Karon beach, what a lovely place. If you go at the right time of year when there are few people and the surf is high you feel like you are in a post card. If you go at the right time of day as the sun sets over the ocean, during tourist season it's like being on the cover of a romance novel. Although its a very large and very busy beach, Karon beach is one of my favorites for swimming, photographing and visiting.
If you plan to head to Karon Beach for a swim you are going to want to go from December until mid March. During this time the surf is pretty mild, there are few jellyfish if any in the waters and because it is tourist season there are life guards on duty in the area. Above is a video showing what it is like to swim at Karon on a typical day in various seasons. Below is footage I took while swimming at Karon in a storm.
As you can see, even if it is raining in the winter months, the waters are not very turbulent at Karon Beach. It is not recommended to attempt to swim in the rain unless you are an experienced swimmer. It is never recommended to swim if there is a chance of lighting.
No matter what time of year you go watch for flags marking areas that you should not or should swim. These areas are marked for your safety because of strong rip tides that can form in the waters. I can speak from experience, when the surf is high and the rip tide is strong, you do not want to mess around with swimming in the wrong areas. This should not deter you from swimming the area at all but always be mindful that even when peaceful, the ocean is still a vast and unpredictable place. Safety and caution should always be your priority and getting too comfortable can get you in trouble.
I have found that after march there are small jellyfish in the waters and this should also be something you consider. I used to go to Karon Beach swimming every morning and did this for months. One day i started to notice I had small bee sting like bumps on spots on my body. At first I didn't think anything of it. I figured it was some insects biting me when I rested in the sand after a swim. Then one day I wen't to photograph a sunset with a friend and as we were walking she stopped me. She took a stick an picked up a transparent jellyfish from the sand warning me to be careful where I stepped. After that I did some research and even took some under water photos when I was out swimming and sure enough there are schools of small jellyfish in the area in the spring and summer months.
One of the more fun activities you will find at Karon Beach when visiting is parasailing. After doing some research I found that parasailing at Karon is both the longest experience and the cheapest on the island. I have a full review of the experience including photos and videos here: Review of Parasailing at Karon Beach.
If you are looking to photograph a beach either at dawn, sunset or just getting people at play Karon Beach is the place to do it. It is my number one pick for photographing sunsets on Phuket. The main reason for this is the size of the beach, it is very easy to get to different vantage points and take photos from the same location but have them look different. Another reason is there always seems to be some for of clouds in the area and they work nicely with the composition of a photograph. There are also many different trees, mountains and buildings around the area that you can use as silhouettes at dusk to make a typical sun over the ocean photo into something unique and special.
The food in the area is great and if you pick the right restaurant you can get some good value for your money. I often frequent a place called Tony, its a large white house with an open bottom and has tables around the outside. For 100 baht I can get a good breakfast of Thai soup and coffee or when I have a hankering for some European style food they offer a variety of dishes that are made well. They have a couple rooms for rent above the restaurant as well if you are looking for an inexpensive place to stay directly on the beach.
Above is a 360 video I took at the beach during low season when there are no tourists. You can pan the camera around and get a full view of the beach and area.
Karon Beach is one of my favorite places to go in Phuket, I have really only given you the main reasons but if you go I am sure you can find many more on your own. There are other beaches on Phuket that have some of these qualities but I find none of them have all of the qualities Karon has to offer. If you are planning a trip to Phuket, staying in Karon is a nice option or if you are staying in Rawai or Patong and looking for a better beach head up to Karon. You wont regret a visit there for a few hours or longer.
Useful Links:
Karon Beach Location on Google Maps
Karon Beach Playlist on YouTube
Tony Restaurant Location on Google Maps
For more great videos and images check out the Lovin' it on Phuket YouTube Channel, Facebook Page and Instagram Account. If you are a blog writer you can find images available on Adobe Stock, Getty iStock and Shutterstock by following these links.
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