British tourists were shaken as they took a terrifying boat ride through choppy seas on the way to a Thai island.

Ollie Britton and his friends were crammed on the wooden longtail vessel being rocked by big waves while heading for Koh Tao island in Surat Thani province.

Footage shows Ollie's group on the small boat as they bounced through rough waters on January 5.

Some were nervously laughing as they clung to their seats. It was a cloudy day and the currents sprayed water on them, wetting their clothes and belongings.

The British holidaymaker said: 'I took the video on our way to Koh Tao. There were no life jackets on the boat.'

A week later, local government suspended all ferry services travelling to Koh Tao island due to the bad weather.

The island is best known for its grim moniker 'Death Island' due to dozens of unexplained deaths of young backpackers over the years.