MapAustraliaSilver BeachAustralia

Silver Beach

New South Wales · Kurnell, Botany Bay, Sydney

also known as Kurnell, Kurnell Beach

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

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

Riding essentials

Season

Oct–Mar

Months riders and schools name

How windy

5 to 10 knots

Character: mixed

Room to launch

tight

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

22.5 °C in summerSilver Beach sits on the sheltered south side of Botany Bay, so this is bay water, not surf

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy October November December January

Schools

none named here

From the airport

23 min

Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD)

When it fills in

Summer sea-breeze sessions are mainly afternoon. The NSW coast pattern is light westerlies in the morning and a NE sea breeze biased toward 3 pm.

Silver Beach has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance

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

Dolls Pointno page yet
Monterey Beachno page yet
Kyeemaghno page yet
Brighton-Le-Sandsno page yet
Sans Soucino page yet
Wanda / Greenhillsno page yet

The spot

Kurnell is what riders call Silver Beach, the south shore of Botany Bay, and it is one of the windier bay spots in Sydney. The wind that matters is the NE sea breeze, October to March, mostly afternoons; it is stronger and less gusty here than elsewhere on the bay, cross-on, with flat water in the lee of the rock groynes and light chop farther out for bump-and-jump.

Launch challenges

The launch is the catch. Sand between groynes, a road and parked cars right behind, and power lines reported south of the beach, so a beginner should come with a school or on a settled NE day with locals around, not solo. NW works but gusts; W is for people who already ride here.

Wind and safety

A southerly buster can turn the whole thing offshore inside minutes and push you across the bay toward the airport, and there is a rule about that: stay 2.2 km from the runway in NE. The beach is unpatrolled, a rescued kiter was found about 2 km away in September 2019, and low tide exposes oyster shells and urchins, so booties. The tidal baths midway along the beach are for swimmers only.

The wind

locals call it Sydney north-easterly sea breeze; winter westerlies/north-westerlies; southerly busters

Direction

cross-on

Direction to shore

cross-on

Dominant direction

NE to ENE in the main summer season; W to NW in winter systems

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Derived from the wind band rather than from any published local table: a 75 to 85 kg rider on a twin-tip covers the usual October to March NE sea breeze with a 9 m and a 12 m, drops to 7 m on the hard summer afternoons when Kurnell is running well over the bay average, and wants 12 m or larger on the light early-season days.No local kite-size guidance has been published for this beach.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

Typical strength

The nearest station, half a kilometre from the beach, averages 12 knots year round with gusts near 16 across a twenty-year record, and that mean is held down by the calm mornings. Kurnell runs 5 to 10 knots up on the other Botany Bay launches, so a working NE afternoon here is a full session while Dolls Point is still marginal. The station sits on the ocean side, so treat the figure as indicative for the bay rather than measured on it.

Best in NE, which is stronger and less gusty at Kurnell than other parts of Botany Bay. NW can work but is gusty; W works for experienced riders only; southerly changes are a major danger because they can turn the spot offshore.

October to March is the main season (the individual months listed are November, December, January, February, March). Summer is NE sea breeze plus the odd sudden southerly buster; winter is westerly and gusty, often offshore.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month66
Feb, riders' month73
Mar, riders' month47
Apr44
May35
Jun48
Jul53
Aug42
Sep53
Oct, riders' month69
Nov, riders' month67
Dec, riders' month66

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov, Dec.

13 ktJan23°
13 ktFeb24°
12 ktMar23°
11 ktApr22°
10 ktMay21°
11 ktJun20°
12 ktJul18°
11 ktAug18°
12 ktSep19°
13 ktOct19°
12 ktNov20°
13 ktDec21°

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

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.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	66%	12.6 kt	NE	22.6 °C	22.5 °C
Feb	73%	12.9 kt	S	22.4 °C	23.6 °C
Mar	47%	11.6 kt	S	21.4 °C	23.3 °C
Apr	44%	10.8 kt	S	18 °C	22 °C
May	35%	10.1 kt	W	14.7 °C	21 °C
Jun	48%	11.2 kt	W	12.2 °C	19.7 °C
Jul	53%	11.7 kt	W	12.5 °C	17.8 °C
Aug	42%	10.6 kt	NW	13.9 °C	17.8 °C
Sep	53%	12.2 kt	S	15.9 °C	18.5 °C
Oct	69%	12.8 kt	S	17.7 °C	19.1 °C
Nov	67%	12.2 kt	NE	19.7 °C	20 °C
Dec	66%	12.6 kt	S	21.6 °C	20.8 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024

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

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

mixed

Tides

How far out you can stand at each tide is unconfirmed. Kurnell feels the tide less than Dolls Point, but low tide exposes sea urchins and oyster shells near the sand.

Temperature

22.5 °C summer · 18.3 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 18–24 °C

Wetsuit

Summer can be shorts/shorty weather; spring and autumn commonly need a shorty or full suit; winter usually needs a full suit, with nearby Cronulla guidance suggesting 3/2 to 4/3 mm at the coldest.

Currents

No measured current data found for Silver Beach. Treat outgoing/incoming tide and offshore drift seriously because the bay is enclosed but large, and a rescued kiter was found about 2 km from Silver Beach in September 2019.

Conditions

Silver Beach sits on the sheltered south side of Botany Bay, so this is bay water, not surf. Flat in the lee of the rock groynes, light chop farther out for bump-and-jump. Several groynes cut the beach up, and there is a netted tidal swimming area midway along.

The beach is long; the usable launch is not.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Rideable for a beginner in the right conditions, but not a forgiving first solo spot: the beach is narrow, the groynes are close, and the road and power lines sit right behind the rigging area. Ask a local or take a lesson before your first session.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterfreeridefoilingbump and jumpwingfoilingwindsurfing

A busy Sydney wind-sports beach where the locals will help you if you ask. The launch is narrow and shared with the dog area, swimmers, the boat ramp and the summer beach crowd, so watch where you drop a kite.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

No school names this spot

Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.

On your own

Room to launch: tight

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.

Rescue

Silver Beach is not patrolled and has no surf lifesaving service. Self-rescue is on you. The 2019 search for a missing kitesurfer involved Sutherland Shire lifeguard jetskis, Surf Life Saving NSW, the police and a helicopter, which tells you how far away help is.

Launch

Access is from Prince Charles Parade toward Bonna Point, with grassy rigging strips and sandy launches in the gaps between rock groynes set about 100 m apart.Bonna Point has the car park, toilets and boat ramp.The Silver Beach Tidal Baths and a netted swimming area sit midway along the beach, and the dog off-leash area runs between the third and fourth groynes from the western end, which makes that stretch of sand the wrong one to drop a kite on.

Hazards riders report 15 reported

Wind

Sudden southerly busters can turn the NE setup offshore and push riders across Botany Bay toward Sydney Airport

Crowds and zones

Boats and personal watercraft around Bonna Point boat ramp and Botany Bay
Netted swimming area and beachgoers on a family swimming beach
The netted swimming area itself is not patrolled

Bottom

Dog off-leash area between the third and fourth groynes from the western end, with loose dogs on the sand
Groynes spaced roughly 100 m apart, so each usable gap is short

Waves and currents

Rock groynes/wave breakers close to the riding and launching area
Sharp oyster shells, sea urchins, shells, sticks and seaweed on or near the launch, especially at low tide

Other

Very narrow sandy beach with little room for launch or landing mistakes
Road and parked cars close behind the beach
Power lines south of the beach, above the parked cars (reported, unconfirmed on the ground)
Stingrays in the area; wear booties
Bull sharks have been reported in the area; Sutherland Shire installed shark-bite kits along Kurnell access points in 2026
Botany Bay airport/runway exclusion concerns; kiters must stay 2.2 km from the runway in NE.
Unpatrolled beach

Rules & access

1 min read

Permits and exclusions

2026: no spot-specific kite permit. Stay out of the Silver Beach Tidal Baths and the netted swimming area, which is itself unpatrolled.

Boating rules and hazards

Dogs run off-leash between the third and fourth groynes from the western end. NSW boating rules apply: keep a safe distance from other craft, and carry a lifejacket or flotation when more than 400 m from shore.

Never ride in offshore wind and keep the downwind area clear, which here means being off the water before a southerly change comes through.

Airspace

No published Botany Bay or Sydney Airport kiteboarding exclusion has been found, so the 2.2 km distance from the runway in NE is local practice rather than a confirmed rule.

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

Check the Kurnell, Sydney Airport and Botany Bay readings before you drive; one station is not enough here.
First visit: a settled NE sea-breeze afternoon with locals on the beach. Not a winter westerly, not a day with a southerly change in the forecast.
Rig on the grass off Prince Charles Parade and launch only where you have clear sand between the groynes, away from swimmers and dogs.
Booties at low tide: oyster shells and urchins line the shallows near the sand, and stingrays are about.
Keep well clear of the Silver Beach Tidal Baths and the netted swimming area.
In NE, stay 2.2 km from the Sydney Airport runway; if a southerly comes through, get to the beach before it goes offshore.
If you cannot hold upwind and self-rescue, book a lesson with one of the Kurnell or Botany Bay schools first.
The gap between the third and fourth groynes from the western end is the dog off-leash sand; pick another gap for the kite.
Groynes sit about 100 m apart, so plan the whole launch and land inside one gap rather than assuming you can walk it off.

Getting there

Airport

Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD)

Route

Drive from Sydney Airport to Kurnell/Silver Beach via the southern side of Botany Bay, or take public transport to Cronulla and continue on Transport for NSW route 987 to Kurnell. Silver Beach access is off Prince Charles Parade; Bonna Point has a large car park and boat-ramp facilities.

Transfer

23 min

Cost level

high

Staying

Silver Beach Tourist Park in Kurnell is the only option at the spot; otherwise stay in Cronulla, the Sutherland Shire or anywhere in Sydney. There is no resort scene at the beach.

No-wind days

Kamay Botany Bay National Park, Captain Cook landing-place heritage sites, Cape Solander whale watching from about May to October with peak winter viewing, Cronulla beaches, local cafes around Kurnell, fishing, snorkelling and coastal walks.

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf Silver Beach?

October to March is the main season, driven by the Sydney northeasterly summer sea breeze.

Is Silver Beach suitable for beginners?

It is rideable for beginners in the right conditions, but the narrow beach, nearby rock groynes, road and power lines make it a spot where local advice or instruction is recommended before riding solo.

What is the wind like at Silver Beach?

NE to ENE is best and strongest in summer afternoons; NW can work but is gusty, and southerly changes are a real danger because they can turn the spot offshore.

Are there rules at Silver Beach?

Kiters must stay out of the Silver Beach Tidal Baths swimming area and observe NSW lifejacket and safe-distance rules when riding more than 400 m from shore.

What hazards should kitesurfers know about at Silver Beach?

Hazards include rock groynes close to the launch, a very narrow beach, sharp oyster shells and sea urchins at low tide, and sudden southerly busters that can push riders across Botany Bay.

Last updated: August 2026