderland Koh Tao, Surat Thani to Koh Tao, updated 28 July 2026 (night boat about 22:00 to 05:00 or 06:00, 8 to 9 hours), accessed .
  6. Crystal Dive, best time to dive Koh Tao (visibility 20 to 30 metres March to May, 5 metres or lower after heavy rain October to December), accessed .
  7. Koh Tao Tourism Association, safety (24 hours between the last dive and any onward air travel), accessed .

Facts in this answer last verified .

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