Hua Hin Thailand is becoming an increasingly popular kite-boarding destination for beginners and accomplished kite surfers alike. Extreme Sports Cafe can now offer 2 locations in the Hua Hin area for your kiteboarding lessons and riding, first is a Beach location in Pranburi (just 20kms south of Hua Hin City) this is a beautiful spacious untouched paradise with a long sweeping beach and high end resorts along the coastline, this beach is very new to Thailand’s Kitesurfing scene and as of yet is not at all crowded, you can ride and learn in paradise surroundings with no buzz of the city to dampen your experience. The second school is based in the heart of Hua Hin just parallel to the main road of Hua Hin, this area can get extremely busy in the months of Mar – May but not a bad spot if you want the madness and party life of a city with a beach.
Hua Hin is Thailand's most reliable kitesurfing spot! Hua Hin City Location - Hua Hin used to be an Old fishing village before King Rama VII built his Klai Kangwon (far from worries) palace in 1928; the palace is sill here and is actually the full-time residence of His Majesty the King of Thailand.
The surfspot is situated literally 10 meters from the beachfront and is fully equipped with free WIFI Internet, storage facilities, equipment store, wash down area, showers, restaurant and bar.
Beach Location Pranburi - Over the years Hua Hin main beach has become a very popular kitesurfing spot, for this reason the beach has become crowded with students, riders and kite schools along the beach. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Hua Hin city, crowded beaches and traffic then Pranburi is the perfect spot for you.
Kitesurfing Courses and Experiences in Hua Hin Thailand with Extreme Sports Cafe
All of our Kitesurfing Courses in Hua Hin Thailand can be booked online
1-Hour Kitesurfing Taster Course 1,500THB
This is a fun and basic 1-hour kitesurfing lesson for the complete beginner. This kitesurfing lesson takes place on land (the beach), and at the end of this lesson you will have a taste of what kitesurfing is all about.
1-Day Discover Kitesurfing Course 4,500THB
- This kitesurfing course is 3 hours of tuition and is a fun basic course for the novice. Students are shown how to set up a kite, learn about what size they should use for different conditions.
- You will then learn basic kite control and learn safety protocols for launching, landing, emergency landing and self-rescue. All safety systems are covered. The emphasis is on technical information and safety. At the end of this day you should be able to have safe kite control in the air and on the ground.
- 2 Person-booking 3,900THBp/p
3-Day Beginner Kitesurfing Course 15,000THB
- After this Beginner Kitesurfing course, most people will be doing their first rides. You will learn to move in the water from one point to another point by using the pull of the kite.
- You will also learn how to prepare starts with the board, how to water start, putting the board in different directions. You then learn how to go from one point to another on the board.
- 2 Person-booking 13,000THBp/p
- Complete Kite surfing Hire Package includes: kite, boards & line, boards & harness.
- Per Day-3,500THB Per Hour-1,200THB
Kitesurfing Hua Hin Notes:
- Note: One day kite surfing rental is based on sunrise to sunset, you must do a small test to prove you can handle the Kite and gear before we rent it too you. We will only rent the kite to people who know how to Kiteboard, if you are a beginner we recommend you take lessons with one of our kitesurfing schools before you attempt to rent any gear.
- Note: You are fully responsible for the kite equipment you are renting, if any damages occurs during your rental period you will be
required to pay for the damage, if the kite equipment ends up completely mangled then you are required to replace the monetary value of the damaged items (you can take home the mangled kite equipment if you wish). - Kitesurfing season from Nov – May, best months are March & April.
- Wind speed is 12 – 22 knots.
- Thermal wind usually starts blowing around 11am.
- When the land starts heating up; the wind is usually strongest at around 3pm or 4pm in the afternoon.
- Weather is Hot & Sunny
- 14 meter Kites and medium size boards seem to be the average size on the beach although you will see plenty of 9’s out when the wind starts to rip.
- The water in Hua Hin for Kitesurfing is choppy and gets bigger as the wind speeds up in the afternoon, you can get some nice little waves on the shore line and plenty of choppy ramps to boost off offshore and a nice bit of swell at the winds peak.
All of our Kitesurfing Courses in Hua Hin Thailand can be booked online
Extreme Sports Café’s partner Hua Hin Kite surfing school will ensure that all lessons are carried out with 100% safety in mind and a maximum of 2 students per teacher, other kite schools around tend to overcrowd the Kite surfing lessons, this usually means you waste a lot of time waiting for others, this can be very frustrating when your paying by the hour, naturally people progress quicker than others.
- Teaching with only 2 students per teacher makes a huge difference in your learning time and enables students to progress quicker and safer.
- The Kite school will only teach you in shallow water, this means the instructor can stand beside you at all times. You will be taught in a clear spot away from other kiters to ensure that nobody gets hurt if something goes wrong.
- The Kite school now also uses Radio helmets for real time coaching and advanced lessons.
Wind & Weather Kitesurfing Hua Hin
The wind in Hua Hin is a thermal wind so is pretty predictable compared to the other spots in Thailand. Looking out to sea the wind comes from your right and is cross – on shore / side shore most of the time, peak time is around 2:30 – 3:30 pm then it will gradually drop as the sun goes down.
- The Hua Hin season absolutely ROCKS in March – April! The Kite school runs for lessons from November until May. Do not dismiss Hua Hin for wind outside March & April though, you will also receive often some days of 12 – 18 knots in the North Easterly Monsoon (November – January), this usually comes in bursts of 5 – 7 days at a time, the best time in this season is the early morning, the wind will drop as the afternoon approaches, the wind will come from the North then change to the northeast as the day progresses.
- May – October I wouldn’t bother with Hua Hin, the wind is offshore most of the time and it is usually raining in the this season, the Thais call it “The Green Season”. At this time head for Phuket.
- Please Note: The wind that Hua Hin and Sam Roi Yot national Park experience is a thermal wind, caused by the heating of the land, wind sites on the internet such as "windguru" or "windfinder.com" don't show this localised thermal effect, they might be showing only 3 to 4 knots of wind whilst in reality it's blowing 18 knots. What you have to look at is the wind direction on for example: windfinder.com weather map, if the wind direction is south east or south in March or April then you are sure to get wind.
Notes Kitesurfing Hua Hin
If you can already Kitesurf or don’t require lessons then move further up the beach, there is loads of room and you can have your own little spot with no one forcing you to go downwind to give way.- The only group of rocks here is at the southern end of the beach near the Hilton, there are also jellyfish in the water, some are stingers and some aren’t, usually the whiter ones with the tentacles are the stingers, you will also see brown ones as you ride past, they are the harmless ones. (That being said, I haven’t been stung in Hua Hin yet and I wear only boardies and a rashy, a lot of people wear the lycra kite pants for protection so they don’t get stung, you can get them at one of the Kite stores there for around 300 Baht.)
- Hua Hin being so close to Bangkok gets really busy at the weekends, a lot of Thai tourists from Bangkok come down to the beach and are truly amazed at the kiting that goes on, you will see groups of Thais and westerners spectating in awe at what we do, please give way to these people as they often don’t understand the power and dangers of the sport, try and stay as far away as possible from people swimming and take precautions when launching and landing with bystanders around. (For those who kite this should be second nature).
Accommodation Hua Hin
Hua Hin has a huge number of accommodation options. You will usually be able to simply turn up and find a place to stay. Accommodation on Hua Hin ranges from guesthouses to Hotels with ratings from 2 stars to 5 star ratings. Prices range from 560 to 3000 Baht a night.
- Recommended - The best place in my opinion to stay is the Hua Hin condo Chain; this is located 2 minutes from the main kiting area on the beach with the schools located in its surrounding areas. The prices range from 800 baht per night with 2 single beds or one double bed, bathroom, TV and aircon with hot shower and a stunning view of the beach, I love it as I can get up in the morning around 10am and relax on the balcony with a coffee, you can clearly see the beach and what the wind is doing from there, as soon as you see a kite in the air you know its ready to go!
- No need to book here unless its over a holiday period, in fact I’ve tried calling them to book many times and your lucky if anyone picks up the phone, each of the rooms is privately owned so don’t expect top class hotel service, think convenience to your kite spot and stunning views.
All of our Kitesurfing Courses in Hua Hin Thailand can be booked online
Getting Around Hua Hin
- Hua Hin is small enough that one can wander for hours without the need of motor transportation. Most hotels are no more than few minutes walk to the beach, the market or a friendly restaurant. Bicycles, motorcycles and small jeeps can be rented from shops around the Hua Hin Bazaar, near the Sofitel entrance. Unless you have extensive experience dodging kids, bicycles, scooters and the occasional cow, be very careful when driving yourself.
Getting There Hua Hin
- Hua Hin can be reached via Bus, Taxi, Train or Plane from Bangkok.
By Bus
- You can either get the cheap bus for 100 baht (We really don’t recommend this as it is the public service bus that stops at every nook and cranny on the way and it doesn’t have any aircon) or you can get the VIP bus which costs 28 baht more this will take you there direct, you will have comfortable seats and aircon the entire way.
- To get the VIP bus get yourself to Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, ignore the buses that are waiting outside as these are the public service buses, go to the ticket booth inside the terminal (it’s the place that has the roof over it) and book your ticket there. The buses leave once every 30 minutes beginning at 04:00am in the morning and stopping just before midnight everyday.
- When planning your trip to the bus station in Bangkok please give ample time for traffic jams in the morning and evening, the commuter traffic can get ridiculously heavy so be sure to allow extra time on your journey.
By Taxi
- You can catch a taxi from the airport from 1,700 – 2,200 baht, depends on how good your haggling is, pick an older looking taxi (they tend to be cheaper) and act like you have done the trip before, ask him the price and he will probably start high, just mention last time you paid 1,700 and they will usually agree, just remember to keep smiling!
By Train
- All trains going south stop at Hua Hin & Pranburi, but the most convenient and comfortable is the second class Special Express Diesel Railcar leaving Bangkok's Hualumphong Station at 07:45 and arriving in Hua Hin at 11:00.
By Plane
- If you’re in a real hurry or can’t stand the bus ride for 3 – 4 hours then you can catch a 1-hour flight to Hua Hin from Bangkok. Once you land in Hua Hin you will have to take a taxi to Pak Nam Pran Beach - Pranburi, which is around 20km drive in a taxi. If you want more info on prices and timetables for this flight you can contact Siam GA at 02 535 7050.
Kitesurfing Courses and Experiences in Hua Hin Thailand with Extreme Sports Cafe
All of our Kitesurfing Courses in Hua Hin Thailand can be booked online
Kite Boarding Certification - All Extreme Sports Cafe Kitesurfing / Kiteboarding courses follow the IKO (International Kitesurfing Organization) assessment system. (unless stated otherwise) Our kitesurf instructors are IKO qualified and at the end of each course students will receive a kitesurfing IKO card with their achieved level. All the necessary kitesurfing equipment is provided for students (excluding food and drinks) and the kitesurf courses last between 4 and 5 hours per day depending on the wind conditions. Students are advised to wear a hat and apply sun-cream as they will be spending a lot of time in the sun. Students must be 16 years or older, although we can teach children under 16 to kitesurf, with their parent’s permission and presence.
Who runs our Kitesurfing courses?
Extreme Sports Cafe and it's partners run Kitesurfing courses in the Australia, Bahamas, Brazil, Caribbean, Cyprus, Egypt, Fiji, Bali, Kenya, Lanzarote, Mauritius, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, Thailand and Vietnam. We are quite confident that we have Europe, Asia and Africa well covered with a range of exciting, challenging and fun courses or packages for you to learn to Kitesurfing in most parts of the world and will have more Kiteboarding centers elsewhere soon...
Where do I take it from here?
You can go on to improve your Kiteboarding with more practice and advanced courses allowing you to, become an instructor and teach others, take part in competitions worldwide, join a club and / or buy your own Kiteboarding equipment and go Kiteboarding whenever you want. Let us know how we can help...
Kitesurfing books we recommend...
Kitesurfing: The Complete Guide
Author: Ian Currer
In this guide, Ian Currer takes you through the complete basics of the exciting, yet complex sport of kite surfing, or kiteboarding. He uses simple language which even the novice has no trouble interpreting, accompanied by helpful diagrams and at all times keeps your interests focused on kitesurfing.
Even as an intermiediate kitesurfer, I have picked up many useful tips from the guide, which has helped me improve my jumping considerably. I recommend anyone who is serious in taking kitesurfing as a sport, to get hold of this book.
If you have any questions, then please don’t hesitate to get back to us – we’ll be only too pleased to help. After all, the team at ESC are passionate about our various sporting disciplines – we want you to be, as well!
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