Where can you Surf in Phuket? Kata Beach.

If you’re like me, from the East Coast of North America, it is pretty hard to come by a surfboard, let alone a beach with strong waves. I’ve always been curious about my West Coast friends who were able to pick up a board and ride the San Diego waves, or even friends in Milwaukee riding the waves of the Great Lakes!

So, when my Thai friend visited us in Phuket, we decided to hit up Kata Beach. Beforehand, we ate a hardy seafood lunch at the Rawai Seafood Market nearby. 

I wish we discovered how fun this would be way sooner because it was so fun! We spent most of our time in Phuket training martial arts at Sinbi Muay Thai, which is about a 15 min ride away from this beautiful coast.

Finding a Surf School on Kata Beach, Phuket

The simple way would be to walk along the 2.5 km coast of Kata Beach and ask different surf schools about their price and availabilities. 

Personally, we were too lazy to visit the beach, so we searched online and via Instagram. Many leave their phone numbers, so you can WhatsApp them or give them a call… in Thai (maybe ask your friend, or concierge for help). When it comes to texting, google translate turns out to be pretty reliable.

Our Experience with We Love Surf Kata

We Love Surf Kata (Instagram: @welovesurf_kata) was amazing, this was the surf school we ended up learning from.

• First contact: we messaged them via Instagram, but it took them a while to respond. So, we gave them a call. Within minutes we agreed on a time and price.

• Price: for 1.5 hour training for 3 people with individualized training (because that’s how they do) including complementary pictures was 800 THB/pp and water. If you need a t-shirt or long sleeves, they might be able to hook you up. We also tipped each trainer 100 THB each. If you know how to surf, I heard you can rent a surfboard for 500 THB for the day!

• Logistics: We didn’t realize they were at the other end of the beach, near Club Med, so had to walk over, took an extra 15 minutes to get there. So, lesson learned… get dropped off on the correct side of the coast, and yes, you can trust Google Maps! There’s plenty of parking everywhere for those on mopeds.

• Storage: there wasn’t much of a storage system. We left our clothes, money, phones at their open, semi-attended surf stall. I recommend you to leave your valuables in your apartment.

• Personalized training: each surfer will get assigned their own surf teacher. 

• Technical Training: The surf teacher will provide a 15-30 minute technical training on the sand with a surf board size based on your capabilities. They will show you how to position your body on the board, where to put your feet, how to prop up, stance, and how to safely get off the board.

• In the ocean we go! Then, the next hour is spent with the waves. If you are a beginner like me, they will help bring your surf board to the ocean, help you get up, ask if you’re ready, and one you give the green light, they will let go of the board, and tell you went to stand up! It probably took me a good 20 tries before I got there. If you’re more experienced, they will train you on paddling, how to catch the waves on your own…

• Complementary pictures: this was a real bonus! I suppose it’s because they are working on their social media presence, but they had one trainer go out and get their DSLR camera to take shots of us. After the class, they shared it to one of us via the LINE chat app. 

Honestly, I would totally book with them again! We met some expats that trained with them and still hung out with the crew.

If you’re looking to ball out in Phuket and plan to surf all day, all night, I think it would be pretty amazing to stay at the all inclusive Club Med Phuket Resort. Personally, I like the flexibility of exploring the local culture and forcing myself not to enjoy an all-you-can-eat gourmet buffet and all-you-can-drink bars to control my calorie intake!