Maya Bay To Reopen in January
The Iconic Bay
Maya Bay is one of the most iconic areas in the Phi Phi islands, situated on Phi Phi Ley it was made famous after featuring in the 2000 movie, “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio.
The Closure
The Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation shut the bay down completely to tourists in June 2018, after staggering mass tourism destructed the coral life, reefs, and marine ecology.
Shaun Stenning, CEO of 5 Star Marine explains “Maya Bay needed to close because it was in a devastatingly poor state; with too many boats, oil in the water, and harmful reef destructions. The closure did not affect our tours to the area, we simply respected the closure and enjoyed the view of the bay from afar.”
At its peak, the bay welcomed far beyond what the area could cope with; seeing over 4,000 tourists and more than 200 boats each and every day resulting in devastating damage to the area. Although the actual Bay was closed off, it remained a popular location to take photos of from a distance or swim off to the side of the bay.
The Rehabilitation Project
Since the closure over 3.5 years ago, the Maya Bay area has been undergoing a rehabilitation project which has included planting new corals on the reefs over more than 4 acres in and around the bay. Parts of the beach have been regenerated, and protective walkways have been constructed.
The marine recovery during the pandemic has helped speed this along, with no tourists near the area at all, the water is much clearer and the corals have had a chance to regenerate with the added help of coral planting.
The Scheduled Reopening
Reopening is set for January 1st, 2022, as announced by the National Resources and Environment Minister. However, there will be new rules in place to preserve the rehabilitated beach and bay from another ecological ruin.
“I actually hoped that Maya Bay would keep closed forever, but we understand there is a need to rebuild tourism after the pandemic and the bay is being used for this purpose. I am hopeful that the tough restrictions on access are strongly enforced and total visitor numbers are capped per day at 1,000 maximum” said Shaun Stenning
Currently, Koh Phi Phi National Park is finalizing an improved piper to the island and defining the swim zones for visitors. There are expected to be new rules limiting opening times from 10 am – 4 pm each day; visitors will only be allowed to spend 1 hour in the designated swimming zones, and all boats will need to anchor at another bay on the other side of the island.
Respectful Tourism
Let’s hope that the paradise it once was, and what the Marine Park have worked so hard to get Maya Bay back to will remain just that, and we will not abuse the natural beauty as we did before; this time adhering to the new rules and trying to respect nature far more.
Thailand Pass Fun With Lucus, Aswa and Jay!
Watch our latest video to see the adventures of Lucus, Aswa, Jay, and cameraman Sunny as they head out fishing, snorkeling, freediving, and more around Phuket.
After leaving the 5 Star Pier at Boat Lagoon the excited team makes a stop at Koh Mai Ton. This is normally part of our dolphin spotting tour and is also a great snorkeling spot. Apart from one longtail, they had the whole place to themselves, and Lucas was straight in there showing off his freediving skills. Then the boys enjoyed some cannonball jumping off the boat before heading off to the next stop.
Fishing was on the cards next, so the private VIP speedboat stopped at Koh Doc Mai, which means flower island. This is a great diving spot too, but today was all about a spot of fishing. In only 1 hour, 4 fish were caught, including a grouper and snapper, (please note that all hooks were removed and the fish were released back into the ocean straight away).
Fishing is available onboard all our private charters, and our experienced crew can be on hand to help get all the gear ready if you need it.
Next, the gang of boys made their way to Ko He, or Coral Island to grab lunch from Banana Beach Club. This beach club serves a good selection of dishes, plus offers massages, canoes, and plenty of Instagram-worthy setups. You can enjoy some decent snorkeling from the shore there also. It is both kid and adult-friendly with big loungers, tables in the shade, and fun areas to explore for all.
With snorkeling, boat jumping, freediving, and fishing all ticked off, they headed back to base in Boat Lagoon.
If you would like to book a snorkeling and fishing experience, please contact us. All of our tours are private and fully customizable to suit your requirements.
Phi Phi and James Bond Combo Day Tour
This is one of our most popular VIP private speedboat day trips. This combination tour has a little something for everyone; from snorkeling with rich marine life, swimming in bright turquoise lagoons, seeing famous beaches and coves; to canoeing, spectacular karst rock seascapes, and of course the iconic James Bond Island.
Phi Phi is a particularly well know location in the Phuket region, with one of its iconic islands made famous after being featured in the 2000 movie, “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio. The Phi Phi Islands have some stunning coral reefs abound with marine life, ready to give you an unforgettable experience, swimming, and snorkeling in crystal clear tropical waters.
Whereas the second part of the day trip is to Phang Nga which is truly one of natures’ spectacular works of art; where the vast karst rock scenery presents a visually stunning location. This area is all about the seascapes, canoeing, caving, and exploring, versus the underwater scenery and beaches around Phi Phi.
With so much to do and see in just one day, we recommend touring from 8 am – 6 pm for the full experience. So, let’s take a look at a sample itinerary (please note all tours are private and fully customizable to your requirements):
- Depart from the 5 Star Marine pier in Boat Lagoon and head out towards Phi Phi. Make a stop at Maya Bay, the most notable “Beach” from the 2000 hit movie, on Phi Phi Leh. Although you cannot currently, walk on the beach, it is still a fantastic experience to visit this beautiful and famous cove and take photos from a distance or swim off to the side of the Bay.
- Head around to Loh Samah Bay, which is a small bay on the other side of Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh. It offers some beautiful marine life and therefore makes for a good snorkeling stop-off point.
- Enter into Pileh Lagoon and enjoy a swim in the clear turquoise waters. This lagoon also starred in “The Beach” featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, as a spot where he dived off into the aquamarine waters.
- Explore Small Monkey Beach, where you can see these cheeky little creatures sitting on the karst rocks and relaxing on the beach!
- Continue onto Wong Long Bay, which is only accessible to smaller boats due to the narrow entrance to a bay. Luckily our private speedboats can fit inside so you get the opportunity to have a quiet bay potentially all to yourselves.
- Move onto Big Monkey Beach on Phi Phi Don, which is a great place for a picnic lunch with a soft sand cove beach going into a shallow bay.
- Stop for some more snorkeling at Phi Phi Don at Ao Nuoi and discover rich corals and marine life together with a picturesque beach setting.
- Take in the beauty of Bamboo Island – a stunning setting, with shallow clear blue waters and a picturesque beach. Enjoy some snorkeling in this area and you might even spot a blacktip reef shark.
- Head towards Phang Nga Bay and enjoy some canoeing and exploring amongst the caves and rock formations.
- Make your way towards the iconic James Bond island, which became a major attraction after featuring in the 1974 Bond movie, The Man With The Golden Gun. Then get your Bond Instagram to pose ready as you stand in front of James Bond Island, (Khao Phing Kan); An internationally renowned destination since appearing as the hideout for Bond’s antagonist, Scaramanga.
Please contact us to book your very own Phi Phi / James Bond combination private boat tour.
Thailand Pass Adventures: James Bond Island And Phi Phi Island In The Same Day
ANNOUNCEMENT – Thailand Pass Rules Update Frequently, The Information In The Below Post Is Now Out Of Date For Latest News Please Visit: https://5starmarinephuket.com/phuket-sandbox-rules-and-updates/
We are quite often asked if it’s possible to do both James Bond Island and Phi Phi Island on the same day, so we sent Jay out on tour with some of our customers to see if it’s really possible.
Ride along with Jay and the 5 Star Marine team as they stop off in Maya Bay, explore Pileh Lagoon, snorkel with Reef Sharks, Canoe Through the Mangroves, go Pearl Shopping, and finally visit James Bond Island.
This action-packed tour is one to remember and you can experience it here with our 5 Star Marine team on your very own private boat. Watch the tour below:
Phuket Sandbox Update – Thailand Pass And More!
ANNOUNCEMENT – Thailand Pass Rules Update Frequently, The Information In The Below Post Is Now Out Of Date For Latest News Please Visit: https://5starmarinephuket.com/phuket-sandbox-rules-and-updates/
As Thailand continues to adopt the “Live With Covid” model the national government announced a staged re-opening to Thailand. 63 countries have been announced as being able to enter Thailand quarantine-free.
For those countries on the list, there is still the Sandbox Model as well as the Quarantine Model as well.
All of these can seem confusing, so watch on in the update below to find out what’s happening here in Phuket, Thailand:
Phuket Sandbox Gone? Thailand Open? What Do The Locals Think?
ANNOUNCEMENT – Thailand Pass Rules Update Frequently, The Information In The Below Post Is Now Out Of Date For Latest News Please Visit: https://5starmarinephuket.com/phuket-sandbox-rules-and-updates/
November 1st, 2021 Phuket and greater Thailand are opening without Quarantine to 46 countries. These 46 countries will not have to complete the Phuket Sandbox, just a single covid test on arrival, and then the travelers are free to explore.
Here is the list of countries:
Don’t worry if you are not on the list, then the Phuket Sandbox is open and available to all countries of the world as long as the travelers are vaccinated. If you are NOT vaccinated then there is also Alternate Quarantine.
With these three ways of entering Phuket now officially announced find out the full details in the video below:
Phuket Sandbox Adventures On The 5 Star Marine Snorkelling And Dolphin Experience.
One of our most popular tours during the Phuket Sandbox has been our Dolphins and Snorkelling experience. This is a great family-friendly trip that allows our guests to snorkel the waters of Mai Ton, spend some time spotting the local pod of dolphins, and then onto Coral Island for some lunch.
There are a number of activities available at Coral Island including Parasailing, Banana Boats, and more. Follow along with us as we launch our business into the Dry Season with over 100 guests joining us for this once-off-season launch.
See more here:
Phuket Readies For A Relaxation Of Rules With A Beach Clean At The Khai Islands
The 5 Star Marine team joined with UWC Thailand, Royal Phuket Marine, Sustainable Mai Khao, Phuket Marine Department, and the Koh Yao Yai Village Leaders to clean up the Khai Islands.
With the annual monsoon season drawing to a close the Khai Islands were in need of a good clean to prepare them for the return of tourism. During the clean up we were able to collect 156 Kilograms of rubbish and take a large portion of it off for recycling.
See the full details in our video update below:
Phuket Sandbox Update – No Quarantine? No More Sandbox? Phuket Is OPEN.
ANNOUNCEMENT – Thailand Pass Rules Update Frequently, The Information In The Below Post Is Now Out Of Date For Latest News Please Visit: https://5starmarinephuket.com/phuket-sandbox-rules-and-updates/
BREAKING NEWS – Thailand Prime Minister Announces No Quarantine For Travellers From Some Countries.
As Phuket and Thailand in general move to a “Live With Covid” model and look to restart tourism the National Government are making positive announcements to support the reopening of Thailand.
In a recent televised announcement, the Prime Minister suggested that from November 1st that travelers from some low-risk countries will be able to enter Thailand without any quarantine or sandbox needed.
Now the full rules and process for entry have not yet been decided but for a look at what we expect to happen please watch our latest update video below:
Phuket Food Relief Update – 19 Months And The Need Is Still High
The 5 Star Marine team is continuing with their food relief efforts here in Phuket. After 19 months of providing emergency food relief to the local community, our team is proud to continue to help those in need.
In this month’s update, I took the time to share with you why this Food Relief Project is needed, what the numbers are behind the economic situation, and exactly where we were delivering life bags over the last 15 days.
Find the full details in the video below:
