Coconut shell carbon (CSC) nanosheets were applied to support CdS quantum dots (≤5 nm) and Pt nanoparticles to form a composite Pt/CdS/CSC catalyst for the visible-light-driven photocatalytic H2 production from water. The H2 evolution rate on Pt/CdS/CSC is as high as 1679.5 μmol h−1, which is significantly enhanced as compared with that on Pt/CdS without CSC (636.2 μmol h−1). Electrocatalytic experiments indicate a highly efficient electron transfer on the CSC nanosheets, which may be due to the presence of the abundant nanopores (