What to Bring on a Phuket Boat Tour

Swimwear and base layer

Swimwear under quick-dry clothing is the standard base for every tour compared here. A rash guard over swimwear covers hours of sun on an open deck better than sunscreen alone, and it dries faster than a cotton shirt if you get splashed on the open Phi Phi crossing.

Sun protection

Sunscreen is the baseline, but a long-sleeve rash guard or a light long-sleeve shirt does more for a full day on the water than reapplication alone. The power catamaran's listing specifically asks guests to use biodegradable sunscreen; treat that as the standard across all six tours rather than a rule unique to one, since the same reef water is shared by every operator's snorkel stops.

Outer layer

None of the six tours require or recommend a wetsuit; the Andaman Sea around Phuket runs warm year-round and every listing treats swimwear as sufficient. A light windbreaker is worth packing for the open-deck stretch of the Phi Phi crossing, where wind chill at speed is real even in warm air.

Footwear

Water shoes are the safe default for the rocky entries at Pileh Lagoon and the Phi Phi Leh snorkel stop; sandals with a secured strap are fine for lounging on deck but not for wading in. Barefoot is workable on the soft sand at Khai Island and Naka Island but not on the rockier stretches. Flip-flops and unsecured sandals are the one footwear choice to actively avoid: they come off in current and offer no grip on a wet boarding step.

A short kit covers nearly everything that actually comes up across the six tours compared here.

• Reef-safe sunscreen, reapply before the day, not mid-tour
• A dry bag, keeps a phone dry on the open Phi Phi crossing
• Cash in small notes, tips and the park fee take no card
• A refillable water bottle, hours of sun with limited shade
• A full change of clothes, you will get wet at some point
• Motion-sickness tablets, taken about an hour before departure
• A light windbreaker, wind chill is real once the boat is moving
• A hat with a chin strap, loses in the wind otherwise
• A waterproof phone case or pouch, for the shots the Phi Phi stops are known for
• A strap for glasses, useful wherever a snorkel mask sits over the frames

Who should think about it seriously

The Phi Phi crossing runs about an hour over open Andaman Sea; the Phang Nga Bay crossing is 30 to 45 minutes through water sheltered by its own islands and is the calmer option if motion sickness is a known problem for you. One operator's own listing states the June to October ride as very bumpy, and that same tour is the only one of the six that hands out motion-sickness medicine before departure. Another lists it as a recommendation rather than a supply, which is a fair signal that the crossing is rough enough to plan around even outside the wettest months.

What to actually do about it

Take any motion-sickness remedy roughly an hour before departure, not once you already feel unwell; by the time symptoms start, an oral tablet is working against a head start it cannot make up. Confirm dosage with a pharmacist rather than guessing, particularly for a child or anyone on other medication. On the boat itself, sit toward the centre and lower rather than the bow or the upper deck, where motion is most exaggerated, and keep your eyes on the horizon rather than a phone screen.

Fresh air on deck beats sitting inside a cabin if the boat has one. None of this is medical instruction, only practical positioning and timing; anyone with a history of severe motion sickness should talk to a doctor before booking a full day on open water.

Sourced from the operators' own restrictions, not generic packing advice. Most of these rules exist for a practical reason rather than an arbitrary one: a lost drone means a search-and-rescue call nobody wants to make on someone else's day, and a stroller wedged into a walkway on a moving boat is a genuine trip hazard for every other passenger, not just an inconvenience.

• Drones, explicitly banned on two of the six listings
• Smoking materials, banned on board on at least one listing
• Camouflage-pattern clothing, restricted for civilian wear in Thailand generally
• Weapons, sharp objects, glass containers or explosives, standard exclusions across the listings
• Strollers or prams, one operator states these are not permitted on board
• Unaccompanied minors or pets, excluded on at least one listing
• Flip-flops or unsecured sandals for the activity itself, they come off in current and offer no grip on a wet step
• Cotton clothing as your main layer, it stays wet and cold for the rest of the day once splashed
• Jewellery you would mind losing, a rocking boat and open water are a bad combination for anything that can slip off

November through April

The dry season and the calmest water of the year. A rash guard, sunscreen and a hat cover most of the day; a light layer for the evening is worth packing on the sunset cruise, when the temperature drops noticeably once the sun is down.

May and June

The south-west monsoon is starting. Pack the same warm-weather kit as the dry season, plus a light windbreaker for occasional squalls; rain showers pass quickly and rarely change the plan.

July and August

Steady monsoon rainfall and a genuinely bumpier ride on the open Phi Phi crossing. A dry bag stops being optional here, and motion-sickness tablets are worth packing even if you don't usually need them.

September and October

The wettest stretch of the year, with monthly rainfall normals of 361 millimetres in September and 320 millimetres in October. Pack for the possibility of a shortened or rescheduled day; our best time for Phuket boat trips guide covers the full seasonal picture if you have flexibility on dates.

None of the six tours specify child-size life jacket sizing on their listings, so confirm it directly with the operator if you're travelling with a small child; snorkel gear and drinking water are provided the same as for adults. Attention span, motion sensitivity and the sun-exposure kit above matter more for a child than an adult over a full day on the water, and the seasickness advice in the section above applies just as much to a child, with dosage confirmed by a pharmacist rather than guessed. Our dedicated Phuket boat tour with kids guide covers age limits, readiness and a kids-specific packing list in full; this section stays a pointer rather than repeating that depth.