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A Phuket day charter on a credible 60ft to 80ft yacht runs THB 65,000 to THB 180,000 per day (about USD 1,800 to USD 5,000) all-in for a 9-hour day with a 6-person guest count, low season as of April 2026. The same yacht in high season (December to early March) lists 25 to 40% higher. The market is overcrowded with 35ft to 50ft sportboats marketed as "luxury yachts" and a smaller, slower fleet of credible day yachts that you have to filter for. The high-volume end is concentrated at Chalong Pier and is generally not what a charter client wants. The charter end is concentrated at Ao Po Grand Marina on the northeast coast of Phuket, which is the right base for Phang Nga Bay.
Two facts to anchor every booking decision.
First, where you start matters more than which yacht you book. From Ao Po Grand Marina you are inside Phang Nga Bay within 20 minutes. From Royal Phuket Marina you face a 45-minute run to reach the bay's first credible anchorages. From Chalong Pier you face the same problem, but pointed south at Phi Phi. Pick the embarkation marina before you pick the yacht.
Second, the Phi Phi loop and the Phang Nga Bay loop are different products. Most marketing pages package them together. They are not the same day. Phi Phi (Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Bamboo Island) is 28 nautical miles south of Phuket. Phang Nga Bay (James Bond Island, Panak, Hong Island) is 18 nautical miles east-northeast. Doing both in one day means a slow yacht spends 6 hours running and 2 hours stopping. Pick one direction per day.
The marinas
Ao Po Grand Marina. The serious day-charter base. The bulk of credible 50ft to 100ft+ day fleet sits here. Direct access to Phang Nga Bay. Long-tail boat traffic is the lightest of the four. Taxi from Patong is 50 minutes and runs THB 1,200 to THB 1,500. Drive from Phuket airport is 45 minutes.
Royal Phuket Marina. Mid-east coast. Wider fleet of motor yachts including the larger 80ft+ catamarans. Good for charter clients staying on the east coast hotels. The exit channel is shallow at low tide so departure windows can shift by 30 minutes. Confirm the tide window with the captain at booking.
Yacht Haven Marina (Cape Yamu side). Smaller, older. Some long-term residency yachts charter here. Generally less product than Ao Po. We rarely route clients here unless they are staying at one of the Cape Yamu villas.
Chalong Pier (south coast). The volume market. Most operators here run shared boats, half-day Phi Phi packages, and the THB 2,500-per-person speedboat trip. Some private day yachts depart from Chalong because of price, but the dock infrastructure is poor and embarkation is in surf at certain tides. Not where to start a private charter day.
The seven operators we route to
These are the operators we have either worked with, brokered through, or whose fleet condition we have inspected within the last 12 months. Listed in our preferred order for charter-client work, not by fleet size.
Asia Marine. Mid-size fleet of motor yachts including the 86ft Princess and a 90ft Pershing. Ao Po-based. The best-run dispatch in our experience. Crew standards are consistent across yachts. You pay 10 to 15% above the median. Worth it.
Faraway Yachting. Smaller fleet of catamarans including a notably good 62ft Sunreef. Ao Po and Royal Phuket. Specialise in catamaran day charters which is the right choice for a family group of 8 to 10, where you want deck space and shaded swim platforms. Booking through them via referral is straightforward.
Andaman Cruises. Operator with a smaller premium fleet including a 78ft Sunseeker and a 92ft Lazzara. Strong on the food side. If the day includes a long lunch, they are the call. Dispatch is slower than Asia Marine.
Burrasca. Owner-operator of one yacht: the 78ft Riva and a few support vessels. Charters infrequently. Worth checking availability if your dates are flexible. Not on most marketplaces.
Wallypower Thailand. A handful of fast performance yachts including the 47 Wallypower and the 64 Wallytender. For the day charter that is principally about getting somewhere quickly and being seen. Not a swim-and-lunch yacht.
Lee Marine Yachts. Brokerage-led operator with a rotating fleet of charter-active sales inventory. Quality therefore varies. The 65ft Sanlorenzo SD96 that operates with them when available is the pick.
Charter Yacht Phuket. Mid-size and smaller fleet, 40ft to 65ft. The 56ft Princess is in good order. Useful for a couple or a 4-person group who wants a credible day yacht below the THB 80,000 line.
Passed on
Three categories we route charter clients away from:
Shared-boat operators marketed as private. The dominant Phuket trick: a marketplace lists a "private day charter" at THB 30,000, then the operator runs the same yacht as a shared with three other groups. Always require "exclusive use" in the contract.
Wooden long-tail and traditional Thai junk operators charging private-yacht rates. A converted junk is a beautiful vessel for a photo, an uncomfortable vessel for a 9-hour day in 33-degree heat. The cooling capacity is limited and the head facilities are modest. Bookable as a 2-hour sunset photo session, not a full day.
Operators that quote in USD only with a "destination fee" added on the day. The destination fee is usually marina exit fees and national park fees that should be itemised in the quote. The reputable operators show them on the invoice.
Specific yacht passes for 2026. The 65ft "Lagoon" charter that operates from Chalong has been flagged twice in the last 9 months for engine reliability.. Until evidence of overhaul, route to the Ao Po-based catamarans instead.
National park fees you will be charged
Phang Nga Bay and Phi Phi are national parks. The Marine National Park admission fee applies and is collected at the buoy. As of April 2026:
Phang Nga Bay National Park: THB 300 per foreign adult, THB 150 per Thai resident, plus a yacht fee tied to LOA.
Hat Noppharat Thara / Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park: THB 400 per foreign adult, plus yacht fee.
Mu Ko Similan National Park: THB 500 per foreign adult. The park is closed 16 May to 14 October each year.
Most charter operators include the park fee in the quote. Some itemise it separately. Confirm at booking. The yacht fee for a 70ft motor yacht entering Phang Nga Bay is around THB 1,500 per day. Trivial in absolute terms, important to know it is a real line item.
The credible day routes from Ao Po
The Phang Nga Bay loop (8 to 9 hours). Depart Ao Po 09:00. Run to Panak Island for the cave kayak (1 hour). Continue to Hong Island for the inner lagoon at slack tide (90 minutes). Lunch at anchor off Khao Hong Krabi or in the lee of Panyee Island. Afternoon stop at James Bond Island (Khao Phing Kan) for 30 minutes, which is the photo stop and not much more. Return to Ao Po 18:00 with a stop for a swim. This is the canonical day and worth doing once.
The Yao Yai and Yao Noi loop (8 hours). Less busy than Phang Nga Bay proper. Depart Ao Po 09:30. Run to Koh Yao Noi northern coast (45 minutes). Swim and lunch off Koh Naka Yai. Afternoon at Koh Roi or Koh Hong Phang Nga. Return 18:00. This is the route we recommend for repeat charter clients who have already done James Bond Island.
The Racha and Coral Islands loop from Ao Po (10 hours). South-running route. Depart 08:30. Run south past Patong to Racha Yai for snorkelling (the most reliable visibility around Phuket year-round). Lunch at anchor. Afternoon at Coral Island. Return via Phuket Town side. This is a longer day and only makes sense in flat conditions.
Phi Phi loop from Royal Phuket Marina or Chalong (9 hours). Depart 09:00. Run to Maya Bay (note the timed-entry system reintroduced in 2022, which limits stops to 1 hour). Bamboo Island for swim. Lunch at anchor. Pileh Lagoon. Monkey Beach. Return 18:00. This is the standard Phi Phi day. It is crowded. The morning is materially better than the afternoon.
Weather and the booking calendar
The dry season runs roughly November to mid-April. The southwest monsoon runs roughly mid-May to October. The monsoon does not mean continuous rain; it means materially worse sea state on the west coast, frequent afternoon squalls, and a 30 to 50% same-day cancellation rate in August in our experience bookings.
November to March. The peak season. Book 2 to 6 weeks out for weekends, 5 to 10 days for weekdays. Christmas-to-New Year requires 6 to 12 weeks out for the best yachts. Rates are 25 to 40% above shoulder.
April. Hot, hazy from agricultural burning, still flat seas. Quietly the best month for value if the haze does not bother you.
May to October. Off-season. Booking 24 to 72 hours out works. Operators offer free reschedules for sea state. Use a 65ft+ yacht so you have the freeboard for chop.
The 2026 specific note: the start of the southwest monsoon was delayed in 2025, which gave most operators a clean April and a soft May. The current forecast for 2026 returns to the usual mid-May transition. Plan accordingly.
What the rate buys in Phuket
A credible Phuket day charter quote should include: fuel for the stated route, captain and crew, soft drinks and water, basic snacks and fruit, swim and snorkel equipment, national park fees, and standard insurance. It should not include: alcohol (provided BYO or paid bar service), premium catering (often THB 1,500 to THB 4,000 per person upgrade), jet ski rental from the yacht (THB 5,000 to THB 8,000 per hour per ski), or paddleboard and kayak which are now usually included on yachts above 50ft.
Gratuity in Thailand is 10% conventional for a private charter, paid in Thai baht or USD cash to the captain.
How Phuket compares
Phuket's day-charter market sits above Bali's on quality of fleet and below Mediterranean equivalents on price. The credible 60ft to 80ft day-yacht day rate is roughly 40 to 60% of an Ibiza day rate for the same LOA. For a weekly charter the picture is different: the Andaman weekly route requires a longer-range yacht and the pricing converges with European rates above the 70ft mark.
If you are planning the trip around the Andaman, this is where to read the case for the full 10-day Phuket to Phi Phi to Similan route. If you are spending the trip on land, the hotels worth stopping at in Phuket shape the day-charter base choice (east coast hotels favour Ao Po and Royal Phuket; west coast Patong-area hotels accept the transit).
FAQ
When is the Phuket day charter season?
The dependable season runs from November to April. May through October is the southwest monsoon. Day charters operate but with material weather risk; expect 30 to 50% same-day cancellation in August.
Which Phuket marina is best for day charters?
Ao Po Grand Marina is the base for charter day fleets above 60ft. Royal Phuket Marina handles the Phi Phi-direction fleet. Chalong Pier is for the budget high-volume day-trip market; we route clients away from it.
Can a Phuket day charter reach the Similan Islands?
Technically yes, on a fast yacht above 65ft running 25+ knots, but the Similans are 60+ nautical miles north. A round trip eats most of the day. Treat the Similans as a 2-day or overnight charter, not a day trip.
Is Maya Bay open in 2026?
Yes, but on a timed-entry system. Yachts can stop for approximately 60 minutes per slot. The bay is closed in the late afternoon and morning slots are the most reliable visibility.
What is the booking window for high season?
For 26 December to 5 January, book 6 to 12 weeks out. For other high-season weekends, 2 to 6 weeks. For weekdays in low season, 24 to 72 hours is enough.
Can children under 5 charter for a full day in Phuket?
Yes. Choose a catamaran above 60ft for stable platform and indoor air-conditioned saloon. Confirm child-size life jacket count when booking.