The monsoon reverses direction at the beginning of autumn and again in spring by literally 180°.
In autumn the landmasses of the northern hemisphere start to cool down, whilst the landmasses and oceans in the southern hemisphere start to heat up.
In spring the opposite effect takes place.
The monsoon winds naturally provide a counterbalance to this phenomena.
Winter monsoon November to March in Thailand
The north-easterly wind brings cooler temperatures and generally less humidity since the air is coming from land. So there is less chance of rainfall for most of Thailand including the North (e.g. Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai), the North-East, Bangkok and the East Coast.
Since I am based in Bangkok my focus is on the excellent water sports area just south of Pattaya city 100 km east southeast (ESE) of my home.
The very best wind pattern scenario first
The best conditions can be experienced when the wind is blowing from about N to NW direction. Despite an overlapping NE monsoon the local Thermal is often stronger and overpowering the NE monsoon. So up to 20 knots of wind are possible along the beach. This means planing is possible right away from the beach. During these times and conditions the wind practically is free to develop its strength all over the area from the beach Covering the full visible area towards the West all over the water.
On days with winds from the north: Expect morning winds with average speeds of five to eight knots only from Northeastern directions initially. Starting between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM the wind shifts to a more northern direction. This normally happens within a few minutes. With the change in direction the wind significantly speeds up to an average of 10-15 knots. Whitecaps can be spotted all over the place and are quite numerous.
Keep in mind: The island out there, Koh Larn, is 15 km away from the Photographers position
The worst scenario is following suit
So why do I call this the worst case scenario of a wind pattern in the Bay of Bangkok? It’s simple. You are sitting at the beach. or you are looking down to the bay of Bangkok from your hotel room and in the distance about eight maybe only seven but it can be also nine kilometers away. You see lots of white caps out there which means you have at least about four Beaufort of wind which also means planning conditions. But close to the beach you only have slightly curled up water with wind speeds between one and upper two if you’re lucky three Beaufort of wind. Of course with a sail big enough you can easily get out there to the part with four Beaufort of wind and planning conditions but the problem is that if you run into a problem with your health or with the equipment there’s no one who can immediately help you if you do not carry a device that enables you to contact someone for help. You need to be able to contact someone who can activate or alert help. Help here means usually that either a motor boat or a jet ski is being sent to get you back to shore respectively to your base. That’s an issue that we will address later. But it is not easy. Of course if you using a catamaran for sports then you are better off. It is easier to spot it and you can easier carry along devices in watertight bags you can bring water and drinking water and some snacks with you easily that would make surviving in case of a problem possible easily but if you are just on your surfboard and something breaks the wind will carry you away with it and you are finding yourself in a situation where you cannot do anything just wait for help. When the afternoon comes the sun is setting in the west and makes the sea a glowing area where potential rescuers have a huge problem to spot you. The reason is since they are coming from the east and are searching into the glowing ocean and sea water which makes it incredibly difficult to spot you as you are just a small dot in the vast ocean.
Conclusion: Do at least not go out there alone, find a sports partner or build a group to go out together.
Not perfect, yet better than nothing scenario
So there is a scenario that happens also quite frequently. And that is when the wind is blowing from a 20 or 30 degree angle.
so from which point does the wind get an obstruction free way?
That is about 20 kilometers north at about where the container ships un- and upload their freight from and for Thailand. That means that the planning area starts about two or three kilometers away from the beach which is not too far away. So for example the very nice staff and teachers of the water sports shop can still see if their customers are in trouble or not. And send potential help if necessary pretty quickly before it is too late.
If you are well organized, preferably not alone, it is a great tour…
So what is all this about?
Get out there, use the nice 28-32 degree Celsius warm sea water and its wind for any water sports.
The bay of Bangkok just south of Pattaya is a totally underrated area for any kind of water sports with the exception of surfing since there are no surfable waves.