Things To Watch Out For: Jet Skis

Cautionary Advice...

Jet skis.

The vast majority of people who visit Koh Phangan have an excellent time, but there are a few dangers and concerns to look out for which could potentially ruin your visit.

The Haad Rin Guide Book contains a chapter covering some of the potential risks, physical, financial and otherwise, which you may come across during your stay in Haad Rin.  However, it might seem like there are a lot of entries in the chapter, so it’s important to keep things in perspective.  The point of the 'Things To Watch Out For' chapter is not to make people so worried that they avoid visiting Koh Phangan altogether, but simply to make people aware of some of the things to be aware of.  Hopefully, this will help ensure that backpackers have a problem-free visit to Koh Phangan and enjoy their visit to its full potential.

To give a brief flavour of the chapter, here's one of the entries from the 'Things To Watch Out For' chapter...

Jet Skis:

If you’re considering hiring a jetski while in Thailand then I would strongly advise doing a Google search for ‘Thailand jetski scam’.  The Official Government Travel Advice for the United States, Canada, Australia and Ireland all warn against hiring jetskis in Thailand.

Map Of Haad Rin Hostels

Before booking your Haad Rin acommodation, check out the locations of all of Haad Rin's hostels.

Haad Rin Guide Book features various maps focusing on the various locations in and around Haad Rin, such as Sunrise Beach, Sunset Beach, Leela Beach, Haad Rin Village, etc.  Also included are maps focusing on a specific theme, such as hostels, hotels and restaurants.

You can check out all of the maps in the Haad Rin Guide Book, but to give you an idea of what to expect, here's a map of the hostels found in Haad Rin.

Songthaew Taxis On Koh Phangan

Getting to Haad Rin from other areas of Koh Phangan.

A songthaew taxi is a shared taxi truck
with two facing benches of seats in the back.

The island of Koh Phangan has semi-fixed rates for most taxi journeys, but prices seem to be a lot looser than they were a few years ago, and taxi drivers will often ask for a bit more as their opening gambit.

If you’re coming to Haad Rin from Thong Sala or Ban Tai then during the day the price is meant to be 100 baht per person.  From the far end of Sunset Beach to the taxi drop off point in Haad Rin is 50 baht per person.  In the evenings the price can be more, and if you want a taxi to leave immediately, rather than wait for its set departure time, then again you will have to pay more.

Buckets And Fake Alcohol

Cautionary Advice...

The vast majority of people who visit Koh Phangan have an excellent time, but there are a few risks and concerns to look out for which could potentially ruin your visit.  The Haad Rin Guide Book contains a chapter covering some of these potential risks, including 'Buckets' and 'Fake Alcohol'...

Buckets: 

The infamous buckets of the Full Moon Party.

It’s not a regular occurrence, but backpackers have had their drinks spiked at Full Moon Parties and at other times, and the easiest drink to spike is a bucket, so if you are drinking buckets make a point of watching out for each other.  If you get separated from your friends then it's wise to stay off the buckets until you find each other again.

Aside from the small risk of getting spiked, buckets can be quite lethal anyway.  If you've never experienced buckets before, it's therefore wise to take things easy on your first night (or avoid them altogether), and ensure your friends keep an eye on you, as I've seen even hardened drinkers misjudge their tolerance levels and end up spending most of their night ill and being sick.

The Key Locations For Visitors To Haad Rin

If you’ve never been to Haad Rin yet, then here's a summary of the key locations you need to know about:

Haad Rin Sunrise Beach pictured in the
early morning when it's peaceful and quiet.

Koh Phangan:

The tropical island in Southern Thailand where Haad Rin is located.

Haad Rin Sunrise Beach:

Haad Rin has two beaches, but the main beach and the most popular beach for sunbathing is Haad Rin Sunrise Beach (also known as Haad Rin Nok, 'nok' being Thai for sunrise).

Haad Rin Sunset Beach:

Haad Rin Sunset Beach (Haad Rin Nai) is only a five or ten minute walk across the peninsula from Sunrise Beach, and although the actual beach itself is not a great beach, the area is popular with people who want to stay somewhere a bit quieter where they can sleep at night without hearing the music from the clubs on Sunrise Beach.

The Fire Skipping Rope

Don't try this at home!

Drunken backpackers getting burnt on the fire skipping rope.

Visitors to Haad Rin will know that fire related activities play a big part in the nightly entertainment at the bars and clubs on Haad Rin Sunrise Beach.  For the benefit of those who have never the witnessed the fire skipping rope, just as the name suggests, it involves drunken backpackers attempting to skip over a skipping rope which is set on fire.

Generally speaking, as the night wears on and party goers get more and more drunk, people gradually get less concerned for their own personal safety, so you often find that the number of volunteers increases later in the evening.  You also find that as people get more drunk their co-ordination skills go downhill, so if ou enjoy watching people get burnt then the best time to watch the fire skipping rope is later in the evening!

In all seriousness it doesn't take a genius to work out that although it's very entertaining, the fire skipping rope can also be dangerous.  If you're considering giving it a go, I therefore recommend watching the following fire skipping rope compilation video as a warning of the potential dangers involved...