Thailand Water Sports

SCUBA Diving
Scuba diving is Thailand’s most popular water sport and the country boosts some of the most beautiful dive sites in the world – the water is clear, sea life plentiful, transport and accommodation readily available and instruction to a very high standard. Diving in Thailand is comparatively cheap, and once you have achieved your certification in Thailand, you can use it to go scuba-diving all over the world.

Diving is available at all times of the year, although visibility changes according to the season. In the Andaman Sea, the best time to dive is from October to April, and in the Gulf of Thailand from May to September. At recommended dive sites in Thailand the water is so clear that the under-water world is visible from the surface: whale sharks, manta rays, marlin, flying fish, dolphins and coral reefs.

All reputable dive shops are affiliated with PADI or other international dive bodies, and most hold courses in multiple languages. All over Thailand, you can expect modern amenities, international standard boats and professional facilities.
For group or family travellers, all good live-aboard operations will take non-divers along at a substantially reduced fee. Friends and family can relax, swim, sunbathe, snorkel and still enjoy the food, trip, scenery and experience of sailing in some of the world’s most beautiful waters.

Rafting
Rafting is fast gaining popularity among the young and young-at-heart. The mountainous regions of the North are the natural venue for whitewater rafting, especially after the rains from June to October when the rivers swell with floodwater. But first-class rafting is also to be found in the northern reaches of the central region.

Canoe / Kayak
Sea canoeing is the eco-tourist activity par excellence, and proves the benefit of the natural approach. The quiet of this mode of tourism heightens your sense of awareness, and wildlife is not scared by your silent approach. It is also an exciting physical challenge providing an aerobic workout and tones and develops your arms, shoulders and chest.

Some of the most spectacular sites for sea canoeing are around Krabi and the island of Phuket and Phang-nga Bay. Sea Canoe Thailand, based in Phuket, was the pioneering eco-tour company that launched thousands of travellers on their sea adventures. It was originally run by Hawai'ian John Gray, who has now started a second company called John Gray's Sea Canoe, offering more exotic itineraries. The "Hong By Starlight" tour is highly recommended.

Sea canoeing adventures from Phuket take small groups of two passengers on inflatable kayaks, accompanied by a support boat carrying food and equipment. Three day excursions include instruction in kayak management, camping and barbecue dinners and the exploration of eight islands, including Ko Chong Lat and its Blue Room, a three chamber stalactite grotto. On the south-eastern seaboard near the Cambodian border, Ko Chang National Park in Trat Province has more than 50 pristine islands ready to be ex-plored by sea canoe. Ko Kra has some of the best coral in Thailand, but no less spectacular are the golden sands of Ko Mak and the bays of Ko Ngarm.

Although sea canoes are easy to handle and all safety equipment is provided, it is best to get instruction first. Don’t venture out on a long adventure without a guide. Sea canoe expeditions are running all year round, although the rains from June to October can inhibit operations. There is no age limit for participation, but travellers should be able to swim.

Fishing
Thailand has some of the most exciting gamefishing sites in Asia especially along the Andaman seacoast of Phuket and Krabi provinces. Marlin, sailfish, tuna, huge garoupa and every kind of shark imaginable are a boat ride from shore. Phang-nga Bay plays host to some of the most rare species of aquatic life in the world, including the rare swimming iguana.

Over the past 15 years, deepsea fishing competitions have grown in size and popularity with Phuket and Krabi as centres for a growing fleet of contenders. Tournaments are especially popular during the calm season between September and May when contenders reel in record catches of sailfish, marlin, wahoo and barracuda. Major gamefishing contests are run according to the rules of the International Gamefishing Association which mandate a “catch and release” requirement for sharks, underweight fish, and billfish such as marlin and sailfish. For gamefishing, the twin islands of Racha Yai and Racha Noi, some 50 minutes out of Phuket, offer some of the best local fishing to be had. Sailfish, black marlin, wahoo and tunas make this, along with excellent snorkelling, a good choice for the novice and experienced angler alike.

Power boats are also available for charter for deep-sea fishing expedition out of the Andaman Sea resorts of Phuket and Krabi. Power cruises come fully equipped with fighting chairs and heavy tackle. For those who just want to go along for the ride, the scenery is as breathtaking as the activities.

In Pattaya, the Bang Saray Fishing Lodge arranges boat, tackle, and guides for reasonable fees. In the rocks south of Pattaya lurk species native to the Gulf of Thailand: red snapper, yellow jack, bonito, black-tipped sharks, cobia and giant garoupers.

Windsurfing
Windsurfing has become one of Thailand’s most popular water sports in the last two decades, and it is practised all over Thailand’s beaches. Wind- surfing is not only exhilarating and an excellent way to get fit, it is also quiet, non-polluting and environmentally friendly. It is a sport that requires dexterity and coordination and also strength.

You can learn to windsurf on all major beaches in Phuket, Samui, Pattaya and Krabi, as well as on islands of Ko Tao and Ko Chang. Once you have mastered the basics, you’ll find boards and sails available everywhere. While you need wind to windsurf, you can get too much of a good thing.

Jet Skiing
Jet-skiing has been taken up with enthusiasm all over Thailand with jet-skis available for hire at all major beaches in Thailand — Samui, Phuket, Pattaya, Samet and Krabi. Despite the speed, jet-skiing in Thailand is a safe sport, if you keep your head and watch out for other sea traffic, especially swimmers and snorkellers. Rocks are usually marked, but take care, especially at low tide. When you are roaring around the bays, it’s easy to forget that you’re in the full force of the sun, so protect yourself beforehand.

* Jet-ski Association of Thailand
1107 Soi Prachachuen 35, Prachachuen Road, Bang Sue, Bangkok 10800

* Club Taco
Km 13 Bang Na-Trat Road, Samut Prakan 10540

In wakeboarding, you are strapped at 90 degrees into a shortened, double-ended surfboard, and towed at high speed behind a special speedboat. The boat is designed and weighted to make a large wake behind it, and the wakeboarder speeds along the sea at 30 kilometres an hour, cutting in and out of the wake, using it to jump into the air, turn, swivel and somersault. Wakeboarding is fast, furious, exhilarating and a fantastic spectator sport. Although new, its popularity is soaring in Thailand.

The extreme sport of wakeboarding, a cross between water-skiing and snowboarding, is about speed, colour and adrenaline. It is the latest extreme sport to take the beach scene by storm.

Boats and boards are available for hire at the main beaches of Phuket in the Andaman Sea, and at Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. Wakeboarding is also practised at the resort city of Pattaya on the Eastern Seaboard. Near to Bangkok, there is a Wakeboarding Club at Taco Lake, 13 kilometres from the city along the Bang Na-Trat Road. Rather than using boats, this uses a system of pulleys set up in the lake and is thus cheaper and suitable for people wishing to learn this exciting sport.

Boards and foot-bindings are available at these locations. Serious wakeboarders may wish to bring their own boards and bindings, or purchase them at many leading department stores in Bangkok.

* Club Taco
Km 13 Bang Na-Trat Road, Samut Prakan 10540

Yachting
Phuket is Thailand’s premier sailing destination, attracting the big spenders from Bangkok as well as the international sailing crowd. From September to May when the weather is at its best, there is a migratory fleet of yachts anchored at Nai Harn Bay at the southern end of the island and Chalong Bay to the southeast.

Phuket’s marinas offer berths for private yachts as well as maintaining a huge variety of vessels for charter, from old wooden schooners to sleek fibreglass cruisers and state-of-the-art powerboats. The three main harbours for yachts areLaem Phrao Yacht Marina, Phuket Boat Lagoon, Royal Phuket Marina and the Yacht Haven, all with accommodation, restaurants and leisure activities, as well as facilities for yacht repair in and out of water.

A number of established yacht agencies organise charters, with or without crews, joining leisure cruises and even basic training for would-be yachtsmen. Informal arrangements can also be made at Jimmy’s Lighthouse, a restaurant at

Chalong Bay that serves as headquarters for the yachting fleet. The Phuket-Krabi-Phang-nga region offers plenty of interesting cruise opportunities for all levels of sailors, with numerous offshore islands, world-class dive sites, stunning coral beds and marine national parks.

Phuket is also home to one of the most popular sporting events on the yachting calendar, the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, which takes place at the beginning of December to honour HM the King’s birthday. Yachts arrive from Australia, Europe, Hong Kong and Japan to spend a few weeks cruising through the Gulf, down to Malaysia and enjoying practise runs around the Similans before heading to Phuket for the races.

Providing support for the growth of yachting around Phuket was the holding of Thailand’s first international boat show, Phuket International Marine Expo (PIMEX) in December 2003 in conjunction with the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, featuring everything from new boats and marinas to support facilities and equipment. Further shows have been held since this one.

To further attract yachts to Phuket, the organisers of PIMEX inaugurated Phuket Race Week from July 10-17, 2004, a full week of international standard races for a wide range of yachts, held in cooperation with Ao Chalong Yacht Club.

In Pattaya, the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, founded in 1957, holds almost weekly regattas for the smaller beach- launched sailboats, plus annual championship races around the nearby islands. The Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Jomtien Beach, just south of Pattaya, offers jetty, pontoon berths, and onshore facilities for skippers and crew members with hotel, condominium, cocktail lounge, twin restaurants, tennis courts, and roof-top swimming pool.

Sailing a yacht competently requires skill and experience, so would-be sailors are advised not to overestimate their capabilities when chartering a bareboat yacht. If you are heading out on a longer expedition, make sure you check out the weather and tides, especially in the stormy season from June to October. Be well-prepared with communications equipment, first aid, water and food. If in doubt, try out one of the competent crew courses at any marina.