Map › Philippines › Bangui / Kingfisher Beach

Asia-Pacific · Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte · Pagudpud

Bangui / Kingfisher Beach

also known as Kingfisher Resort Beach, Caparispisan Beach, Kingfisher Farm, Kingfisher Kite Surfing Hotel

advanced onlymedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Bangui / Kingfisher Beach has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy15-30 kttrade LaunchLimited at the main spot: a small beach where the trees make launching and landing gusty, with room for roughly 10-15 riders depending on who they are. More than 200 m of fine white sand is also described.access rules on record, below Watermixed29°C in summer · 8 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools1named at this spot From the airportno transfer time publishedLaoag International Airport (LAO)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Kingfisher is the kite and windsurf beach at Kingfisher Resort and Kite Surfing Hotel in Barangay Caparispisan, Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte: fine white sand and coral, more than 200 m of shallow flat water with no undercurrent, then a reef roughly 175 m out where right-hand waves break. Past the reef the sea turns rough.

The season is the Amihan, the Northeast monsoon, broadly October to mid-April, with November-February the strongest stretch for wave kiting. Session winds run 15-30 kt while the statistical averages sit well under that, so read the current Kingfisher and Pagudpud forecast rather than a monthly mean before you buy a ticket. This is not a beach to learn on alone.

The launch is small, the trees make it gusty, and reef, coral heads and tide punish mistakes. The wind is side-on to side-off depending where you stand on the curving coast, so beginners need a lesson and rescue setup. The rest is resort-based and remote: rooms, food, other water sports and transfers from Laoag.

The wind

locals call it Amihan / Northeast monsoon

Direction

wind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

4567891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

trade

Typical strength

Reported wind is 15-30 kt generally; 25-30 kt was reported during April.

Strong in Amihan but uneven: it can change greatly from one day or week to the next, and it gets gusty when the direction goes more easterly.

The wind season runs October to mid-April, and November to February is the strongest, most consistent stretch for wave kiting. Area station averages by month, indicative rather than measured at the launch, run about 12 knots in January, 11 in February, 10 in March, 8 in April, 6 in May, 5 in June, 6 in July, 6 in August, 7 in September, 10 in October, 12 in November and 13 in December, with roughly 204 days a year reaching Force 4 or more and the count peaking at 30 days in December and 28 in January.

Those means sit well below the 15-30 knots riders report in session, so read the live forecast rather than the monthly figure before you book.

Also on record

The quiver, in words

7-13 m covers it. A 2017 session report used 7 m and 9 m, with 5 m suggested for lighter riders on the strong days.

Direction to shore

Side-on to side-off depending on exact direction and where riders are on the curving coast; wind reportedly becomes offshore to the west.

Dominant direction

NE, ENE and E

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month87
Feb, riders' month71
Mar, riders' month61
Apr, riders' month46
May32
Jun17
Jul24
Aug43
Sep44
Oct, riders' month76
Nov, riders' month81
Dec, riders' month92

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Oct, Nov, Dec.

16Jan27°
14Feb27°
13Mar27°
11Apr29°
10May31°
8Jun31°
10Jul31°
11Aug30°
11Sep30°
14Oct30°
15Nov29°
18Dec28°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	87%	15.5 kt	ENE	24.5°C	27°C
Feb	71%	14 kt	ENE	25.1°C	26.7°C
Mar	61%	12.7 kt	ENE	26.4°C	27.2°C
Apr	46%	11.2 kt	ENE	28.1°C	29.1°C
May	32%	9.9 kt	SSW	28.8°C	30.6°C
Jun	17%	8.4 kt	SSW	28.3°C	31.1°C
Jul	24%	9.5 kt	SSW	28.4°C	31.3°C
Aug	43%	10.8 kt	SSW	27.6°C	30.3°C
Sep	44%	10.9 kt	SSW	27.4°C	30.2°C
Oct	76%	14.2 kt	ENE	27.5°C	29.9°C
Nov	81%	15.3 kt	ENE	27°C	28.6°C
Dec	92%	17.8 kt	ENE	25.3°C	27.5°C

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

More than 200 m of flat, shallow water runs along the shore, mostly flattish until the reef about 175 m out.

Tides

Tide-sensitive, and it decides the day. High or rising is what you want; at low tide launching and riding turn dangerous or simply impossible. Check the tide heights against your dates before booking, because some weeks the lagoon is close to unusable throughout.

Temperature

29°C summer · 26°C winter

Wetsuit

Boardshorts are normally enough; shorts are listed for spring/summer/fall and shorts or a shorty in winter, while shoes or booties are recommended for reef protection.

Currents

No undercurrent in the flat-water area, and the shallow water inshore stays calm.

27–31°C water

Fine white sand and corals at the shoreline: sea grass, sand, rocks, marine life. Chop, with small, medium, big waves, right-hand waves breaking over a shallow reef, and rougher sea beyond it.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Intermediate to advanced for independent riding: the launch is small, the trees gust it up, and reef and tide do the rest. General listing metadata includes beginners and the resort runs lessons, but the beach itself is no place to learn unsupervised.

The scene

What riders come here for

intermediateadvancedwavesfreeridestrong-wind sessionswinter Amihan sessionsremote resort stay

Remote and quiet next to the developed tourist beaches, though the hotel beachfront is busy every morning in peak season. The main spot takes about 10-15 riders.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

1 school names this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Limited at the main spot: a small beach where the trees make launching and landing gusty, with room for roughly 10-15 riders depending on who they are. More than 200 m of fine white sand is also described.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.

Rescue

Resort staff on hand

Launch

Beachfront launch at Kingfisher Resort/Kite Surfing Hotel on a white sand and crushed-coral beach in Caparispisan.

Space

Limited at the main spot: a small beach where the trees make launching and landing gusty, with room for roughly 10-15 riders depending on who they are. More than 200 m of fine white sand is also described.

Rules & access

Zone rules apply. Access is through Kingfisher Resort or private property, and kiting carries an access fee. No 2026 municipal kiteboarding ordinance or posted local rule.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

Read the tide table before you commit: low tide can make launching and riding dangerous or unrideable.
Wear reef booties. Coral and rocks sit close to the surface, and two coral heads stay in the wave impact zone even at high tide.
Pack small and large kites; the wind swings day to day and week to week, and 25-30 kt was reported during April.
Stay upwind of the western part of the coast, where the wind bends offshore.
Arrange the Laoag transfer with the resort before you arrive if you are travelling with kite bags.
Take the no-wind day on site: windsurfing, SUP, kayaking, snorkeling, waterfall hikes.
Keep the camera handy; the wind turbines standing behind the bay are what makes this beach look unlike any other.

Getting there

Airport

Laoag International Airport (LAO)

Route

Fly to Laoag, then drive to Kingfisher in Barangay Caparispisan, about 80 km out. Airport pickup and drop-off can be arranged in advance. Manila-Pagudpud buses take about 12-14 hours, then a tricycle from Pagudpud or from the Mawili highway.

Cost level

medium

Staying

On-site accommodation at Kingfisher Resort/Kite Surfing Hotel, with rooms ranging from beach huts/cabanas/casitas to superior and premier options.

No-wind days

Windsurfing, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkeling, swimming, volleyball, games, massage, tours, plus car, motorbike or mountain-bike rental at the resort, plus waterfall hikes and the Pagudpud windmills and beaches.

Photos

Coastal water of Bangui Bay with the Caparispisan wind turbines on the headland where the Kingfisher kite resort sits, seen from neighbouring Saud Beach — Lloyd Intalan / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Kingfisher suitable for beginners?

No, the launch is small with trees causing gusts, and reef/tide hazards mean it should be treated as intermediate to advanced for independent riding, despite general listings mentioning beginners.

What is the wind like?

Amihan wind (NE, ENE, E) typically runs 15-30 knots, though monthly non-thermal averages are lower, around 8-13 knots.

When is the best time to visit?

The windy season runs October to mid-April, with November-February the strongest and most consistent period.

Is there tide dependence?

Yes, high or rising tide is preferred; low tide is reported to make launching and riding dangerous or unridable.

What are the hazards?

Coral heads close to the surface in the wave zone, trees causing gusty launch conditions, and wind that can become offshore on parts of the curving coast.

Last updated: August 2026