Bracklesham Bay
The unrestricted Manhood Peninsula beach — bigger waves than West Wittering at low tide, and nobody charging you to be there.
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● Spot · shaded: the wind directions that work here. It is not a riding area or a permitted kite zone. Two fingers to move the map.
Location & launch
Know before you go.
- Launch
- Shingle-and-sand beach with open access from the seafront car park. No membership, no gate.
- Wind
- ESE · SE · SSE · S · SSW · SW · WSW · W · WNW winds work here.
- Tide
- Low to mid tide gets the biggest waves and the most beach.
The shaded area shows the wind directions recorded as working here. It is not a permitted kite zone or a safe launch boundary. Check local signs.
Local rules, hazards & spot guide
Need to know
The things that catch people out here.
- This is the free alternative to West Wittering, a mile west. Same wind, bigger waves at low to mid tide, no membership required.
- Very few amenities — a car park, a café and not much else. That is exactly why it stays quiet.
- The Bracklesham Boardriders foreshore code of conduct covers this beach; worth reading before your first visit.
Conditions
- Best
- Works
- Offshore
- Works in
- ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW
- Best in
- SW, WSW, W
- Offshore (careful)
- N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, NNW
- Wind quality
- moderate
- Water
- Choppy
- Depth
- mixed
- Best tide
- Low to mid
- Spring range
- 4.5 m
Tide rule
Low to mid tide gets the biggest waves and the most beach.
Sea breeze · May–Aug
- Beginner
- Workable
- Intermediate
- Ideal
- Advanced
- Good
Hazards
Most serious first. The level is in words as well as colour.
- medium
rocks Clay and rock ledges plus the remains of old sea defences appear at low water in places.
- medium
shore break Steeper than West Wittering, with a real dump at high tide.
Access & rules
- Launch
- Shingle-and-sand beach with open access from the seafront car park. No membership, no gate.
- Permit
- Not required
- Insurance
- Third-party liability expected
- Tuition
- Permitted
- Facilities
- toilets, cafe
Parking
- Bracklesham Bay seafront car park
paid
Safety
Who is around if it goes wrong. None of it makes the water safe.
- Lifeguards
- None
- Nearest A&E
- St Richard's Hospital, Chichester (~25 min)
- Water quality
- Designated bathing water — good
The spot
Bracklesham sits a mile east of West Wittering and offers much of the same wind for none of the cost. Conditions are similar, but at low to mid tide the waves here are usually bigger, the water is closer to the car, and the lack of amenities keeps the crowds away.
It is a plainer beach — shingle over sand, a café, a car park. Old sea defence remains and clay ledges show up at low water in places, and the shore break is heavier than at West Wittering. The local Bracklesham Boardriders code of conduct is the reference for how the beach is shared.
Links & local
Clubs, forums & groups
- Bracklesham Boardriders · club
Nearby alternatives
Other launches around The Witterings & Bracklesham, with different conditions.
- West Wittering
Superb sandbar conditions — for the members-only few who can legally ride here.
Sources
Where this record came from, and how confident we are in it.
- Bracklesham Boardriders foreshore code of conduct
Checked 2026-09-07 · rules
- Global Kite Spots — West Wittering
Checked 2026-09-07 · conditions
- UK Windsurfing beach guide — Bracklesham Bay
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
- Eola — Bracklesham Bay
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
- Global Kite Spots — Bracklesham Bay
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
- Kiteforum spot guide — Bracklesham Bay
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
Verify locally. Coordinates 50.7608, -0.8604. Conditions, access arrangements and beach rules change; check them on the day before you rely on anything on this page.