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Rhode Island · Aquidneck Island · Newport County · Middletown / Newport

Second Beach

also known as Sachuest Beach, Sachuest Beach (Second Beach)

advanced onlymedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Nearby Ninigret Pond 38 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJun, Jul, Aug, Oct, Novthe months riders and schools name How windy20+ knotmixed Launchmediumaccess rules on record, below Waterocean21°C in summer · 21 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools2named at this spot From the airport45 minGreen International Airport (PVD)

When it fills in

Summer thermal sea breeze, but no local onset time is confirmed.

Second Beach, Sachuest Beach on the town maps, is a mile of south-facing Atlantic sand in Middletown, Rhode Island. It is an ocean spot with shallow sections, chop, flat patches and small waves; a west wind cleans the surf up, an onshore one leaves it mushy.

The kite launch is the far east end of the main lot, a little past the end of the parking, outside the designated swim area and clear of the plover fencing.

Summer access is tightly written: from May 15 to October 1 kiting is banned inside the designated swim area, allowed outside it after 6 p.m. only, launching must be 50 ft from the swim area, riders stay at least 100 ft from swimmers, waders and boats, and gear sits at least 25 ft back from the water and never in the dunes.

Best wind is the SW to WSW summer sea breeze and the frontal NW and W of autumn and spring, and NW is the gustier of the two. Late October into early November is the windiest stretch, with 35 knot gales possible, and the water has already cooled by then.

Cobble comes through the kite area when the sand washes off, and rips and undertow are part of this beach. The Town can halt kiting for public safety or for the piping plovers, so a session here is never fully guaranteed.

The wind

locals call it Rhode Island southwest sea breeze and frontal northwest/west winds

Direction

cross-shoreSW and NW

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: Summer thermal sea breeze, but no local onset time is confirmed.

Typical strength

20+ knot days are reported in fall and spring frontal periods, with 35 knot gales possible in late October to early November.

Southerly wind is the steadier one; northwest after a cold front is gustier. WSW is the best direction.

Late October into early November is the windiest period. March-April also gives some 20-30 knot days. June through August is lighter, but the thermal sea breeze is more consistent.

Thermal or synoptic

thermal and frontal

The quiver, in words

No locally published sizes. Indicative for a 75-85 kg rider: 12 m for the lighter summer SW sea breeze, 9 m on a solid 20-knot day, 7 m or smaller for the late-October and early-November frontal wind that can reach 35 knots. Derived from the reported wind range rather than from local practice.

Direction to shore

S, SSW, SW and WSW are listed as best directions; WNW and ESE are sideshore.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan73
Feb80
Mar84
Apr67
May62
Jun, riders' month51
Jul, riders' month58
Aug, riders' month48
Sep40
Oct, riders' month53
Nov, riders' month78
Dec69

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jun, Jul, Aug, Oct, Nov.

15Jan7°
15Feb5°
15Mar5°
13Apr8°
12May13°
11Jun17°
12Jul22°
11Aug21°
11Sep20°
11Oct17°
15Nov14°
14Dec10°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	73%	14.6 kt	NW	1.4°C	6.7°C
Feb	80%	14.7 kt	WNW	1.8°C	5°C
Mar	84%	14.8 kt	WNW	5°C	5.4°C
Apr	67%	13.4 kt	SW	9.3°C	8.4°C
May	62%	12.1 kt	SW	13.8°C	12.8°C
Jun	51%	11.4 kt	SW	18.8°C	17.1°C
Jul	58%	11.9 kt	SW	23.3°C	21.5°C
Aug	48%	11 kt	SW	22.3°C	21.4°C
Sep	40%	10.6 kt	NE	19°C	20.3°C
Oct	53%	11.2 kt	SW	14.3°C	17.3°C
Nov	78%	14.7 kt	WNW	8.8°C	13.7°C
Dec	69%	14 kt	WNW	3.9°C	9.5°C

modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. 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.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

ocean

Standing depth

Shallow in places, but no reliable standing-depth range is confirmed.

Tides

Semi-diurnal, two highs and two lows a day, and the range is small by ocean standards: about 3.5 ft (1.1 m) mean range and 3.9 ft (1.2 m) great diurnal range at the Newport gauge a few miles west. That is a regional gauge reading, not a Sachuest measurement. Nothing local ties the riding here to a particular tide state.

Temperature

21°C summer · 5°C winter

Wetsuit

A drysuit is recommended in mid-winter, 4/5 mm steamer in March-April, 3/2 full in May and again in September-October, a springsuit in June, trunks with a vest in late July-August, and a steamer again by November-early December. A similar cold-water requirement is given for February, with 5/4 or 6/5/4 mm plus hood, boots and gloves.

Currents

Rips and undertow are listed as surf hazards at 2nd Beach; kite-specific current strength is unconfirmed.

5–22°C water

South-facing open-ocean beach, shallow in places, with flat water, chop and small waves. It ranges from fairly flat to real waves: mushier surf in onshore wind, cleaner in a west wind. A mile of sand and surf facing south.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Intermediate and expert. The municipal rules, the summer swim zone, cobble in the kite area, waves, rips and undertow, and gusty NW conditions rule it out as a casual beginner spot.

The scene

What riders come here for

wavesfreeridesmall wavesocean bump and jump

Established Rhode Island ocean kite and surf beach with strict municipal access rules in summer; family beach users and surfers are part of the scene.

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

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: medium

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Ninigret Pond, 38 km

Ninigret Pond

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

Sachuest is a guarded municipal beach in season, but no dedicated kite rescue exists. Assume self-rescue.

Launch

Launch at the far east end of the main Sachuest Beach parking lot, a little past the end of the lot, outside the designated swim area and away from the plover fencing. The swim zone to keep off is reportedly everything west of the last lifeguard tower, which leaves the sand east of it as the kite end. Even under the summer restriction there is still room to maneuver.

Space

medium

Hazards riders report 21

cobble stones in kite area
swim-zone restrictions
piping plover fenced areas
gusty NW wind
designated swim area and swimmers
seasonal launch and time restrictions
piping plover nesting closures or fenced areas
cobble stones in the kite area when sand washes away
rips and undertow
gusty northwest wind after cold fronts
cold water outside high summer
summer beach crowds
Cobble stones come through the kite area when the sand washes off
Buoyed designated swim area and swimmers from May 15 to Oct. 1
Piping plover nesting closures and fenced dune sections, mostly late spring
Gusty northwest wind behind a cold front
Rips and undertow
Cold water outside high summer, down to drysuit conditions in midwinter
Seasonal launch and time restrictions that can end a session before it starts
Summer beach crowds, with surfers concentrated at the west end
Gales to 35 knots in the late-October to early-November peak

Rules & access

2026: kiteboarding, windsurfing and sailboarding are prohibited in the buoyed designated swim area at Sachuest Beach from May 15 to Oct. 1; outside the swim area they are allowed between May 15 and Oct. 1 after 6 p.m. only, and anytime the rest of the year. Riders must stay at least 100 ft from swimmers, waders, boats and other watercraft. Launching must be 50 ft from the designated swim area from May 15 to Oct. 1. Equipment must be secured at least 25 ft from the water and never stored in the dunes. Launching or riding in a reckless manner is itself an offence. The Town may temporarily halt kiting at any time for public health and safety, and may prohibit it outright if piping plovers nest. 2025 current code supplement: kiteboarding is prohibited in the designated swim area May 15-Oct. 1, launch and land only in designated areas during that period, and kiteboards cannot launch from the designated beach area until after 6 p.m. Parking at the main lot is reportedly $10-15 a day in peak season and free after 3:30 p.m., unconfirmed against the town fee schedule.

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

Rider tips

Launch from the far east end of the main lot, not the swim beach and not Surfer's End.
In season, don't rig before 6 p.m.: from May 15 to Oct. 1 that is the only window outside the swim area.
Keep 100 ft off swimmers and boats, and leave gear 25 ft back from the water, never in the dunes.
Walk wide around the plover fencing, and skip the day if the Town has posted a closure.
Bring real cold-water neoprene for the shoulder season; the wind peaks in late October and the water does not wait.
On NW, expect gusts after the front; southerly flow is the steadier one.
The 6 p.m. rule and the free-after-3:30 parking line up: turn up mid-afternoon, pay nothing, rig at six.
Tide barely moves the game here. Sand cover over the cobble matters more, and that changes with the storms.

Getting there

Airport

Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) is the nearest major airport; Newport State Airport is local/regional on Aquidneck Island.

Route

Drive to Middletown on Aquidneck Island via RI-138/Newport Bridge or local Newport/Middletown roads, then use the Sachuest Beach main parking lot and continue to the far east end for the kite area.

Transfer

45 min

Cost level

high

Staying

Stay in Newport, Middletown or Portsmouth; Newport has the broadest hotel, restaurant and nightlife base.

No-wind days

Surfing at Sachuest/Surfer's End, Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge walks, Newport beaches, Cliff Walk, historic Newport mansions, sailing and restaurants.

FAQ

Is Second Beach suitable for beginners?

No. It is rated intermediate to expert because of summer access rules, cobble sections, waves, rips and gusty northwest wind after cold fronts.

When is the best time to ride?

June through August brings a lighter, consistent southwest sea breeze, while late October into early November is the windiest period, with 20-30 knot frontal days and gusts to 35 knots.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

As of 2026, Middletown prohibits kiteboarding in the designated swim area at Sachuest Beach from May 15 to October 1, allows it elsewhere only after 6 p.m. during that period, and requires staying at least 100 feet from swimmers and boats.

What is the launch like?

Riders launch at the far east end of the main Sachuest Beach parking lot, outside the swim area and away from piping plover fencing, with a self-rescue mindset since no dedicated kite rescue is verified.

Last updated: August 2026