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Pak Nam Pran

Prachuap Khiri Khan Province · Pranburi - Pak Nam Pran · Pran Buri District · Pak Nam Pran / Pran Buri

also known as Pranburi, Pak Nam Pran Buri Beach, Paknampran

Part of Pak Nam Pran, Pranburi →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

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

Riding essentials

Season

Nov–May

Months riders and schools name

How windy

18-22 kt

Character: mixed

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

30.8 °C in summerOctober-January is the choppier half, with stronger monsoon wind and small surf

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Dec Jan Feb Mar

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

180 min

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK)

When it fills in

North wind is a morning wind, south wind an afternoon one. In the February-May thermal season it builds slowly through the morning, blows full force from early afternoon, and holds until sunset.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Hua Hinno page yet
Squid Beach / Pranburi harbour entranceno page yet
Pranburi Riverno page yet
Khao Takiab Bay Beachno page yet
Dolphin Bayno page yet
Sam Roi Yotno page yet

The spot

Pak Nam Pran is the kite beach of Pranburi, on the Gulf of Thailand about 30 km south of Hua Hin and roughly three hours by road from Bangkok. It is long, sandy and properly tidal, with shallow teaching water inside, sandbars that build parallel to the shore and open sea beyond them.

Two winds

Two winds, not one: the north-east monsoon from about October/November into January or March, stronger and choppier with small surf, and the south thermal from about February to May, softer and flat between the bars.

Best season for learning

Mid-February to early May is the stretch to book for a first course or for flat-water freestyle.

Launch locations

The launches are spread out rather than stacked, around Khao Kalok, Purimuntra, the Yoda and GoKite stations on the beach road, and the harbour pocket at the river mouth that works on a true north wind.

The trade-offs

It is quieter and less built-up than Hua Hin and that is the point of coming, but the other side of that is no lifeguard, fishing boats at the river mouth, red jellyfish, and a July-September stretch that is unpredictable and often offshore.

Permits and rules

As of 2026 no permit, zoning or seasonal restriction is published for the beach, so ask a school which launch is working before you unpack.

The wind

locals call it Northeast monsoon / south thermal wind

Direction

cross-shore

Direction to shore

Side-shore: the wind runs along the beach rather than off it, so it neither carries you out to sea nor pins you on the sand, which is the main reason the beach teaches well. Depending on the season's swing it reads side-shore to side-onshore.

Dominant direction

NE to ENE/E in the monsoon window; S to SSE/SE in the thermal window

Kite sizes

67891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider: 8-10 m through the 18-22 kt November-January north wind, and 10-12 m for the 13-18 kt February-May south thermal, with a 12 m doing most of the work on soft afternoons.Anything under 8 m only matters on the rare days over 25 kt. No school here publishes sizes by rider weight, so these are read off the locally stated wind bands.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

10-20 kt is the most consistent locally stated day-to-day range; third-party spot guides also quote 15-25 kt and up to 30 kt during stronger Oct-Jan monsoon periods.

Typical strength

About 18-22 kt through the November-January north wind, and about 13-18 kt in the February-May south wind. Day to day the spring range is 10-20 kt with a handful of days above 25 kt; 15-25 kt is also quoted for the monsoon window.

Steadier in the spring south-thermal window, stronger and rougher through the NE monsoon, and unreliable in July-September when it often turns offshore.

Two seasons, not one.

The northeast monsoon runs from about October or November into January, sometimes March: stronger, choppier, small surf on the outside, and the wind arrives in the morning.

The south thermal runs February to May: softer, steadier, and flat between the sandbars, with the wind filling in during the afternoon.

Mid-February to early May is the best stretch for a first course or for flat-water freestyle.

July to September is the weak link, hard to forecast and often offshore.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

riding season from the spot record · the wind series here holds no strength figure

No month-by-month share of windy days is held for this spot. The months riders and schools name are Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, and whatever the series does hold is in the table below.

Measured at Hua Hin Airport, ~28 km from the spot (2005-2026).

Every figure, month by monthWind from

Month	Wind from
Jan	NE
Feb	ESE
Mar	SE
Apr	SE
May	SE
Jun	S
Jul	SSW
Aug	SSW
Sep	SSW
Oct	SW
Nov	NE
Dec	NE

How this was measuredmeasured · 2005-2026

What was recorded here is in the table above, but it holds no wind-strength figure for any month, so no season is drawn from it. The season is the one the spot record names.

A station this far away — often inland or at an airport — can understate accelerated local wind. The direction is a column of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

Hua Hin Airport · Windfinder · 2005-2026

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

The bottom shelves gradually over clean sand with no rock or coral, and you can stand a long way out. In the February-May south-wind season sandbars build parallel to the shore and the water between them stays shallow; that inside water is where lessons and flat-water riding happen. At low tide the bars dry out.

Tides

A real tidal range that visibly changes the beach: on spring days highs run about 2.2-2.6 m against lows of about 1.2-1.5 m. Low tide widens the dry sand and exposes the sandbars; high tide covers them and narrows the beach you rig on.

Temperature

30.8 °C summer · 26.8 °C winter

Wetsuit

Usually no wetsuit in warm Gulf water; a rash vest/lycra is useful for sun and jellyfish protection. GoKite specifically advises a neoprene top for thermal comfort in November and early December when windy monsoon weather can feel cooler at 24–26 °C.

Currents

No measured current data for the beach. The sheltered pocket by the harbour is out of the current when the wind is north, which tells you the river-mouth zone itself moves water. Treat the Pranburi mouth as the place to stay clear of.

Conditions

October-January is the choppier half, with stronger monsoon wind and small surf; February-June is flatter, with the sandbanks exposed and the best water for learning and freestyle. This is open sea with sandbank pockets rather than a closed lagoon. Sandy bottom, no reef reported. Red jellyfish are the known hazard.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Beginners get shallow sandy teaching water, flat pockets between the bars and a wide beach with room to walk back upwind.

Stronger riders get monsoon chop, small waves, downwinders, foil options and big-air days on the harder pulses.

Learn with a school even so: it is open sea, the tide moves the beach, and jellyfish, fishing boats and the seasonal wind switch all come into it.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideintermediateadvancedflat waterfreestylefoilwingfoillightwindsmall wavesdownwinders

Who it suitslearning

Quieter and more spread out than Hua Hin: school stations along the beach road, the Tonto's, Beach House, Yoda, GoKite and JollyKite nodes, resort guests in between. Fewer tourists and more room, though the strong-wind months still fill the school areas.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

6 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

2 spots nearby

All 2 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

No municipal lifeguard or public rescue service covers the kite beach. Cover is whatever the school you book with provides: an instructor on the water, radio helmets during lessons, and a shop that knows you went out. Independent riders should plan on self-rescue, ride within sight of a school, and leave word before going out.

Launch

A long sandy beach with several launches rather than one. Schools sit along the beach road near Baan Pran, Romanee Resort, the Mojitos beach bar, Purimuntra and Khao Kalok, most of them with a station directly on the sand for storage and rigging.Khao Kalok works when the wind shifts slightly east; the pocket by the harbour, known locally as Squid Beach, is the choice on a true north wind because it sits out of the current and swell.The beach is wider at low tide and widest towards the southern end.

Hazards riders report 18 reported

Wind

July-September wind is reported as unpredictable and often offshore by several spot guides.
July to September wind is unpredictable and often offshore.

Crowds and zones

Fishing boats and harbour/river-mouth traffic near Squid Beach and the Pranburi river mouth.
Fishing boats and harbour traffic around the Pranburi river mouth and the harbour pocket.
The road runs close behind parts of Pak Nam Pran Buri Beach - concrete and traffic at the back of the launch.

Waves and currents

exposed sandbanks and shallow patches at low tide
choppier wind-swell in the Oct-Jan main season
large tidal range changes the rideable area significantly - check tide times
Red jellyfish/jellyfish reported by spot guides; wear lycra or a rash guard and ask schools about current blooms.
Shallow sandbanks and exposed shallow patches at low tide.
Choppier water, small surf and stronger gusts in the October-January monsoon window.
Tidal beach width changes can reduce launch/landing margin.
Large tidal swing: low tide exposes sandbars and shallow patches, high tide eats the dry beach and your launch margin.
October to January brings chop, small surf and stronger gusts than the spring thermal.
In the north-wind season the sea washes debris ashore: palm fronds and coconuts on the sand and in the shorebreak.

Other

Concrete/road beach risks are reported for Pak Nam Pran Buri Beach.
Red jellyfish are a recurring problem - lycra or a rash vest is the minimum, and schools know when a bloom is on.
No lifeguard and no public rescue on the kite beach.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: no Pak Nam Pran or Pranburi Subdistrict Municipality ordinance, permit, insurance requirement, launch fee or seasonal kite zoning is known.
2026: nothing is posted on the beach either. Check with a school on arrival in case something local has changed.
2026: this is an ordinary public beach shared with fishing boats, resort guests and the harbour. Keep clear of the harbour entrance and the river mouth, and land your kite instead of parking it on a busy stretch of sand.

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

For a first course or for freestyle, aim at the south-wind window from mid-February to early May: warmer, steadier, flat between the sandbars.
Check the tide before you rig. Low water exposes the sandbars, high water leaves little dry beach to lay lines on.
Ask a school which launch is working that day: Khao Kalok when the wind shifts east, the harbour pocket at Squid Beach on a true north wind.
Wear a rash vest for the sun and the red jellyfish, and add a thin neoprene top for a breezy November or early December session at 24-26 C.
Stay conservative around the Pranburi river mouth and the harbour: fishing boats, moving water and shifting sandbars all meet there.
Plan the day by season. North wind blows in the morning, south wind in the afternoon.

Getting there

Airport

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) is the main international gateway; Hua Hin Airport (HHQ) is much closer but has limited service. BKK is listed about 215 km from the spot and HHQ about 35 km.

Route

From Bangkok, take a private taxi or transfer, a bus or van, or the train to Hua Hin or Pran Buri plus a taxi for the final beach-road leg. There is also an airport VIP bus to Hua Hin followed by a roughly 30 km taxi ride to Pak Nam Pran.

Transfer

180 min

Cost level

medium; a Bangkok airport taxi transfer runs 2000-2500 THB (2026), while regional buses and vans are cheaper but leave you a final taxi.

Staying

Budget rooms and bungalows, mid-range beachfront resorts and premium villas on or near the kite beach: Romanee Resort, Phukpan Resort, Sermsuk Resort, Baan Pran Resort, Il Mare, Praseban, Aleenta and Villa Maroc among them.

No-wind days

Kite Cable Thailand wake park in Pak Nam Pran, SUP on the Pranburi River, mangrove boardwalks and boat trips at Pran Buri Forest Park, hikes and caves in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park, cycling, kayaking, seafood restaurants and cheap massage along the beach road.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Pak Nam Pran?

The NE monsoon runs roughly October/November to January/March with chop and sometimes small waves, while the calmer south thermal season runs February to May and suits beginners and freestyle best.

Is Pak Nam Pran suitable for beginners?

Yes, shallow sandy teaching areas, flat water and sandbanks support beginner lessons, though riders should use a local school given the tidal, open-sea setting.

What is the wind like?

Wind averages roughly 10-20 knots, with local guides quoting about 18-22 knots in the Nov-Jan north season and 13-18 knots in the Feb-May south season.

What are the main hazards?

Exposed sandbanks and shallow patches at low tide, red jellyfish, and choppier wind-swell in the Oct-Jan season are the main hazards.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, Go Kite Asia, Yoda Kite School, JollyKite, KBA-Club Kite and Airstylers Kite School all operate along this stretch.

The bigger pictureEverything about Pranburi - Pak Nam Pran

Last updated: August 2026

Month	Wind from
Jan	NE
Feb	ESE
Mar	SE
Apr	SE
May	SE
Jun	S
Jul	SSW
Aug	SSW
Sep	SSW
Oct	SW
Nov	NE
Dec	NE

Month	Wind from
Jan	NE
Feb	ESE
Mar	SE
Apr	SE
May	SE
Jun	S
Jul	SSW
Aug	SSW
Sep	SSW
Oct	SW
Nov	NE
Dec	NE

Month	Wind from
Jan	NE
Feb	ESE
Mar	SE
Apr	SE
May	SE
Jun	S
Jul	SSW
Aug	SSW
Sep	SSW
Oct	SW
Nov	NE
Dec	NE