Weather. Which season is the best for photo shoots on Samui?

The answer to this question is the same as to “when the weather is good on Samui?”. It's pretty simple. Samui is always good, except during the rainy season it is pretty wet here. That is basically understandable. But for those who come to Samui for just a few days or weeks, it is better to choose a different period.

On Samui, the rainy season is November-December, and sometimes it can capture the beginning of January. The rest of the year, the weather is great on Samui. Rains, of course, may happen at any time, but unlike the rainy season, they are short and most often fall at night. And very soon after that comes the great weather.

Is it cold on Samui?

Year-round temperature on Samui island is 27-33 degrees. At the same time, 27 degrees is the temperature at night after or during the rain. Of course, if you will be in the sun on the beach at noon outside the shade, then in the absence of wind you will have a full feeling of 45 degrees :) But believe me, even 35 on Samui is very rare.

When is the best time for photo shoot on Samui?

As a photographer, I really like to shoot on Samui. Here you can shoot at any time of the day, and at any time you get a cool picture in it's own way. Cool, but different. It all depends on what you want to convey to the viewer. Bright colors of the sea and blue sky look the best in the middle of the day. The soft light for portraits and colorful sky come at dawn or dusk. Of course, during the “golden hours” it is impossible to get blue clear water, therefore at different times there are different shots, different moods and, accordingly, different results.

Samui weather forecast

The Windy app shows the weather forecast more or less correctly. But still it is not perfect. It seems to me that it is almost impossible to predict the weather at a particular small point somewhere in the middle of the ocean, so we should just be flexible with our plans.

Never trust any forecasts on Koh Samui. They lie in 80%

Upper I've described what is the weather in Samui in general. But here is I'd like to go a little deeper into this topic. Weather seasons on Koh Samui are closely related to the tourist flow here.

Tourist seasons on Samui

• January, February, March are the high season
• April, May, June are low season
• July, August, September – average or normal
• October, November, December – low rainy season.

Below is a table that shows the amount of precipitation and average temperatures. As you can see throughout the year the highest temperature is 32 degrees, and the lowest is 24. So for me it is always warm ;) the оnly thing that really makes a difference here (comparing to the other countries is high humidity). It is always within 65% — 90%.



Overview weather of each month on Koh Samui




	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Avg for year
Avg. MAX, °C	29	29.5	30.7	32.1	32.6	32.2	32	31.9	31.6	30.5	29.5	29.1	30.9
Avg. MIN, °C	24.1	25	25.6	26.1	25.8	25.5	25.1	25.1	24.8	24.4	24.1	23.9	25.0
Avg rainfall, mm	137.8	57.8	77.8	76.6	146.5	112.7	122.8	118.7	116.8	290.2	489.6	209.1	163.0
Chance of rain	25%	11%	14%	14%	27%	20%	22%	22%	21%	53%	89%	38%	30%

And now, knowing the features of tourist and weather seasons, you can make out each month separately.

Samui weather on January

The rainy season ends in December. Well, it kind of "ends”, since it still rains sometimes. There were times when it rained until the end of January. But given that this is the month of the “new year” and in most countries of the Northern hemisphere it is cold, there is a lot of people on Koh Samui this month. In addition, the temperature in January is optimal here.

The tides are very high. You can even swim on the beaches of the Western part of the island. The wind is quite strong and blows mostly from the East. Therefore, probability of high waves in Chaweng and Lamai. Not good enough for surfing neither for a nice. There is no wind on the West side of the island, though.

Samui weather on February

The weather situation is better than in January. The weather this month is more stable and rains if there are any, are very, very rare and short. The tides are still high. The wind is also strong. The number of tourists this month increases rapidly due to the Chinese New Year. Good time for fans of plunging into the bustling festive atmosphere.

Samui weather on March

Tourist flow is reducing. No rain. It's hot. The wind is decreasing, and so are the waves in Chaweng and Lamai. The water is still a bit muddy because of the recent winds. The tides aren't that high anymore. On the western part of the island there are wide quiet beaches with shallows during low tide.

Samui weather on April

Thai New Year (“Songkran”) is celebrated at this time. It is considered the hottest on Samui. Tourists are scarce, except for the enthusiasts of cold-water-treatments. The water is quiet on all sides of the island. Chaweng and Lamai are great. The same azure water and cloudless sky. And there are fewer and fewer tourists. Nice! The western side of the island is getting swimming-impracticable. And so it will continue until the high season. Therefore, if you prefer to swim in the ocean rather than in the pool, it is better to stay in Lamai, Chaweng, or Maenam. There you can swim all year round.

Samui weather on May

Here comes the low season. In terms of tourism, a very pleasant month. Housing and food prices are falling. Very few peoplе on the beaches, even on the most popular. It's hot enough because it hasn't rained for a long time. There is almost no wind either. But even then the highest temperature is 32-35 degrees. If you do not care about the depth of the sea, there are a lot iof quiet beaches in the west, where you can sunbathe, take great photos, everything but swim. You just end up walking for 10 minutes in the knee-deep water. That's all swimming. So if you want to enjoy the deserted beaches and complete tranquility, this is the month when you should come. But for the swimming it's better to stick to the north or east of the island.

Samui weather on June

While it's getting hot in the Northern hemisphere, approaching the south, everything cools down. Number of tourists here is just a little bigger than in May, mostly due to the summer holidays time for children. But still, it's considered a low season. Although, when people ask me, when it's better to arrive on Samui, I offer June. It is because it is a low season with an excellent weather. Optimal combination.

Samui weather on July

The weather is great, tourists are few. Not too much, but enough. In the southern hemisphere it gets cold, so people from Australia and South Africa come to the “warm land” for vacation. The tides are still low, so hotels in the Western part might be interesting only for those who prefer to relax by the pool.

Samui weather on August

This month brings another small wave of tourists. It's summer vacation time. Well, the school year begins in September, so this is the last chance to relax before getting back. In general, the weather is great. The rainy season is approaching and it rains more often, but mostly it occurs at night.

Samui weather on September

It depends. Both frequent rains and dry weather are probable and difficult to predict. The air temperature is slightly lower than in April and May. The number of vacationers is rather decreasing.

Samui weather on October

The real rainy season begins. It rains often. The sky is covered with clouds almost constantly. The sea is more murky and does not have that pleasant tint for which people go to the tropics. It is still hot, though.

Samui weather on November

The rains continue. Pretty often heavy rains might last for several days. Even if it stops for a few hours, it's still dripping.

Samui weather on December

Rainfalls gradually decrease. Since it's a Christmas time at the end of the month, we can expect a wave of tourists. If you don't find accommodation in advance, it might become quite an issue.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I can say that no weather forecasting apps or websites show the real state of affairs. It is impossible to predict the weather accurately in a small spot in the middle of the ocean. Too many variables. So don't worry if according to the forecasts it's going to rain during all the time of your stay. Most often they lie.