South Australia

South Australia has many excellent kitesurfing locations for flat water, surf and even freshwater.

Note: most of the content in this article is derived from LOCATIONS « South Australian Kite Surfing Association.

MIDCOAST (advanced riders only) S/N depending on location

    • Just 40 minutes south of Adelaide on the coast ”the Mid”has several top spots between Southport and Moana to ride in proper reef swells and good winds. These spots work best anytime in winter when the strong northerlies blow or in the southerlies during summer.

    • Beware of the walk up and down the paths to the water and the sharp reef.

    • This area of coastline is a popular spot for surfers. Try avoid kiting on the breaks which the surfers are using where possible. Generally when we are out there the surfers will be on only one of two breaks,so that leaves us plenty of places to kite.

    • This is also a popular windsurfing spot so please respect them as you would another kiter. Avoid jumping near them and flying your kite low around them.

    • If you are unsure of the right of way rules in the surf zone,ask one of the crew in the area and they will give you the run down.

    • If you plan on riding freestyle in this area,Moana and Southport are better spots for this style of riding. Moana and Southport are the only sandy beaches in this area.

VICTOR HARBOUR (KENT RESERVE) SE/SW

KENT RESERVE Rule#1:Respect the locals. They’ve worked hard to keep beach access. Check out www.southcentralkiteboarders.com for more details.

Great for more experienced riders. It is great for any winds Southwest to Southeast. Sometimes it can pick up a bit extra wind during a cool change (frontal weather) because it is further south than Adelaide. Don’t ride here alone.

GOOLWA BEACH SE/SW

    • A busy beach with plenty of small breaks it’s worth moving east along the coast a bit to stay clear of swimmers and surfers. Even better, head down onto the beach and find your own uninterrupted water.

    • Good wave riding out the back in SE and SW winds but the more S (onshore) it gets,the sloppier it gets and it becomes hard work.

Kitesurfing S.A’s Southeast

If you are prepared to do a bit of driving and have some patience you will be rewarded with some epic wavesailing days. Here are a few places to head.

ROBE SE/SW

    • The 3 ½ hour drive south to Robe is well worth the effort in summer as it is a prime summer wavesailing spot.

    • The bay is curved so you can kitesurf anywhere along the coast to get sideshore conditions.

    • The swell is big,clean and predictable and works best in SE –SW winds.

    • 3rd Ramp is about 10km north of the town and this is the main kitesurfing or surfing spot.

    • You can drive up the dirt road off the main highway in any car,or if you have a 4WD you could drive along the beach from the main town beach (1st Ramp).

BEACHPORT (Rivoli Bay Beach) W

    • This beach works if Robe is too onshore in a westerly breeze.

    • The water is very clean and crisp with a sandy bottom and some good swells.

    • It is about ½ hour drive south of Robe and also has a big salt water lake in the back of Beachport if you just want to blast on some flatwater.

Kitesurfing S.A. Inland Lakes &Rivers

Being near the Murray River we have lots of freshwater spots to kitesurf and most are within 1-hour drive from the city. Most places have a better wind direction but in the relatively protected waters of a lake you are always fairly safe.

MILANG SE/NE

    • Located on Lake Alexandrina between Goolwa and Strathalbyn this freshwater lake is huge (45km across!,) it is generally slightly windier than Goolwa with much less congested water.

    • It works between S,E &N winds but westerlies are offshore and dangerous.

    • With the retreat of water levels,there is more launch area than most beaches,plus a grassed area north of the jetty with hot showers!

    • Milang is ever reliable in summer for perfect SE seabreezes and has glass flat water behind the sandbar.

    • Unfortunately,it’s very shallow at the moment and you can’t see any obstructions under the water (including sandbars) so stick to the channel that runs NE from the end of the jetty.

    • Unlike Boggy,there is plenty of beach to come downwind on so good for beginners and you can touch the bottom in most spots within 400m of the coast.

    • Beginners should take extra precautions to maximise bouyancy however as Lake Alexandrina can get very choppy and you don’t want to be stuck out there. It’s a long swim back so don’t go out too far on your own.

There is a caravan park there behind the launch area which allows cheap camping etc. Also a weather station (similar to Boggy) is hopefully going to be available soon.

BOGGY LAKE (UPWIND RIDERS ONLY):SE/E

    • Unfortunately the low water levels mean that Boggy is too shallow in Summer to ride.

    • Found by some local Murray Bridge windsurfers in the early 90’s its popularity soared.

    • It is a bit hard to find on your own but if you head through the hills or from Strathalbyn to Langhorne Creek. 17km from Langhorne Creek head toward Wellington is a patch of water on your right. This is it! Through the gate or just follow all the cars in the area with the roof racks loaded with gear. It is just a paddock next to a lake with no facilities at all but it does have flatwater and the strongest most consistent wind in nearly any wind direction.

A farmer owns the land but he will let wind/kitesurfers in there on a few rules.

    1. No Dogs

    2. No burnouts or speeding

    3. No Litter

    4. Lock the gate every time

    5. No hassling the sheep or cows

    6. Fires OK depending on Fire Season Restrictions

Camping up there is common. The rigging area is fine for windsurfers but very tricky for kites. Definitely NOT ideal for LEARNERS. For the flat water junkies,sail upwind to the speed strip next to the reeds on the south shore. It does not get any better. There is usually a big crowd there on the weekends. If you cannot stay upwind yet on a kite then Boggy is not very good because there is NO beach to come in downwind.

GOOLWA LAKE SE/SW

    • Previously a stalwart location for Sailboarding, it’s extremely shallow except in the channel.

    • Any southerly breeze works although it can be gusty.

    • Recent kiter reports are saying that there’s good flat water in the channel as a sandbar has built up in the middle of the lake.

    • Probably better to enter from the Hindmarsh Island side as there’s less of a walk

Yorke Peninsula

Flat water on the eastern side, swell down the bottom,and some bounce on the west coast,Yorkes has it all.

YORKE’S EAST COAST

    • When the breeze has genuine east in it,this coast can be gold.

    • Heaps of launch area and shallow water the whole way down the coast, Pt Clinton to Edithburgh can deliver.

    • Pack your booties and beware of razorfish and crabs if you’re at the northern beaches.

    • Southern beaches are all good with Sultana Point working on all east to southerly directions.

YORKE’S SOUTH COAST

    • Along the South Coast Rd,there is limited access to Waterloo,Sturt,and Foul Bays and launching can be difficult if weed builds up but it’s definitely ridable in Southerly winds.

    • Marion Bay (inside the head) in a SW can be glass even if there’s swell hitting Innes NP.

    • Pondalowie Bay can provide sessions but can be fickle on wind directions and it’s a long way to find no wind.

    • You can try Browns Beach or Formby Bay but be prepared to hike your gear and pack the surfboard as a backup.

    • Other possibilities are Corny Pt or Berry Bay. Either way, plenty of swell can kick up.

YORKE’S WEST COAST

    • Hardwick Bay is worth checking out, as is Pt Victoria and the hard to find “Chinaman’s Well” if it’s a solid Northerly in winter.

    • It’s been known to be windless on the East Coast and a half hour away on the West coast it’s blowing a 15knot northerly across dead flat water much to the delight of freestylers.

    • Heading up to Main Beach at Pt Hughes, Moonta Bay and Wallaroo, SW up to NE can work and is becoming popular.

    • Tickera, Pt Broughton and Fisheran’s Bay have had mixed reports but there’s plenty of beach and shallow water around plus multiple wind angles to work with in the right conditions.

Eyre Peninsula and Spencer Gulf

A massive area and heaps of spots. No details yet written up.

Wind Directions

Predominant rideable winds on our coastline are southerly seabreezes in summer afternoons and intermittent northerlies during winter.

Seabreezes are generally SW along the metro and mid coasts and kick in around late October until early April. On the south coast,predominant seabreezes are SE which also works a treat.

Autumn is a mixed bag and generally pretty average. You just have to ride where the wind is working.

Winter brings on the Northerlies when the fronts come through and can carry for a couple of days. Big wind,big air,all good. It can also flick up some southerlies with the tail and even if the speed isn’t there the dense cold air can still pack a punch.

Spring is a bit like Autumn until is starts to warm up. Just keep an eye on the wind readings and be prepared to dump your plans to head out.

Kitesurfing zones on Adelaide Metropolitan Beaches

Adelaide kitesurfing

Source: Metro Kiting Location Map « South Australian Kite Surfing Association

External links

Source: LOCATIONS « South Australian Kite Surfing Association