Windsurfing, Wingfoiling & Kiting – Dog Beach, Ballina
Ballina is located on the NSW Mid North Coast about 190 km south of Brisbane and 730km north of Sydney.
The Richmond River runs through the middle of the town of Ballina and into the ocean.
There is a relatively protected body of water inside the heads (Missingham Beach) which you access via the dog beach.
The tide can be very strong here so you need to pick your tide times in conjunction with the wind.
It works in a SE breeze so the tide against wind is outgoing tide. Also too much south and the wind can get blustery.
The water can sometimes be crystal clear and blue but it is generally more brackish due to rain water flushing the river.
If you are in the area and the wind is blowing from the SE, it is a good option. And if you can score it on the day it can provide some spectacular flat water blasting.
Access, Rigging & Launching
There is a plenty of free parking along this strip of beach which runs from the sailing club/water slide almost to the Missingham bridge.
Where you launch from might depend in the tide/water levels and how much S or E is in the angle of the breeze.
The shore drops off steeply towards the sailing club and there are a lot more sand bars around towards the bridge so that area is suited to higher tide. There can also be a reasonable shore break in strong winds around the northern end of the beach.
There are plenty of nice grassy areas to rig on and launching is via a nice sandy beach. For kitesurfers there is plenty of beach to rig & launch from particularly near the point.
There is BBQ areas, a kids playground & public toilets in the area.
Potential Hazards
The most obvious hazard here is the strength of the current. If you are a novice and you get out into the channel you may find yourself getting dragged down or up-stream pretty swiftly.
It is also known for the odd Bull shark (but not common) so be aware of this.
After a big rainfall the river sometimes has a bit of debris floating downstream like sticks & weeds.
Here is a little video that shows how it can look on a good day with clear water…
