Map › Kampot Province, Kampot coast › Kep Thmey
Spot · tier 2 · Cambodia
Kep Thmey
Kep Thmey is a shallow river-mouth/ocean spot on the Gulf of Thailand coast about 8km from Kampot town, ridden almost year-round thanks to two overlapping wind seasons. Flat, shallow water over a big sandy/grass beach makes it a magnet for beginners and freestyle-focused intermediates, while the strongest, most reliable wind arrives with the NE monsoon in November-December.
beginnerfreestyleflat waterfreeride
Wind
| best months |
|
|---|---|
| season notes | Two seasons: SW monsoon (May-Sep, thermal-assisted, gusty late summer due to western mountain terrain) and NE monsoon (Nov-Mar, with Nov-Dec the windiest and most consistent stretch, sometimes 30+ knots). |
| avg knots | 14-30 |
| wind name | SW monsoon / NE monsoon trade winds |
| direction to shore | cross-shore, working from NNE through SE to WSW depending on season |
| quality | thermal, generally steady but gusty in late summer |
| typical kite sizes | 9-12m |
Water
| type | flat with chop |
|---|---|
| temp summer c | 29-30 |
| temp winter c | 27-28 |
| wetsuit | boardshorts/bikini year-round |
| tides | spot is tide-independent |
| currents | currents present, with deflation risk in deeper channels pulling riders seaward |
| standing depth | yes, large shallow area |
Levels
| beginner | yes |
|---|---|
| intermediate | yes |
| advanced | yes |
| notes | Shallow flat water is ideal for beginners; the same flat expanse doubles as a freestyle-trick playground for intermediates and above. |
Launch & crowd
| description | Big sandy/grass beach area with plenty of rigging space; reached by car (4WD recommended in rainy season) or a roughly 10-minute fast-boat ride from Kampot. |
|---|---|
| rescue | Not confirmed as a formal boat-rescue service; the local school (Cambodia Kiteboarding) is on site with rental and repair support. |
| busy months |
|
| vibe | none-to-reasonable crowd, low-key compared to Cambodia's beach-party towns; some local spectators |
Monthly wind statistics
Station: Krong Kep, Cambodia (weatherspark modeled climatology) (Weatherspark (Cedar Lake Ventures, MERRA-2 reanalysis-modeled climatology), ~10 km) — Windfinder lists a Kep windstatistics page (krong_kep_kep_cambodia) based on real station observations, but repeated fetch attempts returned HTTP 429 (rate-limited) throughout this lookup, so the actual table could not be read. Substituted Weatherspark's modeled climatology for Krong Kep, ~10 km from Kep Thmey. Modeled data, not a measured Beaufort probability; Cambodia's monsoon reversal (SW monsoon May-Oct vs NE monsoon Nov-Apr) is reflected in the W(May-Sep) vs E(Oct-Feb) direction split shown.
| Month | Wind ≥4 Bft | Avg kn | Dir | Air °C | Water °C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | —% | 5.8 | E | 26.7 | — |
| Feb | —% | 6.1 | E | 26.7 | — |
| Mar | —% | 6.6 | S | 27.8 | — |
| Apr | —% | 6.3 | S | 28.9 | — |
| May | —% | 7 | W | 29.4 | — |
| Jun | —% | 8.3 | W | 29.4 | — |
| Jul | —% | 8.8 | W | 28.9 | — |
| Aug | —% | 9 | W | 28.3 | — |
| Sep | —% | 7.6 | W | 28.3 | — |
| Oct | —% | 5.9 | E | 28.3 | — |
| Nov | —% | 6.4 | E | 27.8 | — |
| Dec | —% | 6.7 | E | 26.7 | — |
Hazards
- currents
- fishing nets and stakes in the water
- shells and road hazards on the beach approach
- long walk to the beach; wet-season access may require a boat instead of a car
Rules
- current land-use privilege is reported to run for a limited number of years ahead of a planned casino development on the site
Tips
- Cambodia Kiteboarding school on site offers rooms, rental and repair
- rainy season may require a boat instead of the usual car access
- Kampot town has 70+ guesthouses and an evening food/bar scene for down days
Travel basics
| airport | PNH Phnom Penh International, or KOS Sihanoukville International |
|---|---|
| getting there | roughly 2.5-3 hour drive from Phnom Penh, or shorter from Sihanoukville, to Kampot |
| accommodation | guesthouses in Kampot town; some rooms available at the spot itself |
| cost level | budget |
| no wind | Kampot pepper farm tours, river cruises, Bokor National Park day trip |
Nearby: Kampot town, Kep
Sources: kitejungle.com · se.kiteforum.com