Phuket visitors and residents enjoy some of the best beaches in Southeast Asia, with no shortage of choices. From the quiet long strips of sand in the north, through the hubbub of Patong to the idyllic Nai Harn Beach to the south, there's something for everyone, to suit every taste and requirement: Phuket has long beaches and tiny coves, crowded beaches, and quiet beaches, beaches ringed with hotels, shops and bars, and beaches with nothing more than a single restaurant.
Phuket's best beaches are along the western coast of the island, where over the eons the annual rainy season waves have created beautiful bays with golden powdery sand. Along the east coasts are less idyllic beaches more suited to walking, shell collecting, or relaxing in a restaurant, enjoying the view.
We have divided the beaches of Phuket into three main areas: the busy western beaches, the strips of beaches in the northwest, and the idyllic beaches in the south.
Here though, we give more information about Phuket beaches: Phuket beach access, sun loungers, water sports, some of the slight dangers on Phuket beaches, and some of the trees you're likely to see.
Phuket beach access
All beaches in Thailand are public. Unfortunately, in some cases developers buy all the land around the beach and do not allow access across their land to the beach, effectively making the beach exclusive to their own hotel.
If you want to visit these beaches then you can try entering through the hotel, if they'll let you in. Often they will not challenge you, and the worst that can happen is they refuse you entry. If you're particularly separate to visit a beach inaccessible by land, you can access the beach by boat, and legally nobody can stop you from doing so.
Sun loungers
Most of the beaches in Phuket beaches have sun loungers for rent. At busy beaches such as Patong, Karon, and Kata, they occupy the entire length of the beach, sometimes in rows three or four deep in the high season. At the quieter beaches, they are more spread out. There are a handful of beaches that do not have sun loungers.
The sun lounger rental for the day is generally 150-250 baht per lounger, with a table and large umbrella between if you rent two. Once you've paid for your sun lounger, it's yours for the day unless you leave and take your belongings with you. The sun lounger staff are usually pretty good at keeping an eye on bags etc while their customers are in the sea.
They usually come with a foam mattress which you'll need to put a towel onto. Since the tsunami, most sun loungers are generally made of plastic. While not as environmentally aware as the old wooden loungers, they're a lot safer should the worst ever happen again.
There is usually someone nearby eager to sell refreshments such as water, beer, and soft drinks, at reasonable prices. If you become a regular beach visitor, you will probably find an area you like and make it your beach spot.
Water sports
There are a variety of water sports available on Phuket beaches. The busier beaches offer banana boats, parasails, and jet skis. These beaches usually have cordoned-off sections where bathers can swim safely. You will pay from 800 to 1500 baht for these activities.
The prices tend to be unnegotiable. Should you rent a jet-ski, check it carefully for damage before you take it out, as unreasonable demands for 'damage' are not unknown, followed by some very uncomfortable situations. Some of the quieter beaches have kayaks for rent so you can go and explore around the headlands.
Dangers
The waters around Phuket are generally very safe but we would suggest a few words of warning:Rip Tides:
The biggest danger while bathing in the waters around Phuket is getting caught in a rip tide. Phuket averages around 20 drownings a year, which almost all happen during the rainy season when the waves are large and the red flags have been ignored. If there are red flags flying at the beach this indicates potentially dangerous conditions and you should absolutely not swim.
Rip tides occur when the water that the waves push into the beach funnels together and channels back out to sea. This can create a very strong drag that can pull even the strongest swimmers out to sea. If you are caught in a rip tide you should not try to swim against the current; you will just exhaust yourself. Remember the current is only a channel covering a small section of the beach. You should swim sideways, horizontally to the beach until you exit the current, and then swim back to the beach.
Stings:
Occasionally, you may notice a light stinging sensation in the water. It is a quick sting that fades so quickly you are not even sure it happened. There are two causes. There may be stingers floating in the water that has fallen from jellyfish further out at sea and washed into shore.
The other cause is sea mites; tiny sea creatures that bite if they come into contact with your skin. In both cases, the sting is harmless to most people but a few may get an allergic reaction.
Trees
Most of Phuket's beaches are ringed with trees. There are several species but the two most common are palms, corkscrew 'palms', and casuarinas.
There are several varieties of a palm trees. The most common is the iconic image of many tropical beaches - the coconut palm. You will see them everywhere in Phuket, with tempting bunches of coconuts clumped under the wide, feathered leaves. The coconuts are not easy to get at (in fact trained monkeys often do the hard work) and they taste much better chilled, or with ice. There will usually be a local food vendor selling them for 10 to 20 baht each.
This may seem like unlikely advice, but don't sit under coconut trees - a surprising number of people are injured or killed by falling coconuts. In fact every year worldwide, the number of people killed by falling coconuts is significantly higher than the number killed by shark attacks.
The corkscrew palm is a common sight along the beaches of Phuket. There are magnificent rows of them on many parts of the island. Actually, the screw palm isn't technically a palm at all, even though it looks rather like one. Its official name is the pandanus.
The leaves arrange themselves in a spiral, screw-like manner, leaving a corkscrew effect in the trunks as they drop off. The roots are a little bizarre. Rather than starting underground like most plants, the pandanus shoots out 'prop roots' a foot or two up the stem, above the ground at an angle.
Casuarinas are a common sight on many of Phuket's beaches. This is a species similar to fir trees, which thrive in sandy soil near beaches. They have clusters of needle-shaped leaves and drop small burs onto the ground. They grow to great heights and provide good shelter from the sun's rays.
Beach details
You can find details of the individual beaches of Phuket here: the busy western beaches, the strips of beaches in the northwest, and the idyllic beaches in the south. You're almost spoilt for choice for beaches in Phuket. Whichever Phuket Beach you choose, have fun!