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The Yacht Haven Marina lies at the northeast tip of Phuket near Mai Khao, directly at the entrance to Phang Nga Bay. Here you read how you get from the airport to the marina, where you park and shop, when the best time for a trip is, which destinations lie before the marina and how skippers approach and berth.
The essentials at a glance
- No other marina on Phuket is as close to the airport; as the crow flies it's around eight kilometres.
- Guests park in car park P1, and from 7 a.m. an electric buggy shuttles luggage to the pontoons.
- Air-conditioned showers and sanitary facilities are directly at the marina.
- You can get drinks, fruit and vegetables at the marina's small shop; large supermarkets are in Thalang district.
- Sailing takes place mainly between mid-October and mid-May. It's around 14 nautical miles to Ko Phing Kan in Phang Nga Bay.
Where is Yacht Haven Marina on Phuket?
The marina is located in the northeast of Phuket near Mai Khao in Thalang district. The location is well sheltered by the surrounding coast, and Phang Nga Bay opens to the east.
Map from OpenStreetMap. When the map is displayed, data is transmitted to the provider.
More InformationIt is over 20 kilometres from the east coast with Royal Phuket Marina and Boat Lagoon, and around 40 from Ao Chalong bay in the south. For taxi and transfer you therefore always give the full name "Phuket Yacht Haven Marina" and the location Mai Khao.
Arriving for Trip Start at Yacht Haven Marina
The following sections accompany you from the airport to the pontoon.
From Phuket Airport to the Marina
From Phuket Airport (HKT) the easiest way to get to the marina is by taxi or a pre-booked transfer. The journey is short, as the crow flies it's only around eight kilometres, because the airport is also located near Mai Khao.
At the airport there are taxis, limousines and hire cars. The airport buses go south to the city and the beaches, not to the marina. If you're travelling as crew and land late, a pre-booked transfer is the more relaxed choice.
Where in the marina is my boat?
The marina is large, with the pontoons bearing letters: A to G plus M and O. If you're arriving as crew: which pontoon it is will be stated in your trip documents.
The pontoons are only accessible with a security card, which you get when registering at the marina office. At the marina office you can also order a golf cart. The site is guarded round the clock.
Parking
For guests and visitors car park P1 is there; P2 is reserved for tenants. Between the main car park and the pontoons an electric vehicle shuttles from 7 o'clock, practical with luggage.
Showers and sanitary facilities
Air-conditioned showers and sanitary facilities are on both sides of The Deck restaurant. You get the key for the lockers at the restaurant. The pool and gym open from 6 a.m.
If you are there long before the trip start, you can wait in the restaurant.
Shopping for the trip
For drinks, fruit and vegetables the marina's small food shop suffices; for the big shop you take a taxi to Thalang district. The shop carries fresh and non-perishable foods, juices and drinks. There is no large supermarket in the marina.
In Thalang you find large supermarkets. Alcohol is generally sold in Thailand only between 11 and 24 o'clock; on important religious holidays and at elections the sale can be restricted. Plan the ship's stores accordingly.
Doctor and emergency calls
There is a state hospital in Thalang district; larger clinics are in Phuket Town in the south of the island.
These numbers belong on board:
- 191: police emergency number for all urgent cases
- 1669: medical emergency and ambulance service
- 1155: tourist police
- 1199: emergencies on the water, Water Safety Centre of the Thai Marine Department
- VHF channel 16: distress call and emergencies at sea
- +66 63 079 1559: emergency telephone for Yacht Haven Marina
Yacht Haven Marina at a glance
With over 300 berths in the water, Yacht Haven has the most berths of the four large marinas on Phuket. Key figures at a glance (status: October 2026):
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Mai Khao, Thalang district, northeast of Phuket |
| Position | 8°10,2′ N, 98°20,5′ E |
| Berths | over 300 in the water |
| Boat size | 3 to over 100 m, dedicated pontoons for yachts up to 50 m |
| VHF channel | 68 (marina office, pontoon assistance, fuel station) |
| Fuel | Diesel and petrol (Gasohol 95) |
| Shore power | 220 to 250 V single-phase, 380 to 410 V three-phase |
| Phuket Airport | around 8 km as the crow flies |
| Website | pyhmarina.com |
The facility includes, besides the berths with electricity, water and Wi-Fi, a clubhouse, a restaurant, pool, fitness room, workshops and a fuel station.
When is the best time for sailing off Phuket?
The best time for sailing trips is outside the rainy season, from mid-October to mid-May. However, in southern Thailand heavy rain can continue into December.
From about mid-October the northeast monsoon blows, lasting until about mid-February. This is followed by the hot season until mid-May, with the hottest weather occurring in mid-April. Between mid-May and mid-October the southwest monsoon brings humid air from the Indian Ocean, and the coasts are often cloudy and rainy. The beginning and end of the monsoons shift from year to year.
For crew this means: if the trip starts in October or November, pack a waterproof jacket; from January rain becomes less frequent. In March and April it's very hot, so sun protection and enough drinking water are particularly important then.
Which cruising destinations can you reach from Yacht Haven?
The nearest destination is Phang Nga Bay directly east of the marina, with its limestone cliffs one of Thailand's best-known sailing areas. Further southeast follow Ko Yao Noi and Ko Yao Yai, the Krabi coast and the Phi Phi Islands.
All distances are rounded routes over water on the usual course; for precise planning the chart applies.
- Ko Phing Kan in the north of Phang Nga Bay: around 14 nautical miles
- the village of Ko Panyi in the bay: around 17 nautical miles
- Ko Yao Noi: around 17 nautical miles, Ko Yao Yai: around 19 nautical miles
- Ao Nang on the Krabi coast: around 30 nautical miles
- Ko Phi Phi Don: around 37 nautical miles
The bay and the Ko Yao islands are suitable for short day sails; Krabi and Phi Phi for mid-week on a week-long trip. On Phi Phi, the national park closes Maya Bay and two other bays every year in August and September. The Similan Islands lie west-northwest in the open Andaman Sea; with a sailing yacht, the route goes round the southern tip of Phuket — that's nearly 100 nautical miles. They are more a destination for longer trips. Their national park is closed every year from 16 May to 14 October; entry tickets are available as e-tickets. More about the unit of measurement is explained in the article on Seemeile.
What can you do on a harbour day around Yacht Haven?
For a harbour day you are best off taking a taxi: beaches of the national park, a temple and a rainforest with a waterfall lie within a radius of about 16 kilometres. The distances are as the crow flies.
- Mai Khao Beach, about 5 kilometres west: The beach on the northwest coast belongs to Sirinat National Park, which protects about 13 kilometres of coastline there with sandy beaches, mangroves and forest.
- Nai Yang Beach, about 10 kilometres southwest: In front of the beach at the park headquarters lies a reef for snorkelling.
- Wat Phra Thong temple, about 15 kilometres south: It is known for a large Buddha figure that projects only halfway out of the ground. A small museum displays objects from Phuket's past, such as old mining tools.
- Bang Pae Waterfall in the Khao Phra Thaeo reserve, about 16 kilometres southeast: The reserve covers about 57 square kilometres of evergreen rainforest; you can bathe at the waterfall. Next to it, a project rehabilitates white-handed gibbons for release into the wild, and a path about eight kilometres long leads to Ton Sai Waterfall.
Which other marinas are there on Phuket?
Besides Yacht Haven there are three other large marinas, all on the sheltered east side of the island: Ao Po Grand Marina in the northeast plus Royal Phuket Marina and Boat Lagoon on the middle east coast. In addition there's Ao Chalong Bay in the south, not a marina but a bay with a pier where yachts from abroad clear in.
| Feature | Yacht Haven | Ao Po Grand Marina | Royal Phuket Marina | Boat Lagoon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | North-east, Mai Khao | North-east, entrance to Phang Nga Bay | East coast, Ko Kaeo | East coast, Ko Kaeo |
| Water berths | over 300 | 230 | 100 | 180 |
| Boat size | 3 to over 100 m | Yachts up to 499 tonnes | up to 35 m | up to 32 m |
| Water depth | – | at least 3 m, outer pontoons 7 m | Basin 4 m at low water, approach 2.5 m | – |
| VHF channel | 68 | 69 | 15 | 67 or 71 |
| Airport (straight-line distance) | around 8 km | around 16 km | around 19 km | around 19 km |
Ao Po Grand Marina: It's located around nine nautical miles southeast of Yacht Haven at the entrance to Phang Nga Bay and is accessible round the clock without tidal restrictions; the entrance is 50 metres wide. When approaching you'll receive a berth number on channel 69. There's a fuel station, two travel-lifts for 47 and 80 tonnes and 60 places ashore.
Royal Phuket Marina and Boat Lagoon: The two marinas lie next to each other on the Thepkasattri Road between the airport and Phuket Town, but have their own offices and radio channels. You reach the Royal Phuket Marina via the 750-metre-long Koh Kaew Canal, which is dredged to 2.5 metres at lowest water. There is a free pilot service, a fuel station and a travel lift for 50 tonnes. Boat Lagoon is a round harbour basin with service centre, fuel service and hotel.
For Skippers: Berthing, Formalities and Sea Weather at Yacht Haven Marina
At Yacht Haven Marina you register before entering on VHF channel 68 and berth at floating pontoons. Distress calls go via channel 16 as everywhere.
Registration and Berthing
On channel 68 you'll be assigned your berth and told how to prepare fenders and lines. You make fast to free-floating pontoons; several pontoons have finger berths. Large yachts lie alongside a 260-metre floating pontoon with three 50-metre fingers. For all manoeuvres you can request marineros to take lines via channel 68.
Manoeuvre at slack water when there's hardly any current; you can get tide times from the marina office. After making fast, check in at the marina office and collect the security card for the pontoons. Suitable plugs for shore power can be bought or hired there.
Order diesel and petrol via channel 68 from the marina office. The fuel berth is manned daily from 0830 to 1730; earlier fuelling can be arranged beforehand at reception. You can dispose of waste oil in the marina.
Harbour rules
Maximum three knots in the marina, no wash in the approach, anchoring in the harbour is prohibited. You bring your own warps and fenders; quiet time on the pontoons is between 2200 and 0700.
Approach
Buoyage in Thailand follows system A as in Europe: when entering, red buoys lie to port, green to starboard. Plan the entry with regard to the tides.
For the approach from the southeast out of Phang Nga Bay, this is the route: steer west towards Ko Ngam island, pass it to port until the northern electricity pylon is visible, then steer roughly 320 degrees towards the pylon. A red and a green channel mark indicate the entrance. From the west and at night you should not attempt the approach without local knowledge. This does not replace a chart.
Clearing in with your own yacht
When a yacht arrives from abroad, the skipper reports it to Thai Customs within 24 hours of arrival. Anyone joining on Phuket and staying in Thai waters has nothing to do with clearing in the yacht. If you arrive as crew on a yacht from abroad, however, you go through immigration with the boat.
For customs the skipper needs the yacht's registration certificate, the passports, the clearance from the last port and photos of the yacht; if the owner is not on board, also a power of attorney. Before departure the yacht is cleared out again. In addition further authorities are involved, such as the immigration authority for passports and visas of the crew. Clearing in and out come together at the Phuket Yacht Control Center at Chalong Pier. For the crew's entry the normal visa regulations apply; current information is given by your country's foreign ministry, for Germany the Foreign Office.
Marine weather forecast for Phuket
The official weather report comes from the Thai Meteorological Department. Forecasts and warnings are also available in English on its website, and underway you hear them on VHF coast radio.
In the daily forecast, Phuket appears in the section for the west coast of the south, together with Ranong and Phang Nga. For wind and waves the line "From Phuket southward" applies. Wind is given in kilometres per hour; the conversion is explained in the article Converting knots to km/h.
When the southwest monsoon freshens, the meteorological service issues special warnings for the Andaman Sea, for example of waves two to three metres high, and advises small boats to remain in harbour. Take that seriously even with a sailing yacht. You can reach the weather service's weather info telephone in Thailand on 1182. The current reports are on the Thai Meteorological Department website.
Sailing trips from Phuket on Törnfinder
In October 2026 there are 47 trip dates on Törnfinder in the next twelve months departing from or arriving at Phuket. Most depart in January, February and December; eight days on board is typical. You can find offers for trips in the Andaman Sea at Cabin Charter in Thailand, all current dates under Trips.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get from Phuket airport to Yacht Haven Marina?
Easiest by taxi or a pre-booked transfer; the journey is short. The airport buses do not go to the marina.
Where do I park at trip start in Yacht Haven Marina?
In car park P1, which is designated for guests and visitors. From 0700 an electric buggy will take you and your luggage from the main car park to the pontoons.
Are there showers in Yacht Haven Marina?
Yes, air-conditioned showers and toilets are on both sides of The Deck restaurant.
Is there a supermarket at Yacht Haven Marina?
Not a large supermarket, but a small grocer with drinks, fruit and vegetables. Larger supermarkets are in Thalang district, easiest by taxi.
When is the best time to travel for a sailing trip from Phuket?
Between mid-October and mid-May, outside the rainy season. Heavy rain can still occur in southern Thailand until December.
On which VHF channel can Yacht Haven Marina be reached?
On channel 68. This connects you to the marina office, gets you help with mooring and allows you to order fuel.
How do you berth at Yacht Haven Marina?
At free-floating pontoons; several pontoons have finger berths. You are assigned your berth on channel 68; marineros help with mooring on request.
