Koh Pha-ngan 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.

Koh Pha-ngan sits 20 km north of Koh Samui by ferry and 60 km northeast of the Surat Thani mainland. It is the middle island of the three main Gulf of Thailand islands in Surat Thani Province, smaller and less developed than Samui to the south, less remote than Koh Tao to the north. The island's international profile rests almost entirely on Hat Rin and the Full Moon Party — a monthly beach event that draws thousands to the southeastern headland on the night of the full moon. The tidal context for that gathering is instructive. The Full Moon Party coincides with full moon, which is also a spring tide period. At Koh Pha-ngan, spring range runs 2.0 to 2.5 m. At high spring water — which is exactly when the full moon party begins, in the hours after moonrise — Hat Rin Nok (Sunrise Beach) can narrow to 10–15 m of dry sand between the water and the bars and food stalls behind the beach. By the small hours of the morning, when the ebb has run for 5–6 hours, the beach can widen to 40 m or more as the tide drops. The party itself creates enough ambient light and activity that most participants never notice the shift, but photographers and people looking for a clear piece of sand early in the evening should arrive before high water starts to push back the crowd. Hat Rin Nok faces east toward the Gulf; Hat Rin Nai (Sunset Beach) faces west. The two beaches are separated by the narrow Hat Rin headland, walkable in ten minutes via the path across the peninsula. Hat Rin Nai is calmer and less crowded; it does not face the NE monsoon exposure and is generally swimmable year-round. The northern half of Koh Pha-ngan is a different island in character. Thong Nai Pan Noi and Thong Nai Pan Yai — two bays separated by a headland on the NE coast — are accessible via a rough road that improves each year, or by longtail boat from Had Rin or Thong Sala (the main pier town on the west coast). Bottle Beach (Hat Khuat) on the north coast is accessible only by boat. These northern bays face NE; they are exposed to the NE monsoon November through January, with swell of 0.5–1.0 m on the worst days. The tidal flat at Thong Nai Pan Noi exposes 40–60 m at low spring, leaving clear water at wading depth far offshore. At low spring, longtail boat landings at the beach require passengers to wade 20–30 m. Inland from the northern coast, Koh Pha-ngan has a central forested spine reaching 627 m at Khao Ra, accessible via a trail from Ban Madua Wan village on the north coast road. The hike takes 2–3 hours return; starting before 07:00 avoids the worst heat and gives a clear view east over the Gulf toward the Vietnamese coast on clear mornings. Shore fishing from the rocky points between Hat Rin and Haad Yuan on the SE coast is most productive on the flood tide; jack, mackerel, and snapper work the current around the headlands. Kayak rental operates from Hat Rin and Thong Sala; the sheltered inner bay at Thong Sala is calm enough for beginner paddlers at all tidal stages. The main west-coast pier at Thong Sala handles the full spring tidal range without adjustment; the pier float system maintains a consistent boarding height through the 2.0–2.5 m spring swing. Kayak rentals from the Thong Sala waterfront operate in the sheltered inner bay regardless of tidal stage. Tide predictions here come from Open-Meteo Marine, a gridded global ocean model, with typical accuracy of ±45 minutes on timing and ±0.2–0.3 m on height. Cross-reference with Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) tables for any safety-relevant planning.