Porth Neigwl
Hell's Mouth
- Who it suits
- Intermediate and advanced surfers confident in open water
- Best conditions
- South-west facing
- Pebbly at high tide, with large expanses of sand at low tide
- Lifeguard
- Not lifeguarded
- Facilities
- Limited parking
Kitesurf & Windsurf
Kitesurfing and sailboarding at Porth Neigwl, windsurf tuition on the bay, and the beach safety notice at Hell's Mouth.
Large waves and windy conditions at Porth Neigwl — Hell's Mouth — draw kitesurfers. The big waves make it a popular resort for surfing and sailboarding. The beach takes its name from its semicircular shape, resembling a wide, open mouth, and is south-west facing, pebbly at high tide, with large expanses of sand at low tide.
Abersoch Bay is a sheltered beach, popular for windsurfing. Abersoch Hydro offers windsurfing lessons and windsurfing hire.
O'Shea is the UK importer and distributor for the Simmer Style windsurfing brand, and is a UK manufacturer and distributor supplying windsurfing equipment and clothing.
Where to do it
Abersoch Bay
Sports suited
Sailing · Paddleboarding · Windsurfing · Wakeboarding & waterski
- Who it suits
- The sheltered, beginner-friendly end
- Facilities
- Blue Flag
- Beach huts rentable by day or week through the beach cafés
- Dogs
- Seasonal dog restrictions
Learn, hire and buy
Good to know
- The Porth Neigwl beach safety notice warns visitors to beware of power kites, and to take care with inflatables in strong winds.
- It also warns of strong currents and large breaking waves, and of a steep shelving beach with deep water at high tide.
- The cliffs at Porth Neigwl are unstable boulder clay with regular landslips: do not climb or dig into them, and keep away from both the cliff edge and the base of the cliff.
- Porth Neigwl is not lifeguarded, and is known for strong rip currents and shifting sandbars. If you are caught in a rip current, do not swim against it — swim parallel to the shore until you are free, then head for shore, and raise a hand and shout for help.
- Visitors are advised to follow Adventure Smart and RNLI safety guidance, and in a coastal emergency to call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.
- Porth Neigwl is roughly four miles long, lying between Mynydd Rhiw and Mynydd Cilan. In the days of sail the strong winds made the bay lethal for shipping, and over 30 vessels are known to have been wrecked there.
Common questions
- Where do kitesurfers ride near Abersoch?
- Porth Neigwl — Hell's Mouth. Large waves and windy conditions there draw kitesurfers.
- Is Hell's Mouth used for sailboarding?
- Yes. The big waves at Porth Neigwl make it a popular resort for surfing and sailboarding.
- Where can I learn to windsurf?
- Abersoch Hydro offers windsurfing lessons and windsurfing hire.
- Where can I buy windsurfing kit?
- O'Shea is the UK importer and distributor for the Simmer Style windsurfing brand, and supplies windsurfing equipment and clothing.
- What does the beach safety notice at Hell's Mouth say?
- It warns of strong currents, large breaking waves and a steep shelving beach with deep water at high tide. Take care with inflatables in strong winds, and beware of power kites.