Dorset - Kimmeridge Bay
Clear, safe waters that are ideal for watersports
Kimmeridge Bay, on Dorset’s Jurassic World Heritage Coast, is famous for its safe swimming, rock pooling, canoeing, wind surfing and water sports. The water visibility is excellent for snorkellers and divers.
For surfers, it offers Dorset’s premier reef break, Broadbench, which can hold waves of up to 15 feet along with other waves in the “K-Bay” area.
Kimmeridge Bay, half a mile south west of the village of Kimmeridge via a toll road, features some of the most important geology anywhere on the Jurassic Coast. It also boasts some of the area’s most accessible marine wildlife. The natural rock ledges extending out into the bay make it easy to view life on the shore and in the shallow waters, making it a wonderful location for rock pooling.
The bay is also a superb location for a variety of water-based activities. The shallow, warm waters are excellent for snorkelling and diving, and are very popular during the summer months, with easy access to excellent dive sites. There is little tide and not much current, making it great for beginners, while the comparative lack of sand helps ensure visibility is often excellent. Surfing and windsurfing are also gaining popularity in the area.
Overlooking the beach is Clavell Tower, a Georgian folly, built on the cliff edge. In 1975, this was the inspiration for crime writer PD James’s murder story, The Black Tower.
The bay is part of the Jurassic Coast (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), part of the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is in a Marine Special Area of Conservation.
