Koh Khai Nok

Koh Khai Nok is one of three small islands — Khai Nai, Khai Nok and Khai Nui — sitting in the channel between Ko Sirae off Phuket and Koh Yao Yai in Phang Nga province, collectively nicknamed the Khai Islands (“Egg Islands”) for their rounded, fried-egg shape from the air. Despite the Phang Nga address, almost everyone visits from Phuket: boats leave from Ao Chalong, Rassada or Ao Po piers, with the crossing to the first island taking around 20-30 minutes.

The draw is straightforward — shallow, clear water and coral close enough to the beach to reach by wading in. Khai Nok’s shoreline has table, branch and boulder coral formations with reasonable health, home to angelfish, parrotfish and butterflyfish. A long reef runs along the back of the island with an opening where boats can pull in. Deck chairs and shade umbrellas line the main beach (Khai Nai, a short boat hop away, adds a small restaurant and café), but there’s no fresh water, power or accommodation on Khai Nok itself — it’s built for a few hours, not an overnight stay.

The three-island group isn’t uniformly healthy. Khai Nui, the least visited of the trio, has a large stretch of dead coral and sea urchin fields from years of anchor damage and heavy foot traffic — a reminder of what sustained mass tourism does to a reef this small. Khai Nok and Khai Nai have fared better, but both see a steady conveyor of half-day tours (roughly 800-2,500 THB depending on operator and inclusions), and afternoons bring the water traffic and crowding that comes with it.

Most operators sell the Khai Islands as a package rather than a single stop — a half-day tour typically calls at two of the three, often paired with glass-bottom boat viewing for anyone who’d rather not get in the water. Since the islands sit administratively in Phang Nga’s Ko Yao district but are visited almost exclusively from Phuket, don’t be thrown by listings that place them in either province — the boat ride, not the address, is what determines how you get there.

Watch out: Go early. Tour boats from Phuket stack up through the morning and by early afternoon the shallow bay is choppy with wakes and the beach is standing-room only — the reef and the experience are both noticeably better before 11am.