Tongue Bay Sailing
Guide
Tongue Bay Sailing Guide. Tongue Bay sits on the northeastern side of Whitsunday Island and serves as the primary anchorage for skippers visiting the Hill Inlet lookout and northern Whitehaven Beach. The bay is broad, open, and shaped by the long sweep of Tongue Point, which offers partial shelter from the trades but leaves the anchorage exposed to swell when the breeze freshens. It has a clean, open‑water feel — a place where the horizon is wide, the water is bright, and the anchorage behaves more like a coastal roadstead than a fully enclosed bay.
Despite its exposure, Tongue Bay is one of the most visited anchorages in the Whitsundays due to its access to the Hill Inlet walking track. The shoreline is a mix of sand, rock, and mangrove flats, and the bay’s character changes with the tide as the inner flats drain and refill. Tongue Bay is best treated as a fair‑weather anchorage: reliable in light to moderate conditions, scenic, and practical for short stays, but uncomfortable when the easterlies rise above the mid‑teens.
Tongue Bay Sailing
Guide - Approaches
Approaches to Tongue Bay are simple in good light. Offshore depths ease from 16–22 m into 10–14 m as you close the shoreline, flattening into 6–10 m over sand inside the anchoring area. The seabed is mostly sand with scattered rubble near Tongue Point. The fringing reef sits tight to the headlands and rises into 2–3 m, while the inner tidal flats dry extensively on the ebb. The approach is wide and free of hazards, though swell can build quickly when the easterlies freshen.
Tongue Bay Sailing Guide - Moorings
Tongue Bay has several public moorings. Anchoring is allowed outside the no‑anchoring buoys. This is a high‑use area due to Hill Inlet access. Refer to the map of moorings by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Port Authority. Location of public moorings and no anchoring zones in the Whitsundays.
Tongue Bay Sailing
Guide - Main Anchorage (Central Bay)
The central anchoring area offers sand in 6–10 m and works well in light to moderate E–SE winds. The holding is firm, the swing room generous, and the sea state remains comfortable when the breeze is below the mid‑teens. In fresh easterlies, the bay becomes rolly and exposed, and overnighting is not recommended.
Tongue Bay Sailing
Guide - Southern Anchorage (Near Tongue Point)
The southern end offers slightly better shelter from SE winds due to the shape of Tongue Point. Depths shoal into 5–8 m over sand. This area is workable in moderate conditions but still exposed in fresh easterlies.
Tongue Bay Sailing
Guide - Inner Flats (Tide‑Dependent)
The inner tidal flats dry extensively and are not suitable for anchoring. Dinghy access to the beach is tide‑dependent.
Tongue Bay Sailing
Guide - Navigation
Navigation inside Tongue Bay is straightforward, with a clean depth gradient and minimal reef. The shoreline shelves predictably, and the only shallow areas are the tidal flats near the beach. The anchoring area is wide and free of coral, and tidal streams are mild. The main navigational consideration is exposure: swell builds quickly when the easterlies increase, and the bay can become uncomfortable faster than expected.
Tongue Bay Sailing
Guide - Weather
Tongue Bay is exposed to the E–SE trade‑wind regime, and its suitability changes significantly with wind strength. In light easterlies, the bay is calm, bright, and inviting. In moderate trades, a low roll develops. In fresh trades, the anchorage becomes uncomfortable and often untenable. Swell intrusion is the limiting factor, not wind alone. The bay performs best in light conditions, early mornings, or during brief lulls in the trades. Westerlies leave the bay calm and glassy.
Tongue Bay Sailing
Guide - Fishing
Fishing around Tongue Bay has a clean‑water, reef‑edge character shaped by the open exposure and the influence of Tongue Point. The rocky headlands hold cod, small trout, and sweetlip, especially on the first of the flood when bait moves along the point. The sandy margins inside the bay produce flathead and grunter, while the deeper pockets outside the anchoring area hold trevally when the water is clear. The eastern exposure brings cleaner water than the western Whitsunday bays, and pelagics occasionally sweep through on calm days. Most skippers fish from the dinghy, working the rocky points or drifting the sandy edges in settled weather. Ciguatera risk is negligible this close inshore. Tongue Bay’s fishery is modest but rewarding a bright, open, reef‑and‑sand environment that fishes best when the tide is moving and the wind is light.
Mechanical and Electrical Repairs
Resource
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Tongue Bay Sailing
Guide - Summary
Tongue Bay is a scenic, open anchorage on the northeastern side of Whitsunday Island, offering simple approaches and a wide sandy basin that works well in light conditions. The bay becomes exposed quickly in fresh easterlies, but in calm weather it is one of the most practical staging points for the Hill Inlet lookout. Fishing is modest but consistent, shaped by rocky points, sandy flats, and clean water. Tongue Bay is best enjoyed as a fair‑weather stop or as a convenient access point to one of the Whitsundays’ most iconic viewpoints. The Tongue Bay Sailing Guide is here to assist you.