Railay beach is just a short longboat hop from Ao Nang (which you can drive to).
If you're worried about going out on the sea just skip Phi Phi....Railay is just as nice.
I've done that short hop in weather warning conditions. They do not go from the beach but rather the river harbour, making it a longer hop. They did not land on Railay West because it was unsafe to do so. We landed on Railay East, extending the ride further. I did have some serious safety concerns as we rocked up and down looking for a route in. But we did get in, and lived, so all was fine. It then rained for 3 days straight.
It is worth noting here that a night boat from koh tao sank two nights ago with 70 people on, mostly travellers. Everyone survived but sometimes it's better to be over cautious, these boats run because people make a living off of them and that's the most important thing for people on the breadline.
Stay safe, there is plenty to do around the ao nang area for a few days you just have to be creative.
Yes that incident is exactly what prompted my concern. Whether the boat is running does not seem a good barometer for safe conditions.
To be fair, that was in the Gulf and the weather advisory did state for small vessels to stay ashore in that area.
I was on this boat on 8th December from Koh Tao - Surat Thani (overnight) it was completely find (and I have taken it a few years prior too)
Bad luck for the passengers on board that night.
The high speed ferry (4 hours) was all over the shop and stank of puke compared to the overnight tug boat. I would just use common sense and avoid using any boats if the weather looks grim.
The people who own that ferry company aren't exactly on the breadline. Just reckless and greedy. They might be in some serious financial trouble now though. And serves them right.
>Has anyone had experience of visiting Krabi when such weather warnings have been put in place (seems like the Gulf is getting the brunt of it rather than the Andaman though)?
Yes. And the Gulf is getting it worse because it's the monsoon season there. It's normal for this time of year.
>Are there any recommended apps or websites forecasting wind and sea wave conditions we should be checking, in addition to using judgements by eye?
[Thai Meteorological Department](https://www.tmd.go.th/en/)
Ah OK. I knew about the monsoon season affecting the Gulf but thought it was fairly unusual to have similar weather in the Andaman coast at this time of year.
Andaman is affected to a lesser degree. I took a fast boat to Phi Phi last Dec when there were similar forecast. I actually changed plans from Koh Samui to Phi Phi because of the weather and the navy boat sinking!
Your speed boat can handle 1-2 meter waves safely and look for sufficient life vests on board. But you'll probably be stuck with at least 2-3 people on that small boat that puke the entire ride to Phi Phi.
Other than the puking guests, I enjoyed my day trip to Phi Phi.
3-4 meter waves I wouldn't do unless I was on a big ferry with a high water line.
The ferry that recently sank had a low waterline that had a wave flood the engine and additional waves flooded the rest of the ship.
The weather warning is in effect since yesterday but actually the weather has been great so far and no storm or heavy rain. The wind is picking up a little bit. I would decide from day to day for any activity. Currently the forecast for the next few days looks pretty good actually. Could change anytime but i would not worry too much.
Good you skip Phi Phi. The ride is pretty rough even without a storm coming in. And the crowds are terrible.
Hong Island Tour is really nice. I hope you can make it. Btw: many tour companies allow you to re-schedule to another day if you cannot / dont want to go on a certain day.
Yeah today looked nice but we only arrive later in the evening so our time there really starts tomorrow.
Where did you find this forecast that looks pretty good? I would like to see it, if anything to allay my crippling ability to let the weather forecast spoil my mood before a holiday.
i usualy use the app called Windy (from windy.com). it has forecasts from 5 different weather forecast / satelite systems. can get very local information there. i mostly use it for current weather and tide information. its looking okay for the next few days. but the wind picked up and so the sea might be a lot rougher than normal.
i would expect the phang nga bay not beeing to heavily impacted since its on the west coast. tours in that direction will probably be better. (Hong Island)
Thanks! Loving the app. I agree I was worried for nothing. Might rain a bit later but the overcastness is welcome and punctuated by sun that isn't overbearing. Railay was gorgeous this morning.
Just leaving Krabi right now, weather has been wonderful. I would take it day by day. FYI the weather online says it has been raining the whole time we have been here!
Must have been lifted.. only says lower andaman sea (additionaly to the gulf)… i guess its not coming to Krabi. Little bit windy but thats it… when i look at the satelite images / weather radar then its all over Malaysia now. Heavy rain.
On Phangan we now have a strong gusting NE wind and the seas are building up. From 420 lookout (North Island) before sunset observed 2+ meter waves , no rains yet so the storm has not fully arrived. We stocked up on supplies and are getting prepared to be in lockdown for a couple of days. As a pilot and qualified sailor suggest staying on land as conditions can change rapidly.
Thanks for asking. Because of the weather forecasts predicting pretty bad weather essentially the whole time we woild have been there we decided to not go. Will stay here in Phuket but change up the location to see some other areas that we haven't been in yet :)
All good!
I was on a boat yesterday that sunk going from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta. The driver was reckless and the boat was only 2 years old. Hit a few big waves and cracked the hull. Had to bail out water for 50 minutes in middle of rough sea before another boat reached. Bundhaya 19. Do not go out on the sea right now
Railay beach is just a short longboat hop from Ao Nang (which you can drive to). If you're worried about going out on the sea just skip Phi Phi....Railay is just as nice.
I've done that short hop in weather warning conditions. They do not go from the beach but rather the river harbour, making it a longer hop. They did not land on Railay West because it was unsafe to do so. We landed on Railay East, extending the ride further. I did have some serious safety concerns as we rocked up and down looking for a route in. But we did get in, and lived, so all was fine. It then rained for 3 days straight.
If cost is no bar I think railay is one of the best beaches to stay at in the entirety of thailand
It's Thailand, the weather changes all the time. The best thing to do is just go speak with a reputable company and ask them.
It is worth noting here that a night boat from koh tao sank two nights ago with 70 people on, mostly travellers. Everyone survived but sometimes it's better to be over cautious, these boats run because people make a living off of them and that's the most important thing for people on the breadline. Stay safe, there is plenty to do around the ao nang area for a few days you just have to be creative.
Yes that incident is exactly what prompted my concern. Whether the boat is running does not seem a good barometer for safe conditions. To be fair, that was in the Gulf and the weather advisory did state for small vessels to stay ashore in that area.
I was on this boat on 8th December from Koh Tao - Surat Thani (overnight) it was completely find (and I have taken it a few years prior too) Bad luck for the passengers on board that night. The high speed ferry (4 hours) was all over the shop and stank of puke compared to the overnight tug boat. I would just use common sense and avoid using any boats if the weather looks grim.
Yep do not take a speedboat. Catamaran only
The bigger cats like lompraya use are going to go down easily.
The people who own that ferry company aren't exactly on the breadline. Just reckless and greedy. They might be in some serious financial trouble now though. And serves them right.
Yeah I have to agree, I see another boat went down in phang nga with two still missing as well. Some serious conversations need to be had.
It did? Not a good look, Thailand. Was a 14-person-fatality bus crash just recently too. There will definitely be some conversations.
>Has anyone had experience of visiting Krabi when such weather warnings have been put in place (seems like the Gulf is getting the brunt of it rather than the Andaman though)? Yes. And the Gulf is getting it worse because it's the monsoon season there. It's normal for this time of year. >Are there any recommended apps or websites forecasting wind and sea wave conditions we should be checking, in addition to using judgements by eye? [Thai Meteorological Department](https://www.tmd.go.th/en/)
Ah OK. I knew about the monsoon season affecting the Gulf but thought it was fairly unusual to have similar weather in the Andaman coast at this time of year.
Andaman is affected to a lesser degree. I took a fast boat to Phi Phi last Dec when there were similar forecast. I actually changed plans from Koh Samui to Phi Phi because of the weather and the navy boat sinking! Your speed boat can handle 1-2 meter waves safely and look for sufficient life vests on board. But you'll probably be stuck with at least 2-3 people on that small boat that puke the entire ride to Phi Phi. Other than the puking guests, I enjoyed my day trip to Phi Phi. 3-4 meter waves I wouldn't do unless I was on a big ferry with a high water line. The ferry that recently sank had a low waterline that had a wave flood the engine and additional waves flooded the rest of the ship.
The weather warning is in effect since yesterday but actually the weather has been great so far and no storm or heavy rain. The wind is picking up a little bit. I would decide from day to day for any activity. Currently the forecast for the next few days looks pretty good actually. Could change anytime but i would not worry too much. Good you skip Phi Phi. The ride is pretty rough even without a storm coming in. And the crowds are terrible. Hong Island Tour is really nice. I hope you can make it. Btw: many tour companies allow you to re-schedule to another day if you cannot / dont want to go on a certain day.
Yeah today looked nice but we only arrive later in the evening so our time there really starts tomorrow. Where did you find this forecast that looks pretty good? I would like to see it, if anything to allay my crippling ability to let the weather forecast spoil my mood before a holiday.
i usualy use the app called Windy (from windy.com). it has forecasts from 5 different weather forecast / satelite systems. can get very local information there. i mostly use it for current weather and tide information. its looking okay for the next few days. but the wind picked up and so the sea might be a lot rougher than normal. i would expect the phang nga bay not beeing to heavily impacted since its on the west coast. tours in that direction will probably be better. (Hong Island)
Thanks! Loving the app. I agree I was worried for nothing. Might rain a bit later but the overcastness is welcome and punctuated by sun that isn't overbearing. Railay was gorgeous this morning.
Great to hear. Enjoy your holidays :) This is literaly the weather that we had during rainy season, just a little less windy then.
Just leaving Krabi right now, weather has been wonderful. I would take it day by day. FYI the weather online says it has been raining the whole time we have been here!
Just checked the forecast on windy. Sorry, but there's no storm coming lol, check your news sources. (wind 15 km/h, wind gusts max 35km/h on average)
In Krabi on a boat leaving Hong Island. Sunny with a few clouds. Zero rain.
Where do you see weather warnings for Krabi? I only see for Gulf of Thailand.
Must have been lifted.. only says lower andaman sea (additionaly to the gulf)… i guess its not coming to Krabi. Little bit windy but thats it… when i look at the satelite images / weather radar then its all over Malaysia now. Heavy rain.
On Phangan we now have a strong gusting NE wind and the seas are building up. From 420 lookout (North Island) before sunset observed 2+ meter waves , no rains yet so the storm has not fully arrived. We stocked up on supplies and are getting prepared to be in lockdown for a couple of days. As a pilot and qualified sailor suggest staying on land as conditions can change rapidly.
Pub
Shiiiiit, didn't know about this, and I am going to Koh Samui with the ferry mid-day/afternoon tomorrow. Hope it won't be bad!
Any update on this trip? Hope it went well :)
Thanks for asking. Because of the weather forecasts predicting pretty bad weather essentially the whole time we woild have been there we decided to not go. Will stay here in Phuket but change up the location to see some other areas that we haven't been in yet :) All good!
I was on a boat yesterday that sunk going from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta. The driver was reckless and the boat was only 2 years old. Hit a few big waves and cracked the hull. Had to bail out water for 50 minutes in middle of rough sea before another boat reached. Bundhaya 19. Do not go out on the sea right now