Anchorage· Phuket· Thailand

Ao Chalong Anchorage

7° 49.0′ N · 98° 21.3′ E

Phuket's port of entry and the only year-round anchorage at the south end of the island: a broad, muddy bay under the Big Buddha, with the one-stop clearance office at the end of the 800 m pier and a cruising community ashore. Every foreign yacht arriving in Phuket must come here first.

Phuket & Phang Nga Bay Koh Lanta to Koh Lipe Koh Samui & the Gulf of Thailand

Practical

Anchor on mud in 3-7 m well offshore, beyond the end of the 800 m concrete pier or north of it; ferries, day-trip catamarans and dive boats use the pier all day (Southeast Asia Pilot). Holding is excellent; the main risk is other boats with poor ground tackle dragging in strong wind. Hazards: submerged concrete blocks and wrecks in the anchorage, an uncharted submerged object, and a submerged metal pillar near the pier now marked with small red-and-white flags; two large white concrete channel markers (port and starboard) stand in the bay (Noonsite, Feb 2026). No public moorings; private moorings can be arranged for a fee via the Phuket Cruising Yacht Club. Very well protected in the SW monsoon (some ground swell); in the NE monsoon the long fetch makes it choppy and dinghy landings wet. About 10 days a month the tide makes beach landings impossible for a few hours, so use the makeshift dinghy dock at the foot of the one-stop building. Security: Noonsite reports dinghy theft and off-season (Aug-Nov 2016) break-ins on yachts left here; lift and lock the dinghy. Diesel and water at the pier head and from barges in the bay; supermarkets, laundry and clinics ashore around Chalong Circle.

Ao Chalong Anchorage

Practical

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