Hobie Beach is PE's main city beach and the national centre of South African windsurfing — the shallow, east-facing bay creates ideal conditions when the south-westerly wind picks up, which is most afternoons. The beach hosts regular regional and national windsurfing and kiteboarding competitions, and the sight of a dozen boards running across the bay on a good wind day is one of the more exhilarating things you can watch from a beach chair. There are water sports hire outfits along the beachfront if you want to try it yourself.
The beach is well serviced — ablution facilities, lifeguards on duty in season, a row of restaurants and fast food outlets facing the water on Beach Road. The sand is clean and the surf is moderate, though the wind can make it uncomfortable to lie on the beach for long in the afternoon. Families with younger children tend to prefer the calmer Kings Beach a little further along; Hobie attracts the action crowd. In the early morning, before the wind builds, it is a perfect place for a quiet swim.