Mainland Thailand

Mainland Thailand surf travel guide

Furthest north is the relaxed atmosphere and waves on Koh Phayam, which is open to SW swell. Far more consistent and conducive to year-round surfing is Cape Pakarang, where lefts run down the reef/point at easy, cruising speed. There are also rights to the south and the whole stretch down to the busy Khao Lak hotel area is quite consistent. The best spots to check are Nang Thong beach, Bang Niang river mouth and Khuk Khak beach. Pakarang Surf Shop in Khao Lak rents and sells all types of boards including SUP and kayaks, which are perfect for the tiny, beginner-friendly waves. A long, straight beachbreak ensues for 40km, through Thai Muang and down to Phuket, where most surf tourists congregate, hoping for some headhigh monsoonal swell without the onshore wind destroying it. Heading south and east, the coastline breaks up into a jigsaw of islands, that invariably sees less and less of the WSW swell as Aceh shuts the window and the plunging granite cliffs encourage diving rather than surfing. This is particularly true of the Similan Islands, which offer awesome scenery above and below the waterline, but very little in the wave department.