First, most of the holiday resorts are on the west side of the island, and this time of year the weather comes from the west. If you look at the map west of Phuket there really is nothing till you hit India, which is a very long way away. This means any storm in that area has nothing to quell the sea’s swell until it reaches Phuket.
Most people see the surf and grey-green seas and think it’s all like that. No, it’s just knowing where to go. All you need are sheltered beaches on the east coast of the islands. There are two islands to the south of Phuket called Racha Yai and Racha Noi. Racha Noi is an uninhabited island with several very nice shallow bays ideal for swimming, snorkelling and for those who want to try something new, they can try ‘Discover Scuba Diving’. These islands have nice shallow bays so you can really see a huge amount of wildlife. The best areas are on the east side of these islands, hence calm sea, blue crystal clear waters. Perfect.
Personally, I go there on a big boat (not a speedboat) as I prefer comfort over speed. Most scuba diving companies have their own big boats with real bathrooms, warm showers and best of all a chef for the buffet breakfasts and lunches which are better than at many hotels. But for me it’s the safety and comfort. If a rain shower comes along, then fine as you can just move inside and off the sundeck for a while. You can make a tea or coffee, have a snack, till it passes. Plus you are not tied to a small chair being bounced around like in rougher seas in a speedboat, as the big boats are very happy in rougher conditions.
As to the snorkelling, dive boats try to avoid all the other boats as their guests want to see fish and turtles rather than other people. They have professional qualified divemasters and instructors who will take you snorkelling in the water with you and they know where to find the good stuff. They do not just say, “Okay, here we are,” and leave you to find your own way.
The bonus of being on a dive boat is that you know the equipment is good quality and included in the price, and not extra if you want fins. For the less able swimmers, you can have life jackets and shortie wetsuits, which are free, for extra buoyancy. You will find several dive shops on the beach road in Patong and in all other holiday resort towns too. Just pop in and they will check the days, the weather, locations and give honest advice rather than just sell a tour.
Then you have good fishing tours, too. They again have bigger boats, so are fine with the weather this time of year. Again, use the dive shops to get the best weather days. After a storm, wait a couple of days for the sea to calm down a bit as there is good fishing this time of year. Then when lunch time comes around you have a fantastic fresh cooked tuna on the barbecue right from the sea ‒ and you can’t get fresher than that!
The boats always pull into a sheltered bay for lunch and then you have plenty of swimming time, too. There is good rafting as well, as when the rain comes, it makes the rivers more lively, too. Rafting in the high season after several months of no rain is nowhere near as fun as during the low season after heavy rain. To me the same can be said for the quad bikes and ATVs. That’s way more fun in the wet muddy conditions.
The extra bonus of the low, or “monsoon”, season is that everything is more relaxed. The evenings and nights are cooler, and so easier to sleep and not so humid. You can enjoy longer breakfasts waiting for the sun to appear as the night’s clouds blow away. Then in the evening when you are having dinner or a drink and the shower comes along, it does not matter. Just have one more drink or a coffee after dinner until the shower passes. There is no rush to cram everything in at this time of year.
Low season on Phuket is actually now getting popular for these reasons and so many people return year after year for this time of year for these very reasons.
Simon Lomas is an expat who has been living in Phuket for more than 12 years, and takes enjoying nature and the island’s surroundings to heart.