Pattana Kankhuntod 

Members of the surfing fraternity world-wide have the reputation for being relaxed and laid-back, and Pat is no exception.  He reacts more readily to the moods of the ocean, the sun and the tides than he does to the clock. Pat is based out of “On the Beach”, a café at the end of Soi Ao Hua Don 15, on the southern side of Khao Takiab. Pat rents the beachfront rights from the café owners, and has an arrangement with them to use their facilities to operate his surf-school during what is Hua Hin’s high season.  He and Mink work in partnership with the café owners to organise events such as the fire-show for which Pat is also renown.  But the end of March each year is when the family typically heads south again so that Pat can teach again in Khao Lak and compete in the lucrative Thai International surfing season, based in Phuket between May and October, which typically sees 4 or 5 events attracting international competitors.  Pat’s surf skills are such that in the past he has been able to attract sponsorship from companies such as Quiksilver and AirAsia, which has allowed him to compete abroad in competitions in Bali, Malaysia and India.  His best surfing result has been a 1st place in a longboard surfing event at an international competition in Phuket.

Pat likes Hua Hin for its waves, which are particularly easy for surfing beginners.  Pat currently has a group of young local surfers, aged from 10 to 12 years of age, whom he is introducing to the sport.  Like any sporting coach who is, or has been, an active competitor themselves, Pat hopes for them to eventually surpass his level, and then keep going.  He would love to train a World Champion surfer such as Felipe Toledo or Gabriel Medina, both of whom he admires immensely.

Another aspect of Hua Hin that is attractive for Pat is the wide variety of food choices available here, a result of its significant expat community.  Even those who already know Pat well might be surprised to learn that Pat needs to avoid spicy food.  This, from a boy born and raised in Isan? Comical as it sounds at first, there is an element of tragedy in this fact. While Pat now takes safety concerns very seriously, and is determined to be a good, and long-term role-model for Aslan, in his youth he was not always so safety-conscious and would leverage his personal safety to ensure an outstanding fire-show spectacle.  Unfortunately, this included the dangerous technique of holding gasoline in his mouth.  Damage to the lining of his mouth and throat means chilli and other spices cause pain that Pat now must avoid. He ruefully admitted he has learnt his lesson and will not be doing that any more.  Luckily his skill and dexterity with fire means that he is more than able to bring the wow-factor to his performances without it.

Pat is keen for the Hua Hin area to become a haven for all sorts of aquatic activity, given the Gulf’s general tranquillity and the area’s long sandy beaches which are perfect for surfing, paddle boarding, kite-surfing, banana boating and jet skiing as well as recreational swimming.  He would like to see local authorities move to promote Hua Hin more strongly as a water sports destination, to continue with an annual surf festival and to reconsider the Wednesday beach closure which currently is enforced along Hua Hin’s beaches.

Pat is the eldest of three children in his birth family and admits that he was not very interested in school as a child.  He does have very fond memories of being at home with his family, doing nothing in particular, just being together with the family’s elephant. Yes, they owned an elephant! And when Pat left Surin to move with his grandparents to live in Khao Lak, the year after the devastating Boxing Day tsunami, the elephant travelled with them, on the truck.  It is a long, long way from Surin in Thailand’s northwest, to Khao Lak in Thailand’s southeast, a journey which took 3 days and saw the family sleep on the roadside to guard their elephant’s safety and well-being.

Not long after arriving in Khao Lak, Pat met an American, a bar owner, who saw potential in the teenager, and who went on to become Pat’s mentor and employer.  Pat started working as a beach boy during the day, meeting the needs of customers who rented sun lounges on the beach, at the same time learning English. Pat also started to learn the skills necessary to become a fire-show performer at night, enjoying the thrills his customers experienced as he worked with fire to put on dazzling spectacles each evening on the beach for the bar’s customers.  It took Pat five or six years to gain enough experience to feel confident taking on freelance fire-show work of his own. His first fire-show in Hua Hin was in December 2021, and he has done a number of them on the beach outside the café since. “Fire-show Man” can be contacted via Facebook if you are planning an event and would like to organise a spectacular entertainment for your guests.

Pat first visited Hua Hin in 2020, when it was in the grip of the Covid pandemic.  Work on the beach as a surf instructor actually picked up at this time.  Although the number of tourists was diminished, Thais, both local and from Bangkok, were actively looking for Covid-safe outdoor activity, and one-on-one surf lessons with a personal instructor fitted the bill perfectly. Post-Covid, when tourist numbers increased again, there was a spike in demand for Pat’s services, however customer numbers are still below pre-Covid levels.

To address this, Pat and Mink have become even more savvy with their usage of social media. Pat has a surf club called “Dare to Surf” and the pair also work on their YouTube channel “Lineup Life”. While Pat is out on his board with a customer, Mink can often be found working on social media, on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and now TikTok as well.  Their surf-school business also rates well on Tripadvisor, and a good percentage of new customers come directly as a result of highly satisfied customers, who tell their friends. For Pat, it is essential that the people he teaches go away happy in themselves, and confident in their developing skills. He has a real knack of learning about people’s habits and interests and matching his teaching style to suit their personality and preferred learning style.  This is what gets him such good recommendations, he feels. 

Another factor is undoubtedly his work ethic. Pat has a very active mind, and prefers working over relaxing.  Building a sound financial basis for his young family is a priority for him. Mink agreed that Pat looks upon Aslan as a “Mini Me” and has bought his son a necklace and a thick silver bracelet similar to the ones he wears himself. The father/son duo also embrace the bright colours and floral prints which have become symbolic of surf culture, though thankfully Aslan does not yet have the large ear-plug Pat has adopted. Pat likes nothing better in his free time than playing in the sand with his son, who has a particular fondness for all sorts of toy trucks. This strong bond between the young dad and his son is now allowing Mink time to pursue her own business interest.  In the last year she has begun an online business, making and selling beaded jewellery.

As a committed parent, Pat is worried about the problems he sees in the natural environment, with increasing pollution a particular issue.  He is also aware of how the fast pace of life can affect us all, adults and children, and disrupt our desire for harmony and tranquillity. Pat hopes one day to travel to a country where there is snow, to lie down in the powdery white stuff and make snow angels.  It seems he is fascinated with water in all its forms. But for now, Pat is content with his outdoors life-style on the beach.  He indulges in durian when he has the chance and surfs in all weather conditions, despite the fact his friends think him a crazy man.  Out on the ocean is where he can forget all the problems of the world, and just be himself.

Published 14th April, 2024