Surfing Bang Tao Beach
Updated for 2026
Bang Tao is one of Phuket’s longest beaches, with a mix of sheltered beginner-friendly waves, shifting sand banks, and the odd very good day when the banks line up properly.
Bang Tao Surfing Conditions
| Winds | Light or southerly |
|---|---|
| Tides | Under 1 metre – mid tide Over 1 metre – high tide |
| Swell | 0.5 to 3 metres |
| Waves | Beginner to intermediate |
| Other | Unpredictable sand banks |
Bang Tao Beach Overview
Bang Tao Beach is an 8 km long bay with white sand and rows of casuarina trees. There are many access points to this beach. The main entrance to Bang Tao Beach is 2 km north of Surin Village through the Laguna Phuket complex that takes up much of the middle of the bay.
The Laguna Phuket area includes a mix of beachfront resorts, lagoon-side hotels, villas, restaurants and golf course facilities. If you are planning to stay in this area, see our Bang Tao Beach hotels page.
The southern end of the beach has a small fishing village and some of the more budget priced hotels and guesthouses in Bang Tao.
Southern End of Bang Tao
There are many tracks leading down to the beach at the southern end and this section of the beach is protected from the swells by the southern headland. On big surf days, over 3 metres, some nice smaller waves appear here. It also makes this end of Bang Tao Beach ideal for learning to surf.
It also has a sand bank that runs from the headland to the Sunwing Bangtao Beach, making it a nice area for swimming. Heading further north there are a few sand banks, but the beach drops off steeply in large sections.
Nice small waves at the southern end
Local Note
The southern end is usually the easiest place to check first if you are learning, or if the swell is getting too big further up the beach. During the surf season, always check the flags and conditions before going in. Bang Tao can look friendly from the sand and still have strong rips and side currents on the wrong day.
Middle and Northern Bang Tao
Moving north towards the middle of Bang Tao Beach the waves get bigger. The middle of the beach is exposed to the winds, shifting sand banks and steep drop offs, which make the surfing waves unpredictable, but on its day the surf at Bang Tao can be perfect.
At the far north end there is an island called Koh Ta, which is joined to the mainland by a sand spit. The area is called Layan. Over the years there have been some epic waves here, but it is not consistent and you will need to check often until you get the right conditions.
Paddleboarding and Flat Season
Bang Tao Bay is also a great place for stand up paddle boarding, particularly in the high season when the water is flat. There are coral reefs at each end of the bay to explore on paddleboards on calm days.
Saltwater Dreaming Surf Shop has a range of paddle boards for rent and sale.
Learning to Surf at Bang Tao
With the protected southern end, Bang Tao Beach is also by far the best beach in Phuket for learning to surf and is the home of the Saltwater Dreaming Surf School.
We have done our best to go surfing in Thailand as much as possible and to include our personal experiences of this beach and other surf spots in Thailand. Since 2000, we are the original Surfing Phuket guide someone’s gotta do it!!
If you have more info or photos of this area or on other surfing spots in Thailand
please contact us here.