How To Get There: The only option is by boat. If you're coming from the south, you can take a ferry from Surat Thani (around 3 hours) on the mainland, or from Koh Samui (1.5 hours) or Koh Pha Ngan (1 hour). If you're taking a boat from Surat Thani, one possibility might be an overnight ferry - depart around 23:00 and arrive in the morning, about 06:00 (subject to changes). It's advisable to arrive early to grab a mattress as most are formerly cargo boats, so facilities are basic. If you're coming from the north, you can catch a ferry from Chumphon. 

Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran is probably the fastest and most comfortable way to get to Koh Tao. They run twice a day from Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Chumphon. They also have online booking - useful for checking availability at peak times and all their boats have air conditioning and movies for all passengers.

Koh Tao is a great place to learn how to dive. There are hardly any currents and you have to travel in a boat for at least an hour to find depths deeper than 40 meters. Scuba diving is by far the biggest attraction on Koh Tao. Diving in Koh Tao is easy, fun, and you can see turtles, stingrays, barracudas, lots of small fish, reef sharks, and there is a very small chance of seeing a whale shark.

Nearly any time of the year (except November) is good diving weather in Ko Tao, In November, the visibility is reduced and the seas are choppy, but diving is good by the standards of many other destinations. When diving is good, the visibility can be 40+ meters. Average visibility is around 15-20 meters.