Phuket's Best Snorkelling Beach

[2long]

I've been spoilt having mostly snorkelled off beaches in Phi Phi. The water on Patong, and similar beaches, is not clear enough to snorkel, nor is there any coral to speak of.

Where is the best beach ON Phuket island to snorkel from. I'm not talking about a boat trip, just DIY job. Is there anywhere?

Cheers

[Ping]

I've been spoilt having mostly snorkelled off beaches in Phi Phi. The water on Patong, and similar beaches, is not clear enough to snorkel, nor is there any coral to speak of.

Where is the best beach ON Phuket island to snorkel from. I'm not talking about a boat trip, just DIY job. Is there anywhere?

Cheers

Some people seem to like snorkelling from Paradise Beach. It doesn't look anything special to me, but I suppose there's not much around actually on the island for that sort of thing. What about around Phang Nga - it's only a few hours' drive from the island and somewhere different from Phi Phi?

[huggybear]

I've been spoilt having mostly snorkelled off beaches in Phi Phi. The water on Patong, and similar beaches, is not clear enough to snorkel, nor is there any coral to speak of.

Where is the best beach ON Phuket island to snorkel from. I'm not talking about a boat trip, just DIY job. Is there anywhere?

Cheers

I have two for ya.

Kata Reef- if you are standing on the beach looking at the water at Kata it's the point on your right (north?). I once saw a pretty mean Morey eel out there.

Ao Sane-go to Nai Hairn beach, drive through the Meridien out to it. Usually has a good abundance of sea critters. Also, pretty decent little Thai restaurant there for lunch too.

HB

[Chantal]

Also on the southern end of both Kata and Karon beaches there is some great snorkelling. Enjoy!

[HDRIDER]

I've been spoilt having mostly snorkelled off beaches in Phi Phi. The water on Patong, and similar beaches, is not clear enough to snorkel, nor is there any coral to speak of.

Where is the best beach ON Phuket island to snorkel from. I'm not talking about a boat trip, just DIY job. Is there anywhere?

Cheers

I have two for ya.

Kata Reef- if you are standing on the beach looking at the water at Kata it's the point on your right (north?). I once saw a pretty mean Morey eel out there.

Ao Sane-go to Nai Hairn beach, drive through the Meridien out to it. Usually has a good abundance of sea critters. Also, pretty decent little Thai restaurant there for lunch too.

HB

Please dont tell to many about that little nice restaurant

[2long]

Just in case anyone cares, I'll answer my own question now that we're back from Phuket.

Kata has great water that's clear enough to see all the marine life at either end of the beach. I saw lots of cuttle fish, a lion fish, two very small moray eels and a wee little baby octopus. Highly recommended.

[Super Hans]

Thanks. Are there places to rent mask and fins etc or did you have to buy your own?

[2long]

Nautilus dive shop at the south end of the beach rented mask n fins for 100B/day. The second day I even borrowed a weight belt and two weights for free!

[tw25rw]

Do you ever see anything dangerous in the water? Sharks, stonefish, box jellies etc?

[Old Croc]

I saw lots of cuttle fish, a lion fish, two very small moray eels and a wee little baby octopus. Highly recommended.

Do you ever see anything dangerous in the water? Sharks, stonefish, box jellies etc?

Lion fish are highly venomous and could kill you if you get spiked. If the wee little baby octopus has blue rings on it, it too could kill.

Also, I can relate from experience that a bite from a moray eel is very painful.

Edited January 18, 2008 by Old Croc

[2long]

You'd have to be very stupid or highly unlucky to be bitten by a moray, or stung by a lionfish. Over on Kata, both specimens were tiny.

As far as blue-ringed or any octopuses go, they're well out of your way before you even know they're there.

Enjoy the sea, but just don't touch or stand on anything.

[Old Croc]

You'd have to be very stupid or highly unlucky to be bitten by a moray, or stung by a lionfish. Over on Kata, both specimens were tiny.

As far as blue-ringed or any octopuses go, they're well out of your way before you even know they're there.

Enjoy the sea, but just don't touch or stand on anything.

I guess I was just stupid when I was bitten by the eel 2long.

I was wrapping a chain (for a mooring) around a piece of rock and coral when a little (luckily) bugger came out of a hole and sank his teeth into my index finger down to the bone.

Also, many years ago we were snorkelling and collecting some shells in a place called Shark Bay in Western Australia. The shells were placed on the seat of the boat. We later discovered a blue ringed octopus slithering across that seat- he had to have been inside one of the shells that we had collected in our bare hands. Quite worrying (and probably stupid).

[choppychugger]

I've been spoilt having mostly snorkelled off beaches in Phi Phi. The water on Patong, and similar beaches, is not clear enough to snorkel, nor is there any coral to speak of.

Where is the best beach ON Phuket island to snorkel from. I'm not talking about a boat trip, just DIY job. Is there anywhere?

Cheers

Hi ,

I see that Ao Sane got a mention on here ( near Nai harn ). I strongly recommend Ya-Nui beach located between Promthep cape and Nai Harn beach, excellent snorkeling on a quiet little beach, with Lion fish, octopus, sea snakes etc etc....

There is a little restaurant there and you can even hire a kayak and go over to the opposite island and do a bit of snorkeling.

very nice

[LivinLOS]

Never considered YaNui.. Will give it a look..

Really tho if you enjoy snorkelling getting a boat for the day and heading to CoralIsland, Racha, or around is really worth it.. So much better than anything I have found from Phuket so far.. I have a mate who was taken diving, he says theres a large coral formation but its a good >500m offshore and 5 - 7m down out from one of the beaches at millionaires mile.. Given a keen swimmer and a weight belt that is a possible new spot.. I am keen to test that once I can persuade him to make the swim.

[Chantal]

Racha Yai and Racha Noi are good snorkel sites for daytrippers although Coral Island is often referred to a Coraless island by divers. Unfortunately this is due to the years of abuse by tourists walking on the corals to get to the island.

Another nice spot for snorkelling if you don't want to go on a daytrip - the east side of Koh Pu off Kata Beach. You need to go there via Longtail boat.

[LivinLOS]

Actually of the 3 Coral island is still my favorite.. But you do need to swim offshore to where it shelfs a bit (and where hordes of korean and japanese tours have not just stood on it in their lifejackets) and actually swim down a little to get some interesting sights.. You also need to get tide right as low tide there is not pleasant getting in and out..

Would Koh Pu not be swimable with fins ?? Is there any nasty current / rip to be aware of ??

I really should do my dive ticket but am such an antisocial sod I just dont like the idea of forced sociability for tour groups or boats. I also really like the simplicity of skin diving, the no equipment etc. Have been tempted to have a go at that floating surface system with lines tho (IIRC power snorkel ??).. That would probably suit me too.

[amanda76]

I have swum to Koh Pu a few times. The North Side is very rough, but the south side is calm and smooth. I love Kata because of the Coastal Edie (i think that is the term) that forms from the current that passes through Kata Beach and Koh Pu. This current is brought in from the bottle neck that is formed.

It runs down Kata Beach and makes the Northern part of Kata almost calm, very little current, except for the occasional wave. It hosts an incredible reef that goes all the way to the Orange Ball floating in the channel.

There is a line of white floaties that keep the jet ski’s out, and for people who like to just float, and observe, I highly recommend this area. Swimming to Koh Pu is fairly easy. The current is swift, and the water is sort of deep (20m), so for free swimming or fin assisted swimming, it is a real rush. So be prepared for a scary swim, but there are NO SHARKS.

As far as poisonous creatures? IMHO, they are 10 times more afraid of you than you are of them. I drive a truck, but you are in more danger on a moped here in Phuket, than you are in the water. (except for tourists on JetSki's)

I have included a drawing I did, (I am NO artist) to highlight my favorite route when snorkeling. For fitness, I swim without fins to the Red (Orange) ball and back, and for sight seeing, I normally follow the light blue route. Some may disagree, but isn't that what we are discussing here?

Best Beaches?

I go everyday (other day) around 7am - 11am. After that, it is like Patong Beach. Parasailing, Jet Ski's, Topless Senior Citizens, and merky water.

Isn't topless in Thailand illegal? Oh well.

~a~

[LivinLOS]

Your a gentleman and a scholar (well looking at the username a Gentlewoman).. Thanks very much for taking the time to sketch that out.

I will cast my eye over Kata next time I am out, to be honest I dont tend to like the busy beaches much and hence have not spent much time there.

I just made arrangments with a mate to go check YaNui or Ao Sane tomorrow if weather is good..

If anyone had any gems out on the Khao Lak direction I would love to hear them.. Google earth links would be wonderful for that.

[Super Hans]

I really should do my dive ticket but am such an antisocial sod I just dont like the idea of forced sociability for tour groups or boats.

I'm with you on that. I always seem to pick the boat with the most irritating gap-yearers too. A boat trip from phi phi was particularly unpleasant - sandwiched between 20 excitable 19 year year olds is not my idea of a good time. I must also confess to being too lazy to get up at such an antisocial hour to go diving.

[smartecosse]

There is a little restaurant there and you can even hire a kayak and go over to the opposite island and do a bit of snorkeling.

very nice

theres now 5 or 6 "restaurants" its full of deck chairs at ridiculous prices and its no longer the nice quiet little beach it used to be

shame..........

I'm with you on that. I always seem to pick the boat with the most irritating gap-yearers too. A boat trip from phi phi was particularly unpleasant - sandwiched between 20 excitable 19 year year olds is not my idea of a good time. I must also confess to being too lazy to get up at such an antisocial hour to go diving.

then why not just hire a longtail / speedboat for yourself then

no crowds and you can dive / snorkel etc for however long you want wherever you want

best way to do it imo

[LivinLOS]

My mate is a DM and did my little brother through SSI.. Talking to him he was suggesting just us going out and longtail use and that had me interested, but he moved to BKK shortly after..

I am under the impression that even experienced divers should never dive alone ??

[smartecosse]

I am under the impression that even experienced divers should never dive alone ??

well that is a question that many discussions have been had over

personally i do

i wouldn't recommend any to do it though

i know that doesnt make sense but there you go .................

What I would suggest you do is look around for some people that live here that like diving and go regularly on something other than the standard day boats as suggested.

We have a small group of 4 people that charter a boat for some dives "away from the crowd" so to speak.

Last sunday as an example was two dives from a speed boat - 1500 baht per person is what it ended up costing us

best bit is that you have no guide telling you to get put the water after 45 mins - 1st dive was an hour as we ran out of reef and didnt want to head into the current - 2nd dive was 100 minutes cos the other three were low on air

if you want to tag along sometime then drop me a pm - BUT - we like long slow dives with lots of time to check everything out so if you are a rush rush rush diver then you wont fit in too well although you are still welcome

[splorff]

I took some snorkeling gear with me when I last went to Phuket. But I couldn't get the hang of it. I leant it to a Dane who had great fun he said. We were at Lam Sing I think. Its north bound just before Surin Beach. Its at the bottom of a downward walk. He dived on the northern area of the beach near the rocks, and saw many swarming colourful fish. It sounded fantastic. I must get smeone to show me how to do it properly next time so I can enjoy the sights.

[amanda76]

I took some snorkeling gear with me when I last went to Phuket. But I couldn't get the hang of it. I leant it to a Dane who had great fun he said. We were at Lam Sing I think. Its north bound just before Surin Beach. Its at the bottom of a downward walk. He dived on the northern area of the beach near the rocks, and saw many swarming colourful fish. It sounded fantastic. I must get smeone to show me how to do it properly next time so I can enjoy the sights.

Snorkeling is one of the greatest outdoor activities there is, (IMHO). No motors, no gadgets, no computers. Just you, a tube, a mask, and some fins. One thing about Salt Water is the more fat you have, the more you will float. Where I have suggested in Kata, there is a Novice area that spans the entire area, inside the white bouys. The trick is to swim out to where they begin, and about 6m to the right of the first bouy is a huge outcropping of reef. You must swim past the area with only sand. Many people get out and think there is only sandy bottom. This is a big misconception. The sandy bottom ends where the bouys are.

It would be best to practice snorkeling in a pool first. Stand on the bottom, and place your face in the water, and practice breathing through the snorkel. Practice keeping your ears slightly under the water, any deeper, and you will feel that it is harder to breathe. The snorkel should be halfway in and halfway out of the water. This will be the most comfortable. Spend a 10 minutes with your eyes closed. Listen to your breathing.

When you are comfortable, try to do a dive to the bottom, holding your breath. Do not blow out all of your air while in your dive. As you return to the surface, exhale as hard as you can, (like a sneeze) to clear the snorkel and take a breath. This will take a lot of practice because it is hard not to exhale all of your air during a dive. This procedure will allow you to keep you mask in the water, and not to have to pull your head out, remove the mouthpiece, and take a breath. The snorkels seen nowadays are engineered for this procedure. Some have valves at the bottom for pushing out water.

Snorkeling is a wonderful sport that anyone can do. My partner has a little girl and she can dive to 8 ft. and clear her snorkel. It is all about practice. Snorkeling is for all ages.

As far as diving alone.... I always dive alone. Many will say this is dangerous, but I prefer to dive alone.

A word from a health point of view: The human body burns 800+ calories during one hour in water slightly cooler than the body because the body spends so much energy to heat the surface of the skin to normal body temp. This coupled with swimming with fins and using the major leg muscles, snorkeling for one hour, covering a distance of 500m is an excellent form of excercise.

I would be happy to give anyone free instructions and a tour of my favorite place in Kata. My partner and I go daily. PM me.

~a~

[LivinLOS]

Snorkeling is one of the greatest outdoor activities there is, (IMHO). No motors, no gadgets, no computers. Just you, a tube, a mask, and some fins.

The snorkels seen nowadays are engineered for this procedure. Some have valves at the bottom for pushing out water.

As far as diving alone.... I always dive alone. Many will say this is dangerous, but I prefer to dive alone.

All good advice.. Your reasoning for why you enjoy it is exactly the same as mine.. Skin diving is so simple, no complex equipment, yet very satisfying.. My little brother spearfishes on Bali and I often see the Thai guys doing this at Ao Sane.. I have wanted to try this (and please understand I am not gonna shoot at anything that moves, it would be selective and only one or two that would be eaten, you can argue the morals of that all you like but I am 100% ok with hunting when the end result ends up on a plate) but dont know about rules or if it would be a problem..

As to snorkels I cannot sing the praises of the mares equipment with shotgun clearance and a float bubble.. These are almost 100% water sealed and so theres little chocking, water in mouth etc.. Such a great bit of kit.. Same goes with buying a good quality large viz snorkelling mask (I understand dive masks have less volume for depth compression).. Good kit makes such a difference.

The diving alone comment was aimed at diving with kit not skin diving.. The addition of weights, and the myriad of issues that diving with air tanks adds increases the danger and complexity.. I am surprised by SC's post above as I thought diving with a buddy was a golden rule. Also interested in the small group offer... Sounds good but dont have a ticket yet, may get in touch if I get one as going with a group of mates is when it sounds fun.

Do other skin divers use a weight belt ?? I had a dive instructor once tell me it was a really bad thing and get quite agitated about it.. But the fact is I am not as fit as I should be and very buoyant.. I used to borrow the mates belt and just a bit of counterweight made getting and staying down at a minor depth so much easier. I wanted to get one but the scene with the DM kinda put me off.. I felt it was an over reaction and as i didnt adjust myself anywhere near negative buoyancy I felt it was fine ??

Off to the beach today... This threads got me going !!

[choppychugger]

I just made arrangments with a mate to go check YaNui or Ao Sane tomorrow if weather is good..

Let us know what you think of the beaches if you make it down today.

choppy

[LivinLOS]

Well we went to Ya Nui.. Its probably a lot nicer in low season !! Lots (hordes) of people and I dont find that relaxing.. I would have gone to Ao Sane once I saw the crowd but the tide was timed wrong and low tide at Ao Sane isnt nice.

In the water there was a fair bit of marine life, saw 2 white / black markings (think its a type of moray) eels and either a young one or another type of eel.. Watched cleaner fish at work.. And had an encounter with a banded sea snake (first time I have ever seen one.. Blue / black ringed) which freaked my GF out and I must admit made me very aware of how sluggish we are in the water so was interesting. That said there was no color or anything much down there in the way of live coral to really impress. Was a nice way to waste a few hours but not amazing.

What it did though was remind me how much I enjoy snorkelling / skin diving.. Through a few different reasons (rain / bad viz / house collapsing / being off the island) but mostly apathy and sloth I hadnt been in the water for a few months and thats wasting a great resource and one of the good points of living here.

I think I need to adopt the idea presented earlier that if I want to go to a known / popular beach I need to be moving there by 8 and be leaving it by 11 when people are arriving.. Either that or work harder at driving off the island or exploring down to harder to access places hidden from normal people. If anyone has 'secret spot' hidden gems or knows of actual coral beds that are accessible for skin divers anywhere from Phang nga to Khao Lak, feel free to PM me. Now the waves have stopped its off the board and under water.

[Super Hans]

What it did though was remind me how much I enjoy snorkelling / skin diving.. Through a few different reasons (rain / bad viz / house collapsing / being off the island) but mostly apathy and sloth I hadnt been in the water for a few months and thats wasting a great resource and one of the good points of living here.

Absolutely. The amount of time I waste in pubs or beer related activity is scandalous - I can do that anywhere.

[Super Hans]

Finally dragged my lazy arse out of bed in time to go snorkelling in Kata yesterday. Fantastic, appetite well and truly whetted.

Didn't see anything special, but was struck by some fish that swam vertically. Most bizzare - didn't really look like fish at all - they were 3 or 4 inches long, pencil thin, with no obvious eyes or mouth. Anyone know what they are?

[LivinLOS]

I think your describing a type of pipefish called a razorfish.. You see them around, often a few at once, vertical position..