Phuket Sailing Guide

Anchorages - Phi Phi Islands (Thailand)

Malacca Straits | Ao Chalong | Kata Beach | Phi Phi | Krabi

Ton Sai Bay is secure in both seasons. The yacht anchorage is at the head of the bay, on the west side, where one avoids the regular longtail boat and ferry traffic heading for the jetty on the east side of the bay. Do not attempt to approach the jetty if you value your topsides. Entering the bay, it is wise to keep to the west since the water is deep and the coral clearly visible. The drying rock shown on the Admiralty and Thai charts as lying just to the east of the southwest headland forming the bay does not exist. It is now a shallow patch approximately 4 metres deep at extreme low tide, which offers no danger to vessels of normal draft. The best anchorage is on sand in about 10 metres, close enough to the fringing reef to be able to swim from the boat.

The village and hotel development on the island is mostly concentrated on the narrow sand isthmus connecting the two lobes of Phi Phi Don, where you can find almost anything the visiting yachts person might need.

Said to be one of the three most beautiful islands in the world, Phi Phi Don is not as idyllic as it once was, what with recent commercial development and the huge numbers of day-trippers which tend to make the island a little crowded between the hours of 10:00 am. And 3:00 pm. Still, it is a very pleasant place to spend a few days with a boat. Dive schools operate from the beach, and there are lots of opportunities for excursions in longtail boats to the most spectacular hongs and inlets which are found on Phi Phi Le.