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South & Southeast Asia — Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar · Koh Samui · Hua Thanon

Hua Thanon (Nahai Beach)

also known as Na Hai, Nahai Beach, Coral Beach, Samui Orchid Kitebeach, Orchid, Shiva

lagoonbeginner-friendlylow crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

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

Nearby Nathon 10 km · Ban Tai Beach 28 km · Chaloklum (Fisherman Village) 35 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy8-18 knotsmixed LaunchA sand and grass strip beside the beach cafe, wide enough to lay out and launch. Reportedly spacious, though it is also put no higher than adequate, so do not count on room for a crowd. Side-onshore wind makes landing straightforward, which matters more here than square metres.access rules on record, below Watershallow flat lagoon with chop and small reef waves outside30°C in summer · 7 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools5named at this spot From the airportin words under Getting thereSamui International Airport (USM)

When it fills in

Strongest from the morning to lunch time, dropping off through the afternoon.

Hua Thanon sits on the south-east corner of Koh Samui and answers to five other names: Nahai, Coral Beach, Samui Orchid Kitebeach, Orchid and Shiva. The riding area is a lagoon behind a reef, standable all the way across, flat inside, with small waves breaking out on the reef for anyone who can ride upwind to them.

KBA teaches out of the Hua Thanon and Ocean Resort lagoon from December to April, though the core northeast monsoon is narrower than that, mid-November or December into February or March. Wind is 8-18 knots, strongest from the morning to lunch and fading through the afternoon, and it arrives in cycles rather than day after day. Then the rocks.

They sit at the reef and on the right-hand side of the spot, which is exactly where a beginner drifts. Launch is better than at most small Thai island spots, a wide sand and grass area next to the beach cafe, reached through Ocean Resort.

It is out of the way compared with Chaweng or Lamai, so arrange to meet the school onsite rather than turning up and hoping.

The wind

locals call it Northeast monsoon

Direction

onshoreNE

Kite sizes

891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: Strongest from the morning to lunch time, dropping off through the afternoon.

Typical strength

8-18 knots in the NE monsoon. 15-20 knots is also cited for a 75 kg rider on 10-12 m kites.

Seasonal and not always dependable: the wind comes in cycles, and rain through mid-December makes it squally.

Teaching at the Hua Thanon and Ocean Resort lagoon runs December to April, when the wind moves round to Samui's east side. The NE monsoon itself runs November to mid-February and is sometimes stretched toward March or April; December-February is the core.

The quiver, in words

10-12 m

Direction to shore

sideshore to onshore / side-onshore

Dominant direction

NE, ENE, E; tending SE in January-February

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month20
Feb, riders' month29
Mar8
Apr4
May16
Jun20
Jul37
Aug24
Sep38
Oct5
Nov16
Dec, riders' month26

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Dec.

9Jan29°
9Feb29°
8Mar30°
7Apr32°
9May32°
9Jun31°
10Jul31°
9Aug31°
10Sep31°
7Oct31°
8Nov30°
10Dec29°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	20%	8.8 kt	NE	23.8°C	28.8°C
Feb	29%	9.2 kt	ESE	24.1°C	29.1°C
Mar	8%	8.1 kt	ESE	24.9°C	29.7°C
Apr	4%	7 kt	ESE	26.3°C	31.8°C
May	16%	8.7 kt	WSW	26°C	32.2°C
Jun	20%	9.2 kt	WSW	25.6°C	31.2°C
Jul	37%	9.8 kt	WSW	24.9°C	30.8°C
Aug	24%	9.3 kt	WSW	25.1°C	30.9°C
Sep	38%	10 kt	WSW	24.6°C	30.5°C
Oct	5%	7.2 kt	W	24.2°C	30.8°C
Nov	16%	8.3 kt	E	23.6°C	29.9°C
Dec	26%	9.7 kt	NE	23.5°C	28.8°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

shallow flat lagoon with chop and small reef waves outside

Standing depth

Standable throughout the lagoon.

Tides

Reported as not tide dependent, though along this stretch of south coast the tide can pull a long way back from the beach.

Temperature

30°C summer · 28.1°C winter

Wetsuit

No wetsuit normally needed; lycra/rash vest and shorts are sufficient, with a shorty only potentially useful in monsoon rain.

29–32°C water

A lagoon behind an offshore reef. The reef also means rocks: at the reef itself and on the right-hand side of the spot.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

The lagoon is one of the easier places in Thailand to learn, standable and flat. Stronger riders use it too, going upwind to the small waves on the reef.

The scene

What riders come here for

beginnerflat waterbeginner lessonsfreeridesmall reef waves upwind

Remote south-coast school spot. Riders are asked to arrange to meet on site at Ocean Resort.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

5 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: A sand and grass strip beside the beach cafe, wide enough to lay out and launch. Reportedly spacious, though it is also put no higher than adequate, so do not count on room for a crowd. Side-onshore wind makes landing straightforward, which matters more here than square metres.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Nathon, 10 km

Nathon Ban Tai Beach Chaloklum (Fisherman Village)

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

+66 83 643 1627

Nothing formal. No lifeguard, no patrol and no rescue boat is published for this stretch of the south-east coast. On a lesson your cover is the school working the lagoon out of Ocean Resort, reachable on +66 83 643 1627 (2026).

Riding independently, the fact that the lagoon is standable is most of the answer, but the reef and the open water sit downwind and nobody is watching this beach. Onshore the numbers are 191 for police, 1669 for an ambulance and 1155 for the tourist police (2026).

Launch

Wide sand and grass launch next to the beach cafe. Access is through Ocean Resort: riders meet on site or walk through the resort grounds to the kite beach. Side-onshore wind makes launching and getting back in straightforward.

Space

A sand and grass strip beside the beach cafe, wide enough to lay out and launch. Reportedly spacious, though it is also put no higher than adequate, so do not count on room for a crowd. Side-onshore wind makes landing straightforward, which matters more here than square metres.

Rules & access

2026: no kite-specific rule, permit, marked zone, seasonal ban or municipal watersports order has been published for Hua Thanon, and spot records for the beach list the rules as none. What governs access here is private property rather than a public order. The riding area is reached through Ocean Resort, so you either walk through the resort grounds or arrange to meet the school on site; turning up unannounced is not the way in. No marine-park boundary covering this lagoon was found.

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

Rider tips

Rash vest and sun cream, not a wetsuit. A shorty only helps in monsoon rain.
Call KBA or another Samui school before you travel, because the season end is given as anything from mid-February to April.
Stay left. The rocks are at the reef and on the right-hand side of the spot.
Ride the morning to lunch slot in the NE monsoon; the wind drops off through the afternoon.
Come in through Ocean Resort and arrange to meet the school on site. This is not a walk-up beach.
Save +66 83 643 1627 before you go. It is the only number attached to this lagoon.

Getting there

Airport

Samui International Airport (USM)

Route

Fly into Samui or come by ferry, then taxi, rental car or scooter to the Hua Thanon and Nahai stretch of the south-east coast.

Transfer

about 30-45 minutes from USM to Lamai and beyond; Hua Thanon is just south of Lamai

Cost level

medium-high for Thailand because Koh Samui taxis and island accommodation are relatively expensive

Staying

Ocean Resort is the one linked directly to lessons. Hua Thanon, Lamai and the nearby south-coast resorts cover the rest, hotels and villas both.

No-wind days

Snorkeling beyond the reef, Butterfly Garden, Samui Aquarium/Tiger Zoo area, Wat Samret, Guan Yu Temple, SUP, diving, and island sightseeing.

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Hua Thanon?

The core season is the northeast monsoon from around December to February, with KBA teaching there from December through April.

Is Hua Thanon suitable for beginners?

Yes, KBA calls the shallow, standable lagoon one of Thailand's best beginner spots, while more experienced riders can head upwind to small reef waves.

What is the wind like?

Wind is a side-shore to onshore northeast monsoon breeze, roughly 8-18 knots, typically strongest from morning to lunchtime and dropping in the afternoon.

What are the main hazards?

Rocks around the reef and on the right side of the spot, plus rainy-period squalls, are the main hazards.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, Kite Boarding Asia Samui teaches at the Hua Thanon/Ocean Resort lagoon, with Siam Pro Kite Koh Samui and Mahalo Watersports also nearby.

Last updated: August 2026