Snorkeling Phuket: Racha Islands, 3 sites, turtles and rays

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.86 (7 reviews)

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1/13

Duration10h

GroupUp to 100

LanguagesEN · TH +1

PickupAt your hotel

Three reef systems in one day, each with different marine life and water clarity

Snorkel three sites around the Racha Islands, Phuket's most remote reefs, aboard a motor yacht with a guide in the water at every stop. The boat reaches sites most Phuket operators skip, meaning clearer water and denser marine life. Breakfast and lunch buffets are served onboard; kids from age 6 can join with provided life vests, masks and fins. Hotel pickup is available from Rawai, Naiharn, Kata, Karon, Patong, Kalim or Kamala.

The Experience

The day starts with hotel pickup and a 1.5-hour cruise from Chalong Pier to Racha Noi, the most remote snorkeling ground near Phuket. A hot breakfast buffet is served during the crossing. Once you reach the first site, Manta Bay, you enter the water with a guide who stays with you among sea turtles, rays and coral formations in some of the clearest water the region offers. The guide speaks English, Thai or Chinese depending on your group.

Banana Bay comes next—a sheltered cove with a different reef landscape where dense schools of tropical fish and resident moray eels are the draw. A full hot lunch buffet is served onboard between snorkel stops, and this is the only nearby site where whale sharks are occasionally spotted. After the second site, the yacht makes a short transit to Bay One on Racha Yai, where artificial reefs built to rehabilitate coral host leopard sharks and rays in shallow, clear water. You snorkel this final site with the guide, then relax on deck with snacks and soft drinks before the return cruise to Chalong Pier and transfer back to your hotel by approximately 17:30.

Life vests, masks and adult fins are provided at no extra cost. Kids from age 6 can join—they get life vests and masks, and the guide stays in the water with them at every stop. Basic swimming ability is required. The full-day itinerary means you cover three distinct marine environments without arranging transport or meals yourself; the boat's schedule is built around the snorkel sites and the daylight window.

What’s included

Hotel pickup from Rawai, Naiharn, Kata, Karon, Patong, Kalim or Kamala (available as an option).
hot breakfast buffet during the cruise out.
three guided snorkel sessions with a guide in the water at each site.
hot lunch buffet onboard.
snacks and soft drinks throughout the day.
life vests, masks and adult fins.
entrance fees to the snorkeling sites.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by VGA Vacation

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to reach Phuket's least crowded reefs and see marine life most day-trip boats miss—the remote Racha Islands mean clearer water and denser fish schools, turtles and rays than the standard routes closer to shore. The guide stays in the water with you at every stop, which matters if you want reassurance or if you're bringing children from age 6.