Ao Nang tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 05:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are Asia/Bangkok local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Next spring tide on Fri 08 May (range 1.4m). Next neap on Sun 10 May.

Spring tides cluster around new and full moons (biggest swings). Neap tides land on quarter moons (smallest swings). See the spring tide and neap tide glossary entries for the why.

Ao Nang is the mainland beach town of Krabi Province, the transport hub for everything on the Andaman coast between Koh Lanta and Ko Phi Phi. The beach itself faces west-southwest across a bay flanked by limestone karst outcrops; the main strip runs 500 m from the rocky northern headland to the long-tail boat pier at the southern end. Ao Nang serves as the departure point for day trips and transfers to Railay Beach (15 min), Koh Poda (20 min), Chicken Island — Koh Kai — (20 min), the 4 Islands tour, Ko Phi Phi (45 min by speedboat), and Koh Lanta (1 hour). The tidal regime is semidiurnal, spring range 2.5 to 3.0 m, consistent with the rest of the Krabi Andaman coast. The beach at Ao Nang changes substantially between tide states. At high spring water (2.5–3.0 m above Chart Datum), the beach narrows to a 15–20 m strip of coarse sand, and the bar and restaurant frontages behind the beach are close to the water line. At low spring, the beach widens to 50–60 m and a hard sand flat extends beyond the normal swimming zone; the rocky outcrops at the north and south ends of the bay expose at low water, and the tidal pools around the limestone base rocks on the north headland are accessible for 1.5–2 hours either side of the predicted low. The long-tail boat pier at Ao Nang's south end has been extended progressively as the tide issue became a recurring nuisance — the original pier length required a significant wade at low spring. The current pier structure (extended most recently in 2019) keeps the dock platform in workable water depth at all but the lowest spring lows; at the lowest predicted springs (0.1–0.2 m above CD), the last 3–4 steps from the dock face to the water may still require a short wade. The longtail operators know this and generally time the departure for a tide stage that avoids the problem; passengers on early-morning transfers (depart 07:30–08:00) for day trips sometimes encounter a shallow-water boarding situation if the low falls in the pre-dawn hours. Koh Poda is the main day-trip reef site from Ao Nang — a National Park island 8 km offshore. The fringing reef on Koh Poda's south face has the best snorkelling in the area; the reef flat sits at 1.0–2.0 m depth at mid-tide. Check the predicted high water time before booking a 4 Islands snorkel tour: the standard tour runs 09:00–16:00 and the guide will anchor at Koh Poda on the mid-flood, giving the best reef depth. Tours that arrive at Koh Poda on the last of the ebb can find the reef flat very shallow (0.3–0.5 m) and uncomfortable. Shore anglers work the rocky headlands at each end of Ao Nang bay. The north headland (accessed via the steps beside the Centara Grand Resort) has a flat rock shelf that is above the tidal zone at all stages; the south headland (below the cliff path toward Railay) has a lower rock bench that is accessible only during low-to-mid tide. The angler tradition rates the incoming tide as most productive for jack, barracuda, and trevally on these headlands — the flood current activates feeding behaviour around the rocky structure. Kayak rental is available from the beach front; the paddle to the mangrove inlet north of Ao Nang (accessible around the north headland) takes 20–30 minutes from the main beach. The mangrove channel is navigable at mid-flood and high water; at low tide the entrance becomes a mudflat impassable to kayaks. Plan the mangrove paddle to arrive at the channel entrance on a rising tide — 1 hour before predicted high is ideal. Tide predictions on this page are from Open-Meteo Marine, a gridded global ocean model, accuracy ±45 min / ±0.2–0.3 m. Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) is the authoritative reference for Andaman coast tides.