Windsurfing Rivoli Bay, Beachport

Rivoli Bay is at Beachport on South Australia’s Limestone Coast about 4 hours drive south of Adelaide.

The main sailing spot on the bay is “Surfbeach” which is the main surf beach at Beachport a couple of kms east of town.

This spot is a good wave sailing when there is a swell and works well in a W – NW however cross-shore breezes can be a bit gusty as the wind comes across the land. It also works in a S – SE breeze which usually occur during summer however S is directly on-shore so you may need to vary your launching spot around the bay to enable you to get off-shore.

In an onshore breeze, you can sail parallel to the beach, chasing waves in-and-out as you go. You can travel a couple of kilometres in either direction while only 150 metres off-shore. The water is very clean and crisp with a sandy bottom and some good swells.

When the swells are big you can start near the jetty and tack out to one kilometre off the end, then cross ride the huge swells, the locals refer to as “Demole Break”. This can be great fun on slalom gear.

If you are up for a long-distance sail (about 14 km), in a NE you can launch at the Beachport Jetty and sail across the bay to the South End Jetty. It tends to be a reach there and slightly up-wind on the way back. The water is pretty flat with some rolling swirls and ramps. Be sure to take someone with you or let people know you are doing this as you are several kms off-shore on the middle of the bay. There are usually a few small fishing boats in the area most days but pack a flare just in case.

The main season generally start in October and runs through to March. The seabreeze can be particularly good in December with very low crowds (to no-one).

It is said that there are not many sharks in the area as the water is too cold.

Here is a little video that show what this spot is like on a normal day….

See more videos here >>

Other spots nearby

Robe is also a fabulous spot for wave sailing which is about 30 mins drive. If you like flat water sailing, Lake George just a few kilometres out of town is famous for speed-sailing and flat-water-blasting.