I am looking for some advice on tides and sea levels in Samui. My partner and I are looking to get married in Samui next July and would like to do so at a villa on the beach. In trying to choose a villa we have been told that certain beaches are subject to seasonal tides that leave them looking a bit average at certain times of the year. The beaches involved are Bang Kao, Thing Krut, Taling Ngam and Lipa Noi. We have seen some pictures of Bang Kao when the sea level is low and the reef is exposed and want to avoid this if possible. We're attempting to find out;

- What time of year does this happen at Bang Kao?

- Does it also occur on the other beaches listed above?

- And if so, what time of year?

Any help offered would be much appreciated.

Simon

Hi Simon.

Generally speaking the lowest tides of the year happen around july / august. Highest tides of the year are around xmas.

Any beaches that have a shallow reef in front will be exposed at low water and will be barely covered at high water.

If you want to be sure of a good view then i would advise you to make sure that the villa you rent has no reef in front. from memory lipa noi beach near big johns seafood has no reef but beaches further south do have... but i might be mistaken.

Also remember that from may to oct the winds generally come from the south west as as such any beaches on the south / west coasts can suffer from jetsam and flotsam... ie rubbish. I would expect that in high end villas this wouldnt be a problem as the staff will clean the beaches.

I dont have access to the thai tide tables at he moment but try googling "pauls boat yard koh phangan" as he usually posts them somewhere on his site.

Hope this helps...

Smartie

I am looking for some advice on tides and sea levels in Samui. My partner and I are looking to get married in Samui next July and would like to do so at a villa on the beach. In trying to choose a villa we have been told that certain beaches are subject to seasonal tides that leave them looking a bit average at certain times of the year. The beaches involved are Bang Kao, Thing Krut, Taling Ngam and Lipa Noi. We have seen some pictures of Bang Kao when the sea level is low and the reef is exposed and want to avoid this if possible. We're attempting to find out;

- What time of year does this happen at Bang Kao?

- Does it also occur on the other beaches listed above?

- And if so, what time of year?

Any help offered would be much appreciated.

Simon

Here are this year's tide tables for Samui.

Tide_Tables_2009.xls