Where is good to swim in the Sea on Koh Phangan?

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You’re on a tropical island and you want to swim in the ocean right? Who wouldn’t?! Generally speaking here on Koh Phangan the South of the island is not the best place for swimming, although you can if the tide is right.

Baan Tai and Thong Sala are notorious for its shallow water, possibly because this is the coastline which is closest to the neighboring island of Koh Samui. You can walk sometimes for a good distance without the depth going even above your waist! Here on the South coast the sea is however ideal for watersports such as Kite-Surfing and so you will find a lot of the schools based in these areas.

So where should you head to if you want a proper swim in the beautiful waters, here are the top places…

Haad Rin
Not only does it have clear waters and super soft sand that makes you want to lounge in it all day, Haad Rin’s ocean is perfect for swimming! Outside of Full Moon week this is a wonderful place to visit and spend a day on the beach and swimming in its waters. It’s a very large beach with sea to match and even has some waves on good days!

Thong Nai Pan
In the North of the island is Thong Nai Pan with two beach areas of Noi and Yai. Noi is where you will find upmarket resorts situated along the beautiful beach which is lovely for swimming however you will have to go through the resorts to get to the sea. Further past Noi area is Thong Nai Pan Yai which is less developed and more quiet and ‘Thai Style’. This is a gorgeous stretch of beach and like Noi the ocean is good for swimming and lounging in.

Mae Haad Beach and Koh Ma
Mae Haad is the beach that attaches to the tiny island of Koh Ma by a sand bank and you will find them in the North-West. The sea here drops quite quickly and is also good for snorkelling as there is coral and fish. This is also the case for the adjoining island of Koh Ma. There is nothing actually on Koh Mah but the water around it is good to enjoy!

Haad Yao
On the beautiful West Coast of the island is Haad Yao meaning ‘long beach’. Lots of families and other visitors chose to stay here as the beaches are incredible, the sea is good for swimming and it is perfectly located for those magical island sunsets.

Haad Salad
Just up from Haad Yao is Haad Salad, another beautiful beach yet more quiet and less developed than the area of Haad Yao. As it is so close to Haad Yao this area also benefits from great seas to swim in that are not too shallow yet not too deep.

Enjoy some ocean swimming on Koh Phangan!