An Thoi islands by private canoe

This is one of the easiest days we sell and the one with the most water in it. It suits people who want the sea rather than effort: couples, families with mixed ages, and anyone resting after a trek. Activity level is 1 of 5.

What makes it different from the shared versions of this trip is that the boat is yours. Nobody else boards at the harbour. If a snorkel spot is good, you stay longer; if the children have had enough of the water, the next stop can be a beach.

A word on the name. In Vietnam a cano, often written canoe in English, is a small fast motorboat, not a paddle canoe. You will not be paddling today. If you want a paddle, the north island and Cua Can river kayak day is the one with kayaks.

The An Thoi archipelago is a scatter of islands off the southern tip of Phu Quoc, reached from the harbour at An Thoi. We do not print a fixed list of three islands, here or in your quote. That is deliberate.

On the morning, the captain looks at the wind, the swell and the water clarity and chooses the three islands that give a safe crossing, a sheltered anchorage and the clearest water that day. An island that is calm one morning can be choppy the next. A fixed list would force a choice between taking you somewhere rough and cancelling a day that could have gone ahead elsewhere.

What is fixed is the shape of the day:

• Three island stops.
• At least one snorkel stop over coral, sea permitting.
• Beach time on at least one island.
• Lunch, either on an island or on board. Which one is confirmed in your quote.
• Back at your hotel late in the afternoon, about 16:00.

Snorkelling here means floating on the surface with a mask and snorkel and looking down. It is not diving, and you do not need any experience. Masks, snorkels and life jackets are on the boat for everyone. Fins are not on the included list; if you swim more comfortably with them, bring your own.

You can snorkel wearing a life jacket, and people who are not confident swimmers should: it keeps you floating flat on the surface without effort. The guide shows you where to swim from the boat and where not to.

Coral etiquette

• Never stand on coral, even in shallow water. Coral is alive, and a footstep breaks years of growth. It also cuts.
• Do not touch coral or anything living on it.
• Use reef-safe sunscreen, or wear a rash vest or a T-shirt in the water instead.
• Do not feed the fish.

We do not promise particular fish, coral colours or visibility, because those change with the weather. The guide will tell you honestly whether a stop is worth getting into.

A speedboat spends less of the day travelling than a slow wooden boat, which is why three stops fit into one day. The trade-off is the ride: in a chop it bounces, and spray comes over the side.

• If you are prone to seasickness, take a remedy before pick-up, as your pharmacist advises, not once you feel ill on the water.
• Eat a light breakfast. Sit towards the back of the boat, where the motion is softer, and watch the horizon.
• Put phones, cameras and documents in a dry bag. Everything in an open bag gets wet.
• Pregnant travellers and anyone with back or neck problems should talk to us before booking: a speedboat in chop jolts, and this day is not the right one for every body.

How quotes are built, and why a private boat costs more for two people than for ten, is set out on the pricing page. The steps from request to pick-up are on how to book.

The trip runs all year, but only on days when the sea is safe. Our boat partner makes the go or no-go decision, and if the answer is no, you get a full refund or another day. That is the rule on every sea trip we sell on the west and south coasts.

We do not publish a "calm season" for this trip. The sea off the south of the island changes by the day, and the people who know it are the captains. If your dates are fixed, ask us when you request a quote what the boat crews have been seeing.

If you cancel: more than 48 hours before the start, a full refund less any card fee; between 48 and 24 hours, 50%; under 24 hours or no-show, no refund.

Both of our south-coast sea days start at An Thoi, and people often ask which to choose. The short version: this one is more time in the water for less money; the other trades snorkel time for the cable car ride.

The Hon Thom cable car day has the details, and the sea and islands page compares all three sea days, including the sunset beach camp.

• People prone to seasickness who would rather not risk it. A speedboat in chop is the hardest ride on the island; choose a land day such as the south island heritage day.
• Non-swimmers who do not want to wear a life jacket. On this trip, life jackets are how non-swimmers get into the water safely, and the crew will insist on one.
• Anyone who needs to know the three island names before booking. They are chosen on the morning, by the sea.
• Divers. This is mask-and-snorkel from the surface, with no tanks.
• People looking for a party boat with music and a bar. It is a quiet private boat with your own group on it.