Sawtell Beach, Coffs Harbour: Rock pool, surfing & whales

Sawtell Beach, Coffs Harbour, has good surfing at the north end and a fabulous rock pool at the southern end of Bonville Head. Come in winter, and you might see migrating humpback whales.

Where is Sawtell Beach?

Sawtell Beach is a 2.1km-long beach on the Coffs Coast, New South Wales. It is to the south of Coffs Harbour, between Boambee Beach and Bonville Beach.

This Coffs Coast Beach stretches between Boambee Headland in the north to Bonville Head in the south.

6 fab Coffs Harbour experiences to book in advance

Glide through nature – on a Boambee Creek kayaking tour guided by a marine scientist.
Jump out of a plane – with tandem skydives that land on the beach.
Go kayaking and wildlife-spotting – on a coastal adventure.
Head into the hinterland – on a rainforest and waterfalls day tour.
Test your nerve and agility – at the Treetops Coffs Harbour adventure course.
See migrating humpbacks up close – on a whale-watching cruise.

Is it safe to swim at Sawtell Beach?

Sawtell Beach is better known as a surfing beach, but it is patrolled by lifeguards between September and April.

It is not entirely safe to swim at Sawtell Beach, however, particularly at the northern end of the beach, where waves can be high and rips fierce. Stay between the flags if swimming at Sawtell Beach.

However, the southern end of the beach is protected somewhat by Bonville Head and the twin reefs known as Sawtell Island. This creates a calmer swimming space.

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Sawtell Beach rock pool

The southern end of the beach is also where you’ll find its best feature. On the southern side of Bonville Head is the Sawtell Memorial Rock Pool, a tidal pool that was carved out of the rock as a war memorial. Next to Bonville Creek, the Sawtell Beach rock pool has fabulous views out over the sand flats.

Other facilities at Sawtell Beach include toilets, showers, picnic areas and barbecues.

The Sawtell Rock Pool at sunset. Photo courtesy of Destination NSW.

Sawtell Beach whale watching

Even if you don’t want to get in the water, it’s worth coming to Sawtell Beach during the winter months as this is something of a whale-watching hotspot. You can often spot migrating whales from the two headlands. There are car parks at both if you want to try your luck sighting the passing humpbacks.