OK, so November can be a bit wet in Phuket sometimes
It's certainly high season now, some busy days at the dive shop. At Sunrise Divers we mainly book liveaboards, but also plenty of overnight trips (the Similan islands and Phi Phi being the main destinations), and day trips, as well as running PADI dive courses.
Dive conditions and the weather in general were very good until the weekend. Last week was all sunshine with the odd tropical downpour. Saturday was decent enough but the wind was odd. Having switched to the normal North East a few weeks ago, we had a couple of days of North West.. that means the wind comes across the ocean, waves get bigger and we get more rain. Hoped for a paddle in the sea on Saturday, but up at Mai Khao Beach, where we went to check out a small hotel/bungalow operation (Seaside Cottages), the waves were too big to swim, although it was a sunny morning.
After the weekend, the wind switched back to North East and has gusted quite strongly at times during the week so far. It's been a bit bouncy out at sea. A trip to Phi Phi for diving and snorkeling had to divert to Racha Yai today, and a couple of customers told me about a little storm coming in at the Similan Islands during a dive - sunny at the start, but they came up in the rain with the wind blowing strongly. Well, we can't control the weather.
Plenty of heavy thunderstorms this week, which may surprise some people... High season does not guarantee 24 hour sunshine, and indeed if you check the Phuket Rainfall Averages, you see that November is the wettest of the "High Season" months (November - April), though thankfully the rain normally only lasts an hour or 2. There has also been plenty of sun this week. Mind you, felt like Tuesday was grey all day and Wednesday not too bright either. Tuesday night there was supposed to be the big Leonid meteor shower after midnight... well, after a few beers at Phuket Brewery, I was checking the sky, which had all cleared up... but no meteors. Woke again at 1:30am. No meteors. Hey! What the?
There's been more heavy showers tonight after a mostly hot and sunny day. The heavy rain comes in quick bursts which can overload the drains.. certainly in some areas there can be minor flooding - nothing to worry about but annoying to local residents. The Phuket Gazette reports that a section of Nanai Road (the back road in Patong) floods often. I have driven through a few times myself. This photo in the Gazette does make it look worse than it is!
I guess the rain will slowly ease off. I mean, this is Phuket! Sunshine 24 hours, smiles too! As high season starts, there may be lots of people coming here for the first time, so I would like to plug my Phuket blog, aka "Jamie's Phuket". Please do have a look!
And if looking for a hotel - there are some sweet deals online - I just wrote something about this - Phuket Hotels, Best Places to Book Online.
Forecast - sun, please. I have a day off on Saturday and do intend to relax at the beach for a while.
OK, so November can be a bit wet in Phuket sometimes | The Phuket Weather Blog
Please Buy Me a Coffee