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Cooktown Kiteboarding Locations
Figure 1: Cooktown Region showing Cape Bedford and nearby Reefs.
Figure 2: Cooktown's Kite spot in Walker Bay, at the mouth of the Annan River.
Figure 3: The Annan River mouth at High Tide.
Figure 4:The Annan River mouth at Low Tide.
Riding Information and safety tips (thanks to Tony aka Cowbuoy)
Cooktown is located about 170km north of Cairns and is probably the most consistently windy town in Australia. Access is by road from Cairns, or light aircraft.
Cooktown is in the northern trade wind belt and gets consistent SE winds most of the year, but especially April to September. There can be good SE winds during summer but you are more likely to get lighter northerlies at that time. It can be very windy here, with windspeeds of 20-30 knots common throughout winter, and gusts into the mid 30's on the really windy days. SSE winds are more gusty than SE or ESE winds at this spot.
The best estimates of the wind at Cooktown are the readings at Cape Flattery on the mainland 55km to the north, which updates every 30min. The readings from Cooktown airport are not a good indicator of the windspeed at the beach as the airport is behind a low hill and in a wind shadow.
The main riding spot at Cooktown is in Walker Bay at the mouth of the Annan River, just to the south of town. You'll need a 4WD to access the spot. Turn off the Cooktown Developmental Rd onto Quarantine Bay Road and head toward the golf course, then take the sandy track off to the right just before the golf course. This track leads to the beach and then down to the river mouth. There is free bush camping at the mouth, but please respect the environment and remove all rubbish, as the land is privately owned and the owners are kiter friendly, but want to see it kept clean.
There is good flatwater riding inside the river mouth, especially at low tides (1m or less) when a sandbar protects all the water inside, and there are breaking wind waves on the outside in the bay. Rig and launch on the sandbars close to the car parking area. Check the tides here or download the J-tides program which has good tide graphs for Cooktown.
Access & Accommodation: You get to Cooktown by road or plane and there are various accommodation options at the town itself. Australian KiteSurfari organise trips to the coast north of Cooktown.
There are several dangerous marine animals in the area to be aware of. Box Jellyfish (both the larger Chironex and smaller Irukandji) are present in these waters especially from October to May (although Irikandji can potentially be found all year round). They don't like rough water and waves very much, but they do like to shelter in the mangrove creeks, so the river mouth area has the highest jellyfish risk. A sting from Chironex is potentially fatal and a sting from Irukandji will likely put you in hospital for 48 hours on IV morphine, so it is wise to wear a full length lycra suit under your boardies and harness during the October to May period.
Saltwater crocodiles are definitely found in the area, and like the jellyfish, they tend to prefer the sheltered creeks rather than the open beaches. They are not generally seen at the Annan River mouth except in calm wet season conditions, and they have not taken anyone in the Cooktown area for a while. The riding area has fairly clean water and a sandy bottom so you can see any lurking crocs and either boost over them or hold off on your handle pass trick until you are a bit further along. They are not likely to make a grab at a speeding kiteboarder, but someone swimming in the creek area is definitely at higher risk than someone riding a board. Bottom line is - don't spend a lot of time drifting around in the water inside the river mouth.
Stingrays are also likely to be found in the river mouth and over the shallow sand flats. They will only sting you if you step directly on to them. So, if you are doing a lot of walking in shallow water while kiting, then do the stingray shuffle - keeping the feet close to the bottom, rather than stomping around. Also making a bit of a commotion in the water before touching the bottom is a good idea - the ray will sense the vibrations and swim away before your foot lands on it.
For more info about kiting Cooktown call the local rider Tony on (07) 4069 5659 or email him here.
WEATHER
Satellite Pictures Local Waters Forecast 4-day Forecast Charts
Tides Current Windspeeds at Cape Flattery
For more info contact us by phone or email.