Over the past few years we’ve spent a lot of time on Littlehampton beach – whether that’s in the office looking out to sea, teaching kitesurfing lessons, or out on the water enjoying the conditions ourselves. Because of that, we’ve seen Littlehampton working in just about every way it can.
Littlehampton offers a wide range of conditions depending on tide and wind. On the right setup it can provide flat, forgiving water ideal for learning, while at other times it delivers classic South Coast conditions for more experienced riders. This spot guide explains how the beach works, what to look out for, and how to get the most out of a session here.
The tide is one of the biggest factors at Littlehampton.
A reliable time for riding is around two hours either side of low tide. During this window the water is generally flatter and knee to waist deep, making it ideal for beginners and those looking for flat-water progression. This is also when most lessons take place.
As the tide continues to fill in beyond this point, the water gains more movement and shape, and the conditions become better suited to intermediate and advanced riders.
A personal favourite time to kite is around 3.5 hours before low tide, when the period between the waves is usually at its best. This gives cleaner gaps between sets, making it easier to build speed before using the small kickers that start to form as the tide continues to move.
Foiling is often workable from around two hours after low tide, once there is enough depth, and can be a good option as the water continues to fill in.
One of the advantages of Littlehampton is that it works across most stages of the tide, rather than relying on one short window.
The beach faces south, which suits the prevailing south-westerly wind and helps keep conditions workable and predictable. In this direction the wind comes in slightly cross-onshore from the right.
The spot generally works in winds from west through to easterly. Winds with north in them are offshore, can be gusty, and are usually not suitable for kitesurfing.
During the summer months Littlehampton often benefits from a sea-breeze effect, particularly on warm days with a south-westerly forecast.
The best setups are usually hot days, with the forecast showing a light to moderate SW from late morning onwards, and not too much cloud cover. A good visual sign on the beach is seeing big, fluffy clouds building over the land from late morning, which often indicates the thermal effect starting to work.
On days like this, the sea breeze can fill in through the afternoon and add around 4–8 knots on top of the forecast wind strength.
A useful local reference is the Chimet wind station, located around 20 miles to the west. In SW conditions, Chimet will often be reading less wind than what eventually arrives at Littlehampton. As weather systems move east along the coast, the wind frequently builds, meaning Littlehampton often ends up windier than locations further west and stronger than the forecast alone suggests.
The main launch area is in front of The Beach Watersports, or just slightly to the east, where there is usually plenty of space.
On a bigger high tide, beach space can sometimes be limited, so launching slightly west toward the beach huts usually works better. There can be some shore break at higher tide, but it is generally manageable for confident riders.
There is a yellow rope anchored into the ground outside the centre that experienced riders may use for self-launching and landing. If there’s wind, there are usually people around to help. The team at The Beach Littlehampton are also often happy to give a hand — Buying a coffee in return for a launch is usually a fair deal.
The main kitesurfing area runs from in front of the centre westwards toward the rusty café.
Further west, four large yellow buoys mark a no-craft swimming area, which is monitored by lifeguards during the season. Kitesurfing is not permitted inside this zone, typically between May and October.
To the east of the centre is the teaching area, where lessons regularly take place. This area should be given space when instruction is running.
The seabed is mostly sandy, with several stone patches to be aware of.
Just to the west of the centre there is a stony area that extends out roughly 120 metres, then curves slightly to the right. At low tide it becomes fully exposed and creates a shallow, lagoon-like area downwind. This can provide very flat water, but it does get shallow.
At low tide this area is a popular place to ride. As the tide fills in, moving around 100 metres further west generally offers a better water state.
There are relatively few groynes along this section of beach. Those that are present start to become submerged from around 2.5 hours after low tide, but are generally easy to spot as the tide fills in.
One of the advantages of kiting at Littlehampton is the facilities right on the beach.
Food, coffee and post-session drinks on site
Changing rooms, hot showers and toilets at the watersports centre for Membership holders and lesson customers
Large car park directly opposite the beach, plus additional on-road parking nearby
We run a Live Webcam overlooking the main launch area, along with up-to-date wind and tide information, so you can check conditions before heading down.
If you’re learning or looking to progress, our Learn to Kitesurf options explain the best way to get started here. Regular riders may also want to look at Membership for access to facilities and local support.
If you’d like a second opinion on the forecast or conditions, feel free to give us a call on 01903357036.
If we don’t answer, we’re probably already on the water, leave a message and we’ll get back to you.