Qualified, experienced paddlers can rent real kayaks in Phuket. We have high quality traditional 'decked' kayaks / canoes. Our kayaks convert crowded tourist beaches into launching places to begin your own rental adventures. You can find your own private beaches and lagoons. We would not dream of going to Railey Beach (Krabi), Ao Nang (Krabi) or Phi Phi Island without a kayak / canoe. Freedom and mobility are invaluable in these crowded locations!

Note: it's a good idea to bring a tent if you are planning on visiting very popular tourist areas such as Railey Beach (Krabi) or Phi Phi Island without prior accommodation reservations.  A tent gives you the flexibility to stay cheaply, yet still be able to take advantage of the restaurants, beaches, and so on.

We consider people to be experienced if they are competent in self-rescue or assisted rescue techniques and if they have paddled in a variety of water and weather conditions. There are sound reasons for restricting PaddleAsia rentals to experienced paddlers.

1) There is a common tendency among visitors to Phuket to underestimate the power of the ocean. Each year tourists are rescued from surf conditions that are too difficult for them. Each year some tourists die because they overestimate their abilities or misread ocean conditions. This tendency can carry over to other ocean-based activities such as kayaking / canoeing.

2) Each year swimmers at beaches around Thailand fail to consider potential dangers in their environment when they enter the water. Injuries (and deaths) to swimmers from jet skis and speedboats occur at all beaches in Phuket. It is inherently dangerous to swim where unlicensed, often incompetent, people operate jet skis and powerboats.

Sit-on-top kayaks / canoes are available as rentals at many beaches. They are adequate for short duration, short range paddling if sea conditions are smooth and boat traffic is minimal.  The paddles you get when renting these boats are horribly heavy beasts.  We include quality paddles with every rental too.

Our touring kayaks / canoes are naturally suited to longer trips, including multi-day excursions and camping trips. Responsible kayakers, in addition to having competent paddling technique, must be mindful of changing weather conditions, effects of tides and wind, boat traffic, navigation and route selection.

We, as individuals and as a company, do not want the responsibility of providing kayaks / canoes to people who do not have this background. Just as there is great enjoyment to be had from a competently planned and conducted trip, there are too many things which can go wrong for a person of limited or no experience in ocean paddling.

So, we will ask potential renters to give information about their backgrounds and experience. At our option, we may ask potential renters to go with us for a half-day paddle around Phuket to verify their skills.

These rental requirements may reduce our income but greatly increase our peace of mind.

Guided PaddleAsia trips are designed to satisfy experienced paddlers and people new to the sport. Our combined sixteen years experience with paddling touring kayaks / canoes in southern Thailand, attention to safety which we learned in whitewater kayaking and have adapted to ocean conditions, and the quality of our equipment are the foundations of PaddleAsia trips.

For other experienced sea kayakers who prefer to explore the joys of this area on their own, we are happy to provide boats, equipment and trip suggestions.

Attention Kayaking / Canoeing Couples

We have been asked many times if we have double kayaks / canoes. 'Doubles', which means decked kayaks / canoes with two cockpits, are popular with couples and with friends one of whom is less strong and experienced at paddling.

Kayaking / canoeing couples have an opportunity for that dream vacation touring the lovely islands and warm waters of southern Thailand. No longer is it necessary to bring your own folding kayak / canoe. We have met people struggling to fit the realities of fabric covered boats among the reefs and rocks of island beaches. We have seen them on the beach waiting for more favorable weather and tide conditions as we cruised along in our durable plastic boats. 

Experienced couples who wish to explore southern Thailand in a familiar long, stable double touring kayak / canoe may rent this red jewel. It's a heavy boat, so we can guide your itinerary ideas to minimize the need to carry the boat further than the high tide line on your beach. And the extra length and stability will serve you well in all water and weather conditions. Hatches front and rear will hold your gear while you paddle into your dream holiday!

Accompanied Rental Guidelines

The guide is on the trip to protect PaddleAsia's assets!

The guide is not there to:
• Show you all of our best/secret spots
• Tell you about the flora and fauna of the region
• Paddle in the front of your group, i.e. lead the trip
• Set up camp for you or do any other sort of guide work

The guide is available to make deals for you at bungalows, restaurants and in procuring a longtail shuttle.

We have a variety of rental boats available:

a) Sea Lions by Aquaterra. Popular in many countries, these are very good American-made kayaks.

b) Quest, by Challenge Plastics. These are stable boats, suitable for larger-frame paddlers. They track well and have a large storage capacity.

c) Breeze, by Challenge Plastics. A shorter, lighter boat popular with women and smaller-frame paddlers.

d) Piccolo, by Wilderness Systems. A smaller volume boat for smaller, lighter paddlers. It has very limited carrying capacity however. If you're very small, this boat is awesome.

e) Cape Horn, by Wilderness Systems. A time-tested multi-chined hull that tracks well, yet carves a turn... especially when leaned over a bit. This boat is suitable for all average-sized paddlers.

f) Alto, by Wilderness Systems. A sleeker boat that the Cape Horn. It doesn't track well in crosswinds, tailwinds or in quartering seas. Still, if you want fast and comfortable, this is a very good choice for medium to large paddlers.

g) Dagger Trinidad double kayak. It also is fast, comfortable and very stable.

h) Dagger Edisto. A very stable boat, the Edisto is suitable for beginner and intermediate paddlers of average size.

The bigger kayak in the photo is the Quest.  The smaller one is the Breeze.