MapChinaHouhai (Haitang Bay), HainanHouhai (Haitang Bay)Houhai (Haitang Bay), Hainan

Houhai (Haitang Bay)

Hainan - Houhai/Sanya

also known as Houhai Village, Tenghai Fishing Village, 后海村, 藤海渔村, Haitang Bay Houhai Surfing Base

Part of Houhai (Haitang Bay), Hainan →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

not for beginnershigh crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Oct–Mar

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-25 knots

Character: synoptic

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

29 °C in summerHouhai is a sandy beachbreak with chop and waves rather than flat water

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

high crowds · busy Oct Nov Dec Jan

Schools

none named here

From the airport

International Airport (SYX)

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Yalong Bay12 km

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Wuzhizhou Islandno page yet
Dadonghaino page yet
West Beachno page yet
Riyue Bayno page yet
Lingshui / Qingshui Bayno page yet
Bo'ao

The spot

Houhai sits on the small Tenghai/Houhai peninsula at the southern end of Haitang Bay, 40-60 minutes by road from Sanya Phoenix airport. What gets documented here is the winter monsoon: N/NE/E wind working the Haitang Bay side, and a sandy launch opposite Wuzhizhou Island.

Water and hazards

The water is open sea with chop and waves rather than a flat lagoon. Strong side rips run along the beach. It is also one of China's best-known surf villages, so the beach comes with surf schools and guesthouses, tourists, beach bars and ferry traffic instead of an empty kite-only stretch.

For whom

For a rider who already handles chop and waves, warm water and a Sanya base make a decent winter trip. Beginners should use a local school, and everyone should confirm the launch, the rescue cover and the beach zoning on arrival, because none of it is published.

The wind

locals call it northeast winter monsoon

Direction

cross-onN

Direction to shore

cross-on

Dominant direction

N, NE, E during the Houhai/Haitang Bay kite season

Kite sizes

7891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider across the sourced 15-25 kt N/NE/E monsoon band: a 9 m at the top of the range and a 12 m at the bottom covers almost every riding day. No local school size guidance for Houhai was found, so this is read off the wind band rather than off rider reports.

Character

synoptic

Average strength

15-25

Typical strength

15-25 knots through the Hainan winter season, with conditions at Sanya and Houhai itself reportedly moderate.

Typically a reliable Hainan winter-monsoon window, but storm-driven periods can bring grey weather, gustier wind, chop and larger surf.

Haitang Bay and Houhai ride the October-March, or September-March, N/NE/E monsoon. Spring and summer wind shifts around the island, so Houhai is not the warm-season flat-water venue.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

8 ktJan23°
8 ktFeb23°
7 ktMar24°
7 ktApr26°
6 ktMay28°
7 ktJun29°
7 ktJul29°
6 ktAug29°
7 ktSep28°
8 ktOct28°
9 ktNov26°
9 ktDec25°

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	8.1 kt	E	22.2 °C	23.3 °C
Feb	7.5 kt	E	22.8 °C	22.8 °C
Mar	7.3 kt	E	25 °C	23.9 °C
Apr	7 kt	S	27.2 °C	26.1 °C
May	6.4 kt	S	28.3 °C	28.3 °C
Jun	6.7 kt	S	28.9 °C	28.9 °C
Jul	6.7 kt	S	28.3 °C	28.9 °C
Aug	6.3 kt	S	28.3 °C	28.9 °C
Sep	6.5 kt	E	27.8 °C	28.3 °C
Oct	8.4 kt	E	26.7 °C	27.8 °C
Nov	9.3 kt	E	25 °C	26.1 °C
Dec	9.1 kt	E	22.8 °C	25 °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.

A station this far away — often inland or at an airport — can understate accelerated local wind. 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.

Sanya, Hainan · WeatherSpark (modeled climatology, MERRA-2 reanalysis) · ~1980-2016 satellite-era reanalysis (not a physical station)

The water

Type

mixed

Tides

Tide data is published for Houhai Bay. The beachbreak works at low tide, mid tide and high tide, with a rising tide generally better. No kite-specific tide limit is published.

Temperature

29 °C summer · 23 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 23–29 °C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts or rashguard in warm months; a shorty or thin wetsuit can be useful in January-February.

Currents

Strong side rips run along the beach. The bottom is sand throughout with no reef or rock recorded, so the rips move with the sandbars rather than sitting in fixed channels. Ask local riders where the rips and the exits are before you launch.

Conditions

Houhai is a sandy beachbreak with chop and waves rather than flat water. There are several sand-bottom peaks, a bay that can close out as waves get larger, and better surf on NE/E swell; the main northern kite beach has small-to-moderate chop.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners here

Surf schools teach beginner surfing in Houhai, but the kite setup is open sea with chop and waves, side rips, tourists, ferries close by and a launch that changes sides with the wind. Take it as a spot for supervised lessons or for independent intermediate and advanced riders, unless a current local school confirms beginner kite conditions.

The scene

What riders come here for

wavesintermediateadvancedchopwinter monsoon

A former small fishing village now known as China's no. 1 surfing village, with surf clubs, guesthouses, cafes, beach bars and a young nightlife scene. Expect the Wuzhizhou Island terminal approach and Chinese New Year period to be especially busy and expensive.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

No school names this spot

Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.

On your own

Room to launch: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

1 spot nearby

Yalong Bay12 km

The one spot within 40 km is under Nearby

Rescue

Rescue coverage

No kite rescue and no paid rescue boat for riders was found at Houhai. The nearest organised capability is the professional rescue team the Wuzhizhou Island tourist area set up with Sanya's tourism authority, with trained rescuers, jet skis and beach vehicles, and it covers the island resort's own water activities rather than the village beach across the channel.

On the beach itself, cover is the general Sanya swimmer-lifeguard system: a March 2023 provincial notice requires managed beaches and hotels to staff enough certified lifeguards, and a 2025 city training round put 300 newly certified lifeguards into Sanya's water-based scenic areas, its hotels and its beaches. None of that is aimed at a kiter downwind in chop.

Your plan

Plan on self-rescue, a buddy, and whatever boat your school runs.

Launch

The most-used kite beach is on the northern side of Houhai opposite Wuzhizhou Island, with a sandy launch/land area and small-to-moderate chop; the southern beach can also be used when east wind fills in. Houhai sits on a small peninsula between Haitang Bay and Queen Bay, so riders should confirm which side is active for the day's wind.

Hazards riders report 10 reported

Crowds and zones

Tourist and ferry-terminal congestion around the Wuzhizhou Island wharf access route.

Waves and currents

surf can build significantly during typhoon swell
Strong side rips reported at Houhai Bay.
Typhoon-season swell can produce much larger surf around Hainan.
Possible conflict with surf schools, swimmers and beach tourists in the surf village area.
The bay closes out once the surf gets above about 4 ft, turning the whole beach into shorebreak with no clean channel.

Protected areas and rules

Open-sea chop and waves rather than a protected beginner lagoon.

Other

old piers and other obstacles in the water - ask locals before your first session
basic facilities/limited services in the village
Old piers or other in-water obstacles are mentioned in Hainan kite guides; ask local kiters before the first session.

Rules & access

1 min read

2023 Sanya water-tourism management measures require commercial water-tourism operators in Sanya to hold business registration and filing, publish prices, and work inside planned sea areas.

A March 2023 Hainan provincial notice adds that managed beaches, hotels and guesthouses must keep bathers inside the marked bathing area and staff enough properly qualified lifeguards, and that unmanaged beaches must post no-swimming signs.

No 2026 Houhai kite-specific permit, zoning map or restriction on independent riders was found.

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

Ask a local kite school which side of the peninsula is working before you rig, because both the northern and southern beaches get used depending on the wind.
Ask local kiters about old pier remains and fishing gear, and about swimmers and surf-school zones, before your first tack.
Skip Chinese New Year unless you want the congestion and the peak prices.
Use area forecasts, but do not trust a Houhai-specific live reading; the nearby Sanya data may be model or airport based.
Pack a shorty or thin wetsuit for January-February if 23-24 C water and cool monsoon air get to you.
Save a no-wind day for Wuzhizhou Island: diving, kayaking, golf.

Getting there

Airport

Sanya Phoenix International Airport (SYX)

Route

Houhai is reached by road via Haitang District near the Wuzhizhou Island tourist wharf. Taxi/private car is the practical option; airport buses serve Haitang Bay hotels and the duty-free area rather than a direct Houhai kite-beach shuttle.

Transfer

about 40-60 minutes by taxi/private car in normal traffic; fastest drive reported at 30 minutes, and about 2h36 by public bus with transfers.

Cost level

medium to high in peak winter and Chinese New Year; basic guesthouses are in Houhai, while higher-end resort accommodation is around Haitang Bay

Staying

Houhai has local guesthouses, surf hostels and basic hotels; Haitang Bay nearby has large resort hotels including higher-end options.

No-wind days

Surf lessons, Wuzhizhou Island trips, diving/snorkeling, beach bars and cafes in Houhai, Haitang Bay resorts and duty-free shopping, Yalong Bay, Dadonghai, rainforest and hot-spring excursions around Sanya.

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Houhai?

The main season is October to March, when the winter monsoon brings north, northeast and east wind.

Is Houhai suitable for beginners?

Independent kitesurfing is not considered beginner-friendly here because of open-sea chop, side rips and changing launch sides; surf lessons in the village are separately beginner-friendly.

What is the wind like at Houhai?

Winter monsoon wind typically runs 15-25 knots and is generally reliable, though storm periods can bring gustier wind and larger surf.

What hazards should riders know about?

Strong side rips, old piers and other obstacles, and congestion near the Wuzhizhou Island ferry wharf are reported.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, schools including Perfect Ocean and Nick Kiteboarding operate training bases at Houhai and Haitang Bay.

The bigger pictureEverything about Houhai (Haitang Bay), Hainan

Last updated: August 2026