Sports in Phu Quoc

Sport on Phu Quoc is mostly in or on the water, and it comes in grades. The gentlest is snorkelling over coral at Gam Ghi or Mong Tay with a life jacket on. Paddling follows: kayaks and stand-up boards in the lagoon at May Rut Trong, kayaks or basket boats on the Cua Can river in the north. Then fishing, by day with local tackle or after dark for squid. Diving is the serious end, with tanks and a guide. Sea walking is the novelty, a stroll along the bottom from a floating platform for roughly a quarter of an hour.

Most of it is a boat day with sport inside it. Canoe and speedboat trips cover three or four islands from An Thoi, with snorkelling, a paddle and lunch ashore. The fishing day takes eight hours and departs at 6:00 with lunch, or at 16:00 with dinner. The diving day starts from the harbour at Bach Dang Park, with tanks, equipment and a guide, and drops at islands in the north or the south. Those who prefer to stay dry have the northern kayak day on land, which pairs the river with a bee farm and a fishing village. Several boat days end at the water park and the cable car, a soft finish after a morning of paddling.

Practical. Expect to be wet for most of the day, so bring a rash vest, a hat and a change of clothes. Visibility is best in the dry season, when afternoons run 30 to 32C; rain and swell between May and October can shift or cancel sailings. Tell the operator about your diving experience when you book. Most trips refund fully if cancelled the day before; inside 24 hours nothing comes back.