Oxwich Bay
A deep, sheltered south-facing Gower bay — flat water and a nature reserve behind the beach.
Loading the week's forecast…
● 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
- Sheltered sand at the head of a deep south-facing bay, with a car park behind the beach.
- Wind
- NE · ENE · E · ESE · SE · SSE · S winds work here.
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.
- The sheltered Gower option — come here when Llangennith is too big.
- Headlands at both ends make the wind patchy close in. It cleans up further out.
- National Nature Reserve behind the beach. Stay off the dunes and marsh.
Conditions
- Best
- Works
- Offshore
- Works in
- NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE, S
- Best in
- E, ESE, SE
- Offshore (careful)
- N, WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW
- Wind quality
- moderate
- Water
- Flat to choppy
- Depth
- standing
- Best tide
- Mid tide
- Spring range
- 8.6 m
Headlands at both ends shelter the bay and can make the wind patchy close in.
Sea breeze · May–Aug
- Beginner
- Good
- Intermediate
- Good
- Advanced
- Workable
Hazards
Most serious first. The level is in words as well as colour.
- medium
rocks Rock at Oxwich Point and Great Tor at either end of the bay.
- medium
wildlife Oxwich is a National Nature Reserve with protected dune and marsh habitat behind the beach.
- medium
crowds Popular family beach in summer.
Access & rules
- Launch
- Sheltered sand at the head of a deep south-facing bay, with a car park behind the beach.
- Permit
- Not required
- Insurance
- Third-party liability expected
- Tuition
- Permitted
- Facilities
- toilets, cafe, pub
Parking
- Oxwich Bay car park
paid
Seasonal restrictions
- Jun–Aug
RNLI bathing zones in peak season.
Safety
Who is around if it goes wrong. None of it makes the water safe.
- Lifeguards
- Seasonal RNLI cover.
- RNLI
- Horton & Port Eynon RNLI
- Nearest A&E
- Morriston Hospital, Swansea (~35 min)
- Water quality
- Designated bathing water — excellent
The spot
Oxwich sits on the southern side of the Gower, a deep bay sheltered by headlands at both ends. It is the peninsula's flatwater option and where riders head when Llangennith on the Atlantic side is unmanageable.
Those sheltering headlands make the wind patchy close to shore, though it cleans up further out. The dunes and marsh behind the beach form a National Nature Reserve, so stay on the sand.
Nearby alternatives
Other launches around Gower Peninsula, with different conditions.
- Llangennith
The Gower's swell magnet — real Atlantic waves and a lot of space.
- Broughton Bay
Flat sand and fewer people, at the corner of the Gower.
Sources
Where this record came from, and how confident we are in it.
- Windfinder — Oxwich Bay
Checked 2026-09-07 · coordinates, wind
- Gower Kite Riders — Oxwich Bay
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
- Blast Kiteboarding — Oxwich Bay
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
- Kite & Windsurfing Guide — Oxwich Bay
Checked 2026-09-23 · wind
Verify locally. Coordinates 51.5622, -4.1561. Conditions, access arrangements and beach rules change; check them on the day before you rely on anything on this page.