At first light the water in Phang Nga Bay is the colour of pale jade and completely still. The yacht lies at anchor under a wall of grey and rust-coloured limestone, streaked black where the rain has run down it, and the only sound is a longtail engine somewhere behind the next island. Seeing Phang Nga Bay by yacht gives you this hour before the day boats arrive, and the best way to spend it is standing on a paddle board.
Limestone and still water
The bay is a scatter of limestone towers rising straight out of shallow, sheltered water, many of them hollowed into caves and hidden lagoons that the Thais call hongs. Once the dry season settles in, around the time the yachts return to Phuket for the winter, the mornings on the Andaman Sea are usually calm, and the water inside the bay stays far smoother than the open coast outside it. You can stand on a board and drift along the foot of a cliff close enough to see the oysters clinging to the rock and the roots of the trees that somehow grow out of it.
Inside a hong the light changes. The walls close overhead into a ring of sky, mangroves crowd the edges and the water is warm and perfectly still, so it feels like a room with the roof taken off, which is roughly what the Thai word means. Voices carry, and most people find themselves whispering without being asked.
Much of the bay is also a national park, and the rules on where boats may anchor, where you may land and which lagoons are open change from time to time. Check the current rules with your captain or local agent before you launch anything, and stay out of any area that is closed.
Paddling in before the crowds
The Luna 10’6” SUP Paddle Board suits this kind of water. At 320 x 80 x 15 cm it is steady enough for a confident beginner and long enough to glide between strokes, and its deck pad stays comfortable when you kneel to slip under an overhang. A dry bag and a bottle of water go under the front bungee, and the D-rings take a leash. When the trip is over it rolls into a compact carry bag, so it hardly takes up any room aboard.
The tide sets the timetable. Many hongs can only be entered at certain states of the tide, through a low cave mouth that floods as the water rises, so plan the paddle with someone who knows the bay. Go early, because once the speedboats from Phuket and Krabi start to arrive the quiet goes with them. Stay close to the yacht or the tender, paddle with a companion rather than alone and keep out of the channels the day boats use. Our SUP boards page has the other boards in the range.
Back at the stern
Coming back to the yacht, a small floating deck makes the difference between a scramble up the swim ladder and an easy step off the board. The Premium Teak Platform 2.05 m is a square of 205 x 205 cm and the smallest of our platforms, which suits the smaller yachts and catamarans that cruise these waters. Its teak-look surface keeps its grip under wet feet, and because it is a look rather than real wood, fresh water is the only care it needs. Inflated to the pressure stated in the product instructions, it can stay at the stern through the morning while the boards come and go.
Tie it only to strong points at the stern, keep it in sheltered water and switch off engines and thrusters while anyone is in the sea; our guide explains how to moor a deck safely. Then sit on its edge with your feet in the water and the board pulled up beside you, and watch the limestone turn from grey to gold as the sun climbs. Breakfast can wait a little longer.
