Map›China›Haikou, Hainan›Haikou / Holiday BeachHaikou, Hainan
Haikou / Holiday Beach
Hainan - Haikou · Haikou, Xiuying District
also known as Holiday Beach, Jiari Beach, 假日海滩, Holiday Beachside Resort
Riding essentials
Season
Oct–Mar
Months riders and schools name
How windy
15-25 knots
Character: synoptic
Room to launch
huge
access rules on record, below
Water
mixed
29 °C in summerHaikou/Holiday Beach runs chop/flat with small to medium waves, not a dedicated wave spot
Hazards
6
Reported by riders
Level
Beginner to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
medium crowds · busy Oct Nov Dec Jan
Schools
1
named at this spot
From the airport
Meilan International Airport (HAK)
Transfer times under Getting there
When it fills in
No onset time is published for this spot.
Haikou / Holiday Beach has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it, and none other in Hainan - Haikou. straight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
The spot
Sharing the beach
The wind
locals call it northerly / northeast winter monsoon
Direction
Direction to shore
Cross to cross-on. The beach faces north onto the Qiongzhou Strait and the winter NW/N/NE monsoon arrives side-shore to side-onshore along it.
Dominant direction
NW, N, NE in the October-March Haikou season
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
Sizes in use at the spot run 9-14 m. For a 75-85 kg rider that maps to a 9 m at the strong end of the 15-25 kt winter band, 11-12 m through the middle, and a 13-14 m for the 15 kt shoulder days at the start and end of the season.
Character
synoptic
Average strength
Haikou Airport long-term observed annual average is 8 knots with 23-knot average gusts; this is an airport/all-year statistic, not a beach-season kite average.
Typical strength
15-25 knots is the typical winter kite range; a broader range of 15-35 knots is also reported for October-April. Haikou Airport's 8-knot long-term annual average is a non-seasonal, airport-wide statistic and not a useful planning figure for the beach.
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- 10 ktJan20°
- 10 ktFeb20°
- 9 ktMar21°
- 8 ktApr23°
- 8 ktMay26°
- 8 ktJun28°
- 8 ktJul28°
- 7 ktAug29°
- 8 ktSep28°
- 11 ktOct27°
- 11 ktNov25°
- 11 ktDec22°
avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted
Modelled monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar).
Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (~1980-2016 satellite-era reanalysis (not a physical station)), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.
Every figure, month by monthKnots · Wind from · Air · Water
| Month | Knots | Wind from | Air | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10.2 kt | E | 17.8 °C | 20 °C |
| Feb | 9.6 kt | E | 19.4 °C | 20 °C |
| Mar | 9.2 kt | E | 22.2 °C | 21.1 °C |
| Apr | 8.3 kt | E | 25.6 °C | 23.3 °C |
| May | 7.6 kt | S | 27.8 °C | 26.1 °C |
| Jun | 7.6 kt | S | 28.9 °C | 27.8 °C |
| Jul | 7.8 kt | S | 28.9 °C | 28.3 °C |
| Aug | 7.3 kt | S | 28.3 °C | 28.9 °C |
| Sep | 8.4 kt | E | 27.2 °C | 28.3 °C |
| Oct | 10.6 kt | E | 25.6 °C | 27.2 °C |
| Nov | 11.3 kt | E | 22.8 °C | 25 °C |
| Dec | 11.1 kt | E | 19.4 °C | 22.2 °C |
How this is modelledmodelled · ~1980-2016 satellite-era reanalysis (not a physical station)
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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.
Haikou, Hainan · WeatherSpark (modeled climatology, MERRA-2 reanalysis) · ~1980-2016 satellite-era reanalysis (not a physical station)
The water
Type
mixed
Standing depth
Shallow only in the band closest to the sand. Past that inshore strip the bottom drops away, so Holiday Beach works as a launch rather than as a stand-up teaching lagoon, and there is no wide waist-deep flat to practise in.The tide moves that band in and out over a range of roughly 0.3 m to 2.0 m, so the walk-out distance is very different at low and high water.
Tides
Tidal; the Haikou tide table for 27 August 2026 shows a low of 0.29 m and high of 1.95 m, with other late-August/September 2026 predictions roughly 0.12-2.21 m at the Haikou tide station.
Temperature
29 °C summer · 20 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 20–29 °C
Wetsuit
Usually boardshorts/lycra in warm months; a shorty or thin wetsuit is recommended for January-February and colder north-monsoon days.
Currents
The Qiongzhou Strait is tide-driven, with strong semi-diurnal tidal energy and opposing tidal waves running through it. What that does at Holiday Beach itself is unconfirmed.
Conditions
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
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
On your own
Room to launch: huge
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Rescue team
Scope of coverage
Outside the zone
Launch
Wide sandy beach on Haikou's west coast within Holiday Beach's public beach and sea-sports area. The full beach runs roughly 6-7 km, but the practical kite-usable stretch is a narrower section of about 3 km; it is also a developed public recreation beach with swimmers and other water-sports users.
Rules & access
1 min read
- 2026: no kite permit, licence or club membership requirement was found for Holiday Beach, and no kite-specific municipal notice; nothing newer contradicts the 2014 guidance that no special local kite rules apply beyond normal right-of-way.
- The park is zoned into four functional areas: a marine sports zone, a beach sunbathing zone, a sea dining and culture zone and a leisure-resort zone, and only the sunbathing and marine sports zones are in operation. Rig and ride from the marine sports side and stay out of the bathing area.
- March 2023 provincial rule: managed beaches, hotels and guesthouses must keep bathers inside the marked bathing area, must staff enough properly qualified lifeguards, and unmanaged 'wild' beaches must carry no-swimming warning signs. Expect the swimming line to be enforced by loudhailer on busy days.
- 2018 beach guidance to swimmers was to stay within about 15 m of the shore, with 'take care' flags set every 30 m along the water, which is a useful read on where the supervised strip ends.
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Schools that ride here
Rider tips
- Flyin' Circus runs an airport pickup in a 9-seat van, about 25 km and 30 min from Haikou Meilan Airport; confirm it is still operating before you count on it.
- Ask local kiters or a school where the active kite launch is before you rig. The beach is zoned for several public and sea-sports uses.
- Use the Haikou/Xixiu Beach forecasts and the Haikou Airport observations as a reference, and remember neither is an anemometer on this beach.
- October can start slowly while the wind direction turns; January and February are cool enough to want neoprene.
- Stay out of the swimming area and the motorized water-sports area. Weekends and Chinese public holidays fill the beach.
- Check the tide table for launch and landing room, especially near low water or if you are going outside the supervised beach.
Getting there
Airport
Haikou Meilan International Airport (HAK)
Route
Holiday Beach is on Binhai Avenue/Binhai Road west of central Haikou. Haikou airport is the normal entry point; taxis, local buses and arranged transfers are used to reach the west-coast hotels and beach area.
Transfer
30-50 minutes by road depending on traffic and exact beach/hotel; about 25 km from Haikou Meilan Airport.
Cost level
medium
Staying
Haikou runs from city hostels to west-coast resort hotels. The prices on record are 2014 figures and not current rates: Banana Hostel from 50 RMB/night, Teda Resort near Holiday Beach from 180 RMB/room/night, TienYow Grand Hotel around 500 RMB/room/night with breakfast, and the Shangri-La at the west end of Holiday Beach. Treat all of them as 2013/2014 historic examples.
No-wind days
Haikou old town, Wugong Temple, the Volcano Village/Leiqiong Geopark, city parks and the seafood streets; on the beach itself SUP, wakeboarding, kayaking, jet skis, sailing/windsurfing and beach volleyball are reportedly all available.
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Holiday Beach?
The main season runs October to March, when the winter monsoon brings northwesterly to northeasterly wind.
Is Holiday Beach suitable for beginners?
Winter courses are advertised on the wide sandy beach and the spot has hosted competitions, but independent beginners should confirm the current teaching zone and tide conditions locally.
What is the wind like at Holiday Beach?
Winter monsoon wind typically runs 15-25 knots, sometimes up to 35 knots, from the northwest, north or northeast.
What hazards should riders know about?
The beach is shared with swimmers, sailboats, kayaks and jet skis, and riders should check tide tables for possible tidal flow from the Qiongzhou Strait.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Yes, schools such as Flyin' Circus and the Hainan Lipeng Kite Surfing Club have operated at Holiday Beach, though current status should be confirmed.
The bigger pictureEverything about Hainan - Haikou
Last updated: August 2026