The best way to see beautiful tropical coral reefs and colourful exotic marine life is to take a snorkelling trip and leave the shores of Phuket behind. There is nothing to compete with floating in the warm Andaman Sea above a coral garden full of vivid purples, blues, yellows and pinks.
Snorkelling is very easy to do if you are confident in the water. All it entails is a swim suit, a mask and some flippers. Everyone can do it regardless of age, gender, colour or size.
Best Time to Snorkel
The best time to snorkel in Phuket is November through to May, this is what we call the high season and is the busiest time in Phuket. During the rest of the year the sea can be quite choppy, or it rains a lot and churns up the water. Whether Phuket boat trips go out on a snorkelling trip from June to October is all dependent upon the weather.
Coral Reefs in Phuket
The coral reefs around Phuket are full of colourful fish and unusual sea creatures. There are different kinds of coral with fun names such as staghorn coral, brain coral, mushroom coral and bubble coral, there’s even a cabbage coral!
Dip your head under the water and you’ll see sea whips moving with the current and sea anemones. Cute clown fish will swim around you, just like in the cartoons.
The water is quite shallow around Phuket, and in some places you’ll be able to see right down to the bottom of the sea where black spiny sea urchins hang out. Starfish are easy to spot and sea cucumbers lay around without a care in the world.
Schools of reef fish in Phuket are seen regularly and it’s possible to snorkel with fusiliers, surgeon fish, goat fish and rabbit fish. Parrotfish are clearly visible with their vibrant colours and look just like their name, whilst lionfish have beautiful but dangerous tentacles.
Puffer fish are quite common and if you are lucky enough to see a ghost pipe-fish then an underwater camera would be useful. Look very closely to spy scorpion fish and stonefish as they’re very clever at blending in amongst the rocks and sand of the reef.
There are turtles, leopard sharks and reef sharks and Giant Moray eels and manta rays in the sea around the island, but you would have to be very lucky to see these larger marine creatures when snorkelling.
At La Moet we are very conscious of just how fragile the corals are and ensure our guests are fully aware of how to snorkel with care when on a snorkelling trip or Phi Phi island tour. This means don’t touch the coral, don’t step or walk on it, and don’t try to take anything home with you.
