Tiny cove below the Karon Viewpoint road, reached by a steep track; a beach-club operation was ordered removed in 2026.
Kata · 200 m · None · November–April · Revision Sep 5, 2026
Nui Beach is 200 m of sand in Kata, open to the south-west monsoon, without lifeguards, reached by path 15 min free of charge. Best months to swim: November–April; rip-current risk from May to October: high. Good for snorkelling, quiet.
Nui Beach is the two-hundred-metre cove hidden below the coast road between Kata Noi and Nai Harn, reached by a steep track and a scramble, with granite boulders, clear water and snorkelling along the rocks. For years a beach club charged an entrance fee of a few hundred baht and ran loungers and a restaurant on it; in 2026 the Royal Forest Department ruled the site protected forest, ordered the structures removed and the minister stated that no one has the right to charge entry. At this revision the beach is free and its facilities uncertain. It faces the open Andaman and is unsafe in the green-season swell, with no lifeguards at any time. Go in the calm months, early, and carry everything in.
Source: Tripadvisor — Nui Beach Phuket visitor reports, 2026 (Sep 5, 2026); Phuket to the Face — Nui Beach guide with costs (Sep 5, 2026) · All sources
| Month | Sea state | Rough days | Sea °C | Best months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | calm | 0 | 28.8 | yes |
| Feb | calm | 0 | 29.1 | yes |
| Mar | calm | 0 | 29.8 | yes |
| Apr | calm | 0 | 30.7 | yes |
| May | some swell | 4 | 31.0 | — |
| Jun | some swell | 8 | 30.1 | — |
| Jul | rough | 13 | 29.9 | — |
| Aug | rough | 9 | 29.9 | — |
| Sep | rough | 12 | 29.2 | — |
| Oct | calm | 2 | 29.5 | — |
| Nov | calm | 0 | 29.8 | yes |
| Dec | calm | 0 | 29.0 | yes |
Source: Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026 (island rough-sea days, 2015–2025, damped for a beach that is open to the south-west monsoon); Open-Meteo Marine API (sea-surface temperature, 2022-12–2026-08).
Median monthly mean, west-coast grid point, 2022-12–2026-08 · Open-Meteo Marine API
Island rough-sea days, median per calendar month, 2015–2025; the beach's best months in the figure colour · Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026
The table above applies the island's marine normals to this beach: median rough-sea days per calendar month from Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026 (2015–2025, marine fields from 2022), damped by the beach's shelter, and median sea-surface temperature from Open-Meteo Marine API (2022-12–2026-08). Calm months here: October–April. Some swell: May–June. Rough: July–September. The sea is 28.8–31.0 °C as monthly medians, warm in every month; temperature never decides a swim on Phuket, the sea state does. The best-months row is the beach's own calm season and is derived, not opinion.
Nui Beach is open to the south-west monsoon, which decides its year. It takes the south-west swell directly, so it follows the island's marine normals exactly: a calm sea in October–April and rough-sea days in May–September, when red flags fly on rough days and the rip-current risk is high. There are no lifeguards at any time, and no one is watching on a rough day. Caught in a rip: float, swim parallel to the beach until the pull stops, then in. Phuket records around 30–40 drownings a year, most of them between May and October on the open west coast; the hospitals catalogue names the nearest 24-hour emergency room from Kata, and the emergency number is 1669. Jellyfish drift in after storms on the whole coast; vinegar is the first aid.
The Royal Forest Department ordered the removal of eleven unauthorised structures in the protected forest zone by 5 June 2026; no fee may be charged and facilities are in flux.
path 15 min · free
Track from the coast road south of Kata Noi, then a steep path; entry is free by ministerial statement (2026) after years of a private fee.
$29 Airport taxi to Kata, per car, index median, September 2026 · n = 11
Track from the coast road south of Kata Noi, then a steep path; entry is free by ministerial statement (2026) after years of a private fee. There is no entry fee. The beach is 2.8 km from the centre of Kata as the site defines it. From the airport, the taxi-counter fare to Kata was $29 per car as the index median in September 2026 (11 observations); the airport-transfer page compares taxi, ride-hailing, minivan and the Smart Bus for the area. 42 km separate the airport from Kata by road. The nearest other beaches in this catalogue are Kata Noi Beach (1.5 km), Ao Sane Beach (1.7 km), Nai Harn Beach (2.5 km), Kata Beach (Kata Yai) (2.9 km).
The Royal Forest Department ordered the removal of eleven unauthorised structures in the protected forest zone by 5 June 2026; no fee may be charged and facilities are in flux. There are no loungers on the sand; bring shade. Natural shade exists behind the beach. Bring water and food; nothing is sold on the beach. Nearby in the things-to-do catalogue: Karon Viewpoint (0.6 km), Surf House Phuket (flowrider), Kata (2.8 km), Surf lesson at Kata Beach (3.1 km). Hotels, villa rents and the cost of a day in Kata are priced on the area page from the index.
In November–April, yes — the sea is calm on the island's marine normals. From May to October the rip-current risk is high: the beach takes the swell directly and flies red flags on rough days. There are no lifeguards. Red flag means no swimming; in an emergency call 1669.
November–April. The sea is calm here in October–April and rough in July–September, on the island's marine normals (Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026) applied to a beach that is open to the south-west monsoon. Sea temperature runs 28.8–31.0 °C through the year, so it is never the deciding factor.
Track from the coast road south of Kata Noi, then a steep path; entry is free by ministerial statement (2026) after years of a private fee. Entry is free. The airport taxi to Kata was $29 per car as the index median in September 2026; Kata is 42 km from the airport by road.
Parking, Natural shade; not loungers, restaurants, toilets, showers. The Royal Forest Department ordered the removal of eleven unauthorised structures in the protected forest zone by 5 June 2026; no fee may be charged and facilities are in flux. Other beaches in Kata: Kata Beach (Kata Yai), Kata Noi Beach.
Concierge
A villa, a yacht, a helicopter and private tours arranged as one programme, with dated price references and one contact.