Paddling Around Samaesan

Chong Samae San is an insignificant rather smelly little fishing village located on the very tip of Sattahip, approximately 30km south of Pattaya. Racks of drying fish that line the streets around the harbour lend a unique aroma to the village atmosphere. Samaesan isn’t the easiest place to find as it’s close to the naval base and the areas surrounding are mostly restricted access. Just off the harbour is uninhabited Raet Island and a much larger island of the same name as the village which once housed the fishing community that now lives on the mainland.

The waters surrounding these islands are much clearer than the murky waters around Pattaya town and fish, corals, and the bottom features can be seen quite clearly. The fact that these islands are relatively close to the mainland makes them ideal for exploring with an SUP.

For the 5km jaunt we used a Starboard Point 14’8 SUP and an interestingly shaped Jim Drake 12’8 prototype windsurfing board. The Point is a perfectly stable flat water cruising machine that glides effortlessly and you feel that it would be easy to paddle a distance on this beauty. The Jim Drake prototype, though two foot shorter seems even quicker, however its slimmer streamlined contours and barreled bottom make it a challenge to balance whilst paddling.

Thank you to Amara Watersports for supplying the paddle boards.