Bay of Bangkok Wind System

So here are some general thoughts about the wind systems in the Bay of Bangkok during the dry season respectively the winter time here in central respectively eastern Thailand.

Other than expected The wind is not coming from the northeast most of the time. In general, the meteorological description for the climate and wind systems during the winter time are described as follows:

End of October the wind system changes from a southwestern monsoon to a northeastern monsoon. Southwestern monsoon brought the rainy season since the air was being carried over the heated oceans and could suck in lots of humidity that led to lots of rain when the wind from the south-west pushed the clouds over land and brings the rain that feeds the tropical land in Southeast Asia.

So as mentioned before the wind system changes end of October and wind from northern directions start to occur in general the wind is supposed to come from the northeast but that's not the case It is true for parts along the Vietnamese coastline for most of the season which brings excellent winds since the wind is not obstructed by islands or mountains but here in Thailand especially the Gulf of Thailand with its Bay of Bangkok in the northern part which I want to specifically rely on for this report has a very specific pattern for its wind systems.

So the major spot to perform water sports from sits in the Nayomtien Bay 14 area about 15 kilometers south of the city of Pattaya. The distance from this spot to the island of Kolarne is exceeding 14 kilometers slightly.

It often happens that from the rooftops of buildings along Yongqian Bay. A clear line can be spotted separating area with wind speeds of exceeding 50 knots and the area closer to Jomtien beach area with wind speeds below 5 knots.

Due to the number of whitecaps far away from the beach and I'm talking about distances of exceeding 5 kilometers the wind speed can be expected to exceed 12 to 15 knots.

Only once did I dare to windsurf through the low wind zone towards the high wind zone and found myself totally overpowered with an 8 square meter sail.

Basically it is worth to go through the low wind zone to the high wind zone but safety must be considered since the northeastern, north-northeastern wind would carry an undetected water sport enthusiasts rushing running into a problem with the gear in the direction of the western coast of the Bay of Bangkok unprepared that might take a day or two before reaching the west coast if no one comes to rescue and there is no preparation for that event that's a life-threatening situation then

Unfortunately I could not get together a group this season to go through the low wind zone towards the high wind zone to enjoy our beloved water sports with high wind speeds.

Away from that, there have been enough days during the season from December until mid of February to provide perfect water spot conditions all the way to the beach.

I made a graphic showing and illustrating what you can expect along Najomcian beach for these days but the graphic is including the days that would dominate the second half of the winter season and that is the hot part that starts within March and lasts well into April for in average about a month and this season it was actually six weeks the wind pattern changes from general northern dominated directions by 180 degree to southern dominated directions Often with wind speeds also between 12 and 25 knots

Bay of bangkok is not shaped in favor to support a wind pattern that is coming from the northeast its eastern and western coastlines are pretty much exactly following a north south path whilst the northern border is almost an exact line from west to east.

So the wind that actually would want to come from the northeast does not get supported by the shape of the Bay of Bangkok. The wind must be pretty strong in order to really have an angle from the northeast on the water.

In reality it often occurs that wind is coming from the northeast especially in the morning it can be quite strong with white caps being detected a few hundred meters away from the coastline but this wind usually slows down dramatically within a few hours after sunrise and especially close to the shore often there is no wind at all.

From somewhere in November until somewhere within February on the western side of the Bay of Bangkok a strong wind from north-northwestern directions develops around noon and may last up to 4 hours with wind speeds from 12 to 25 knots.

This is my personal observation for this season and confirmed by many watersport enthusiasts coming to this beach for many years finding this pattern every season again and again.

Unfortunately the occurrence of the north-northwestern wind that brings quite consistent and strong winds is unpredictable.

So in a good month there can be up to 25 days in one month with wind speeds exceeding 12 knots but in a bad month it might only be five or six days with wind speeds exceeding 12 knots this is related to wind that is pretty close to the beach so that people can doing their beloved water sports right away from the beach

what happens very often that when the wind does not turn to a north-northwestern angle is that the wind is entering the bay of Bangkok way further north from a north-northeastern angle and blowing diagonally away from the area it is entering the sea around the island of Kolarne respectively the wind is surrounding and blowing along the island but does not touch the areas further south

So for example from the upper floors of buildings along Yom Tien Bay further out a lot of whitecaps can be seen whilst at the beach there is almost no wind at all

So here are some details about the wind occurring from somewhere within March lasting well into April. This year it started quite late after mid of April only. I need to correct it started late after mid of March only and lasted until end of April with almost daily appearing wind speeds from southern directions ranging from 12 to 25 knots I found the southern wind to be more reliable than the wind from northern directions.

The wind usually picks up significantly during the afternoon only, whilst in the morning lower wind speeds occur.

My conclusion is that the Bay of Bangkok on its eastern coast is certainly not the very best spot for every watersport enthusiast. For example you need at least 12 to 15 knots in order to windsurf. Below that speed planing is usually not possible or very difficult to achieve. Especially in the choppy conditions the water quickly appears to be in too.

But back again to my statistics showing here again in this graph. I want to point out that other water sports like foiling, especially kite foiling is possible. Almost every day all the way from November well into April Almost every day you also can do kiting and wing foiling. That includes foiling with a parachute.

Given the cheap accommodation with excellent food choices in the area, the spot is worth to be visited since it has a great scenery to offer once you are on the water with the city of Pattaya along the coast turkish colored waters lots of nature in the south and the island of Kolar on the other side

If you get together a group or rent a motor boat to accompany tours are absolutely a highlight to do in case you want to get further away from the beach to explore tiny paradise islands that are about 20 kilometers away from the coastline.

On a 50 knot day you can get there easily within 30 minutes or only slightly more which is absolute an amazing experience.

For myself I consider to buy a two-way GPS monitoring and communication system so that in case of emergency if I am alone out there far away from the coastline can alert someone to send help

I am advised by the businesses in the water sport area not to do that since, especially in the afternoon when the sun starts to set after 4pm, rescue teams approaching from the east are staring into a glaring ocean where it would be very hard to spot a tiny person waving to them on a water sport board like a windsurfing board

I only dared to get away from the beach to a distance where they could not spot me anymore with their binoculars once. And the shop I rented my gear from respectively the staff were absolutely not happy and deeply worried since they didn't know what to do.

So safety is really an issue there. And the experience of another windsurfer from a few years ago who was out there with his own gear gives food for thought.

In the afternoon wind, about 5:00 PM, he went out with his gear and two or three kilometers away from the beach, his mast broke and he could not continue windsurfing.

Saw his mast broke and no one from the beach noticed the situation about three kilometers away from the beach in waves with up to one meter in height it might be really difficult to get attention and so sunset near with no rescue inside and the windsurfer drifting away from the area by the blowing wind only about at 8 p.m.

He could make himself noticeable to a fisher boat nearby The fisher boat picked him up and brought him and his stuff back to a harbor area.

Meanwhile, of course, at the business where he stored or used to store his windsurfing gear noticed that he is missing. The windsurfing shop alerted authorities and waited at the beach for his return or news about him.

He managed to give a call to the shop later on and inform them that he was rescued.

I am coming from southern Germany where such a thing cannot happen due to the lakes being limited to a certain area and no matter the incident you cannot be driven away by natural forces to a point where it would become dangerous with no rescue in sight or possible.

So for tours that someone would plan it is absolutely necessary to carry an emergency pack with drinking water and food some ropes to bind together your stuff if needed in order to make it more comfortable to sit on your equipment or to make sure that you can wrap a strip a strap around your ankle and a part of your gear to make sure you can not be separated from your life-saving equipment

In the dark, if a wave sweeps you from the board, you can quickly lose sight. Since without moonlight, it would be pitch black on the water.

In addition, it is highly recommended to have some communication device and on the ocean it is definitely a two-way GPS communication system to make sure your location can be transmitted to someone monitoring your situation on land

as a conclusion the visit of the bay of bangkok for water sports is absolutely recommended hotels are cheap the wind in general is Okay, depending on what you actually want to do. And it is not too crowded.