Best Exotic Fishing Tour from Phuket: 9 Hours of Trolling, Crab Traps and Racha Yai Snorkelling

Best Exotic

Fishing Tour with Lunch and Snorkeling

★ 3.3 (3) · from $101

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Prices and timetables checked 2026-10-17. This page contains an affiliate link, explained in the booking section.

The Best Exotic fishing tour is the longest fishing day I track in Phuket: an early start, trolling on the way to Racha Yai, bottom fishing at anchor, a swim and snorkel, and a lunch cooked from the catch.

What changes the decision is who can follow the crew. The listing names Russian and English as the guide languages, and the most detailed review says the English was limited and that important instructions were hard to follow, so a Russian speaker gets a better tour than an English-only group.

To compare it with other fishing days, see the Phuket fishing charter guide, the snorkelling tours or the Phuket boat tours hub; the home page covers every city.

What is the Best Exotic fishing tour and what happens on board?

It is a shared fishing and snorkelling day to Racha Yai in which you troll, bottom-fish, check crab traps, watch a spearfishing demonstration and eat lunch cooked from the catch.

• Trolling: lines trail behind the boat while it moves from the pier toward the island.
• Bottom fishing: the boat anchors over a fishing ground and guests drop lines to the seabed.
• Crab traps: the crew hauls traps in front of guests, a stop the listing calls unique to this programme.
• Spearfishing demonstration: a crew member spears fish while guests watch from the boat.
• Racha Yai and snorkelling: time at the island for a swim and a snorkel while lunch is prepared.

I would call the Best Exotic fishing tour a fishing day with a lot of extras, not a plain charter. The extras are the reason to pick it over the other Racha fishing trips, and also the reason the day runs 9 hours.

Where does the Best Exotic fishing tour leave from?

The listing names no pier, and a van collects you from your hotel, so the boat location is something you confirm after booking.

Racha trips from Phuket commonly load at Chalong Pier on the south-east coast; the Nikorn Marine listing for the same island meets there. Racha Yai sits about 24 km south of Chalong in a straight line, and the listing gives the van ride as 1 hour.

I have not given a minute count for the taxi leg because I could not route it. A review warns about the pickup: the provider apologised after a guest met a changed pickup time and unclear arrangements.

What is the day plan, step by step?

The listing gives only two timed legs, a 1-hour van ride and a 7-hour guided block at Racha, so the order of activities is my reading of the description.

1. Early pickup and van ride: about 1 hour from your hotel to the boat.
2. Trolling on the way out: lines go in as the boat heads for the islands.
3. Bottom fishing at anchor: the second fishing style, with a longer stop on one ground.
4. Crab traps and the spearfishing demonstration: the extras unique to this programme.
5. Racha Yai swim and snorkel: the crew prepares lunch during the water time.
6. Seafood lunch: the description names grilled fish, sashimi and a Tom Yum soup made from the catch.
7. Photos with the catch and return: the van takes you back to the hotel.

Lunch depends on the catch. The listing does not say what is served if nothing bites, so ask what the backup meal is.

How long is the tour and when does it sail?

The tour lasts 9 hours, and the pickup is early, with the exact time visible only after you pick a date.

Sunrise in Phuket is 06:08 in mid-June and 06:43 in mid-January, so a pickup before 06:43 in January happens in the dark.

Sunset is 18:12 in mid-December and 18:45 in mid-June (sunrise-sunset.org, 2026), so a 9-hour day that starts at 07:00 ends in daylight in every month I checked. Ask for the confirmed time, because one reviewer reported a change.

What is included, and what is only in Comfort+?

The standard tour covers the fishing, the island stop, snorkelling and lunch, and nine extras sit in a separate Comfort+ tier.

The listing prints everything in one includes list and marks the second half "only in Comfort+". I read the standard tour as the first half, and I cannot say whether the $101 price is standard or Comfort+, because the listing shows no second price. Ask the operator for the Comfort+ difference before booking.

Two other points. The "what to bring" list tells you to carry sunglasses, swimwear, a towel, a camera and sunscreen, which matches towels being a Comfort+ extra. The page also lists pregnant women and wheelchair users as unsuitable.

Can you actually land on Racha Yai?

Possibly not: one traveller reported learning on the way back that going ashore on Racha was not possible, although the listing's highlights describe relaxing on the beach.

When a listing contradicts a first-hand report, I treat the beach as unconfirmed. If you want the sand, ask the operator whether the boat anchors off the beach or lets guests land, and expect swimming and snorkelling from the boat. Racha Yai is a real island 24 km south of Chalong, but the tour may keep you on the water.

How does the Best Exotic fishing tour compare with other Phuket fishing trips?

It is the longest and the cheapest of the three fishing trips I track, but also the least reviewed.

Is the Best Exotic fishing tour worth it versus a standard Racha trip?

It is worth it for Russian speakers and for guests who like extras such as crab traps, and not worth it for an English-only group that needs clear instructions.

• Book it if: you speak Russian or are happy with a mostly Russian-led day, and you want the longest time on the water for the money.
• Skip it if: you need confident English from the crew; the only written feedback on this point calls it limited.
• Value check: at $11.2 per hour this tour costs about 16% more than the $9.65 median of Phuket boat tours, but cheaper than the other fishing trips.

With only 3 reviews, I'd book the Nikorn Marine trip for a first fishing day in English, because it publishes a timetable and has 54 reviews. I'd choose this one only if the crab traps and the Russian-speaking crew are the point.

When is the best time to go?

November to April has the calmest seas off Racha, with average daily peak waves between 0.62 and 1.01 m, and June to September the roughest, between 1.32 and 1.59 m.

A 9-hour day gives seasickness more time to build, so the sea table matters more here than on a short cruise. The Thai Meteorological Department's shipping forecast, opened on 17 October 2026, expected about 1 m waves in the Andaman Sea and above 2 m in thundershowers.

Rain days come from one ERA5 grid point near Chalong for 2025 and count any day with 1 mm or more, so they show a pattern, not a forecast. Waves come from the Open-Meteo marine model for a point at 7.54 N, 98.21 E.

1 m is the Andaman Sea wave height in the Thai Meteorological Department's 24-hour outlook, rising above 2 m in thundershowers.

What do passengers say?

The listing shows 3 reviews, which is too few to call a pattern: one 5-star with no detail, one 1-star with no text and one 3-star with a long comment.

• Fishing quality: the 3-star reviewer called the sea fishing great and the guides professional.
• Language: the same reviewer found the English too limited to follow some instructions.
• Itinerary mismatch: the Racha landing did not happen as the highlights implied, and the pickup time changed.
• Provider reply: the operator apologised and acknowledged the differences from the advertised plan.

The 3.3/5 average rests on 3 reviews, so I would give it far less weight than the 4.0/5 from 54 reviews of the Nikorn trip. The reviews are recent, from May to August 2026.

Who should skip this tour?

Skip this tour if you are pregnant, use a wheelchair, get seasick or speak no Russian.

• Pregnant women and wheelchair users: the listing marks both as unsuitable.
• Seasickness: 9 hours on open water, with waves averaging 1.3 to 1.6 m from June to September.
• English-only groups: compare the other fishing charters.
• Beach-lovers: the landing on Racha Yai is not confirmed; see the snorkelling tours for guaranteed beach stops.

How do you book the Best Exotic fishing tour?

Pick your date, choose the language you need and read the voucher for the pickup time. The listing lets you reserve now and pay later, so you can hold a date while you ask the operator about Comfort+ pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: GetYourGuide listing (product 1309314); Thai Meteorological Department shipping forecast; Thailand Department of Fisheries; Tourism Authority of Thailand; Open-Meteo Marine API; Open-Meteo historical weather API; sunrise-sunset.org; Frankfurter exchange rates; OpenStreetMap Nominatim coordinates.