Cliff Jumping in Railay Beach, Thailand

The original post was published in November 2013. Recently updated December 2019.

DEEP WATER SOLO climbing and snorkeling in Railay Beach, Thailand. An excellent adventure for the entire family! Experience an afternoon of Deep Water Solo climbing and snorkeling for approximately 3600 bht (800 bht per kid and 1000 bht per adult = approx. USD 120).  I’m not a rock climber, but my family had a vision of rock climbing over water. Deep Water Soloing is just that, climbing a rock face with no ropes or support over the sea. Ideally, when you fall or jump, you land in the warm tropical waters of Andaman Sea. 

After waiting around the Dive Shop (Basecamp Tonsai), We climbed into a Long Boat with three other travelers from different countries. Just as we were pulling away from the shore, a smaller, very fit man with bright blue eyes and short light brown hair jumped on the boat. He sat in front of us, not speaking to anyone for quite a while, and then about 15 minutes into the trip, he turned around and said in a South African accent. “Sorry, I was late this morning my alarm didn’t go off …” We instantly realized he was our English speaking guide.  

The scenery was dream-like as we headed out to sea. Exotic deep blue/green water with small rock island formations that have white sand beaches and blanket of thick deep-green rainforest. The unusual shapes and sizes have no rhyme or reason, which adds to their mystique.

The Long Boat floated up to a rock-wall, and Jason, our guide, dove in and climbed up a rope latter and started climbing up the rock-face. The whole crew plus additional people in other boats climbed the rock-face, and when they decided they were high enough, they would jump into the ocean. It was amazing. Our crew turned out to be excellent climbers. Kenady’s climb was quite impressive. Carly & Jeff tried different routes with coaching from Jason, and eventually reached the highest point on the wall. 

It was scary and fun to watch. Jeff climbed to a very high point (twice) and jumped. Jason climbed an overhanging rock and then hung there from his feet. Wow! The second Deep Water Solo location was not far from the first, but getting to the ladder was an effort. The climb is as high as 30 meters (98.4 ft.).  Michael, from our group, climbed to the top and got spooked because of the height. People can hurt themselves, jumping from those heights. Shortly after Michael jumped, one Japanese man jumped and landed wrong, injuring himself. Ouch! The guides all rushed to his aid and he was on a long boat in minutes being attended too.

The snorkeling is fantastic! The schools of fish were like something out of a movie. We could swim through the school of fish with no fish contact.  I wish I had more of an education identifying fish, but I do enjoy the colors; green, blue, yellow, and pink. Our day finished up on Porter Beach, which was the cleanest, whitest, and warmest beach we have experienced. It was quite a “postcard” with the Long Boats floating in the clear waters with the craggy rock islands in the background. Kenady grabbed a beer and sat there soaking up the scene. We joined her shortly after that. 

Enjoy the Climb!