Long Reef Beach, Sydney: Where to swim & best time to visit

The best time to visit Long Reef Beach in Sydney for surfers is during a north-easterly wind. The best place to swim at Long Reef Beach is between the flags patrolled by the Long Reef SLSC.

Where is Long Reef Beach?

Long Reef Beach is a beach in Sydney, New South Wales. It is one of the Northern Beaches, and stretches between the Dee Why Lagoon and Long Reef Headland. Dee Why Beach is the next beach to the south and Fisherman’s Beach is the next beach to the north.

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Is Long Reef Beach a good surf beach?

Long Reef Beach is renowned as an excellent surf beach, with several offshore reefs. Many of these were created by deliberately sunken ships, including former Manly ferries, in the 1970s and 1980s.

There are also beach breaks shaped by sandbanks, so there is usually reliable surf somewhere at Long Reef.

The best time to visit Long Reef Beach for surfers is when there’s a north-easterly wind. Come midweek, and there’s far less competition on the waves.

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See migrating humpbacks – on a whale-watching cruise.
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Dine as the city lights up on sunset dinner cruise around the harbour.
Combine beers and stories on a historic pubs tour through the convict-era Rocks district.
Stand on your board and catch waves during Bondi Beach surfing lessons.
Go to wombat and kangaroo-spotting hotspots on a Southern Highlands tour.
Enjoy Sydney’s wild side on a Manly snorkelling & nature walk.
(🥇Top choice in Sydney) And, best of all, paddle to hidden beaches on a harbour kayaking adventure.

Where to swim at Long Reef Beach

There are strong rips at Long Reef Beach, so this isn’t exactly Sydney’s safest surf beach.

However, the beach is patrolled on weekends between the September school holidays and Anzac Day by the Long Reef SLSC.

The best place to swim at Long Reef Beach is between the flags. This is the area patrolled by the surf life savers.

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How to get to Long Reef Beach

To get to Long Reef Beach from Sydney, drive up the A8, which is the main arterial route through the Northern Beaches. Near Long Reef Beach, it is known as Pittwater Road. There is a bus stop a short walk away from the beach.

To get the bus to Long Reef Beach, take either the 181X or 199 service.

Long Reef Beach parking

There is free parking available at Long Reef Beach for anyone with a Northern Beaches Council parking permit. There are also designated disabled parking spaces by the beach. For everyone else, there is pay and display parking at Long Reef Beach.