Phuket Diving: Nai Yang Beach Phuket

I was up around Nai Yang beach yesterday so I took a few photos to show why it's one of my favourite beaches these days. As Phuket gets more developed NaiYang beach is managing to maintain a chilled out feel. There are parts of the beach where you can hire a sun lounger and umbrella but much of the beach is left empty. There are no jet ski's to disturb the peace, just long tail boats used by local fishermen. You can enjoy a beach side massage or have a snack at one of several small beach restaurants.

The southern end of the beach is the busiest with restaurants, chill out bars and a couple of kite surfing schools that operate during the north west monsoon (May to October). At the northern end the beach brushes up against Sirinath National Park and small bamboo restaurants sit under the shade of the casuarina trees.

NaiYang beach is located a few minutes south of Phuket airport on the north west coast of Phuket Island. From November to May (the Thailand dive liveaboard season) Nai Yang beach can be a good place to stay before trips to the Similan Islands or before early flight departures from Phuket. From May to October when all Phuket diving is done from Chalong Bay I would not recommend Phuket daytrip divers to stay in NaiYang because it's too far from the boat pier and most dive centres will charge extra for the transfer.