Chalong Pier Yacht Charter: How Departures Work

Chalong Pier is the public pier on Phuket's southeast coast, in Chalong Bay. More boats leave from here than from any other point on the island: charter yachts, dive boats, speedboats to Phi Phi and Racha, long-tails. It is also the one departure point on Phuket where passengers are registered before going to sea, which means every guest needs a passport in hand. Twenty-five boats in our catalogue depart from Chalong Pier, including two of our three yachts — Technema 89 Say Yes and Ferretti 80 Sofia.

Getting to Chalong Pier

Chalong sits in the south of the island, which decides who finds it convenient.

From Patong the drive takes about half an hour. From Phuket Town it is also close to half an hour, over a shorter distance. From the southern beaches — Kata, Karon, Nai Harn, Rawai — Chalong is the nearest of the departure points we work with.

From the airport the drive is long: close to a full hour in normal traffic, and Chalong is the furthest of the four points from arrivals. If your flight lands on the morning of the charter, plan that hour into the schedule and tell us the flight number, so the start time takes it into account.

Public buses from Phuket Town and from the beaches stop at the Chalong roundabout. From the roundabout the pier is a two-minute walk.

Traffic on Phuket changes from day to day, so treat every figure above as a rough guide rather than a promise. Leave earlier than the map suggests.

Passenger registration and your passport

Since 2023, passengers going to sea from Chalong Pier are registered before departure. Registration runs through the "Chalong Pier Phuket" app, published by the transport department of the Phuket provincial administration, or is done at the pier.

What this means in practice for guests:

• Bring your passport. Not a photo, not a copy — the document itself, for every person on board, adults and children.
• The captain handles the registration. You do not need to install the app or stand in a queue — hand your passports to the crew at the boat and they do the rest.
• Be at the pier fifteen minutes before the departure time. That is enough for the registration and the walk out along the pier, and Chalong is busy in the morning.

The One Stop Service office at the shore end of the pier — immigration, customs, the marine department — works with yachts arriving from abroad and is not part of a normal day charter.

What is on site

The pier itself runs roughly 800 metres out into the bay, so the walk from the car park to the boat is longer than at a compact marina. There is a large car park by the pier.

Around the pier there are bars, restaurants and dive centres, and a 7-Eleven nearby. If you arrive early, there is somewhere to sit and wait with a coffee rather than standing on the concrete.

Boats that depart from Chalong Pier

Twenty-five boats in the catalogue leave from here, from small sailing catamarans to yachts of ninety feet. Ten of them, by size:

Say Yes and Sofia are two of our three yachts; the third, Beluga 88, works out of Ao Po Grand Marina. The rest of the list are boats in the partner catalogue.

The spread matters when you are choosing. A 40-foot long-tail and a sailing catamaran carry a small group at a slow pace. The 51- to 65-foot catamarans take large groups for a day on the water. Cabins for an overnight trip are on the motor yachts above 80 feet and on a few smaller boats, among them Leopard 51 Aurora and the sailing catamaran St Anna. Rates are on each boat's page, since they change with the season and the day of the week.

Where Chalong Pier takes you

Chalong faces the string of islands off Phuket's south and east coasts, and that is the shortest run from here:

• Coral Island (Koh Hey) — the closest of all, a short hop across the bay.
• Maiton — the island where boats stop for swimming and snorkelling on a half-day run.
• Racha Yai and Racha Noi — open water south of Phuket, the usual full-day route.
• Phi Phi — a longer day, but a standard one from Chalong.

Phang Nga Bay, with James Bond Island and the Hong caves, is reachable from Chalong too, but the run north takes longer than it does from Ao Po. If Phang Nga is the reason for the trip, ask us about departing from Ao Po Grand Marina instead.

Departure time

The captain sets the departure time, and you get it before the charter rather than on the morning of it. At Chalong the thing to plan around is not the water but the pier itself: registration happens before boarding, the walk out along the pier is long, and mornings here are busy.

Questions and answers

What is Chalong like in Phuket?

Chalong is a bay and a district in the southeast of the island, built around the pier. It is a working waterfront rather than a beach resort: dive centres, boat operators, bars and restaurants along the road, and the Chalong roundabout as the local transport hub.

How early should I arrive before departure?

Fifteen minutes before the departure time. The captain handles the passenger registration, so you do not queue for it — but bring your passport, and allow for the walk out along the pier.

Where do I park at Chalong Pier?

There is a large car park by the pier. We cannot promise a free space at a busy hour, so arriving early helps here as well.

Can I bring my own food and drinks?

It depends on the boat and on what is already included, so ask before the day. Tell us at the booking stage and we will confirm it with the crew.

Can I change the departure point?

Usually not for the same boat — each boat is based at a particular pier or marina. If you would rather leave from somewhere else, we look for a boat based there instead. Send us the date and the number of guests and we will come back with what is free.

Booking

Send us the date, the number of guests and the format — a day out, a sunset run, or a trip with an overnight stay. We come back with the boats that are free from Chalong Pier on that date and the full amount in baht for each. Any question about registration or arrival time we answer in the same message.

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