Ball Bay

Ball Bay on the east coast is a wide opening in the cliffs floored with black basalt boulders and coarse sand, facing straight into the ocean swell with nothing between it and South America. There is a picnic area above and a track down. The rock here is the raw volcanic material the island is built from, and the surf works it hard enough that swimming is generally out of the question.

The landscape

• The black basalt - the volcanic rock the whole island is built from.
• The open exposure - a bay facing the ocean with no shelter.
• The surf - the swell working the boulders on the shore.
• The picnic area - the ground above the bay with the view down.

When to go

September to May is warmer. Swell is heaviest in the southern winter. The bay is exposed in any season.

What to expect

Swimming is not safe here and the shore break is heavy. The boulders are slippery and awkward to walk on. There is no shade beyond the picnic shelter.

Nearby

Cascade Bay is northwest, and Kingston is southwest.