Long Bay Beach

Long Bay faces east into the trade winds, and the water inside it is waist deep for several hundred metres over hard sand, which is close to the ideal combination for learning to kitesurf and for freestyle riding: consistent side-onshore wind, no swell, and a bottom you can stand on if things go wrong. The wind runs most reliably from November through to July. The beach behind is three kilometres of empty sand with almost nothing built on it beyond a few villas, in sharp contrast to the resort strip at Grace Bay round the corner, and on a windless day it is one of the quietest stretches on the island.

What you actually see

• The flat shallow water - waist deep for hundreds of metres.
• The kite scene - schools and riders through the wind season.
• Three kilometres of empty sand - almost nothing built on it.
• The contrast with Grace Bay - the same island, a different world.

When to go

November to July is the wind season, most reliable from January to April. Outside it the bay goes still and empty. Mornings are usually lighter and afternoons windier, which is the standard pattern.

Honest expectations

It is not a swimming or lounging beach when the wind is up; the water is busy with kites and lines. There is no shade and no facilities beyond the kite operations. Seaweed accumulates on this side of the island and can be heavy. Without wind there is very little reason to be here.

Nearby

Grace Bay is twenty minutes west; the Hole is on the road between them.