Surfing Kamala Beach

Fifteen minutes north of Patong Beach at the top of Khao Phanthurat Pass, you will see the surf at Kamala Bay. The 2.5 km bay is lined with casuarina trees and coconut palms. Kamala Beach has a small fishing village atmosphere, but it is changing, with bars, restaurants and guesthouses appearing almost every day.

Kamala Beach, in spite of this, still has a relaxed atmosphere. It is a popular rental area for people who are staying a few months or more on the island.

If you take the first left turn at the bottom of the hill, coming from Patong, you will come to a small bridge. Continue to the left and you will find two isolated small beaches. No surf here, but a good place to relax and do a bit of snorkeling, and it overlooks all of Kamala’s surf spots.

Further out to the headland you can see a surfing point break, pictured below, which works on a mid tide, on a swell over 1 metre. Surf between the island and the headland.

Back to the bridge and a right turn brings you to a small village along the beach going north. There are surfable beach breaks which run down the end of the reef near some local guesthouses, best on a swell of over 1 metre.

Back to the main road and head north, past Phuket FantaSea. The first left turn takes you down to the police station and the beach access. The sand banks here can get quite good.

Back to the main road again and as you go over a small bridge you will see to your left InterContinental Phuket Resort and beach clubs, with Novotel Phuket Kamala Beach in the corner. This area is known as Northies, and here is probably one of the better places to surf at Kamala Beach. You will see a few small signs directing you down to the beach.

This end of Kamala is a beach break with the sand banks being held stable by surrounding reefs. The waves here are very consistent and work from 0.5 to 3 metres. The wave can be quite fat and slow when it is big as it breaks further out, but as it gets closer to shore the wave starts to stand up.

On smaller days this end of Kamala Beach is also good for beginners and people learning to surf.

There is also a small surfable point-reef break below. It can get very good, but the waves are short and very inconsistent.

Kamala can be fun on the right day, but conditions change along the beach. If you are a beginner and want a more protected place to learn, Bang Tao Beach is usually a better option, especially around the southern end.