MapAustraliaExmouthSandy BayExmouth

Sandy Bay

Western Australia · Exmouth

Part of Exmouth →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

flat waternot for beginnerslow crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Aug–Mar

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-25 knots

Character: thermal

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

flat

25–28 °C in summerA white-sand lagoon inside Ningaloo Marine Park and Cape Range National Park, flat and clear in a protected bay

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Intermediate to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

low crowds · busy Dec Jan

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Learmonth Airport (LEA)

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

A sea-breeze pattern. Mornings are light or offshore, the breeze fills through the early afternoon and runs into the evening. Rig after midday rather than driving out at dawn.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Graveyards Beach45 km

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Graveyards / Jurabi Coastal Parkno page yet
Yardie Homesteadno page yet
Osprey Bayno page yet
Yardie Creekno page yet
Bundegi Beach for easterly windsno page yet
Winderabandi / The Horn for experienced 4WD tripsno page yet

The spot

Sandy Bay is on the Ningaloo side of Cape Range National Park, not the Exmouth Gulf side, and it is a kite, windsurf and wingfoil beach rather than a place to learn. The water is warm, clear and flat inside a reef-protected lagoon. The wind is the south-westerly sea breeze, best from SSW to SW and strongest through the afternoon, but the beach and headland throw a wind shadow with cross-off sections close to shore, which is why the lagoon rides harder than it looks.

Skill level and conditions

Intermediates and advanced riders who can hold upwind and self-rescue will have a good day. Everyone else should ride somewhere else. It is remote: park fees, no pets, toilets and picnic tables, no school base and no rescue on the beach, and mobile coverage inside the park is unreliable.

Access and care

Exmouth Surf Centre was the local kite school for years and reportedly closed that side of the business in 2026; Zephyr has limited Sandy Bay coaching on the calendar for October 2026, for riders bringing their own gear. Check DBCA park alerts before committing to the drive, keep clear of the swimmers and snorkellers sharing the bay, and read the marine park zoning before you fish or anchor.

The wind

locals call it south-westerly sea breeze

Direction

cross-offSSW-SWwind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Direction to shore

cross-off

Dominant direction

SSW-SW; S can be offshore and easterly-sector winds are unsuitable at this beach

Kite sizes

7891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

A 75-85 kg rider covers almost everything with a 9 m and a 12 m: the 12 m for the 15-18 knot start of the breeze, the 9 m once it settles into 20-25. Under 15 knots the lagoon becomes a foil or wing session rather than a twintip one.

Character

thermal

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

20-25 knots in summer, and 15-25 knots on most afternoons across the wider season.

Typical strength

15-25 knots on a working afternoon. Through the October to March stretch 18 knots and up is the norm.

Generally clean once out from the wind shadow, but tricky and gusty close to the beach/headland in S to SW winds

The south-westerly sea breeze runs from about mid-August through March, and October to March is the stretch most consistently given as the best.

The shoulder is disputed on the ground: September and October get rated highly, and November also gets called the windiest month of the year.

April to June turns to offshore breezes and the coast switches from wind to whale sharks.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

riding season from the spot record · no wind series here is trusted enough to name a season

No month-by-month share of windy days is held for this spot. The months riders and schools name are Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar.

About these figuresno series

Nothing usable has been measured or modelled for this place. The months come from what riders say, or from nothing at all.

Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

The water

Type

flat

Standing depth

A sandy-bottomed lagoon that stays shallow well out from the beach, with reef patches mixed through it. Around low water parts of it are too shallow to ride over at all, and the clear water is the practical way to read a line. Exactly how far an adult can stand at a given tide height is unconfirmed.

Tides

The Ningaloo side runs about four tide turns a day with roughly 1.2-1.5 m between low and high.Low water leaves the lagoon shallow in places and brings scattered reef patches close to the surface, though the water is clear enough to see and avoid them.Mid to high is when the inside is at its best for flat-water riding and for foiling.

Temperature

25–28 °C summer · 19–22 °C winter

Wetsuit

Boardshorts/rash vest are typical in hot months; a spring suit or light full suit may be useful in the coolest months or long windy sessions

Currents

No strong current is documented inside the lagoon. An outgoing tide near the reef gaps is reportedly enough to carry broken gear offshore.

Conditions

A white-sand lagoon inside Ningaloo Marine Park and Cape Range National Park, flat and clear in a protected bay. Kite and windsurf use of the lagoon is recognised in the park's own material. Reef, shallow patches and other marine-park users make it a self-sufficient freeride and freestyle venue rather than a controlled lesson lagoon.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners here

The water is flat and it is still not a beginner spot: launching and landing sit in the wind shadow, and there are side-off and offshore sections along the beach. It fits independent riders who can hold upwind, self-rescue and think about drift before they hook in.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridefreestyleflat waterwingfoilingwindsurfing

Remote national-park day-use beach rather than a town scene; usually self-sufficient road-trippers, campers, windsurfers/wingers and snorkellers, with crowding possible during holiday periods and on windy afternoons.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

1 school names this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

1 spot nearby

Graveyards Beach45 km

The one spot within 40 km is under Nearby

Rescue

Nothing on this beach. No patrol, no school base, no rescue boat, no shop. Exmouth Volunteer Marine Rescue is the local unit, on (08) 9949 2426 or 0418 183 416, and 000 is the emergency call, but mobile coverage inside the park is unreliable, so a beacon or satellite messenger is the honest answer for a solo session.

DBCA's Milyering Discovery Centre on (08) 9947 8070 is the nearest staffed point in the park and the Exmouth Parks and Wildlife office is on (08) 9947 8000.

Ride with someone.

Launch

Rig and launch from the sandy day-use beach inside Cape Range National Park. Launch farther upwind toward the western end of the bay for cleaner wind, and do not launch or land with swimmers, snorkellers or beach users downwind in the wind shadow.

Hazards riders report 11 reported

Wind

wind shadows and gusty patches close to the beach
Wind shadow and gusty/side-off sections close to the beach/headland
Due south and easterly-sector winds can be offshore at Sandy Bay and should be avoided

Bottom

Shallow reef or sandy patches, especially around lower water

Waves and currents

reef and shallow sandy patches at low tide
An outgoing tide near the reef gaps can reportedly carry broken gear offshore.

Protected areas and rules

Other beach users, swimmers, snorkellers, wingfoilers and windsurfers in a shared day-use lagoon
Marine wildlife and reef environment; avoid contact with coral and keep distance from wildlife

Other

remote location - limited/no cell signal, no on-beach rescue services
National Park entry fees and gate hours apply
Remote national-park setting with long drive back to Exmouth and no on-beach kite rescue on record

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: Sandy Bay sits inside Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Marine Park.

Park fees and regulations

Park entry is $17 per standard vehicle carrying twelve or fewer people, $10 concession, or $8 per person in a large vehicle ($3.50 concession), at 2026 rates; a WA parks pass covers it. No dogs or other pets anywhere in the park, because 1080 baiting for feral predators runs year-round and the baits kill them. Event and wedding permits go through the Exmouth Parks and Wildlife office.

Fishing and kiting rules

The Mandu Sanctuary Zone to the south is no-fishing while the recreation zone to the north is not, so check the boundary before fishing or anchoring. No kite-specific permit and no kiting exclusion have been found, but riders must keep clear of the swimmers and snorkellers sharing a day-use bay.

Turtle protection and alerts

Turtle nesting on this coast begins around October and hatchings finish around March, and a turtle watching code of conduct applies to beach users through that window. Check park alerts before committing to the drive: cyclone damage has closed campgrounds and access in recent seasons.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Rig after midday. Mornings are light or offshore, the breeze fills through the early afternoon and it runs into the evening.
Launch from the western end of the bay, further upwind, for cleaner air, and never launch or land with swimmers and snorkellers downwind of you in the shadow.
Do not ride here in a due south or easterly-sector wind. Both go offshore at this beach.
Aim for mid to high tide. Low water brings reef patches close to the surface and leaves parts of the lagoon too shallow to ride over at all.
Carry drinking water, fuel, shade, reef-safe sunscreen and repair basics, and take a PLB or satellite messenger: nothing is sold at the beach and coverage is patchy.
Check the marine park zoning before fishing or using a boat; the Mandu Sanctuary Zone is immediately south of the bay.

Getting there

Airport

Exmouth/Learmonth Airport (LEA)

Route

Self-drive is the only way in. Sandy Bay is about 80 km from Exmouth on Yardie Creek Road, though 70 km also gets quoted for the same beach; the park road is sealed to the main Cape Range sites north of Yardie Creek. Check park alerts after rain or closures before you set off.

Transfer

about 30 minutes LEA to Exmouth town, then roughly 60-90 minutes by self-drive from town to Sandy Bay depending on start point and stops

Cost level

medium-high

Staying

Base in Exmouth/Lighthouse area for services, or book Cape Range National Park campgrounds such as Osprey Bay/Yardie Creek through DBCA if you want to stay near the coast; park camping is remote and must be booked in advance.

No-wind days

Snorkelling, swimming, shore fishing where allowed by the marine zoning, walking to Osprey Bay, Yardie Creek Gorge, Turquoise Bay, Oyster Stacks at suitable tide, whale-shark/humpback/manta tours in season, surfing at nearby exposed beaches, SUP and wildlife watching.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf Sandy Bay?

SSW/SW sea breezes are strongest and most reliable in the afternoons from mid-August through March.

Is Sandy Bay suitable for beginners?

No, despite the flat water it is not recommended for beginners because launching and landing can be affected by wind shadows and side-off or offshore sections near shore.

What is the wind like at Sandy Bay?

The dominant direction is SSW to SW at around 15-25 knots, cleanest once clear of the beach's wind shadow, while due-south and easterly winds are unsuitable.

Are there rules or permits at Sandy Bay?

The bay sits inside Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Marine Park, so park entry fees apply and pets are not allowed.

What hazards should kitesurfers know about at Sandy Bay?

Hazards include wind shadows and gusty patches close to the beach, shallow reef or sandy patches at low tide, and a remote setting with no on-beach rescue services.

The bigger pictureEverything about Exmouth

Last updated: August 2026