Illustrative photograph
Departure points
Five places a Phuket charter starts, and only three of them ignore the tide
Which marina a yacht lies in decides your boarding time and the first ninety minutes of the charter. It is the least glamorous variable in the booking and one of the most consequential.
| Marina | Berths | Max LOA | Access | Customs | From the airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ao Po Grand Marina | 280 | 85 m | All tides | On site | 35 min |
| Phuket Boat Lagoon | 300 | 80 m | Tidal channel | Elsewhere | 25 min |
| Royal Phuket Marina | 350 | 35 m | Tidal channel | Elsewhere | 25 min |
| Phuket Yacht Haven | 300 | 55 m | All tides | On site | 20 min |
| Chalong Bay | Anchorage | n/a | All tides | On site | 50 min |
Why the access column matters more than the berth count
Phuket Boat Lagoon and Royal Phuket Marina sit behind a dredged channel through a mangrove flat. A yacht with real draught leaves and returns within a window either side of high water, which means the boarding time on the first day is set by the tide table rather than by when your flight lands.
On a bareboat handover that costs nothing. On a crewed charter with guests, luggage and a lunch already provisioned, it can mean waiting three hours on a pontoon in the heat, and it is entirely avoidable if you know before you book.
Ao Po Grand Marina and Phuket Yacht Haven both have deep-water access at any state of tide. Ao Po is closest to the mouth of Phang Nga Bay, which is worth about ninety minutes of the first day against a departure from the south of the island. Yacht Haven is twenty minutes from the airport, which is worth the same ninety minutes at the other end.
Ao Po Grand Marina
The only Phuket marina that takes an 85 metre hull and lets it leave at any state of tide, sitting closest to the mouth of Phang Nga Bay.
280 berthsto 85 mAll tidesCustoms on sitePhuket Boat Lagoon
One of the largest marinas in Southeast Asia and the island's refit centre, reached through a tidal channel that decides your departure time for you.
300 berthsto 80 mTidal channelRoyal Phuket Marina
Thirty hectares of marina, apartments and restaurants immediately south of Boat Lagoon, sized for the 20 to 35 metre fleet rather than for superyachts.
350 berthsto 35 mTidal channelPhuket Yacht Haven
The northernmost marina and the closest to the airport, with round-the-clock access for hulls to 55 metres.
300 berthsto 55 mAll tidesCustoms on siteChalong Bay
Not a marina but the island's clearance point: the harbour master, customs and immigration for arriving and departing yachts all sit at Chalong.
Anchorage and pierAll tidesCustoms on site