Kernow Kitesurf Club
Close full menu Kernow Kitesurf Club
The Bluff, Hayle
On the north (Atlantic) coast

Updated March 2024

The ban on kitesurfing at Hayle (aka “the Bluff”) has been lifted but is restricted to kitesurfers who are insured and display a bluff pass. There are restrictions with a permit system. Please see the “Bluff Code of Conduct“.

The Code of Conduct short version is “have insurance, have a permit, give way to boats at all times (keep 100m away).

Pass Costs

  • BKSA Members pay £10
  • BKSA Members With KKC Affiliation FREE
  • Other 3rd Party Liability Kitesurfing Insurance £20 (please provide documentation to enable the pass to be sold)

The system is working well, so please use, don’t abuse the spot and the code of conduct.

 

Where to get your Bluff Pass…

To get your Bluff pass go to Down the Line in Hayle with your BKSA card in your digital wallet or your plastic card if you don’t have the digital version. If you don’t have BKSA membership, you’ll need other documentary proof that you have insurance to kitesurf and it is valid for the duration of the pass .

Parking

Payment for parking at the Bluff Harvey Towans car park is now mandatory and controlled automatically, you can only pay via the Sippi App available at https://sippi.app/

You can also park at the Bluff Pub on Phillack Towans car park where there is a cash payment machine in the car park itself.

Also just over the road from the Bluff is the Hayle Beach Parking Car Park Which has the Just Park system

 

Key Elements of the Hayle Kitesurf Agreement

  • Bluff permit tagAny person kitesurfing within the jurisdiction of the Hayle Harbour Authority must wear a valid Bluff permit tag on their harness.
    • Wearing a tag is important as it signifies the kiter has a valid third party liability insurance of 5 million pounds, that the kiter has agreed to abide by the Code of Conduct, and by purchasing it has made a small contribution to the annual Water Users Licence for which Kernow Kitesurfing Club has to pay the Hayle Harbour Authority.
  • All kite surfers MUST keep at least 100m away from AND turn away from all vessels using the channel. This remains the key guideline for the 2011 trial.
  • No kitesurfing at any time south (which means inland) of Chapel Anjou marked by a large 5 knot speed restriction sign.
  • All kitesurfers must be at intermediate level or above; no learning or teaching.

The permits are free for members of the KKC, £10 for non-members, and run from 1st April each year. Non-BKSA members may purchase a tag for £20 provided they have valid liability insurance of 5 million pounds.

Location

Take the turning on the A30 for Hayle and drive towards the centre of town. Either head to the Bluff In or The Hayle Beach Car Park if accessing the Bluff from the North via Lethlean Lane and Churchtown Road.

or the Harvey Towans Car Park accessed via North Quay

Overview

It is worth having a chat to the lifeguards (here in summer only) on the way down to the beach or certainly with any other sailors. On an ebbing tide there is a severe rip which only slows as low tide approaches – your board is off out to sea very fast if you lose it in the channel. Watch out as high tide arrives as the beach at the bottom of the access path disappears.

Wind Directions

NE, N, NW and W (Westerly can be gusty for kitesurfing and so better to move up to Gwithian)

Spot Guides

Gwithian

Gwithian

This venue is synonymous with down the line wave sailing in the UK. Parking on top of the cliffs you can look west across the gently curving St Ives Bay from the harbour town of the same name to the stark white lighthouse on Godrevy Point.

Daymer Bay

Daymer Bay

Real Care should be taken on an Ebbing Tide (out going) as the tidal current is exceptionally strong and many competent sailors have been caught out.

Marazion & Long Rock

Marazion & Long Rock

Marazion and Long Rock are both located on Mounts Bay near Penzance and with the back drop of St Michaels Mount.

Par

Par

A good location from mid to low water as the gently shelving beach can give shallow conditions that are ideal for learning in.

Perranporth & Perran Sands

Perranporth & Perran Sands

Big tide days often deliver wide flat water sections for the twin tips. Wave board riders tend to favour the Perran Sands end where the big waves hold for longer.