Andaman Sea or Gulf of Thailand
Phuket and Krabi sit on the Andaman Sea, on the west side of the peninsula. Hua Hin, Pattaya, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan face the Gulf of Thailand on the east side. We drew that line from the map; eFoil Thailand, for its part, calls Hua Hin and Samui Gulf spots. The two coasts run on different weather calendars, so settle on a side for your dates before you look at beaches.
Thailand's government portal, thailand.go.th, puts the southwest monsoon at about mid May to mid October and the northeast monsoon at about mid October to mid February, and it adds that both start and end at different times from one year to the next. Going by the forecasts below, the southwest monsoon sends its swell onto the Andaman coast. When the northeast monsoon takes over, the heaviest rain moves across to the Gulf coast of the south and the Andaman side dries out.
A beach holiday survives a few grey days. A first eFoil lesson asks more of the water, and you can hear it in how the operators sell their spots. EasyFlyFoil praises Kata Beach for calm water and a sandy bottom, and on Koh Phangan it singles out Hin Kong and Srithanu as flat water beaches. If the board itself is new to you, our guide to the eFoil takes the motor, the mast and the wing one at a time, worth a read before you book an hour on one.
Month by month on the two coasts
One row carries EasyFlyFoil's note on monsoon waves. The rest leans on the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD). Its outlook for winter 2024 to 2025, issued on 27 September 2024, expected the northeast monsoon to prevail over the Gulf and southern Thailand. For the two southern coasts it drew very different pictures.
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| Period | Andaman side (Phuket) | Gulf islands (Samui, Phangan) |
|---|---|---|
| Mid May to mid October | Southwest monsoon; EasyFlyFoil reports surfable waves of about 3 to 6 feet | Not covered by the winter outlook; ask the center |
| End of October to November | Thunder rain over 40 to 60% of the area, waves 1 to 2 m | Dense, abundant rain, thunder rain over 60 to 80% of the area, wind waves 2 to 4 m at times |
| December to early January | Rain over only 10 to 20% of the area | Heavy rain goes on, flash floods in places |
| Mid January to February | Rain over 10 to 20% of the area until mid February | Rain amount and spread reduce until late February |
| Our reading | Best from December to mid February, rough from May to October | Wettest from late October to early January, calmer from mid January |
The bottom row is ours, not the TMD's. An outlook describes one season, and the government portal says in so many words that monsoon dates shift. Read that way, Phuket has the drier weather between December and mid February. The Gulf islands come back into play from mid January, when the rain there eases.
Summer is the Andaman side's hard season. On 28 August 2026, to take a single day, the TMD forecast a rather strong southwest monsoon, waves of 2 to 3 m in the upper Andaman Sea and above 3 m in thundershowers, and told small boats there to keep ashore. The upper Gulf had about 2 m that day. One forecast is not a climate. It does show the kind of sea a school on the west coast of Phuket can wake up to in August.
In any month, mornings bring lighter wind, EasyFlyFoil says, and the wind can pick up by the afternoon. Given the choice, ask for an early slot.
Hua Hin and Pattaya fall outside the southern rows. Both sit on the upper Gulf, north of Chumphon, the province from which the outlook placed its heaviest rain southward, so the Samui column does not carry over to them one to one. We have no month by month figures for either town; ask the center about the weeks you have in mind.
Two companies, three bases on Phuket
EasyFlyFoil, also written Easy Fly Foil, runs eFoil lessons and rentals in Phuket and on Koh Phangan and takes bookings on its own site. Its Phuket base is at Kata Beach (186, 9 Koktanod Rd, Karon), on the west coast of the island. The company calls Kata ideal for learning, with calm water and a sandy bottom. It also notes that the southern end of the beach has the most consistent surf breaks. So a beginner has good reason to ask where on the beach the session starts.
A first lesson opens with about 10 minutes of theory on the sand, then you go into the water. The second works on smooth curves and balance, and at the advanced level riders drift along to nearby beaches. The fee covers the instructor, a helmet and a safety vest, a walkie-talkie, and filming on your own phone. Drone video is sold as an extra.
Riders who can already fly can rent a board; in Phuket, EasyFlyFoil's rental page names Kata and Patong Beach for that. Jet skis, wakesurf, SUP, wing foil and kitesurfing gear are on its rental list too.
Nai Yang and Chalong with eFoil Thailand
eFoil Thailand, which KBA Kiteboarding Asia runs, has two Phuket branches. Nai Yang (74/10 Nai Yang beach) lies on the north west coast near the airport. Chalong (16 26 Wiset Rd, Rawai) is on the south east side of the island, facing Chalong Bay. We placed both on the map ourselves. Nowhere else on this page does one operator give you two shores of one island to choose from.
Nai Yang looks out on the open Andaman Sea, like Kata. Chalong looks onto a bay. Whether the bay side is calmer on a given day is a question for the branch, and a fair one when the west coast is rough.
No eFoil school found in Krabi, Ao Nang or Railay
Krabi comes up in searches next to Phuket, and Ao Nang and Railay are on many Andaman itineraries. On 24 October 2026 we found no eFoil operator there with its own site or booking page. From Krabi, the nearest sessions we could confirm are on Phuket.
Koh Samui from both shores
Mahalo Water Sport Center is one of two eFoil operators on Koh Samui. It teaches and rents kitesurfing and eFoil, offers accommodation, and takes bookings on its own site. Its eFoil spot is at 201 Chaweng Beach Rd in Bophut, on the east coast. The kitesurf spot has a separate pin on Mahalo's map, so check which of the two your booking means before you take a taxi.
Mahalo's 3 hour beginner's course starts with a safety briefing and the controls, moves on to balance and positioning, and then to standing, riding, small waves and turns. Its full course adds open water practice and long distance rides, and Mahalo says it ends with you as an independent rider.
eFoil Thailand lists its Samui center at the KBA Kiteboarding School in Ang Thong, Ko Samui District. We read Ang Thong as the area around Nathon on the west coast. If that is right, the two Samui operators work from opposite shores of the island, Chaweng in the east and Nathon in the west.
Chaloklum, Thongsala and two flat water beaches on Koh Phangan
EasyFlyFoil and eFoil Thailand both work on Koh Phangan. EasyFlyFoil's island base is on Chaloklum Beach (49 Chaloklum Beach), and eFoil Thailand runs its KBA Kitesurf, wingfoil and Efoil Center at 90 Thongsala 22. EasyFlyFoil names Hin Kong and Srithanu as flat water beaches for beginners and experienced riders alike. Phangan is also one of the two places where eFoil Thailand's FAQ puts its jetsurf lessons, which it lists for teens of 12 and up who cannot ride tandem.
From Koh Tao, ride on a neighboring island
On 24 October 2026 no eFoil operator on Koh Tao had its own site or booking page that we could find, and neither EasyFlyFoil nor eFoil Thailand names the island anywhere on its home page. If you are staying on Koh Tao, book the eFoil for a day on Koh Phangan or Koh Samui.
Hua Hin and Pattaya on the upper Gulf
Hua Hin is where eFoil Thailand keeps its main center, the KBA Kiteboardingasia base at 143/8 Hua Hin 75/1 Alley in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. Kitesurfing is taught on site and there is a shop. Jetsurf lessons run here as well, Hua Hin being the other jetsurf location in the company's FAQ. Our kitefoil guide and the page on wing foiling explain how the wind driven foil sports differ from the motor.
Going by its address, the Pattaya center is not in the city itself. eFoil Thailand lists it as Blue lagoon, KBA Kiteboarding School Pattaya, 23/4 Moo 2, Soi Tanmanjai 14, Na Jomtien, in the Sattahip district of Chonburi.
Our TMD rows cover the southern coasts and stop short of the upper Gulf. The one dated example we have, the forecast of 28 August 2026, gave the upper Gulf waves of about 2 m during a strong southwest monsoon.
Three baht price lists side by side
EasyFlyFoil, eFoil Thailand and Mahalo each print their eFoil fees on their own sites. The table lines up the sessions a newcomer would book, with what each fee includes in the operator's own terms. Every figure is a list price from 24 October 2026, and the operator's page on the day you book has the last word.
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| Operator | Session | List price | What the fee includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EasyFlyFoil | Basic Plan, 30 minutes | THB 2000 | Instructor, helmet and safety vest, walkie-talkie, filming on your phone |
| EasyFlyFoil | Standard plan, 1 hour | THB 3000 to 3500 | As above |
| EasyFlyFoil | Pro Plan, 5 hours | THB 13,000 | As above |
| eFoil Thailand (KBA) | Lesson, 1 hour | THB 3500 | All equipment, per its FAQ |
| eFoil Thailand (KBA) | Kids tandem up to 30 kg, 20 minutes | THB 1500 | All equipment, per its FAQ |
| eFoil Thailand (KBA) | Package, 4 hours over several sessions | THB 11,000 | All equipment, per its FAQ |
| Mahalo, Chaweng (Koh Samui) | Express Course, 30 minutes | THB 2500 | Not itemized on its page |
| Mahalo, Chaweng (Koh Samui) | Full course, 5 hours | THB 15,000 | Briefing to open water and long rides, ending as an independent rider |
Half an hour costs THB 2000 at EasyFlyFoil and THB 2500 at Mahalo. A full hour runs THB 3000 to 3500 at EasyFlyFoil and THB 3500 at eFoil Thailand. EasyFlyFoil prints the hour as a range, not one figure, so ask which end of it applies to the slot you want.
Longer bookings bring the hourly rate down. Divide the price by the hours and EasyFlyFoil's five hours work out at THB 2600 an hour and eFoil Thailand's four hour package at THB 2750 an hour. Mahalo's five hour course, at THB 15,000, comes with a stated outcome, an independent rider at the end.
eFoil Thailand publishes one price list for its eFoil lessons and no list per center. We assume it applies at all five centers; confirm the figure with the one you book.
What the fee covers differs more than the price does. EasyFlyFoil names five items. eFoil Thailand's FAQ, written for eFoil and jetsurf together, says all equipment is provided and that most sessions take 60 to 90 minutes including instruction. So a booked hour there is not an hour of flying, and should not be counted as one. Mahalo prints no price for its 3 hour beginner's course, so for anything between its two published courses you will have to ask.
A week of lessons can leave you wondering about a board of your own. The eFoil price guide sets out what boards cost to buy and run, and the electric surfboard price page adds jetboards and electric SUPs to the comparison.
A 1913 navigation Act and a board with a motor
Nowhere in the Thai rule texts we searched do eFoils, electric hydrofoil boards or powered surfboards appear by name. The Marine Department's law pages did not load for us, so a rule we did not see may still exist.
The Navigation in Thai Waters Act, B.E. 2456 (1913), published in the Government Gazette Vol. 30, page 74, on 4 August B.E. 2456, defines a vessel in section 3 (as amended by Act No. 13, B.E. 2525 (1982)) as “a water vehicle of any kind ... and shall include a vehicle of any other kind that can be used on water in a similar manner”. A ship, in that section, is a vessel propelled by machinery or sail that needs no oars, paddles or rows. The Act does not say whether a board with an electric motor falls under either word; any answer to that is a reading, ours included.
The English text we read is an unofficial translation for the Office of the Council of State, amended up to Act No. 16, B.E. 2550 (2007), and marked as an initial version pending review. It carries no legal authority. The Thai text governs.
Thailand's government portal, in guidance dated 30 April 2023, says vessels used in Thai waters need a license unless exempted, with exemptions in the Act and in a 2009 ministerial regulation, and that a license is valid for not more than 12 months. That page is guidance, not the Act. The plain sense of it is that on a lesson or a rental any such license is the operator's to hold, not yours.
Enforcement does happen. On 15 July 2026 the Phuket Regional Marine Office and the Marine Police fined 23 jet ski operators without valid boat use licenses the maximum 10,000 baht each under the Navigation in Thai Waters Act, The Star reported. Those were jet skis, not eFoils, and none of this amounts to legal advice.
Age, swimming and where to book
eFoil Thailand's FAQ takes riders of 12 and up with basic swimming and no experience, and children of 12 and above ride under supervision. Bring a swimsuit, a towel and sunscreen; the equipment is provided. Its lesson times may vary with instructor availability and weather, so a spare day in the plan helps.
EasyFlyFoil takes bookings on easyflyfoil.com, eFoil Thailand on efoilthailand.com with a WhatsApp line for each center, and Mahalo on mahalo.center. For another warm water trip, our pages on eFoil in Bali and eFoil in Dubai cover operators and seasons there.
