Where to kite in Thailand?
If you have a kite, then for sure you’ll find a wind for kitesurfing in Thailand! Such world-known competitions as the PKRA World Cup stage and the KTA Asian Cup series only demonstrate that. Also local kiteboarding competitions are held annually, being actively supported by the Thai government.
From this article you will found out where, how and when the wind is blowing in the “country of smiles”.
West coast of the Gulf of Thailand
Where to go kitesurfing in Thailand:
Pak Nam Pran (Pranburi)
Favorite spot of the famous KTA (Kite Tour Asia) event. Every March the world celebrities of kitesurfing come here to compete in technics and the height of jumps. Right here were held the qualifying heats in Slalom among youth of Asia and Oceania for the future Olympic Games.
Spacious empty beach, good wind and flat water
Our kite school Jollykite is located at Pak Nam Pran. Here you can chill out on the beach and enjoy a delicious restaurant. You can also take kite lessons and rent kite equipment.
Sam Roi Yot (Dolphin Bay)
Unbelievably smooth water, light wind and beauty around
Hua Hin, kitesurfing in Cha Am
Hua Hin Beach – busy kite spot
Chumphon, Prachuap Khirikan
Wind specifics
From November to January the wind in Thailand blows in northern direction. Usually that wind is quite strong (average speed is 20knots) and can create waves. From February to May the South wind comes to Thailand with the average speed of 14knots. This direction of the wind is accompanied by low tides and smooth water. But take into account that this direction does not work on all spots (for example, South wind does not work in Chumphon).
And now with detailes about the kite spots in Thailand
Kitesurfing in Pak Nam Pran, Thailand
There are several windy places in Thailand where it is possible to practice kitesurfing in really comfortable conditions.
Pak Nam Pran is the best spot for riding and learning how to kite. There are spacious and clean beaches, restaurants with a seaview, smooth wind, reversible cable park and a multilanguage kite school JollyKite that issues international certificates IKO.
South wind in Pak Nam Pran
Features:
Season: November-January, February-mid-May
Best months for kitesurfing: December, March
Average wind speed in the North wind: 18-20 knots (from 12 to 30 knots)
Average wind speed in the South wind: 14-16 knots (from 10 to 28 knots)
Wave in the North wind: 1.5 meters
Wave in the South wind: 0.1 meters (smooth, almost flat water)
Shallow water in the North wind: deep water starts in 50 meters from the beach
Shallow water in the South wind: deep water starts in 200 meters from the beach
Bottom: sand
Length of the beach: 5 km
Traffic on water: 1 out of 10 points
How busy is the beach: 1 out of 10 points (there are no package tourists in the village, no fishing boats and other obstacles that can distract you or prevent kitesurfing)
Dangers in the water: jellyfishes (jellyfishes can be found in the coastal waters of all Asia. They are sometimes found in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China, etc. Therefore, when you go for a vacation to these countries, keep in mind that it is safer to swim in leggings and lycra).
Beach: sand
Width of the beach: in the South wind – 50 meters, in the North wind – 20 meters
On the West coast of the Gulf of Thailand there are also other spots with similar conditions.
Kitesurfing in Hua Hin, Thailand
Hua Hin is located 30 km from Pak Nam Pran, so the conditions for kiting are pretty similar.
But Hua Hin is a big tourist city, and in this regard, the beaches here are overcrowded with usual tourists and various entertainments for beach holidays. Water scooters, horseback riding on the beach, water attractions – all this interferes with kitesurfing.
The beach is wide in Hua Hin, there are many kite stations and schools, but the wind on the city beach is as good as in Pak Nam Pran.
Disadvantages of Hua Hin for experienced kitesurfers and beginners
A serious problem for experienced kitesurfers and beginners will be traffic on the water – lots of kites, water scooters, and swimmers. Crowds walk around on the beach, a lot of tourists ride horses, 5 rows of sunbeds and sun umbrellas.
Horses are very cute animals, but sometimes they ease themselves straight on the beach. I’m of the opinion, that horses are a really big problem in Hua Hin.
In the Northern direction, the entire West coast of the Gulf of Thailand is attacked by a surf wave that exhausts the students faster than in the South wind. Water comes much closer to the beach and the kite zone for launching and landing shrinks.
Features:
Season: November-January, February-April
The best months for kitesurfing: December, March
Average wind speed in the North wind: 18-20 knots (from 12 to 30 knots)
Average wind speed in the South wind: 14-16 knots (from 10 to 28 knots)
Wave in the North wind: 1.5 meters
Wave in the South wind: 0.3 meters (smooth, a bit choppy water)
Shallow water in the North wind: deep water starts in 10 meters from the beach
Shallow water in the North wind: deep water starts in 100 meters from the beach
Bottom: sand
Length of the beach: 6 km
Traffic on the water: 7 out of 10 points (pretty busy)
How busy is the beach: 9 out of 10 points (the beach is very busy)
Dangers in the water: jellyfishes ((jellyfishes can be found in the coastal waters of all Asia. They are sometimes found in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China, etc. Therefore, when you go for a vacation to these countries, keep in mind that it is safer to swim in leggings and lycra).
Beach: sandy
Kitesurfing on Sam Roi Yot (Dolphin Bay)
A beautiful beach for kitesurfing in a small European village. It is located 20 km to the South of Pak Nam Pran. The North wind does not work here and the Southern direction works much worse than in Pak Nam Pran or Hua Hin. But from the middle of January to the middle of February, when there is practically no wind all over the West coast of Thailand, you can find here paradise conditions for kitesurfing. Perfectly flat water, kilometers of shallow water and on-shore wind. Moreover, it is very beautiful: wild and green islands that grows up from the sea, deserted beaches, palm groves with lots of coconuts.
Features:
Season: mid-January to mid-February
Average wind speed: 14 knots.
Wave in the South wind: 0 meters. Perfectly flat water.
Depth: knee-deep for one kilometer from the beach
Bottom: sand, seashells
Length of the beach: 3 km
Traffic on water: 0 out of 10 points
How busy is the beach: 0 out of 10 points (in the village there are no package tourists, no fishing boats and other things that can distract you from kitesurfing)
Dangers in the water: jellyfishes, sharp seashells
Beach: sandy
Chumphon
The North wind is making up a fairly big and smooth wave, so everyone who prefers to ride directional boards, welcome to this hospitable town. The southern wind does not work here because of the terrain peculiarities.
Features:
Season: November-January
The best months for kitesurfing: December
Average wind speed in the North wind: 20 knots.
Wave in the North wind: 2-3 meters
Depth in the North wind: deep water begins straight away
Bottom: sand
Length of the beach: 4 km
Traffic on water: 6 out of 10 points
How busy is the beach: 5 out of 10 points
Dangers in the water: jellyfishes
Beach: sand
Kitesurfing in Thailand on Koh Phangan, Koh Samui
The wind seasonally appears also on the islands Koh Phangan and Koh Samui. The wind there is much less than on the West coast of the Gulf of Thailand due to the numerous mountains that interfere with the wind. The island also suffer from the lack of suitable places for launching/landing, as well as lack of places for riding the most windy directions. There are some kiteboarding schools too, but it’s not so easy to learn without wind, since a newbie can pilot and restart the 17-18 meter kite only with a great effort.
Features:
Season: December – March
The best months for kitesurfing: February, March
Average wind speed: 14 knots (from 10 to 18 knots)
Wave: flat water
Shallow water in the North wind: deep water starts immediately
Shallow water in the South wind: in low tide deep water starts 200 meters from the beach, in the high tide – at once
Bottom: sand
Length of the beach in the South direction: 3 km
Length of the beach in the North wind direction: 20 meters! (yes, there is almost no beach)
Traffic on water: 5 out of 10 points
How busy is the beach: 5 out of 10 points
Dangers in water: cone-shell
Beach: sand
Width of the beach: 3 meters
In summer, from July to September, it is windy on Phuket Island
Phuket is rich in deserted beaches, great for kitesurfing, but the wind on the island is quite rare. It’s possible to learn, but if you do not have enough time, you will probably get up on the board during your next visit here. In winter the wind is a rare guest here. The wind begins to appear in March and blows until September
Features:
Season: March-September
The best months for kitesurfing: June
Average wind speed: 12 knots (from 6 to 18 knots)
Wave: 0.1 meter (flat water)
Depth: depth starts in 200 meters from the beach
Bottom: sand, sometimes sharp stones
Length of the beach: 3 km
Traffic on water: 5 out of 10 points
How busy is the beach: 5 out of 10 points
Dangers in the water: jellyfishes, stones, seashells
Shore: sand, grass
Width of the beach: very narrow
Kitesurfing in Pattaya
Whatever friends or Internet tell you, trust me, you can practice kitesurfing in Pattaya. The wind is not often, but sometimes blowing here in winter.
Features:
Season: December – April
The best months for kitesurfing: March
Average wind speed: 12 knots (from 10 to 14 knots)
Wave: 0.5 meters (choppy)
Depth: depth starts in 50 meters from the beach
Bottom: sand
Length of the beach: 5 km
Traffic on water: 4 out of 10 points
How busy is the beach: 4 out of 10 points
Dangers in the water: jellyfishes
Beach: sand
Width of the beach: very narrow
Come to our kite school JollyKite in Pak Nam Pran for kitesurfing and make sure yourself that there is kitesurfing in Thailand.
