The curve of Shelly Bay Beach over clear, shallow water — Photo: Cansu Joy Burgess

A kite over the chop at sunset, Shelly Bay. — Photo: David Kendell

Clear shallows over the sand at Shelly Bay. — Photo: Ernest Howard Jr

Bermuda

Jan · 80% rideable

Shelly Bay

What it's actually like

Kiters get straight-onshore wind from the south-west to west, November to April, peaking in January. Expect small clean waves, kickers at low tide and shallow sand underfoot. The inside is crowded once more than three kites are up.

Shelly Bay is a family park first and a wind spot second, and that is its charm. It is a curve of sand on the North Shore of Hamilton Parish. A playground and picnic tables sit at one end, and a boardwalk runs through a small nature reserve on the west side. The water is so shallow and clear you watch the sand race by under your board. From November to April the wind comes in, and the Rock, as locals call Bermuda, has itself a wind spot.

The bay is fussy, and loving it means learning to read it. It wants the wind from about south-west to west, blowing straight onshore. Kiters and windsurfers want the same window. Get it and the whole place lights up, with the wind running straight at the sand. Swing the wind round and you get shadows off the land and a gusty, on-and-off breeze, so check the direction before you head down.

The season runs November to April, when winter fronts come off the American coast and cross the island. Winter peaks in January, with February and December close behind. Those fronts can bring properly nuking days, so rig for the wind in front of you, not the forecast you read last night.

It is not the tropics. The sea sits around 18 to 19°C from January to March and nearer 23°C in November. Stand on the grass in a winter front, still damp from the last run, and you soon learn to get into a wetsuit in seconds.

When it works, kiters and windsurfers share the bay. Rig on the grass or on the beach. At high tide the sand gets narrow by the trees and self-launching is hard, so grab someone to launch you. North Shore Road runs just behind the beach, so keep your lines well away from it.

Then you are out over sand you can see, on small, clean waves that break onshore. Low tide throws up some smooth kickers, and that is where the rush is. Learn the depth before you jump off one. Once more than three kites are up, the small inside gets crowded, so take turns and the session stays sweet for everyone.

Rules and safety. Shelly Bay Park is a protected area under the Bermuda National Parks Act 1986. The park regulations count windsurf boards and surfboards as vessels. Do not use a vessel where a notice closes the area to vessels, or in a way likely to endanger others. Store one in the park only where a notice allows it. Over Cup Match a buoy line marks the swimming zone, and the Royal Bermuda Regiment Coast Guard has told vessel operators not to cross it. Read the notices at the park, keep clear of swimmers and ask a school before your first session. The bay stays shallow at high tide, so fins and foils can touch the bottom. Fronts often bring gales. Check the forecast before you go out, as the Atlantic hurricane season runs from 1 June to 30 November.

New to the island, or rusty after the summer? Island Winds teaches kite and windsurf and rents kite kit at Somerset Long Bay and Elbow Beach. For sheltered water to learn on, U Sail runs windsurf and wing lessons on Harrington Sound, a short hop inland.

Be honest with yourself about summer. From May to September the beach belongs to the swimmers and families. In July and August the wind mostly goes quiet, and those are lazy days for a swim, not a session. Then November comes round, the first proper front rolls through, and the first powered-up run of the season makes the whole wait worth it. Plan the trip around the fronts, not the calendar. Wopnin? is the Rock's hello, and it means "what's happening?" At Shelly Bay the answer all winter is wind.

When it's good

Is it for you?

LevelKiteloop
Graykite takes advanced kiters to Shelly Bay for North Shore sessions, so bring solid skills.
WaterHead-high
Smooth kickers appear at low tide, so learn the depth before you jump.
LaunchBarefoot
Rig on the grass, but at high tide the sand is narrow by the trees.
WetsuitShorty
Sea about 21 °C in January: a shorty, plus a long sleeve on windy days.
AprèsLights out at nine
No bar within 5 km, but 14 places to eat: early nights, early sessions.
CostNot checked yet

Where to launch

Conditions change. Check local rules and conditions before you ride.

Launch
Parking

Shelly Bay Beach

Rig on the grass or the beach in Shelly Bay Park.

For kite, windsurf. Directions: Google Maps · Apple Maps

In an emergency

Emergency, ask for Marine Rescue 911
Marine radio VHF 16

Getting there

Nearest airportL.F. Wade (BDA). Only about 9 km by road, across the Causeway, so you’re at the bay soon after landing.
Getting aroundBus, taxi or scooter. Conventional car hire isn’t a thing here, but visitors can rent electric cars. Buses 10 and 11 pass the bay on the North Shore.

Stay, learn and rent

Full details for every place are in the Pocket Guide.

Grotto Bay Beach Resort

Windsurfers book it for the sheltered Castle Harbour beach, where Blue Hole Water Sports hires windsurf kit. It sits about 3.4 km east of Shelly Bay along the north shore.

Book on Booking.com

Rosewood Bermuda

Five-star resort above Castle Harbour at Tucker’s Point, with pink-sand beaches and golf. U Sail’s Castle Harbour base is on its waterfront, 3.7 km east of Shelly Bay in a straight line.

Book on Booking.com

Leamington Caves

Rent a main house and a guest house with a pool and a roof deck, built over crystal caves on Harrington Sound Road. It is about 3 km east of Shelly Bay in a straight line.

Website

Book links to Booking.com and Agoda may earn WindChaser a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Pocket Guide

Shelly Bay, in your pocket

Everything you need on the beach in one PDF. Save it to your phone and it works with no signal.

01The month: wind, conditions and water02Every hazard, and the local rules03The launches, with maps04Getting there with kit05Stays, schools and kit hire06Where every score comes from

Shelly Bay

When it's good

Is it for you?

Where to launch

Shelly Bay Beach

In an emergency

Getting there

Stay, learn and rent

Grotto Bay Beach Resort

Rosewood Bermuda

Leamington Caves

Graykite Bermuda

Island Winds

U Sail Bermuda

Island Winds

U Sail Bermuda

Blue Hole Water Sports

Shelly Bay, in your pocket

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