Some advice please. I appreciate there is no yes/no answer to this question, but I am trying to understand the procedure so I can make an informed decision.

I am flying from Pattaya to Samui, then ferry to Koh Phangan. That part is simple.

However, on the way back my flight is on Monday 17th November at 11.15am departing Samui. There is only 1 flight per day, so I don't want to miss it.

I was planning on getting the 7.15 am ferry from Thong Sala pier to Nathon pier. The journey is only 30 mintutes so I would arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare.

However, if the weather is bad then I guess that the ferry will not run or it will be late.

So my question is, are these ferries late or cancelled often during this time of year - the rainy season?

If they do cancel the service would I know the day before so I could leave a day early and stay on Samui on the 16th?

For reasons I won't bore you with I need to book everything this week, so I cannot 'wait and see' what the weather is like before I make the booking.

Any insight into how the ferry system works would be much appreciated.

Thanks for your help

Put it this way if the plane is cancelled then the ferry might be also

If the weather is that bad

Better off flying back

In many years of taking the ferry from samui to the other islands I remember it being cancelled twice and the weather really was bad. If you are really that concerned then go a day early and check into the mermaid hotel near the seatran pier for around 500 Baht,

Hi BigC. Thanks for the quick reply.

I am flying back from Samui to Pattaya at 11.15.

I am assuming that the flight won't be cancelled.

I was trying to understand just how bad the weather has to be for the ferry to be cancelled and whether it is a rare event, or ferry cancellations occur regularly during the rainy season.

I have to book the hotels this week and am trying to decide whether to book an extra night in Samui and one less night on Koh Phangan to be 'on the safe side'. I would rather spend the Sunday night on Koh Phangan if possible

PiPiFFS, thanks for the comment. So it is a very rare event then. If the feedback is that the ferries are cancelled very rarely, then it is worth taking the chance. From what you are saying, it would be very unlikely not to run. The trip from Koh Phangan to Samui, looks trivial compared to the trip to Koh Tow or Surat Thani.

Do they normally know the night before if they will cancel, or are the weather forecasts not that good and they cancel at the last minute??

PiPiFFS' advice is good.

Book your flights and watch the weather. If it looks like strong winds and high seas - go to Samui the day before! You will know by the 15th!

Tis a rare thing for the ferries to stop running - but it does happen. Probably as often as a total eclipse.

Cancelling is rare but being late isnt, particularly if relying on seatran!

HTH

typically seatran departs 1/2 hour after the stated time

Tropicalevo, HooHaa, EvaDgib Thanks for the advice. I am the type who wouldn't sleep the night before thinking about the ferry being late - never mind cancelled. So decision made, I will head to Samui on the Sunday and spend the night there.

Thanks for your help - much appreciated.

Take the Lompraya catamaran departing from KPG 07:15 arrives Samui 07:45. It'll depart even when the seas are high. Unless of course very extreme storm, in which case you'll know when you're here and should just travel the day before instead and check in at above mentioned hotel.

http://www.lomprayah.com/surat/surat.html

The catamaran is much faster and comfortable than the other boat alternatives.

Tis a rare thing for the ferries to stop running - but it does happen. Probably as often as a total eclipse.

Lunar eclipse now on Wednesday.

http://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/thailand/na-thon-ko-samui

Should have good views to the east.

typically seatran departs 1/2 hour after the stated time

90 mins is common on inbound journeys, particularly around the full moon.

Mole, thanks for the advice. Lomprayah, that was the service I was thinking of using. If I book several days in advance they pick me up pick me up in Samui and on the way back they would drop me at the airport.

My original plan was:

November 12th

- arrive at Samui airport from Pattaya at 17.30 - (last ferry leaves 18.30 so stay in Samui 1 night)

- get van from airport to hotel in Chaweng

November 13th

- Get Lompraya to pick me up from hotel (book via internet now)

- Take Lompraya Catamaran from Nathon pier to Koh Phangan

November 17th

- Take Lompraya Catamaran from to Koh Phangan to Samui at 7.15 am (book via internet now)

- Get Lompraya to take me to airport (book via internet now)

Seemed simple to me - then a friend of mine said that sometimes the ferry doesn't run if the weather is bad. It seems though that I would know by the 15th what the weather would be like and even if the catamaran ran late, I would still make the 11.15 am flight if I leave at 7.15 am from Koh Phangan.

Do you agree???

evadgib - is the catamaran as late as this?

Not unusual for random things happen screw up any plan relying on correct timing on a third party out here.

The smart thing would be to travel Back to samui the 16th just for peace of mind.

But up to you..................

OK Scratchy you 'win' - I will head back on the Sunday 16th - like you say anything could go wrong and this way I am just a short distance from the airport.

Thanks again to everyone for your advice.

Dave

Perhaps your friend was talking about the car ferry.

The catamaran always runs, even relatively high waves won't affect it much.

Mole is correct, but Lomprayah do post on signs at the terminals, that they are not responsible for delays.... (for what ever reason) ... and suggest that people travel a day ahead....

Seatran probably have the same notices!

For Mid November it is difficult to say... Suggest you do as suggested and stay at the Samui Mermaid, it's not a bad place!

Tropicalevo, HooHaa, EvaDgib Thanks for the advice. I am the type who wouldn't sleep the night before thinking about the ferry being late - never mind cancelled. So decision made, I will head to Samui on the Sunday and spend the night there.

Thanks for your help - much appreciated.

Head to Lamai and watch ladyboy kick-boxing, hugely entertaining!

Mermaid is a good suggestion, most likely no need to book anything this month.

As Koh Phangan is the 'middle' island, there is more likelyhood of a delay or cancellation as the Seatran and Lomprayah both cross from Koh Tao, destination Samui and then Donsak (I think). Only once or twice can I remember the old Raja not going, but that does not help you.

To really put fear into you, there have been at least two occasions in the past 5 years or so that the navy has been called out to 'rescue' stranded tourists. I nearly managed to score a free ride to BKK on a destroyer but they wanted to see flight tickets It can get really rough here.

This 07:15 catamaran departs KPG as the first port, so there isn't really any likelihood it'll be delayed.

The others which comes later during the day comes from Ko Tao, so there may be a few minutes delay if there happen to be a lot of passengers.

Some times the Lomprayah from KP / Chumpon (etc) does not go to Maenam pier, when the weather is rough.... but will go to / from Nathon Pier instead....

When that happens they organize the mini buses accordingly..... it is very rare it won't run at all!

The 07:15 from KPG already goes to Nathon and not Maenam. It's the ones later during the day which goes to Maenam.

First of all, there is no ferries from Samui to Koh Phangan.

You have the choice to take the 07:00 Songserm Boat from Tongssala to Naton
but you'll have to count at least 2 hours from Koh Phangan to Airport.

Seatran Discovery has a boat leaving at 08:00 and you should be around 09:00
at the airport; They have additional minibus transfer to the Airport too.
http://www.seatrandiscovery.com/EN/time_table.html

With the early Lomprayah Catamaran at 07:15, you should be at the airport
around 08:30

Book Lomprayah at least three days in advance on the internet and you'll get free
transfer to the airport. Book it at the Lomprayah office or any agent and you'll have
to pay an extra 150THB for transfer.

http://lomprayah.com/E/booking_buffet_1.aspx

Mole, thanks for the advice. Lomprayah, that was the service I was thinking of using. If I book several days in advance they pick me up pick me up in Samui and on the way back they would drop me at the airport.

My original plan was:

November 12th

- arrive at Samui airport from Pattaya at 17.30 - (last ferry leaves 18.30 so stay in Samui 1 night)

- get van from airport to hotel in Chaweng

November 13th

- Get Lompraya to pick me up from hotel (book via internet now)

- Take Lompraya Catamaran from Nathon pier to Koh Phangan

November 17th

- Take Lompraya Catamaran from to Koh Phangan to Samui at 7.15 am (book via internet now)

- Get Lompraya to take me to airport (book via internet now)

Seemed simple to me - then a friend of mine said that sometimes the ferry doesn't run if the weather is bad. It seems though that I would know by the 15th what the weather would be like and even if the catamaran ran late, I would still make the 11.15 am flight if I leave at 7.15 am from Koh Phangan.

Do you agree???

I would say, stick to your plan.

Last time Lomprayah didn't run because of bad weather was about 4 or 5 years ago.

As you should check-in about half an hour before departure, even if Lomprayah wouldn't

run, you still have the options to just catch the Songserm boat to Naton or for sure the

08:00 Seatran boat to Bophut and you still would be at the Airport before 10:00 AM

Wish you happy holidays

You may face the monsoon storm at any time between November 1st and beginning of January. If the monsoon hits hard, ferries will be cancelled – a few times even for couple-of-days – there may be (too) high waves, but flights can still operate.

My advise shall be: Plan for a ferry a day in advance for your scheduled flight and make a stop-over at Samui, Mermaid in Bang Rak is an excellent suggestion. If the weather forecast indicates monsoon and high waves, leave Koh Phangan before – the Lomprayah catamaran may be a choice as it’s a bigger ferry, however that can not dock on Maenam Beach with high waves and will normally be rerouted to a port, often Bang Rak.

Wish you a good and safe trip.

Remark to an above post: Last time Lomprayah stopped service due to monsoon was to my knowledge in November 2010....