Phuket From The Water Part 2 - Thailand

OK - we've told you about some of our land-locked experiences in Phuket... hopefully these have given you a little context - a lens to use when reading this post... not much of our trip has been or will be luxurious - this post is all about playing in and among the Thai islands - a vacation from traveling - hope you enjoy it!

It's time to checkout Phuket from the water - on or beside the ocean.

The Real Phuket

We realized, from the moment we got off the airplane, that the best way to experience Phuket would be from the water.   The thick-as-soup humidity, combined with daily 35deg heat made that perfectly clear.

We had originally planned a few island excursions while in Phuket - totalling maybe 2 days out of the 14 we had allocated for this leg.  Remember, 1yr of travel means pacing ourselves ;)

We had wanted to do tours of the islands - koh Rok, the James Bond island, and a handful of others to do some snorkeling and hit some secluded beaches.  The contradicton in that last sentence should be apparent - a tour, with a bunch of strangers, to some secluded spots.... not so secluded anymore, right?

Truly secluded

Phuket is an island - boating is in its blood.  The classic mode of transportation being the iconic Thai longtail boat.

A longtail boat spinning around to moor at the beach

Longtails are uniquely Thai.  They embody the Thai bootstrapping spirit - cut the crap and make some money.  Safety is a distant priority in the Thai mindset.  As with all things ocean, most longtails are in a state decay... they didn't start out all that polished in the first place mind you - most consist of a wood-ribbed hull and a small car motor (think Yaris) cantilevered on a 15' boom with a fully exposed propeller at the end a pair of don't-burn-my-hands-while-I-steer handlebars - low tech.

Pretty!

Longtails include a set of footboards, in the water, at the stern for the driver to stand on when making tight turns.  Yup - in the water... think about that for a sec - you need to make a tight turn, so your driver hops out of the boat, standing on an 8"-wide, slippery, angled board, in the water, while maneuvering a 500lb car motor on a 15ft boom - what could go wrong, right?

Like everything gas-powered in Thailand, many longtails produce a plume of smoke and lack a catalytic converter and/or muffler - they're pretty to look at, but best enjoyed when turned off ;)

Flying high with Cap'n Jim

OK - enough about longtails!  Why?  Because we had Grandpa Jim!! Mike's dad, Jim, took us out on the Phuket bay several times in his power boat.  It's pair of 500hp outboards sped us along at 25-30kts from marina to island to island with blissful and safe power.

Khun Jim, in full regalia - the Hawaiian shirt was, apparently, a last-minute addition ;)

Many of the Thai islands have been overrun with tourists.  I always cringe a little when I harp on tourists - after all, that's what we are!

Having traveled for a while now on this trip, and on many trips prior, there are tourists and then there are tourists.

Picture a hoard of 40 foreigners on a fancy boat taking a swim - all bobbing in the water at once with fluorescent life jackets and tilly hats on... no swimming or jumping or diving or anything resembling enjoyment - silence, cellphones, name brand gear, selfies and bobbing - those are tourists.

Again, I want to be careful - to each his own and far be it from me to pass judgement... but given the chance, we steer clear of tourists.  Jim took us on 3 boat trips - caves and islands, snorkeling and beaching.  He's been touring his friends for a decade, so he knows the ropes.  He found us some terrific spots to experience, without feeling the masses.

Happy & lucky boaters!

Everyday - every single day - was a 35deg, sunny day for us in Phuket.  From the get-go, protecting the kids from the killer sun was our solemn duty.  In 2 weeks, our family of 5 demolished a full bottle of sunscreen.  We also donned our UVB/UVA swim shirts on the boat to prevent sunburns.  This earned us awesome t-shirt tans but saved us from parental guilt, pain and future health problems.

I jogged every 2nd morning in Phuket... by 8am, temperatures were already around 28deg C... the ocean provided us with respite from the intense (though welcome) heat.

Caves and Islands

Scenery tour underway!

Caves - Mike, his boys and I swam through this one!

Jim wanted to start by giving us a feel for the Phuket bay - we explored caves, swam in the turquoise water and enjoyed the stunning scenery.

Lovely ladies, happy moms and long-time friends

Longtails on the water

Island, after island, after island in turquoise water - gentle breeze in the air... it's 100% eye candy!

Cap'n Jim let each of the kids take the wheel for a while - AWESOME!

Happiness is...

I must've dived off the boat 30 times this day... Nathan worked on his front and back flips - play time!  The bay is tidal, so the water is clouded with fine sand and a ton of salt... still very, very pretty but underwater visibility is not awesome in many places.

Cool cliffs!

Awesome lunch!

Can't remember if this was just before or just after our day on the water... but thumbs-up were in order either way

Snorkeling 

Our next boat outing was to Koh Mai Thon - a popular snorkeling spot with crystal clear bays and healthy coral reef.

I would love to share some epic under water pics (the snorkeling was epic!!), but, despite concerted efforts to 'seal our sport camera up right', I managed to get water inside it, causing irreparable damage!  Boo!

You'll have to believe me when I tell you that the variety and abundance of fishes were superb.  We saw tangs and trumpets - vivid oranges and blues through velvety blacks.

Here was the topside view...

calm bay, great snorkeling

Yup, fun - thanks cap'n Jim

Hot!

Another 30 dives for me

Staying out of the sun

Clear right through to the bottom - 20+ ft of water

The kids were invited to use a slide on an adjacent boat... there wasn't even a hint of hesitation ;)

Lucky kids!

Mike, in his natural habitat

Do we have to go home?!

Beaching on Koh-not-gonna-tell-ya

Our last boat day was initially going to be a snorkel day with a beaching problem but turned into the opposite... and was just as great nonetheless. We found a secluded beach that is occasionally used for parties - but nobody was there on this day!

Our view

The beach

A longtail full of fishermen between split rocks we saw on the way

A crab we caught and played with for a while - it was feisty!

The beach had a makeshift volleyball court, a swing and about 500m of beautiful beach.  Now - I like to tell it like it is... the beach was beautiful,  but if you foraged even 3ft off the beach onto the shore, there was a ton of garbage to be found.   Coming from Canada, this level of carelessness is downright shocking, but in Thailand,  it's totally normal.

Volleyball...

Late day longtail arrival...

Happy Mike

Nathan practicing a back flip

Our captains

We had a fabulous 3rd day on the water.  We certainly were privileged to have so much time on the boat... and we'regrateful for it!   If you go to Phuket, boating is a must-do whether you have s boating enthusiast at your side or you charter a longtail!

Phuket's North-West Coast Beaches

We hit a handful of beaches when we weren't on the boat or doing something else in Phuket.  Here's a rundown of the ones we hit and our pick for families.

Gratuitous golf course pic

Banana Beach

This little beach (maybe 500m long) is a gem because it offers good snorkeling and swimming in one place.

It is a 100% farang beach.  When we were there, we heard mostly Russian. There is no parking lot - you squeeze your car as close to a highway guardrail as you can and then hope no cars clip your elbow as you walk single-file to the beach path.  A tough start for parents!

Road view

Steep but 100% do-able path down the escarpment

Hello beautiful!

My babes!

Sea lice are a common affliction at Phuket beaches (bet you didn't see that coming, eh?).  Contrary to what they sound like, they bare no resemblance to head lice.  In fact, they're not lice at all, they're baby jellyfish!  They're microscopic... and they sting you... not because they actively sting you, but rather because they get mashed-up in your bathing suit and then as they get squeezed, their toxin irritates your skin.

Banana beach has 'em... but so does every other west coast beach we visited!

Fishes!! Under water!! Captured on our new GoPro knock-off!!  Yay Thailand!

More fishes

And even more fishes!

But wait... what the heck are these?!

Look closely - these were 1.5ft long and .5ft wide... they had frills of a million little legs... anyone?

Anyway, the kids weren't fond of the stinging, so Cheryl and I scored a quick adult snorkel.  Secluded it is not, but Banana beach is picturesque and entertaining.

Nai Thon Beach

Vendors line the beach...

This beach boasts a long shoreline.  The vibe is very farang here too - vendors line the street and there's little shade to be found, which is probably just fine for all the Euro-tourists who flock there to turn themselves into leather!

We found the shoreline between the beach and road to be quite dirty, which was a negative... but there were fresh water wash stations along the road, which is a plus for this beach.

Oddly, I didn't find any pictures of this one... rest assured the beach was stunningly beautiful - the ocean was turquoise and the sand was bright yellow sand.  D'ar be sea lice though - be for'warned!

Bang Tao Beach

This beach, like the others is pretty and its water is blissfully turquoise.   The vibe here is night club-ish.  There are a few all-inclusive type resorts on the beach and partying into the wee hours right on the beach seems to be 'where it's at'.

We enjoyed the beach and the small amount of shade we could find.  Cheryl and I played volleyball, and I worked with the kids on their beach volleyball skills too.  There was a small undertow at the water's entry due to the steep incline of the beach in certain sections... fine in summer, perhaps more of a concern in winter.

Yup, it's got it like that!

Naiyang Beach

This is far and away our pick for family fun.  It's long - like +6kms... and goes right under the Phuket International Airport's flight path.  Depending on winds and luck, you'll either see planes landing just 50-100ft above your head or taking off a few hundred feet higher.  I know, I know - why would you want to be so close to thundering 747s, right?  Well, because when do you get to be that close to the metal beasts in action - it's quite a thrill.  The kids LOVED it.  You can opt out by simply not getting too close (at the far end of Naiyang - where most people eat - you can't even see the planes).

Road to Naiyang - not much wiggle room!

Longtails on Naiyang beach

Nathan chasing airplanes!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post  - we're loving all your comments and connecting with you as readers... keep 'em coming!