When the rain comes...

They run and hide their heads. I spoke too soon a few days ago. Yesterday started cloudy, stayed mostly cloudy and ended with rain in the evening. Today (29th May) was basically wet all day with a steady downpour in Karon Beach from about 9:30am until 6pm, just a brief respite at lunchtime enabling me to dash to Mama Noi for lunch. And the Gods were smiling on me..just as I finished work, closed the dive shop at 6pm...the rain stopped.

For some photos of the rain (ooh, wow), see the Sunrise Divers Phuket Weather page. I felt a bit sorry for 2 students who started their PADI Open Water course today and spent an afternoon in the pool in the rain. Let's hope they have a nice day diving tomorrow.

Non weather related..Well done to Derby County, and well done to the England Cricket team for inflicting West Indies heaviest ever defeat. Candy from a baby.

Can you hear me, that when it rains and shines it's just a state of mind?

Phuket Sunny season?

I guess we can "blame" global warming, or just shrug our shoulders and say "Nature works in mysterious ways"... We are now officially into the low season, aka the monsoon season. Sure there were a few wet days early in the month, but the last week has been hot, hace calor, il fait chaud. Sunshine, blue skies, light winds. Feels more like March than May. The wind IS coming from the west, but it ain't bringing much rain right now. We even had to water the garden this evening. Makes for great holiday weather and at low season prices! Hotels in Phuket drop prices way down at this time of year, and the weather this week goes to show that a "low season" visit to Phuket can be fabulous...and a bargain to boot!

Today we visited Phuket Aquarium for the nth time. Great for the kids. They have added a little nature trail behind the main building with great views...



Later we drove to Bang Wad reservoir. Lots of locals go up there in the evening to walk, jog, ride bikes, have a picnic, play takraw, go fishing... We took bikes for the kids and I am proud to say my daughter rode a bike with 2 wheels for the first time :)

Is this really the wet season?

Well, after the usual unsettled weather at the very start of the SW Monsoon season (aka wet season, aka green season), things have settled down very nicely for the last few days. Last Monday and Tuesday were still a bit wet, but after that the sun has been shining much of the time. Today we had a bunch of customers out diving at the King Cruiser Wreck and Shark Point (which are in mid ocean between Phuket and Phi Phi) and they reported almost calm seas. The weather has been hot and there is very little wind. Read my little report on The Wet Season in Phuket...

Last week the winds were stronger and (as happens sometimes at this time of year) there were big waves at the beaches. In some parts however the waves were really big. The Phuket Gazette reported 4 meter waves in the north of Phuket, causing some people to worry about a tsunami (there have also been a couple of earthquakes felt in Bangkok and Chiang Mai in the last 2 weeks). The reports had me singing the Johnny Cash song...

How high's the water, mama?
Two feet high and risin'

People coming to Phuket between May and October should be aware that the beaches are not always safe for swimming. Use common sense and look out for red flags. Sometimes (like today) the water is almost flat, but at other times the waves are even big enough for surfing in Phuket!

Sorry for the lack of updates. Been a busy week at work and my daughter is back at school, meaning we all have to wake up early and we all get tired! This weekend, if you are in Phuket and like rugby, be sure to check out the Phuket International Rugby 10's, taking place at Karon stadium at the south end of Karon beach.

Photos added on 23rd May:


Blue skies looking up to the Big Buddha, which is nearing completion.


The Green Man Pub in Chalong.

13th May - Sunny all day ... almost

As we left the house this afternoon for a little drive, my wife asked "do you think it will rain?". The sky was almost all clear, the day had been hot thus far, and there was no sign of dark cloud... Quite safe to leave the laundry out and all the windows open...

We drove down to Chalong, and along to Rawai beach where we bought some fresh fish in the market, and I stopped to take a few photos. Rawai beach has many little food stalls and tables on the floor by the sea. The sun was shining and people were enjoying their Sunday.



By the time we'd driven via Phromthep Cape back to Chalong we had dark skies, with the clouds moving in fast from the west. It got dark very quickly and the windscreen wipers were on full speed. Back home and the floor was wet inside the house by the open west facing windows, and the laundry was on the grass in the garden. The weather can change fast at this time of year!

 

Whether the Weather

Phuket has been hot and sunny this weekend rather like last weekend... the weather is kind of unpredictable during the green season, and we find that despite all the websites and guidebooks that say "rainy season", you get more sun than rain. This is not the rainy season, this is the Green Season! Yes, from now until October, you can expect more rain than other months, but the weather in Phuket is often very nice during the summer months.

So, it's sunny now, but during the week there was a fair amount of rain. We have actually been in Chumphon most of the week - on the Gulf of Thailand. Weather there was very similar - some sun, some rain, but nothing to make you change your plans.

Here's a few photos of the week...





Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot,
We’ll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not.

Sunny again - false start to the low season

Having been out diving on Wednesday (a rather grey day, but still nice dives), the weather continued rather wet in Phuket on Thursday. Friday was almost dry, but there were sizeable waves at the beaches, leading to the "red flags" being flown to warn people not to swim (see Phuket Gazette).

The stronger wind from the South West is a sign that the low season is here. While this wind brings more rain than average, it's not the rain that makes the season low, but the wind creating waves and swells that make beaches unswimmable sometimes and boat rides bouncy! The conditions are normally worst right at the start and end of the low season. In the summer - June, July, August - the weather in Phuket can be very nice much of the time.

Anyway, after 5 days of rather bad weather, this weekend has been hot and sunny. My daughter (5 years old) said she hoped it would rain today, as it was too hot yesterday! We've been able to get out in the sun and enjoy this lull - the forecast is for more cr*ppy weather in the middle of next week. We had a nice lunch at Kan Eang Seafood today while the kids played on the beach.

Rain! I think the low season is coming

Until about 3 days ago, the weather in Phuket continued hot and sunny with some evening rain, about par for the score for this time of year. But then on Monday there was a big change. I took my motorbike for a service at the Caltex garage just over the hill from Patong. From there you have a clear view of the hills and I saw some dark cloud but thought little of it... 10 minutes later the cloud was covering the sky and the rain fell like a sheet. More importantly, the weather was coming from the west or southwest. This means for certain that the low season (aka "monsoon season") is about to start.

Monday was wet, Tuesday was pretty wet too. The 3 photos below are all from Tuesday.





Today was wet in places. The wind couldn't make up it's mind. In the morning from the west, in the afternoon from the east... and I went out diving and had a great dive on the King Cruiser Wreck. Sea was a little agitated, but certainly not rough - the real SW winds are not here yet!