Short answer
Thailand's Department of National Parks said on 14 September 2026 that it counted up to 278 adult blacktip reef sharks near the beach at Maya Bay in the early morning of 2 September, the highest count in its 2026 surveys. The count was made while the bay was closed to visitors from 1 August to 30 September 2026. The closure has now ended, and Maya Bay is open again to visitors on foot.
A record count in the closed bay
On 14 September 2026 the Department of National Parks published the results of its September survey at Maya Bay in Krabi Province. The survey was run by the department's marine research centre in Trang together with Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. It found up to 278 adult blacktip reef sharks near the beach in the early morning of 2 September, the highest figure in its series for the 2026 budget year.
The department says the count shows that the annual closure works. Closing the bay reduces disturbance from tourism and leaves the animals the space to live, rest and, it adds, perhaps to socialise and breed.
How the sharks were counted
The team flew a drone 15 times. Dawn was the busiest time, with an average of about 252 sharks, against about 57 in the evening. Most were adults longer than one metre, and about three to five young sharks under one metre swam in the shallows by the beach.
The team also ran 23 baited underwater camera deployments, which recorded up to four young sharks in one frame, and took 22 sea-water measurements. The department plans to use the data to set tourism zones in the park, to keep following the shark population and to prepare for visitors once the monsoon season ends.
What changes for a visitor
The count was made inside the closure. The department's closure list for 2026, published in the Royal Gazette on 9 January 2026, shuts Maya Bay, Loh Samah Bay and Lo Ko Bay from 1 August to 30 September. Koh Yung, a separate site in the same park, is listed as closed with no end date.
From 1 October the closure period is over. The survey is about the sharks, not about what a day visitor will see, and the department's counts are highest at dawn. Nobody can promise a sighting. Swimming in Maya Bay is not allowed; you walk in from the boardwalk and swim elsewhere.
What it means for our Phi Phi day
Our Phi Phi and Maya Bay speedboat tour starts from $75 per person. Between 1 August and 30 September Maya Bay is seen from the boat only; on other dates the day includes the walk to the beach. The speedboat leaves Royal Phuket Marina at about 9:30, and hotel pickup in Phuket is between about 7:00 and 8:30 am.
The swim on our day happens at Pileh Lagoon and Bamboo Island. The national park fee is collected in cash on the tour: 400 baht per adult and 200 per child. For the rules and the history of the closure, read Maya Bay rules and closures.
Practical checklist
- Plan your swim for Pileh Lagoon or Bamboo Island; swimming in Maya Bay is not allowed.
- Keep 400 baht in cash per adult and 200 per child for the national park fee on our tour.
- Remember that Maya Bay is closed every year from 1 August to 30 September.
- Do not expect a shark sighting: the park's own counts are highest at dawn.
Questions and answers
How many sharks did the park count at Maya Bay?
The Department of National Parks counted up to 278 adult blacktip reef sharks near the beach in the early morning of 2 September 2026, the highest count in its 2026 surveys.
Is Maya Bay closed now?
The 2026 closure ran from 1 August to 30 September. The closure period has ended, and visitors walk in to the beach from the boardwalk. Check the park's notices before you travel.
Can you see the sharks on a day tour?
Nobody can promise it. The department's drone counts were highest at dawn, with about 252 sharks on average against about 57 in the evening, and our boat leaves the marina at about 9:30.
Can you swim at Maya Bay?
No. Swimming in the bay is not allowed. On our Phi Phi tour the swimming stops are Pileh Lagoon and Bamboo Island.