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Asia-Pacific · Antique - Seco Island · Tibiao

Seco Island

also known as Seco Sandbar

flat wateradvanced onlylow 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

Seco Island has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy15-25 kttrade Launchmediumaccess rules on record, below Waterflat30°C in summer · 11 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport90 minBoracay (MPH)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Seco Island is a sandbar in the Sulu Sea west of Panay, and the trip is the whole point: open sand, shallow flat water, and Amihan wind that blows harder than Boracay's. November through April is the season, NE trade wind commonly around 15-25 kt.

Inside the bar the water is flat and translucent; outside there are small waves and reef. There are no permanent facilities, no freshwater and no standing rescue operation. Access is tighter than the older kite-travel writeups let on: Seco is a Marine Protected Area, and as of 2025 visitors must coordinate with the Tibiao LGU and join approved trips.

Treat it as a logistics problem first and a kite spot second. Beginners belong here only on a properly organized trip with a safety boat and instruction.

The wind

locals call it Amihan

Direction

Kite sizes

67891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

trade

Typical strength

15-25 kt; wind is reported about 5 kt stronger than Boracay in the best season.

Consistent through the November-April Amihan, but the crossing is open sea, so marine weather stops trips regardless of what the wind is doing on the bar.

November-April is the best season. The 2025-2026 Amihan onset was declared on 27 October 2025; June-October monsoon weather can make the boat trip unsafe.

The quiver, in words

8-9 m, 10-11 m and 12-13 m cover the 15-25 kt range.

Direction to shore

varies around the sandbar; no fixed shore orientation because riders can launch on different sides

Dominant direction

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month63
Feb, riders' month82
Mar, riders' month61
Apr, riders' month31
May15
Jun8
Jul24
Aug24
Sep36
Oct24
Nov, riders' month36
Dec, riders' month48

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

12Jan28°
13Feb27°
12Mar28°
10Apr30°
8May31°
6Jun31°
8Jul30°
9Aug30°
9Sep30°
8Oct30°
10Nov30°
11Dec29°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	63%	12.4 kt	ENE	25.3°C	28.2°C
Feb	82%	13.1 kt	ENE	25.6°C	27.4°C
Mar	61%	11.5 kt	E	26.5°C	28.1°C
Apr	31%	9.8 kt	E	27.6°C	29.7°C
May	15%	7.8 kt	E	28.2°C	31.2°C
Jun	8%	6.3 kt	SW	27.5°C	30.8°C
Jul	24%	8.4 kt	SW	27.1°C	30.3°C
Aug	24%	8.6 kt	SW	27.2°C	29.9°C
Sep	36%	9.3 kt	SW	27.1°C	29.8°C
Oct	24%	8.4 kt	SW	27°C	30.2°C
Nov	36%	9.8 kt	E	26.7°C	30°C
Dec	48%	10.8 kt	ENE	26°C	29.3°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

flat

Standing depth

Shallow sandbank and lagoon conditions, and it can get very shallow on a low-low tide.

Tides

Kiting is generally not tide dependent, but depth is: a low-low tide leaves very little water over the sand and brings the surrounding reef and shells within reach.

Temperature

30°C summer · 28°C winter

Wetsuit

No wetsuit; boardshorts/rash vest. Booties are useful for shells, reef or sharp objects.

27–31°C water

A low, exposed sandbar: flat mirror water inside, small waves and reef outside. Coral reefs and shallow docking water surround the island. No detailed current, channel or tide chart for the kite area is published.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Seco is listed for any level. It is also remote, undeveloped, exposed, tied to permit and boat logistics, so beginners should ride here only as part of an organized trip with instruction and safety-boat support.

The scene

What riders come here for

intermediatebig airflat waterfreeridekite safariremote camping

Expedition sandbar: no permanent settlement, no nightlife, and trips built around camping, conservation rules and remote riding.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

2 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: medium

access rules on record

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

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

Rescue

No permanent rescue service on the island, and about 50 km of open sea between the bar and help. Organised trips usually bring a support boat; older crossings were made on outriggers carrying no life jackets, radio or raft, so establish what your boat has aboard before you get on it.

Launch

Open white-sand sandbar: a crescent roughly 400 m long carrying bushes and a couple of palms and nothing else. Medium room to launch and land, no permanent kite facilities, and circling the whole island takes about fifteen minutes of riding.

Space

medium

Rules & access

Seco is a Marine Protected Area under a local government ordinance restricting fishing, camping or visiting without coordination through the Tibiao tourism office (2017). Access is currently restricted: contact the Tibiao LGU 2-3 days ahead and join an LGU-approved guided trip, private boats are not allowed, and an environmental fee of about PHP 150 applies (2025).

Only small boats arranged through the LGU make the crossing, and trips can be cancelled outright during marine breeding periods (2025). Overnight camping is rare and needs prior LGU approval. Kitesurfing is not named among the permitted activities (snorkeling, birdwatching, camping, photography), so confirm that a kite trip's boat and access are coordinated with the LGU rather than assuming it.

No kite-specific 2026 rule document was found.

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

Rider tips

Coordinate with the Tibiao LGU or an approved operator before you plan anything; private boats are not allowed.
Route in by bus from Boracay to Culasi, then by boat.
Plan to camp for several nights, because there is no accommodation on the sandbar.
Carry all your food, drinking water, shade, first aid, repair supplies and trash bags.
Wear booties, because shells and coral surround the island and the reef sits close in.
Confirm safety-boat coverage before you bring a beginner or go long downwind alone.
Leave slack days in the itinerary, because the open-sea crossing is long and the weather cancels it.
Ride the offshore-wind side for the mirror-flat water; the other side gives small kickers and collects the jellyfish, mostly in the morning.
Tibiao is the short crossing at roughly 90 minutes. Coming from Boracay is a day: an early start, about three hours of bus and two of boat.

Getting there

Airport

Caticlan/Boracay (MPH) or Kalibo (KLO); Iloilo (ILO) is another route for Antique road transfer

Route

Reach Seco through Boracay and Caticlan on an organized kite safari, or hire a boat. The other route is via Tibiao or Culasi in Antique, and LGU coordination now matters more than it used to for access.

Transfer

90 min

Cost level

medium to high

Staying

Nothing permanent on Seco: camping or day trips only, with permission or organized support. Sleep in Boracay, Caticlan, Culasi or Tibiao before and after.

No-wind days

On Seco: snorkeling, photography, sunset/stargazing and beach camping where permitted. On mainland Antique: Tibiao kawa hot bath, Bugtong Bato Falls, Tibiao River kayaking/rafting and Antique coast trips; Boracay nightlife is an add-on before or after kite safaris.

Photos

The sandbar island of Seco seen from the water at golden hour, with a small outrigger boat in the foreground — Aleah Phils / CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf at Seco Island?

November through April is the listed best season, powered by the Amihan northeast trade wind.

Is Seco Island suitable for beginners?

Not for independent beginners; the sandbar is remote and undeveloped, so beginners should only ride as part of an organized trip with instruction and safety-boat support.

What is the wind like at Seco Island?

Wind is the NE Amihan trade, typically 15-25 knots and reported around 5 knots stronger than nearby Boracay in the best season.

Are there rules or permits for Seco Island?

As of a 2025 guide, Seco is a Marine Protected Area and visitors must contact the Tibiao LGU 2-3 days ahead, join an approved guided trip, and pay an environmental fee of around PHP 150.

What hazards should riders know about at Seco Island?

The island has no shops, shade or freshwater, low-low tide gets very shallow near the reef, and reaching it means an open-sea boat crossing exposed to weather.

Last updated: August 2026