Cocoa Thila
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.
Stretched across its channel like a breakwater, Cocoa Thila catches everything the tide delivers. Divers drop up-current and work along terraces where whitetips rest on sand, gray reef sharks patrol mid-water, and thick walls of bluestripe snapper part around the coral heads. Barracuda hang at the edge of visibility with trevally strafing through them. Because the thila is long, groups spread out and the dive feels less trafficked than its reputation suggests. On slack water it mellows into an easy circuit; on a spring tide it is a proper ride.
The moment you come for: Dense snapper walls; patrolling sharks; a thila long enough to absorb the crowds
Topography: Long, narrow thila with terraced ledges and sandy patches along its flanks
Current: Best dived on a running tide, which is exactly when it demands good buoyancy and a reef hook.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Current, exposure at the channel mouth, and depth along the flanks.
Conservation: Anchoring is prohibited; boats live-drop and pick up drifting groups.
Nitrox: Worth it here — profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).
Who you'll meet
Giant Trevally
Great Barracuda
Grey Reef Shark
Oriental Sweetlips
Spotted Eagle Ray
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★☆ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting