Pretty good snorkel trip if you go early and beat the crowds, go in the Afternoon and the beaches and waters are full! Great variety of fish and coral, makes for a pretty good day out from Phuket for the cost.
Pros
Cons
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Highlights
Coral present
2-3 Meters Average Depth
Good visibility
Easy to Medium difficulty
Cafe at Khai Nai Island
Tours approx $30-40 USD
Many Sea Urchins Present
Unlikely
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I had an early start with a transfer from my hotel in the centre of Phuket to a port in the South-East of Phuket, Thailand. I had booked the tour through Klook which included a tour to the Khai Islands, which are made up of three islands, Khai Nui, Khai Nok, and Koh Nai. The tour started at 8:00am after a quick breakfast we set off to the three islands which were a short 30 minutes boat ride to the first inhabited island of Khai Nui.
Koh Khai Nai
Khai Nai is the furthest island from Phuket, and one of the largest. The island isn’t habited but does have a restaurant on the island and many, many deck chairs on the main beach. The beach had a large square snorkel zone which is roped off as seen below. As you can see there’s a good 15 meters from the beach to get to the coral.
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When I snorkeled this section it was at about 12:00-13:00pm and were maybe 2-3 other snorkelers in the water, the water was calm with a small current, with relatively good visibility. I made my way out over the sandy shores to the coral which initially starts with a large line of Staghorn Branch coral, where you can see camouflaged Grouper’s. Past the Staghorn Branch coral there was an abundance of large, healthy, well established table corals and Boulder coral as shown below.
Coral Reef
Top Tip:
Book a morning trip to the Khai Islands to beat the crowds. During the Afternoon the beaches were full and the waters were choppy from all of the boats.
I explored the coral reef which had some unusual marine species, and then I came across a large anemone on top of a large rock formation. I spotted two Common Clownfish swimming within the anemone about 2-3 meters below the surface. These were the only Clownfish or Anemonefish that I saw on my trip, but it is always a cool sight. Common Clownfish are often seen across the Southern islands of Thailand, ranked Least Concerned by ICUN. You can spot them either swimming within the Anemone, or hovering above the Anemone.
There is a drop-off with a large Boulder coral and Table coral where the water does get a lot darker, and there was a lot of sediment from the current. Some of the notable marine species I spotted included Oscellaris Clownfish, Blue-Lined Grouper, Eightbanded Butterflyfish, Giant Clam, Jeweled Blenny Gobyfish, and more.
Koh Khai Nok
Khai Nok is one of the closer islands to Phuket that has a beach with deckchairs. There is a long coral reef that runs on the back of the island where there is an opening to the water.
There were very few snorkelers at this spot and a large coral reef to explore. There was a current that was pushing me along the beach, so be careful. The water depth was about 1.5-2 meters with plenty of coral covering the sea bed.
There were many different fish species, including Wrasse, camouflaged Groupers, Damselfish, Clownfish, Butterflyfish. As well as many coral species including Boulder coral, Blue Ridged coral, Staghorn Branch coral, Lettuce coral, Mushroom coral, Slipper coral, and more.
Koh Khai Nui
Koh Khai Nui was a very small island opposite the larger island of Khai Nok. The island is uninhabited and has small patches of coral at the front of the island. This was probably the worst snorkel spot of them all.
Safety Tip:
There are Sea Urchins along the sea floor in shallow water, so do not stand up and wear something to protect your feet such as water shoes or flippers. Be careful upon entering the water, the rocks and sea bed are VERY slippery, especially Khai Nok.
Coral Reef
There was a large area of dead coral that covered the sea bed with fields of Sea Urchins. There was still some marine life to see, including Parrotfish, Mullet’s, Beaked Butterflyfish, Giant Clams, Lizardfish, and more.
Tour Guide Options
Snorkel trips from Phuket to the Khai Islands range from $25.00-$70.00 for a half day trip. However I think not all of the trips include a snorkel at all three islands and I go at different times. Each snorkel at the three islands was generally pretty good, however I think there were better snorkel locations near Phuket including, the Surin Islands, and the Phi Phi Islands.
Best Snorkel Spot
In my opinion, the best snorkel spot of the three Khai Islands was at Koh Khai Nai. This spot had a well established coral reef with large table, branch, and boulder corals. There were also some unique fish, specifically camouflaged Groupers. There were also Clownfish at this location. However it is important to go on an earlier snorkel trip to beat the crowds, as the beach and waters were very busy later in the Afternoon which I think would affect the quality of snorkel.
Best Time Of Year
If you are visiting Phuket and the Khai islands, the dry season will give you the best weather to snorkel which runs from October-May in Thailand.
Popular Marine Life
Parrotfish
Giant Clam
Moorish Idol
Damselfish
Butterflyfish
Blackedge Thicklip Wrasse
Rare Marine Life
Oscellaris Clownfish
Blackspotted Pufferfish
Bluetail Mullet
Coral Reef
Boulder Coral
Table Coral
Staghorn Branch Coral
Blue Ridged Coral
Acroporidae Stoney Coral
Lettuce Coral
Brain Coral
Slipper Coral
Mushroom Coral
What I Saw
(Seen on March, 2023)
| Ocellaris Clownfish | Blackedge Thicklip Wrasse |
| Crescent Wrasse | Parrotfish |
| Checkerboard Wrasse | Giant Clam |
| Blue-lined Grouper | Spotted Coral Grouper |
| Seargent Major Damselfish | Oval Butterflyfish |
| Jeweled Blenny Gobyfish | Longspine Sea Urchin |
| Eight Banded Butterflyfish | Longfin Grouper |
| Moorish Idol | Blackspotted Pufferfish |
| Table Coral | Acroporidae Coral |
| Boulder Coral | Mushroom Coral |
| Slipper Coral | Staghorn Branch Coral |
| Ocellaris Clownfish | Blackedge Thicklip Wrasse |
| Eight Banded Butterflyfish | Redlip Parrotfish |
| Honeyhead Damselfish | Humbug Damselfish |
| Jeweled Blenny | Oval Butterflyfish |
| Checkerboard Wrasse | Parrotfish |
| Brown Spotted Grouper | Yellowbar Sandperch Fish |
| Singular Bannerfish | Longfin Grouper |
| Sergeant Major Damselfish | Giant Clam |
| Moorish Idol | Blackspotted Pufferfish |
| Boulder Coral | Mushroom Coral |
| Brain Coral | Staghorn Branch Coral |
| Blue Ridged Coral | Lettuce Coral |
| Beaked Butterflyfish | Blackedge Thicklip Wrasse |
| Verigated Lizardfish | Parrotfish |
| Bluetail Mullet | Giant Clam |
| Blue-Lined Grouper | Singular Bannerfish |
| Black Sea Urchin | Boulder Coral |
| Blue Ridged Coral | Mushroom Coral |
| Acroporidae Stoney Coral |
Where is the Khai Islands?
The Khai islands are located off of the East coast of the south of Phuket, Thailand.
Frequently Asked Questions
The only way to get to the Khai islands is by boat, with there being a range of tours running from the Eastern ports of Phuket.
Snorkel trips from Phuket to the islands range from $25.00-$70.00 USD. However, I think not all of the trips include a snorkel at all three islands.
I booked a snorkel tour through Klook to visit and snorkel the three Khai islands, which also included lunch and beach time at Khai Nai. The trip cost approximately $25.00 USD, which is ฿1,100 Thai Baht.
Luke
FOUNDER
Luke is a passionate snorkeler who started Snorkelverse live his dream of combining his passions for snorkeling, marine life, protecting marine ecosystems, and helping others.
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