Riding essentials
Season
Sep–Mar
Months riders and schools name
How windy
under Typical strength, below
Character: mixed
Room to launch
wide
access rules on record, below
Water
sea; summer can be flatter/lighter, winter more choppy with small wave kickers
28 °C in summerWinter NE winds make choppier seas with small kickers, and summer SE winds are lighter and warmer
Hazards
9
Reported by riders
Level
Beginner to advanced
With a caveat: see Your level
Crowds
medium crowds · busy Oct Nov Dec Jan
Schools
3
named at this spot
From the airport
35 min
Gaoqi International Airport (XMN)
NE winter monsoon and SE summer thermal
13:00 · 16:00 · 17:00
NE winter monsoon
14:00 · 18:00
Wind fills in around 13:00 in both seasons, running to about 17:00 on the NE winter days and about 16:00 in the summer SE. Mornings are usually light. The fill-in is sometimes put an hour later, nearer 14:00 and holding to 18:00.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
Xiamen Beach (Huandao Road strip) has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.
- Moonlight Beachno page yet
- Dongshanno page yet
- Gulei Peninsulano page yet
- Pingtanno page yet
The spot
NE monsoon (September to January)
SE thermal (May to July)
Water and windy season
Rescue and moving around
The wind
locals call it NE winter monsoon and SE summer thermal
Direction
Direction to shore
Side-shore somewhere on the island most days; the beaches face different directions.
Dominant direction
NE in late September-January; SE in May-July
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
The quiver, in words
For a 75-85 kg rider a 12 m does most of the NE winter days, with a 9, 8 or 7 m for when it comes on properly. The summer SE thermal is 12-18 m territory. Sizes come from the local club rather than from measured wind at the launch.
Character
Thermal or synoptic
mixed (SE summer thermal, NE winter monsoon)
Typical strength
10-20 in summer; 14-25 in winter, stronger in typhoon-influenced systems
Forecast
Live forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month65
- Feb, riders' month65
- Mar, riders' month56
- Apr48
- May48
- Jun50
- Jul74
- Aug23
- Sep, riders' month52
- Oct, riders' month79
- Nov, riders' month70
- Dec, riders' month66
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 65%Jan15°
- 65%Feb15°
- 56%Mar17°
- 48%Apr21°
- 48%May25°
- 50%Jun29°
- 74%Jul31°
- 23%Aug31°
- 52%Sep30°
- 79%Oct27°
- 70%Nov23°
- 66%Dec18°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal.
Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | Wind from | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65% | 77% | 69% | 14.5 kt | ENE | 17:00 | 14.2 °C | 14.7 °C | 62 |
| Feb | 65% | 81% | 74% | 15 kt | NE | 16:00 | 13.9 °C | 15.4 °C | 57 |
| Mar | 56% | 84% | 74% | 14.7 kt | E | 15:00 | 17.2 °C | 17 °C | 62 |
| Apr | 48% | 82% | 58% | 13.3 kt | S | 15:00 | 20.9 °C | 21.4 °C | 60 |
| May | 48% | 65% | 56% | 13.4 kt | E | 15:00 | 23.2 °C | 24.7 °C | 62 |
| Jun | 50% | 75% | 63% | 13.1 kt | SSW | 15:00 | 27 °C | 28.7 °C | 60 |
| Jul | 74% | 90% | 84% | 15.5 kt | S | 15:00 | 29.5 °C | 30.7 °C | 62 |
| Aug | 23% | 42% | 37% | 11.7 kt | S | 15:00 | 28.7 °C | 31.1 °C | 62 |
| Sep | 52% | 62% | 58% | 13.2 kt | ENE | 15:00 | 28.1 °C | 29.9 °C | 60 |
| Oct | 79% | 92% | 84% | 16.4 kt | NE | 17:00 | 25.1 °C | 26.5 °C | 62 |
| Nov | 70% | 80% | 75% | 15.3 kt | ENE | 16:00 | 21.4 °C | 22.8 °C | 60 |
| Dec | 66% | 81% | 74% | 14.5 kt | E | 16:00 | 15.7 °C | 17.9 °C | 62 |
How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
sea; summer can be flatter/lighter, winter more choppy with small wave kickers
Standing depth
Shallow and choppy off a wide flat beach, with small kickers on the winter NE. With a tidal range around 5 m the shallows move a long way between tides, and the rocks that lie close in disappear under high water. How far you can actually stand has not been documented.
Tides
A big tidal swing, reported at around 5 m, so the waterline moves a long way through the day.Low water is the tide riders pick.Rocks sit in the water close to the beach and are covered at high tide, so walk the stretch you intend to ride at low water before you use it.No tide table has been checked against this beach.
Temperature
28 °C summer · 16 °C winter
Modelled monthly average: 15–31 °C
Wetsuit
boardshorts in hot summer; thin to thicker wetsuit in winter
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
3 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: wide
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
Main kite beach at Haiyuntai on Huandao South Road, next to Asia Gulf Hotel; the Haiyuntai-Huangcuo line is flat coastline with a wide, fine beach and few tourists.
Rules & access
1 min read
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
- Learn at Haiyuntai with Raptor or the Xiamen Kite Surfing Alliance, not on your own on a public beach.
- Bring the 7, 8 and 9 m for the NE season; a typhoon system can push it past 35 kt.
- Pack a wetsuit from late September to January; the water drops to 16 C.
- Bus 29 from Lundu or bus 47 from Xiamen University both stop at Haiyuntai; from Gaoqi airport allow for across-island traffic.
- The wind fills in around 13:00 in both seasons; mornings are for cycling Huandao Road.
Getting there
Airport
Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (XMN)
Route
Bus 29 from Lundu and bus 47 from Xiamen University go to Haiyuntai. Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport is about 8 km from the city center, around 20 minutes by taxi, but Haiyuntai is on the island's southeast coast, so allow longer for the across-island traffic.
Transfer
35 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
Zengcuoan and Tatou for budget stays near the coast; Asia Gulf Hotel and Seaview Resort are the beachside options at Haiyuntai if you want to walk to the launch.
No-wind days
Huandao Road cycling · Zengcuoan food streets · Gulangyu · Xiamen coastal sightseeing · day trips to Moonlight Beach or Dongshan
Photos
FAQ
When is the best time to kite at Xiamen?
Late September to January brings the stronger NE winter monsoon at 14-25 knots, while May to late July offers a lighter SE thermal window at 10-20 knots.
Is Xiamen suitable for beginners?
Yes, the flat, wide Haiyuntai-Huangcuo beach is convenient for lessons, though winter chop and typhoon-influenced days require more experience.
What is the wind like at Xiamen?
Winter NE monsoon wind typically runs 14-25 knots and can exceed 35 knots when a typhoon is brewing; summer SE thermal wind is lighter at 10-20 knots.
Are there kite schools nearby?
Yes, schools including Raptor Kitesurfing Center operate at Haiyuntai on Huandao Road.
Last updated: August 2026