Coral Island

by Sam Wilkinson - Photos by Stephan Audiger

It’s amazing how hot it can get at 09:00 in the morning. Thankfully, at Chalong Pier there’s plenty of shade and benches on which to sit with a cool drink.

There are a lot of people here and their faces – in spite of their wildly differing nationalities – show just three basic emotions. There’s anticipation on foreigner’s faces, determination on the tour guides’ faces and pure bewilderment on children’s faces.

Coral Island - Location Map

At 09:30 a guide wearing a Coral Island Resort T-shirt leads us down the steps at the beginning of the pier and helps us into a single engine speedboat. Soon, we’re roaring along and leaving a gorgeous wake behind us as we head south, past Evason Resort and the headland at Rawai. The view of southern Phuket from the sea is decidedly verdant. You’d never guess what a busy place it can be at times, it looks so peaceful from a distance.

The loaves and the fishes

Feeding fishes

Just 15 minutes later the boat is nudging its prow onto the sandy shore at Coral Island– or Koh Hae, as the locals call this small but compact island some six kms southeast of Phuket. The water here is picture-postcard perfect and there are already people standing in it, feeding bread to hundreds of teeming fish.

For those who are already familiar with Phuket, the view from the northern end of Coral Island takes in Koh Lone, southeast Phuket, Ao Yon in east Phuket and Koh Aeow, an uninhabited island just to the east. For those who are unfamiliar with the region just take my word; it’s absolutely beautiful.

That’s why it’s called Coral Island

Eastern tip of Long Beach

Our fellow speedboat guests line up outside a window at the resort and a cheerful assistant hands out freshly cleaned and bagged masks and snorkels. Then it’s off out for a swim to see what’s going on underwater. Actually, you need to go out quite a bit to get to the coral and the fish but there’s a rope and floats to rest on halfway there and the sea is not dangerous at all.

Unfortunately most day trippers don’t know this and end up swimming around closer to shore, looking at the mostly sandy bottom. But it’s not called Coral Island for nothing; out further, one can see banner fish, butterfly fish, parrot fish, sergeant major fish and trumpet fish and sea urchins as well as sea cucumbers. As for the coral there are at least three types; with solid table coral (acropora clathrata) dominating.

Parasailing above turquoise waters

As for activities on Coral Island, you can take an hour’s batik class at the resort for 250 baht, go kayaking for 300 baht an hour and an exciting (but speedy) outing parasailing will cost you 600 baht. Still, people were constantly queuing up for a go as the crew and speedboat driver made it all look so easy and safe.

There is another beach a 15-minute walk away to the east, along an uneven track and through some pretty tenacious jungle growth. Simply go to the furthermost point of the beach at Coral Island Resort and you’ll see a trail leading off into the undergrowth. You’ll need decent shoes to enjoy this walk.

Banana Beach is similar to Coral Island Resort Beach in that it has good snorkeling out on the reef, beach activities, bars and restaurants but there is no accommodation there.

Chill out time

Longtails on Banana Beach

Spending time on the beach at Coral Island is an immensely relaxing experience once you’re away from the crowd. Take a book and stretch out in one of the deck chairs provided. Or go for an oil or foot massage at the east side of the beach.

There’s also a café/restaurant with good, well-presented food, set in a causarina tree grove right by the sand, not to mention a midday buffet featuring Chinese, Japanese and of course Thai food as well as an ice cream corner.

Coral Island Resort

Coral Island Resort: right on the beach

In the Coral Island Resort itself, there is a large swimming pool used by beginner divers before they take the plunge just metres away in Mother Nature’s aquatic showcase (English, Chinese and Thai spoken 2,000 baht for a one-day course) and if after the divers are done and you want the pool to yourself there’s poolside service.

The resort features 44 one-room deluxe bungalows, 12 directly on the beach. There are also 20 standard bungalows. There’s a pool table at reception along with a TV showing UBC and a small multilingual library.

by Sam Wilkinson

Special Offers

Coral Island by Speedboat
	Day trip by speedboat from Phuket to Coral Island (15-20 minutes journey). Coral island lives up to its name with a reef only a few metres from the beach. Guides provide instruction and show you the best spots around this shallow reef. *Price: 27 US$ (850 Baht) /person** * prices are nett and subject to exchange rate fluctuations