Cheapest Snorkeling in Phuket!

Snorkeling in Phuket & Phi Phi can be cheap - very cheap. We get a lot of requests for Phuket snorkeling information from travellers on a budget seeking out the cheapest snorkeling in Phuket. This guide to the cheapest snorkeling in Phuket & Phi Phi should help get you in the water snorkeling no matter what your budget.

Cheap & Safe Snorkeling in Phuket & Phi Phi

The words cheap & safe mix about as well as oil & water - Be aware that you really do get what you pay for in Phuket.

Now that you've been warned - here are the cheapest snorkeling options in Phuket!

FREE Snorkeling in Phuket

Free snorkeling in Phuket?!?! It's too good to be true. Of course there is free snorkeling in Phuket - see the water, put on a mask, get in and snorkel.

The snorkeling right off the beaches in Phuket is okay. There are some diamonds in the rough that you can find if you are willing to travel a bit further from your hotel.

See our Guide to Phuket Snorkeling Sites to help you choose which snorkeling site in Phuket is best for you.

Then grab your mask, snorkel, and fins and go!

Thai Longtail Boats

Snorkeling from a traditional Thai longtail boat is fun and CAN be cheap. However, you could also spend more and see less than a package snorkeling tour. The idea of cruising the Andaman Sea around Phuket in a longtail boat is cool, romantic and well, appears to be cheap.

The longtail boats in Phuket vary greatly in price based on the location you leave from. Each beach is controlled by an 'association' that sets the prices.

In the popular areas like Patong, Kata, and Karon you can expect to pay the following:

• 1 hour = 1,500 - 2,500 baht
• 1/2 day = 3,500 - 4,500 baht
• full day = 6,000 - 8,500 baht

Check out our NO FRILLS longtail boat charter to Coral Island including mask, fins, water and a responsible Thai captain.

Package Snorkeling Tours

Cheap Snorkeling Tours in Phuket are everywhere. Go to any tour desk and pick up stacks of them - Do some checking online and you will find that many do not really exist (ie. are not really registered with the TAT, do not pay taxes, do not have insurance) or some brochures are the same company, but with new TAT or insurance details due to closing and re-opening the company for undisclosed reasons...

There are some good cheap snorkeling tours in Phuket. Look around, ask other travellers and search the internet. Here is some information to get you started:

Cheap Snorkeling Tours to Phi Phi

You will find cheap snorkeling tours to Phi Phi for as little as $29 - $35 (800 - 1200 baht) depending on your bargaining skills. If you paid this much you will be on one of the large ferry boats to Phi Phi. These boats have 2 - 4 decks and hold up to 500 people. Yes, they are large and you can sun yourself on the way to Phi Phi. However, they are so large that they can NOT take anyone to snorkel in shallow waters or visit any of the popular beaches in Phi Phi.

You will stop in the outer part of Maya Bay - YOU CAN NOT GO TO THE BEACH AT MAYA BAY ON THESE TOURS. The boat will anchor in about 8-10 meters of water allowing all 300 - 500 people on the tour the chance to try to squeeze off the one back stairway into the water. You will have about 30 minutes to swim / snorkel before leaving Maya Bay. Next, the boat will cruise past some of the most famous sites in Phi Phi - THE BOAT DOES NOT STOP. They will explain over the loudspeaker that the water is too shallow for the boat to enter. You will NOT see Pi Leh Cove, Loh Samah, and will only have a fleeting glimpse of Viking Cave. If you have payed extra for the Monkey Beach option, you will transfer to a smaller (yet large) boat that will take you to the outer reef at Monkey Beach. Here you must snorkel, swim or wait in line to use one of the handful of kayaks available to reach Monkey Beach which is about 100 meters away!

After lunch on Phi Phi Don, you will have about 30 minutes to walk around before leaving Phi Phi at 2:00 pm for the 3 hour journey back to Phuket.

Coral Island Cheap Snorkeling Tours

Cheap snorkeling tours to Coral Island are among some of the most popular in Phuket. The cheapest snorkeling tours to Coral Island cost between $20 - $25 (680 - 850 baht).

These 'full day' tours actually leave the island between 1:00pm -1:30pm.

Each snorkeling tour operator has their own section of the beach where you will spend your day in beach chairs set up like a movie theater. The activities are fast and furious. Each company has their own, but all are the same:

• Parasailing (5 minutes)
• Banana Boat (10 minutes)
• Scuba Diving (15 minutes - Be VERY CAREFUL - ask to see certification, most provide little to no instruction)
• Sea Walker (helmet diving - walking on the bottom stirring up sand)

Phuket Snorkeling Tours - Reasonably Priced

If rock bottom snorkeling tours are not what you are interested in, check out the reasonably priced Phuket & Phi Phi snorkeling tours offered by our partners.

Phuket & Phi Phi Snorkeling Tours

These tours are operated by quality companies with a long record of safety and experience.