- About Us -

PaddleAsia is a small, intimate tour company that specializes in unique tours with emphasis on being low impact both environmentally and culturally. Too often traveling is a venture into an industrial business with the focus on profits. Our focus is on showing you the best natural settings and allow you to interact with the locals who want both your help and your friendship.

Making money has never been the driving force behind PaddleAsia. It has always taken the back burner. Our philosophy has always been to simply run great trips and let the cards fall as they may. So far, so good... but we want to do more now. We want to give back to the communities where we operate and involve more educational experiences to our guests and our comrades

Dave Williams - Director, Naturalist, Paddling Guru and Chief Lifestyle Engineer

Dave Williams, a lifelong naturalist, was born in Roswell, New Mexico in 1955.  He lived in Florida, Indiana, and Hawaii before moving to Virginia.  Feeling the life being drained out of him by the daily grind of a typical 9 to 5 job, Dave volunteered to be laid-off from his lucrative middle management job at a major US corporation and headed for the tropics in 1993. Since then he has lived in Thailand in both Phuket and Krabi.

In his youth, Dave dreamed of living a simple healthy life and spending a maximum amount of time in nature.  He took up paddling in 1978 and has since paddled more than half his life. Dave lives to paddle.  PaddleAsia is a labor of love for him.  Being a nature lover, ecotourism fulfills his desire to work without harming the environment.  He also loves teaching fellow nature lovers about nature, environmental concerns and paddling.

He’s paddled some of the most challenging rivers in North America and   has a great deal of kayaking experience. He has, of course, paddled extensively in Thailand and on the rivers of Laos.

Dave is the ONLY certified kayaking coach in Southern Thailand. In fact, he is the only person with any current internationally recognized credentials in Southern Thailand.

Dave is a lifelong student of ornithology, biology and botany. He has a very broad knowledge of the birds of SE Asia and a good working knowledge of the mangroves and other plants of S E Asia. He’s also interested in all facets of wilderness survival skills, seamanship and oceanography. Personal fitness and nutrition are a very important part of Dave's life.

Dave is also the only foreigner in the company. PaddleAsia is a Thai company and our profits go towards our staff and in supporting the local communities where we operate our programs.

Walaporn "Moo" Jitprathep - Tour Guide, cook and fixer-upper

Moo was born and raised in Bangkok. She moved to Phuket over a decade ago. She has a love for life that is beyond words. For some strange reason, she's always happy...

Moo and Dave have been married since 1993. They live outside of Phuket Town with daughter Mook ('Pearl' in Thai), granny and their five very pampered dogs.

Moo is a guide, tour leader, cooks at times and helps with trip planning and coordinating. If Moo is on your trip, you'll be taken very good care of. Moo is always smiling for some strange reason.

Moo make our trips run smoothly. She makes friends with everyone everywhere we go. Her philosphy is: making friends is the best way to get things done.

On her days off, Moo likes to go fishing for catfish. She's a country girl at heart.

Guest comment from Susan Blake (Tarutao 2006):
"I also want to stress what a "gem" Moo is for the company. She anticipated any need and was always cheerful and willing to help. I really appreciated her energy and sense of humor-made the trip!"

Our Guides - a huge part of the heart of PaddleAsia

Nipon "Tom" Pannoi

Tom comes from Phatthalung Province in Southern Thailand. He has a degree in tourism from Ratchapat University, graduating in 1997. He has been in the tourism industry 1997. CPR, First Aid, Swimming and several touch-up first aid courses since then.

He loves taking care of people and showing them the wonders of his country. His personality is one of his many strong points. Guests find having Tom lead them to be both fun and educational.

Guest Comment:
Just wanted to send a short note to say that Jane and I had a fabulous day of kayaking yesterday with our guide, "Tom." He was friendly, professional, and knowledgeable about the area, flora and fauna. His English was good and he had a good attitude. Our vegetarian meal was delicious and abundant. I'll be sure to spread the word about the excellent service and extraordinary experience your company offers!

Thanks for all,
Penny Cousins and Jane Mennie (2 satisfied customers) Phang Nga Bay day trip Oct 2007

Another guest Comment:
Our guide, Tom, was brilliant. He was very attentive but not pushy and just always seemed to say and do the right thing. Moo was also fantastic and lots of fun, but she also showed us by example how to be very still and quiet. The bungalows were just awesome and so was the time we spent on water and on land.

Jackie Spragg - Khao Sok National Park January 2008

Bao is from Ko Yao Noi, so he grew up around the water. His family lives on Ko Yao and when we can give him some time off, that's where he'll be found.

Bao has always got a smile on his face.

Guest's comments about Phang Nga Bay from Kathleen Elder:

"I spend the day kayaking with [PaddleAsia] around Phang Nga Bay, north of Phuket. I just wanted someone at Paddle Asia to know what a wonderful day we had, due... [our guide] was fantastic: patient, informative, and very conscience. We enjoyed hearing about how "hong" rooms are made, about the birds and flora or the area, and we mostly appreciated his serene way. He did not make me feel uncomfortable as a beginner paddler and even offered techniques to ease my paddling method. We can't say enough about [our guide] and what a splendid person he is."

Bang Hab - Longtail skipper

When we run trips in Phang Nga Bay, Bang Hab (Bang is a polite term for Thai Muslims) is the longtail skipper.

Bang Hab was born and raised on Ko Yao Noi in Phang Nga Bay. They don't come any more "local" than that!

Bang Hab used to be a subsistance fisherman, barely making ends meet. We met him through the Ko Yao Noi Homestay Project and gave him a job looking after our company longtail. He does a great job, he's always smiling and happy.