Current Forecast & Tides

About this spot

Hayling Island's West Beach sits on the eastern edge of Chichester Harbour, facing out across Hayling Bay. It's one of the south coast's most versatile kitesurfing beaches, working in a wide arc of winds from east through south to south-west.

The defining feature is the East Winner sandbar, which emerges around four hours either side of low tide and creates a vast, waist-deep flat-water lagoon stretching over a kilometre offshore. This is one of the best learning environments on the south coast — shallow, sheltered water with plenty of room to ride. In stronger south-westerly winds the outer beach produces decent chop and short waves beyond the sandbar.

Wind funnelling through the Solent can make conditions gusty, particularly in spring when the prevailing south-westerly blows partly offshore across the island. Summer south and south-westerly sea breezes are the most reliable window, typically April to October. Easterly winds produce a clean cross-shore direction and often blow very consistently at this spot.

CBK (Centre for Kiteboarding) is the only BKSA-accredited school on Hayling Island and has exclusive teaching zones within the East Winner lagoon. Because of the sheltered nature of the sandbar at low tide, CBK can operate in almost any wind direction — worth knowing if a forecast looks borderline.

Hazards

Lessons

CBK Hayling Island CBK (Centre for Kiteboarding) is one of the UK's longest-running kitesurf schools, based at Hayling Island since 1999. They offer BKSA-accredited lessons for all levels, plus a club, shop and equipment hire.

Getting there & parking

Hayling Island is reached via the A3023 from Havant across the road bridge. The Beachlands car parks are right on the seafront and managed by Havant Borough Council, with charges from 8am–10pm every day year round. Motorhomes and vehicles adapted for sleeping are charged at a flat rate per session. Blue badge holders and motorcycles park free. See current rates on the Havant Borough Council parking page.

Nearby spots

Also worth checking: West Wittering (10 miles west along the coast), Lepe (20 miles south-west across the Solent), and Calshot (25 miles south-west) — worth knowing as one of the only Solent spots that works in north-easterly winds, when Hayling Island is cross-offshore.

Water quality

Storm overflow data for Hayling Island is monitored in real time by Southern Water via their telemetry network. Current water quality status — including active sewage discharges and recent spill alerts — updates automatically in the live forecast app.