If you are on a budget, but are not short in time, then the Green Season here on Phuket is the right time to come for your holiday, as room rates are cheap, the beaches are much less frequented and many other good deals can be had.

There is a live radar image showing actual rainfall patterns around Phuket Island, updated every second. For a look at rainfall on Phuket, click here.


Links of Interest:

• Live radar image of Phuket rainfall
• Phuket Monsoon weather

Today, amidst great excitement, a convoy of 15 flatbed trucks loaded with the remains of the ten decommissioned military aircraft arrived at Phuket after a three-day overland journey that began in Lopburi. There, the convoy departed from Koke Krathiem Air Force Base in Lopburi.

On May 5, the aircraft skeletons are to be dropped into the sea at a depth of about 15 to 20 meters. They will be arranged in a concentric pattern with two helicopters in the middle. These will be surrounded by an alternating circle of airplane and helicopter fuselages, creating about 2,500 square meters of artificial reef. An additional attraction is an abandoned offshore tin-mining sledge nearby.

A representative of Aqua Divers in nearby Nai Thon Beach told local newspapers that the sinking operation will be conducted with the help of both the Royal Thai Navy and National Parks Department. The wings of the aircraft were clipped at about mid-length and the rotors removed from the helicopters and the remaining hulls will be fixed with concrete blocks to the seabed. Upon completion, the entire site will be surrounded with a circular barrier of concrete blocks to prevent any migration of the structures across the sea floor.

The TAT estimates that the new dive attraction off the coast of Bang Tao Beach will attract 200 divers daily and might generate 140 million Baht in income per year.

According to the yesterday announced ban, from April 15 to June 15 all fishermen trawling the sea floor or trawling using nets with meshing smaller than 4.7 centimeters across are banned from fishing in the area from Laem Sak at Ao Leuk, Krabi to the north end of Koh Yao Noi to the southern tip of Koh Yao Yai and back to Laem Sak and in the area from the southern end of Koh Yao Yai to halfway to Koh Bidah Nok to the southern end of Koh Lanta Yai to offshore from Klongthom District in Krabi.

The new fishing ban around Phang Nga Bay coincides with the twice-yearly spawning period of many Andaman fish species, especially tuna. The Fisheries Department found that tuna spawn in protected areas from December through March and from June through August each year, so the ban will be effective only for part of this period.

The area covered is very large, more than 2,000 square kilometers, and officials themselves have voiced that it will be very difficult to actually police in reality. Also the maximum fines of only THB 10,000 (or up to one year in prison, or both) do not really serve as a deterrent for anybody.

The Phuket Election Committee has announced to local media that, in accordance with election law, a booze ban will be in effect throughout the province, prohibiting sales and distribution of alcohol, including in bars and clubs, from 6 pm Saturday to midnight Sunday. A result of the elections might be already available on Monday, since vote counting will start immediately after the voting stations have closed.

The over 200,000 registered voters of Phuket Island will be voting on Sunday for a new president of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) along with 24 OrBorJor council seats for Muang (Phuket Town), Thalang and Kathu districts. Patong Beach is a part of Kathu district.

From their Captain's Log below:

As the seasons change in Thailand, so do we here at Destination Air. We have already started to implement our Monsoon Season landing locations in some spots and will be adjusting our pontoons accordingly over the coming weeks.
By the end of this month, we will be safely operating in all of our regular destinations with the exception of only a very few. West winds dictate that we abandon places like Patong and Bang Tao for a short few months while we will continue to service Phuket from the airport and Chalong Bay.
We have the flexability at almost all our 40+ approved locations to find a place to safely land for charter operations and in only rare circumstances will we have to adjust and arrange for a short ground transfer to your final destination.

More on this issue can be found here:

• Destination Air
• Thai authorities and their little games with Destination Air
  

The ambitious plan seems to target mainly taxis and tuk tuks. Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukkabal explained at a press conference at Phuket Provincial Hall:
"Tuk-tuks and hawkers are currently taking up all the parking spaces along the beach road, leaving tourists with no place to park. We will provide more parking spaces and change traffic regulations to force all cars to park on the new road [the road currently under construction parallel between Nanai Rd and Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd, which is expected to be completed before the next high season], away from the beach. Taxis will be allowed on Thaweewong Rd only to drop off passengers.

Local residents call this plan not only ambitious, but maybe overly so (some used much stronger words), because previous measures and plans to prevent taxis from parking illegally have been totally fruitless, as the over 1,000 tuk tuks parking nightly along beach road in the red and white (parking forbidden) zone demonstrate clearly.

Today I was going there again, having an extremely tasty lunch, and being rewarded by nice weather on top of it.

The picture below shows the sunset over Wat Gettho in Kathu.

April is a transitional month on Phuket. The previously Northeastern monsoon winds gradually start moving around to eventually come from the Southwest. Somewhere around the middle of the month, you can count on some heavy showers. The second half of the month is usually pretty wet. Frequent thunder showers occur. They are often quite heavy and often brief. It seldom rains all day.

April and May are the hottest months of the year. The temperatures range from 80ºF to 95ºF (27ºC to 36ºC.)

In the middle of the month, the Thais celebrate Songkran, the water festival. Everyone splashes and throws water on everyone else. It’s certainly something to see, even if only once. Driving a motorcycle is extremely dangerous due to slippery road and getting ice cold water thrown at high velocity at you while you’re driving.

On the aesthetic side, low season storms can be absolutely stunning. The colors are often breathtaking. The sunsets are ineffable. The power of nature is at its best.

The middle of the month is the official end of high season. Negotiating prices becomes easier.

Lt Rattaket Manmuang of Karon Police Station reported the cause of the accident as follows to local media: "The bus driver, 34-year-old Paitoon Panbuddee, said that he lost control of the bus after the brakes failed as he was driving down the hill. The bus side-swiped two oncoming vehicles – a pickup and a van. A motorcyclist then collided with the van.". The police officer went on to say: "There were about 40 workers on the bus. Most of them are fine, but one man is now in intensive care. We have charged the bus driver with negligent driving causing injury."