The shore of Punta Chame on the Pacific coast of Panama

Fishing boats on the beach at Punta Chame

Bahía de Chame and the Punta Chame peninsula seen from Campana

Chapters / Caribbean and Central America Open, 1 of 1 remaining

Ride Punta Chame, keep it open

Punta Chame is a long finger of sand on Panama's Pacific coast, with the ocean on one side and a tidal bay on the other, and from December to April the trade winds fill it with kites.

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3 riders call this homeKite, WingPunta Chame

Everything you need to know about Punta Chame

Live conditions

Why riders love it

What brings people here, from the people who manage it and the people who ride it.

The season runs from early December to April. In January and February the trades blow about 20 to 25 knots most days, often strong in the morning, easing around midday and building again in the afternoon.
The main kite beach faces Bahía de Chame. At low tide the bay is bump and jump and a large lagoon suits beginners; at high tide the water reaches the beach and smaller waves are good for carving.
The water is about 28 °C, so no wetsuit is needed. Riders typically bring 9 m and 12 m kites.

Sources: TheKiteMag; Kiteworldwide

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Access and rules

Local governments and environmental agencies set the terms. The chapter works with them, not around them.

We could find no published rules for kiting at Punta Chame from the municipality or national authorities.
The bay side borders a protected mangrove area, and the beach is shared with fishing boats from the village.

Sources: No kiteboarding policy found in official material as of 2026; La Estrella de Panamá

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Ecology and habitat

Protected lagoons, wetlands and the species that depend on them. Stewardship days keep launches clean inside the protected zones.

The mangroves of Bahía de Chame were declared protected in 2009. In 2021 prosecutors investigated camps where mangrove wood was being cut and burned for charcoal inside the protected area.
Olive ridley turtles are protected here. In October 2025 the Ministry of Environment patrolled Playa Cabezo in Punta Chame and helped release 763 hatchlings from a local nursery.

Sources: La Estrella de Panamá; TVN

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Good to know

Location, facilities and history.

Punta Chame is a promontory about 25 km long on Panama's Pacific coast, with the ocean on one side and Bahía de Chame on the other. A small fishing village sits at the tip.
It is about 1.5 hours west of Panama City, reached from the Pan-American Highway.
Panama Kite Center runs a kite school, rentals and accommodation on the main spot, with IKO-certified courses.
Chame Banks, about ten minutes away on the ocean side of the peninsula, is a wave spot groomed by offshore wind.

Sources: TheKiteMag; TheKiteMag; Kiteworldwide

Meet the riders

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Schools that teach on this water

Panama Kite Center

Punta Chame

In January and February the trades blow 20–25 knots most days.

Source: TheKiteMag

Know the spot

Punta Chame

The season runs December to April.

Source: TheKiteMag; Kiteworldwide

Know the spot

Punta Chame

The water is about 28 °C, so no wetsuit is needed.

Source: Kiteworldwide

Know the spot

Why Punta Chame needs a chapter

Caribbean and Central America

Every dry season, the trade winds blow across the Isthmus of Panama and out over the Pacific. At Punta Chame they cross a narrow peninsula about 25 km long, and the tide reshapes the bay every few hours, from flat lagoons to bump and jump.

3riders call this home

1local schools teach on this water

Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Punta Chame chapter, World Wind Sports

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Caribbean and Central America

The peninsula is also a small fishing village, and the bay behind it is lined with mangroves that have been protected since 2009 and are still being cleared illegally. Sea turtles nest on its beaches. Kiting here grew up alongside all of that without any written agreement about how the water is shared.

3riders call this home

1local schools teach on this water

Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Punta Chame chapter, World Wind Sports

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Caribbean and Central America

A chapter gives Punta Chame's riders, local and visiting, a way to stand with the village and the protected area: stewardship days, support for turtle and mangrove work, and one voice when the future of the peninsula is decided.

3riders call this home

1local schools teach on this water

Kite, Wingdisciplines riding here

Punta Chame chapter, World Wind Sports

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Photographer credits Back this chapter

The riders, schools and crew of Punta Chame

Riders from Punta Chame, Chame, Panama Pacifico and the schools that teach them.

See the rider directory Talk on the board

PPanama Kite CenterLocal school teaching on this waterWWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.PPanama Kite CenterLocal school teaching on this waterWWSThe chapterHolds the line on access: one standing voice with whoever manages the launch.WWSThe chapterRuns stewardship days, so the people who manage the beach see riders as an asset.WWSThe chapterRuns sponsored certification weekends, so riders are trained and self-policing.

iSportsKite, WingiWind spotPunta ChameiKnow thisPunta Chame, Panamá Oeste, about 1.5 hours west of Panama City.iKnow thisTrade winds of 15 to 25 knots from December to April; warm water, big tides.iKnow thisKiters share the bay with a fishing village and a protected mangrove area.iSportsKite, WingiWind spotPunta ChameiKnow thisPunta Chame, Panamá Oeste, about 1.5 hours west of Panama City.iKnow thisTrade winds of 15 to 25 knots from December to April; warm water, big tides.iKnow thisKiters share the bay with a fishing village and a protected mangrove area.

Live conditions

Wind right now at Punta Chame

Full forecast

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Your gift keeps the chapter running and the beach cared for: cleanup supplies, signage, certification weekends and the costs of being the group the park can call.

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