Byron Bay has more beaches than most visitors manage to see in a standard trip. From Cape Beach House on Lighthouse Road, three of the best are within walking distance. Here is an honest comparison of each.
Clarkes Beach
Directly opposite Cape Beach House. North-facing, which means morning light hits it early and directly. Long flat arc of white sand. The water is generally calmer than the more exposed southern beaches and on most days is suitable for general swimming without surf experience required.
The important caveat: Clarkes is not patrolled by lifeguards outside of school holidays. Main Beach and The Pass are patrolled year-round. If you are swimming with children or you are not a confident ocean swimmer, go in the middle of the bay where the water is most settled. At lower tides, the waves can dump on shallow sandbars with more power than they look like they should have. The rocky section at the eastern end near The Pass should be avoided in bigger swells.
At low tide, tidal pools form in the rocks at the eastern end. These are calm and good for children. The same area offers snorkelling in settled conditions.
Best time: early morning before 8am or late afternoon from 4pm. The mid-morning to mid-afternoon peak is crowded on summer weekends.
The Pass
Ten to twelve minutes east along the beachfront from Cape Beach House, or a five-minute walk from Clarkes. The Pass is one of the most famous surf breaks in Australia: a long, right-hand wave that peels consistently along the point when the swell is running. For surfers, this is the reason to be in Byron Bay. For non-surfers, it is an extraordinary place to watch surfing from the shore.
The Pass also has excellent conditions for swimming and paddling at the western end of the beach, away from the surf break. The water is generally clear and calm in that section. Children often paddle here safely while the more experienced surfers work the break in the distance.
Best time: The Pass catches the afternoon sun later than Clarkes because of the headland behind it. Late afternoon at The Pass, when the sun is low and the surfers are still out, is one of the iconic Byron Bay visual experiences. Bring something to sit on and stay until the light goes.
Wategos Beach
Around the headland from The Pass, reached by a path from The Pass car park or by continuing along the Cape Byron Walking Track. Smaller, more sheltered, backed by the headland and the Cape Byron State Conservation Area above. Wategos has a particular quality: it is Byron Bay most refined beach. The houses perched in the vegetation above are significant properties. Raes on Wategos sits directly above it.
The water at Wategos is generally calm and excellent for swimming. The beach does not get the crowds of Clarkes or the surf spectacle of The Pass. It is the beach for the afternoon swim you want to be quiet, followed by dinner at Raes above.
Dolphins are regularly seen off Wategos. The positioning of the beach relative to the cape means marine life passes close to shore. If you want to see dolphins in Byron Bay without booking a kayak tour, Wategos in the early morning or late afternoon is where to stand.
Best time: afternoon into early evening. The beach catches the western light well in summer and retains warmth into the evening in the warmer months.
Which beach for which purpose
Morning swim: Clarkes, because it is across the road and catches the morning light. Surf watching: The Pass, specifically from the western end of the beach where the view of the break is unobstructed. Afternoon swim: Wategos, for the calm water and the chance of dolphin sightings. Sunrise: None of the above. Walk up the lighthouse. The view from 94 metres above sea level beats all three.