All of the beaches along Thailand’s Andaman Coast, including Natai Beach, are generally safe for swimming in the dry season between December and April. Between May and October, they are not safe for swimming because of strong rip currents.
November is a shoulder month and swimming conditions in this month tend to vary from year to year. If the sea is calm, then it should be safe for swimming, but if there are still strong waves it’s better to leave swimming until the end of the month.
Even if you are visiting Natai Beach in the dry season, you should not swim if you see red flags outside the resorts along the beach. The rip currents can appear at any time of the year along the Andaman Coast, but fortunately they are not common during the dry season. If you are at North Natai Beach away from any resorts, and you see no people swimming in the ocean, then be wary of entering the sea unless the ocean is calm.
If you are not a strong swimmer and the sea is not completely calm, then it would be wise to swim near Natai Pier in the middle of Natai Beach. There are always locals fishing from the pier, so there would likely be someone around to raise an alarm if you were to get caught in an unexpected rip current.
What about sharks and crocodiles?
There are sharks and crocodiles in the Andaman Sea but they are rarely seen along the coast between Phuket and Khao Lak. There have been no reported shark attacks at Natai Beach and no reported crocodile sightings. If any crocodiles are around, they would likely be hiding in the creeks behind the beach rather than on the open sandy beach fronts.
What about other marine creatures?
Jellyfish are common in the rainy season – another reason why it is not recommended to swim at that time of the year. Very occasionally jellyfish may be sighted along the Andaman Coast in the dry season, but usually those are the non-venomous type. Most dry season jellyfish sightings in recent years have been on Phuket’s western beaches, and not at Natai Beach.