Top Ten Southeast Asia Classic Adventures

Phuket's come of age: Located in the clear waters of the Andaman Sea off Thailand's west coast, this popular island has finally attained international recognition in the world of big-game fishing. There's good sports fishing somewhere off the coast all year round, and charter-boat captains will be happy to take you there. Realizing the prize they have, Phuket's made it easy to charter a fully equipped fishing vessel or to hire a smaller boat for inshore fishing. So what are you shooting for? The waters are on the migratory paths of classic deepwater fighting fish such as marlin and sailfish; Phuket is also one of the three top queenfish venues in the world. Other species to try and hook include sea bass, barracuda, giant trevally, and mangrove jack, while further out in the deep blue, king mackerel, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and tiger sharks share territory with marlins that run as heavy as 300 kg.