Map › USA › Jekyll Island Kite Beach & Saint Simons Island East Beach › Saint Simons Island East Beach
Georgia · Golden Isles / St. Simons Island · Glynn County · Saint Simons Island
Saint Simons Island East Beach
also known as Goulds Inlet, Kitelake
Nearby Jekyll Island Kite Beach 11 km · straight-line distance
sea breeze
14:00 · 18:00
Summer runs on the sea breeze: mornings are usually quiet, it builds from late morning, and the strongest hours fall between about 14:00 and 18:00 before it drops after sunset. Winter and early spring wind arrives with fronts and holds at any hour of the day or night. Indicative daily shape from reanalysis, no beach anemometer record found.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
The wind
locals call it sea breeze
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
mixed
fills in: Summer runs on the sea breeze: mornings are usually quiet, it builds from late morning, and the strongest hours fall between about 14:00 and 18:00 before it drops after sunset. Winter and early spring wind arrives with fronts and holds at any hour of the day or night. Indicative daily shape from reanalysis, no beach anemometer record found.
Typical strength
about 9-22 kt converted from a reported 10-25 mph winter and summer range
Thermal or synoptic
thermal and frontal
The quiver, in words
Converted from the 9-22 knot range rather than reported by local riders: at 75-85 kg a 12 m covers the light summer sea breeze, 9-10 m the solid days, and a 7 m handles the strong end of a winter northerly. Two kites around 9 and 12 cover most of the year. Indicative sizing, no local rider report found.
Direction to shore
East Beach faces the Atlantic, so NE through SE are onshore to cross-onshore; S and SW are more side-shore to offshore depending on exact riding area.
Dominant direction
N, NE, SE, S, SW
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan10
- Feb23
- Mar23
- Apr25
- May29
- Jun20
- Jul8
- Aug15
- Sep23
- Oct24
- Nov18
- Dec21
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
- 10%Jan13°
- 23%Feb15°
- 23%Mar19°
- 25%Apr22°
- 29%May26°
- 20%Jun28°
- 8%Jul31°
- 15%Aug31°
- 23%Sep28°
- 24%Oct24°
- 18%Nov21°
- 21%Dec15°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 10% | 39% | 27% | 10.1 kt | W | 14:00 | 12.2°C | 12.9°C | 62 |
| Feb | 23% | 46% | 37% | 11.2 kt | SSE | 15:00 | 14.9°C | 15.1°C | 57 |
| Mar | 23% | 53% | 44% | 11.7 kt | SSE | 15:00 | 17.5°C | 19.1°C | 62 |
| Apr | 25% | 68% | 47% | 12.4 kt | SSE | 16:00 | 20.3°C | 21.9°C | 60 |
| May | 29% | 61% | 47% | 12.4 kt | SSE | 16:00 | 23.8°C | 25.6°C | 62 |
| Jun | 20% | 77% | 58% | 12.6 kt | SE | 15:00 | 26.7°C | 27.8°C | 60 |
| Jul | 8% | 52% | 32% | 11.3 kt | SE | 16:00 | 27.8°C | 30.9°C | 62 |
| Aug | 15% | 50% | 39% | 12.2 kt | SSE | 16:00 | 27.3°C | 30.5°C | 62 |
| Sep | 23% | 45% | 37% | 11.6 kt | NE | 16:00 | 25.1°C | 28.2°C | 60 |
| Oct | 24% | 50% | 44% | 11 kt | NNE | 14:00 | 20.5°C | 23.8°C | 62 |
| Nov | 18% | 42% | 38% | 10.6 kt | NNE | 15:00 | 17.7°C | 20.5°C | 60 |
| Dec | 21% | 45% | 29% | 10.8 kt | NNE | 14:00 | 13.1°C | 15.4°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
ocean and lagoon
Standing depth
Extensive shallow flat water over the sandbars and in the ponds on the outgoing tide, waist deep and less in places. With a swing of 7-8 ft the same ground is over your head near high water. No measured depths are published, and the inlet channel is deep and moving at any state of tide.
Tides
Semidiurnal, two highs and two lows a day, and the tide is the thing that decides your session. Mean range at the island station is 6.6 ft (2.0 m) and the great diurnal range 7.2 ft, with riders quoting about 8 ft on the bigger tides.On the ebb the bars come out of the water, ponds and long flat speed strips open behind them; on the flood the same ground carries rollers, breakers and bump-and-jump.
Temperature
27-29°C summer · 17-21°C winter
Wetsuit
Shorts/rash vest or spring suit in warm periods; 3/2 mm full suit for the coldest winter water.
Currents
An inlet runs through the riding area, so tidal flow is part of the spot. No current speed has been published.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
2 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: Big sandy beach with hard-packed sand. Coast Guard Station access has public parking, restrooms and a summer concession.
Somewhere else
Jekyll Island Kite Beach, 11 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
Park at the old Coast Guard Station / East Beach access and walk a few hundred yards north on the beach to the kite area near Goulds Inlet and Kitelake.
Space
Big sandy beach with hard-packed sand. Coast Guard Station access has public parking, restrooms and a summer concession.
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Walk north from the Coast Guard Station access before you rig; the main access is where the beach traffic sits.
- Check the tide first: outgoing gives the flat speed strips, incoming gives rollers and chop.
- Treat the inlet as current, not scenery, and keep beginners well clear of it.
- Launch away from the sailors and catamarans, no shoulder hopping and no beach dummies.
- There are three East Beach accesses: the Historic Coast Guard Station at 4100 1st Street, Massengale Park and Goulds Inlet. The Coast Guard Station is the one with parking, restrooms and a summer concession.
- Plan around the tide table, not the clock: a 7-8 ft swing turns a flat speed strip into breaking water inside one cycle.
- Summer sea breeze means an afternoon spot; if you want wind before lunch you are waiting on a winter front.
Getting there
Airport
Brunswick Golden Isles Airport (BQK) is the closest commercial airport for the Golden Isles; Savannah/Hilton Head International (SAV) and Jacksonville (JAX) are regional alternatives.
Route
Drive I-95 to Brunswick, take US-17/Glynn Ave and the St. Simons causeway, then follow Demere Road and East Beach Causeway to the Coast Guard Station parking area.
Transfer
40 min
Cost level
medium
Staying
St. Simons has vacation rentals, hotels and beach-area lodging, including rentals close to East Beach.
No-wind days
biking · kayaking · fishing · St. Simons Lighthouse Museum · Historic Coast Guard Station · Bloody Marsh · Fort Frederica · Golden Isles beaches and restaurants
Photos
FAQ
Is Saint Simons Island East Beach suitable for beginners?
The spot is listed for beginner, intermediate and expert riders, though beginners should use instruction given the inlet's current.
What is the water like?
A mix of ocean and lagoon riding near Goulds Inlet, where outgoing tide creates flat speed strips and incoming tide brings rollers and bump-and-jump water.
What is the wind like?
Winter brings N-NE frontal wind and summer brings S-SE-SW sea-breeze thermals that typically build in the late afternoon.
Are there rules to know about?
As of 2025, local sailors and kiteboarders agreed to launch only away from people and other sailors, with no shoulder-hopping.
Last updated: August 2026