Beach activity guide
Beaches with rocks, ledges, pools or low-tide exploring.
Beaches with rocks, ledges, pools or low-tide exploring.
Compton Beach / Compton Bay is a Freshwater beach with long sandy beach with rocky ledges and reef areas, especially around hanover point. Good for confident swimmers and wave play in settled conditions; less.
Freshwater Bay is a Freshwater beach with grey pebbles, shingle, rock shelves and pebbly seabed. Better for confident swimmers than young children; deepens quickly and is rocky underfoot.
Steephill Cove is a Ventnor beach with small cove with shingle, sand patches, rocks, fishing boats and rock pools. Good for a sheltered dip in calm weather for competent swimmers; watch rocks, seaweed and.
Priory Bay is a Seaview beach with sandy bay at low tide with some woodland-backed shingle and organic debris. Better for paddling and quiet dips than serious swimming; shallow at low tide.
Ryde Beach is a Ryde beach with broad beige sand with sandy seabed. Good for high-tide swimming and low-tide paddling; too shallow for serious swimming at low tide.
St Helens Duver Beach is a St Helens beach with sand and pebbles with sand/pebble seabed. Pretty good for swimming and paddling in calm water, but shallow; best around suitable tide levels.
Yaverland Beach is a Sandown beach with long sandy beach with sandy seabed, chalk-cliff end toward culver. Good sandy swimming beach in settled weather; family-friendly but check tide and cliff end conditions.
Bembridge Beach is a Bembridge beach with sand and pebbles with rock pools and small-boat shoreline. Fine for paddling; generally too shallow for proper swimming at low tide.
Monks Bay is a Bonchurch beach with small gravel/pebble beach with pebbly seabed. Can be good for a quiet dip for competent swimmers in calm conditions; rocky underfoot and unlifeguarded.
Shanklin (Clock Tower) Beach is a Shanklin beach with sand and pebbles with sand/pebble seabed; broad resort beach. Great for swimming with plenty of sandy patches and good family facilities; water shoes can.
Fort Victoria Beach is a Yarmouth beach with small pebbles with pebbly seabed. Good for careful dips in calm conditions according to beach listing, but better known for rockpooling/fossils than resort swimming.