Kite surfing in Thailand

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taine
taine
WA
2 posts
WA, 2 posts
7 Jan 2010 11:35am
I'm heading over to Thailand in March/April and was wondering if there is any wind and/or good spots to kite surf around Phuket and Koh Samui?

Cheers
Burls
Burls
209 posts
209 posts
7 Jan 2010 7:49pm

There’s basically a couple of main ‘seasons’ for kiting in Asia, the best being the North east Monson, which is roughly December-March, and the Westerly’s which blow roughly June-September.

Hua Hin
As you will be visiting Thailand towards the very end of the NE monsoon season, Hua Hin is probably your best chance for wind. From roughly Feb through to April Hua Hin has some thermal winds (around 17-18 knots), although Windfinder won’t show anything. It’s an open beach with choppy water. Fly into Bangkok and it’s about a 4 hour drive down to Hua Hin.

Phuket
At that time of year the wind should still be blowing from the North east, in which case most people ride at Chalong Bay. Pretty flat water, a bit of chop out the back, sandy bottom with a lot of scattered rocks. Great for beginners.
Chalong can be a hassle though because it is tidal, so you can really only ride at mid to high tide, and on top of that, the wind tends to drop off during the middle the day, so getting the tide and wind to appear at the same time can be a challenge. One of the shops there (Kitezone), does some boat trips to nearby islands if the wind is blowing, and the tide is out.

Koh Samui,
During the NE Monsoon most people seem to ride at the SE corner of the island adjacent to the ‘Samui Orchid Resort’ (Just south of ‘Maret’ if you look it up on Google Earth), However, I’m sure you can ride at other spots around the island.
There’s a flat water, shallow, sandy lagoon with a reef out the back. Great for beginners. Tidal area.
FYI, flights and accom are generally more expensive than Phuket.
Slowlerna
Slowlerna
WA
36 posts
WA, 36 posts
9 Jan 2010 2:45pm
hey dude i was at kitezone on phuket first week of december just gone and had a ball but the season there has finished. was keen to go back about the same time your heading over but apparently there is no wind. talkin to locals at the school and tourists both, everyone packs up and heads to pranburi or hua hin for the thermals.

i'm a bogstock beginner but am gonna head to mui ne instead. sounds like a good place to die

i did see a guy get blown 10m up a palm tree when the wind was gusting 20k+ at kitezone. man he got punished. was pretty funny tho.
hotballs
hotballs
VIC
114 posts
VIC, 114 posts
22 Feb 2010 10:07pm
what about in june? koh samui alright then?
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