In season, the seas are that benign. Off-season, the Andaman gets rough. Half the days are 'Tradewind' calm, breezy with whitecaps. In the low season, we hunker down close to the coast, sticking to mangroves and rock gardens, and the protected waters of Phang Nga Bay. High season crowds are down, and with the addition of Ta Kao Bungalows on Koh Yao Noi, we take our overnighters under a roof when rain drives us from our tents.
Low season has an undeserved reputation.
Locals love the cooler weather that's better than High Season Hawai'i, and we've found an odd bonus. Rainy season is when the rivers run in the South, so we developed a program that combines protected coastlines and inland rivers. There's even one river that runs through a mountain. Only in Thailand can you paddle through a cave and run a rock garden in the same day. John 'Caveman' Gray owns Sea Canoe International in Phuket, Thailand and is a Professor of Ecotourism.