Jamaica — Burwood Beach (Trelawny)06h · 4 kt
0NOT RECOMMENDEDPick your slot
Min. level
Beginner
Optimal wind
14-30 kts
Season
January, March, April, July, August, December
Live · now
What to check
Discover the spot
The spot
Discover Jamaica
Along a coast otherwise locked up by reef, Burwood is the gap: a long white-sand beach, a gentle slope easing into warm clear water, and the trade wind filling in cross-shore through the afternoon. This is where you learn to kite in Jamaica — White Bay — and it's where you keep coming back to carve laps out into the Caribbean without ever feeling the edge of danger.
Burwood is the exception that makes kiting possible in Jamaica. Almost everywhere else on the island the reef hugs the coast and turns a session into a trap; here, White Bay opens onto a long white-sand beach, a gentle slope easing down, and warm clear water with no rocks in the riding zone. The trade comes in cross-shore and builds through the afternoon, just enough to learn without getting carried off. The vibe is Jamaican and seaside: families, swimmers, gazebos, and Brian on his beach rigging beginners for years. You don't come here to box a big swell, you come to taste Caribbean kiting in its most welcoming form — sand underfoot, turquoise sea ahead, and the margin to blow a tack without consequence.
Who & when
Level and best time
Who it's for
First and foremost a beginner and progression spot. The winning combo: sand, a gentle slope, no reef in the riding zone and a cross-shore wind that always brings you back to the beach. You land your first water starts with confidence, lock in your upwind, play in light chop with no real punch. Wind stays moderate (often 15-20 kt, lighter in the morning, building through the afternoon), so come comfortable on the launch. An intermediate or advanced rider will have fun too when the trade blows hard, but the soul of the spot is the margin it leaves you to learn.
source : moonjamaica.com ↗Best time
Two windows stand out: around Easter (March-April), then July-August, when the E/NE trade blows steadily at 15-20 kt. Winter (December-March) holds up well too. Either way, aim for the afternoon: mornings are often soft, the wind builds once the thermal stacks onto the trade. The island's east side is windier than the west, and Burwood sits well. Warm water year-round, boardshorts.
source : tripadvisor.ca ↗On site
Arrival guide
Access & parking
Burwood (White Bay / Mutiny Bay) sits right on the North Coast Highway between Falmouth and Rio Bueno: you park almost on the sand. Reckon 10 minutes (~6 km) east of Falmouth and its cruise port, and 25-30 minutes (~36 km) east of Montego Bay airport. It's a public beach, wide and sandy with plenty of room to lay out kites; gazebos, a playground and lifeguards during the day (roughly 7am-5:30pm).
source : aroundtheworld4u.com ↗Club & schools
The anchor of the spot is Brian's Windsurfing and Kitesurfing, the informal school and rental run by Brian Schurton, a well-known instructor (rider and competitor) based on the beach. Kite and windsurf lessons, gear on site, airport shuttle possible — ideal if you arrive with no kit and no local bearings. Since it's a one-man, artisanal setup, line up your session by message before turning up rather than counting on walk-up rental.
source : moonjamaica.com ↗Before you go
Safety
Danger #1 — the land wind (south / southeast) that pushes you offshore
The bay opens north and the working trade comes from E/NE, cross-shore to the beach: it always brings you back to shore, which is what makes Burwood safe to learn on. The trap is the opposite: a land wind from the south to southeast comes off the hills and pushes you offshore, away from the beach. On that day the spot is no longer a learning spot — pack the kite away, or only go out with a safety boat. Secondary: stay on the big sand bank to launch and land, clear of the rocky outcrops at the shoreline, and keep an eye on the swimmers and families sharing the beach.
source : aroundtheworld4u.com ↗Community
Soon, by the riders
These spaces will fill up with the community’s feedback.
Burwood is unanimously cited as the best kite/windsurf spot in Jamaica, precisely because it's one of the island's rare spots with no trap reef in the water. Brian Schurton is the local figure; show up, introduce yourself, and you'll get the right read on wind and riding zone before you hit the water.