Thailand Surfing

Home to almost 2000km of stunning coastline and surging swell, Thailand offers incredible surfing conditions all year round. Whether you're a seasoned surfing pro or are just starting out, Thailand's many beaches and surf breaks provide options for everyone, regardless of skill level or experience. There are a number of excellent surf spots located throughout the regions of Thailand, however Phuket is renowned for having some of the best swell.

Offering consistent conditions, Phuket is also home to a number of annual surfing contests. The east coast of Thailand and places like Koh Samui are gaining popularity within the surfing community, however, due to Chinese and Japanese northern monsoons, conditions are less consistent here. The west coast of Thailand benefits from southern monsoons originating in Sri Lanka and Indonesia and enjoys some fantastic waves. Below is a list of some of the best Thailand surfing spots and the conditions that make them so popular.

Top Thailand Surfing Spots

Nai Harn Beach: With variable winds and all tides, swell varies from 0.5m to 3m. Waves are best suited to beginner or intermediate surfers with a beach break on the southern end and beach and reef breaks on the northern end.

Kata Noi Beach: Winds tend south-east to north-west creating swells of between 0.5m and 2m. Experiencing all tides and a beach break, these waves are ideal for beginner and intermediate surfers.

Kata Yai Beach: Winds tend south-west to north-east with mid tide creating swells of 0.5m to 2m. Waves are best for beginner to intermediate surfers, although the southern end of the beach can be crowded at times.

Kalim Beach: Winds tend south-east to north-east with mid tides mid creating high swells from 0.5m to 3m. Waves are best suited to intermediate surfers due to a shallow coral reef.

Kamala Beach: With variable winds and all tides, swell varies from 0.5m to 3m. Waves are suitable for surfers of all skill levels. Conditions are best at low tide when the swell is under 1m while swells over more than 1m are good on any tide. On bigger swells, the point is at mid tide with other point breaks available for more experienced surfers.

Surin Beach: Winds are only slight here despite all tides. Swell varies from 0.5m to 2m making the waves and sand bottom ideal for beginner, intermediate and experienced surfers.

Nai Yang Beach: Winds are slight with mid-high tide at only 1m and high tide over 1m. Swell is between 0.5m to 3m and waves suited to intermediate surfers due to a long paddle to the outer reef.