Latest Surfing Thailand News:
What's Happening in Thailand Surfing Surfing in Thailand Overview Surfing in Thailand is quite a recent phenomenon. About 10 years ago surfers in Thailand were very few and mainly restricted to foreign expatriates living and working in Thailand. The waves and surf spots were and many still are kept closely guarded secret surf spots. Thai people generally became interested in the sport in the late 90's and in recent years the amount of Thai surfers has exploded. Phuket now holds annual surf contests and supports a growing and enthusiastic surfing fraternity. Although Phuket is noted as having some of the best and most consistent surf in Thailand. Other places are now being discovered. Places such as Rayong and Koh Samui and surrounding areas on the East side of Thailand get their share of waves too, but they are less consistent and come from the northern monsoons in China and Japan. The west side gets well from the southern monsoons, the same monsoons that bring waves ti Indonesia and Sri Lanka. People are now exploring the mainland areas and outer islands finding some great surf locations. Some of the best beaches to surf in Thailand are: - Nai Harn Beach
- Kata Noi Beach
- Kata Yai Beach
- Kalim Beach
- Kamala Beach
- Surin Beach
- Nai Yang Reef
- Pakarang Point Khao Lak
Use the drop down menu at the top of this page to see information on surf spots around Thailand.
Waves in Thailand The surf in Thailand definitely does not rank as a world-class surf travel destination like Bali, Hawaii or Sumatra, but it definitely has its place. The waves are generally smaller and less powerful making it ideal for people learning to surf and for longboarding. Thailand longboard riding is now very popular as the waves are generally a little smaller and fatter. Longboarding in Thailand is definitely a surfing style that is growing in popularity. The Thailand surf also is very suitable for bodyboarding or boogie boarding with some beaches such as Surin beach and Laem Singh in Phuket being ideal for body boarding. These beaches have big shore breaks during the peak of the monsoon season. You can see our surf report archives showing when the waves are good.
From Antony Colas when he was here in Thailand Phuket waves are usually fueled by the strong SW monsoon fetch in the Andaman Sea. From May to September, there is some decent surf to be tapped on the western coasts, the conditions obviously getting better as you head north towards the border with Myanmar. Around the main beaches of Kata, Kalim and Kamala, Phuket island hosts a small surfing community with a few surfshops, like Saltwater Dreaming which produces his own wax (Gecko Glue) and provides and rent a large range of boards. Maybe, the fact that Cobra near Pattaya is the largest surfboard manufacturer in the world with brands like Surftech helps Thai locals to find the good boards. Don't forget also that Sheiko factory near Bangkok is the largest neopren wetsuit producer in the world ! But who needs wetsuit in Thailand anyway ?
Surf Shops and Surf Gear Surf gear, accessories and surfboards have always been difficult to come by and much of the equipment has been left here by surfers heading home from other destinations like Indonesia. This is also changing with surf shops in Phuket, Koh Samui and Bangkok. Although the latter 2 are brand name merchandising stores, local surf shops do exist, but it wont be long before the big brand names enter the Thailand surfing market driving high prices for surfing equipment. Bodyboarding equipment is also becoming more readily available, and quaility bodyboards are imported. The most popular brand of bodyboard in Thailand at the moment is NMD Bodyboards.
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