Skip to the spot

Hamilton Parish, Bermuda

Aug · 33% rideable

Shelly Bay

What it's actually like

Wopnin? It is the standard friendly greeting on the Rock, as locals call Bermuda, and it means "what's happening?" At Shelly Bay, from November to April, the answer is usually wind.

This is a family park first and a wind spot second, and that is its charm. A curve of sand on the North Shore of Hamilton Parish, a park at one end with a playground and picnic tables, a boardwalk through a small nature reserve on the west side, and water so shallow and clear you watch the sand race by under your board.

The sea sits around 18 to 19°C from January to March and nearer 23°C in November.

Spotted something out of date? Tell us

Your month

When it's good

12 kt+ for 3+ daylight hours · kite

August · 33%. 10 rideable days in 31, 3.4 hours a day over 12 kt. Bring a book.

Where else it blows in August

At a glance

Is it for you?

Skill levelComfortable
WaterBit of chop
Wind · AugHit and miss
Crowds · AugHeavy in season
Local vibeWelcoming
Water qualityUsually clean
NightlifeA bar or two
CostMid

Geek analysis

August in the record

33% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.

In August the wind most often sits at 4 to 7 kt (32% of daylight hours). No daylight hour is over 12 kt on at least half the days. The best hour is 1pm, on 29% of days. See both charts in the full report

August on the record

The month's own figures, not the year's average.

Rideable days10 of 31Ten Augusts in the record
Strongest measured gust73 ktAugust 2024, L.F. Wade airport station, 6.7 km away. Thirty-three Augusts measured, 1990 to 2026. Station, not the beach.
Wind, rideable hours16 ktMean over daylight hours at 12 kt+
Air27.3°CMaximum

Take it with you

The full Shelly Bay report

Seven sections over six pages, built from the same record as this page. A PDF you can read on the plane.

01Hour-by-hour & month-by-month wind02The month's own records03Full stays, schools & kit04Per-launch tide windows05Shallows, swimmers & winter fronts06Getting there, packing & best months07Sources, and their limits

When it gets busy

Crowds

Feb · Medium

Summer belongs to the swimmers and families, May to September. Winter brings the riders and fewer visitors, and December is the quietest month. The inside is small, so more than three kites up feels crowded.

On the water

What August usually does

August sits outside the best months here. 33% of days clear 12 kt for three daylight hours or more.

Your playground

Launches & safety

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

  • Launch
  • Hazard
  • Parking
  • School
  • Stay
  • Webcam
  • Approximate

Local intel

Getting there & on the ground

Nearest airportL.F. Wade (BDA)About 9 km by road, across the Causeway.
On the groundNovember to AprilThe winter season, when fronts bring the wind.
Getting aroundBus, taxi or scooterNo conventional car hire, though visitors can rent electric cars. Buses 10 and 11 pass the bay on the North Shore.

Stay, schools & kit

Who works this beach

Graykite BermudaSchoolKiteIKOKite school. Names Shelly Bay for North Shore sessions with advanced riders.Website
Island WindsSchoolKite · WindsurfPrivate and semi-private kite lessons, and windsurf lessons.Website
© U Sail Castle Harbour at Rosewood BermudaU Sail BermudaSchoolGoogle MapsWindsurf · WingFamily-run centre on Harrington Sound and Castle Harbour offering RYA courses. Windsurf courses, and wingsurf and wing foil first flights.Website

All 3 stays near Shelly Bay on one page

Something wrong?We check before it changes.Suggest a change

Sources

Wind dataOpen-Meteo · ECMWF IFS HRES 9 km · 2017 to 2026Weather data by Open-Meteo.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0. The figures on this page are statistics we counted from that data. Model data: European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), CC BY 4.0. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026 (ERA5). Neither the European Commission nor ECMWF is responsible for any use that may be made of the Copernicus information or data it contains. Station data: Bermuda Weather Service, L.F. Wade International (TXKF) observations January 2017 to September 2026, via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet ASOS/METAR archive, Iowa State University. Derived figures, not the observations. Licence: Bermuda Weather Service terms: free to redistribute with the source acknowledged; IEM archive in the public domain.
Map data© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
PhotosHero, The curve of Shelly Bay Beach over clear, shallow waterCansu Joy Burgess · Google Maps · Google Maps Platform termsA kite over the chop at sunset, Shelly Bay.David Kendell · Google Maps · Google Maps Platform termsClear shallows over the sand at Shelly Bay.Ernest Howard Jr · Google Maps · Google Maps Platform termsSchool, U Sail BermudaU Sail Castle Harbour at Rosewood Bermuda · Google Maps · Google Maps Platform terms