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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 Thai surfers in Thailand were
very few and most people surfing in Phuket were 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 mid to 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 ?
You can read his full story here Antony
Colas in Thailand
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.
Surfing Photos and More Information
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