Beach Activities In Hua Hin?

[carrick_fullerton]

what sort of beach activities are offered in Hua Hin... do they have parasailing and jet-skiiing for example... if so how much are they in general?

[PeaceBlondie]

I can verify that they have jet-skis; one almost killed me when I was swimming in shallow water in June. I hate those things.

Swimming is okay, if you avoid the jellyfish. I swim at least once every day. Even walking the beach can be fun.

[Old Croc]

I can verify that they have jet-skis; one almost killed me when I was swimming in shallow water in June.  I hate those things.

Swimming is okay, if you avoid the jellyfish.  I swim at least once every day.  Even walking the beach can be fun.

From what I've seen in photos the water seems to be very shallow and tidal on HH beaches. You would need to walk out a long way to get enough depth to swim. Is this the case?. That area is one option for my retirement plans, but I do want good swimming conditions such as can be found on the Andaman side.

I would appreciate any comments.

[baht&sold]

My fav beach near HH is Had Sai Noi- lovely spot, deep water, great for swimming, rarely populated, just a few beach chairs and a thatched roof or two for shade. ahhhh....

PB, the jelly fish are a seasonal thing and altho you can find them a bit year round (like anywhere) the summer is their season I believe. Maybe toss one at the next idiot on those noise makers... (jetskiis)

[sua yai]

There's both parasailing and jetsking here. Don't know how much.

Jellyfish are year round, but only come into shore during the rainy season. A couple of parasailers I met in March had been badly stung. They were a way out though.

Reckon you could wade out 200 meters or so at HH beach and not be out of your depth - maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea.

As B&S has said, Sai Noi beach is great for swimming and quiet times. And I don't ever recall seeing a paraglider, jetskier or jellyfish. Heaven!!

[PeaceBlondie]

The low tide at sunrise lately makes you walk 120 paces to get to five inches of water. The high tide just before sunset leaves no beach. Yes, the floor slopes gradually, but I don't think you wade out 100 meters in low tide, once you've walked on sand for 120 paces. And am I right, that the water is reasonably warm but neither hot nor cold all year long?

Would you agree that, far from the boat dock, the water's fairly clean?

[think_too_mut]

let's face it...the beach is crap, the water is murky all year round. same as in pattaya without bottles and junk along the waterline.

jelly fish, sand flies, stray dogs everywhere.

walking along the beach is all i found good. i would not settle there for swimming.

[Nomad97]

The water in Hua Hin is never clear - too close to the flood plains and rivers from central Thailand and all the mud is carried far out into the Gulf and down to Hua Hin. It is also rather shallow with wide, gently sloping beaches, and no real deep water. Remember, there was a plan to build a new road from Bangkok to just north of Cha Am - an elevated highway across the sea (plan now dropped.) Jelly fishes are a concern all year round although the summer season carries more risk - people do get stung. There is also a big problem with sand fly bites - I suffered all the time I lived there because I went to the beaches every day - walking and swimming the dog. Many trips to the Poly Clinic for treatment - they were bad bites and they are still healing one year later!

You need to go at least a 150 kilometers south of Hua Hin to find clear blue waters comparable with the Andaman sea. A sky diver friend of mine has flown over the area many times and says the water clarity, and colour, improve significantly the further south you go. Its a dirty, murky brown at Hua Hin although it does get better further south. Other than that the beaches are relatively clean.

[PeaceBlondie]

Does this 'dirty, murky brown at Hua Hin' apply primarily near the pier where the boats dock? Surely by Khao Takiab, the water's green, with several feet of clarity. Sand flies? Haven't noticed any in five weeks, walking up to two hours per day.

No, most gulfs on alluvial plains - such as the Gulf of Mexico - never have the blue look of the Caribbean or the Andaman Sea. I lived on a stretch of the Pacific that was murky because the grainy sand mixed with the pounding surf, and there was an undertow that could kill you within minutes. The bay or sound of Campeche was stagnant, and you walked 600 meters to get over your head. Then there were muddy lakes that were steeper than a volcano crater. Beaches with leaches in your breeches. Cold water all year long, at any of the Great Lakes or the northeastern shores of the Atlantic, down to New Jersey. Lots of bad beaches for swimming.

I love to swim, and think Hua Hin's great, although I've seen better.

[Nomad97]

Ahhh! The worst time for sand flies is earlier in the year, around March, April and May. However, I seem to suffer from bites more than most and had some bites all year round.

The murky brown waters are all along that bit of the coast and sometimes, I guess depending on the tide and the wind, can be a little on the dirty side too. I used to splash in the waters of Hua Hin waters, rather than swim, as I prefer to see where I am swimming. There is cleaner and clearer water about 20 kilometers south near Pranburi - well worth the excursion.

[raybird]

Kite-boarding has taken off (no pun intended). A few weeks ago I saw about 12 in the strong afternoon winds, and there is a school. If only I were younger!

[November Rain]

There are also a lot more beach activities like parasailing than there were when this thread was started 2 years ago. Also Had Sai Noi (mentioned above) is being built upon/near now.

[johnnyk]

Cold Chang and garlic-fried squid are two of my favourite activities.