Chastain Beach, Hutchinson Island

Chastain Beach, also known as Surfer's Beach or "The Rocks," lies on the southern tip of Hutchinson Island near Stuart. It is special in that, unlike most Florida beaches, it is compact, hedged in on two sides by rock formations. This gives it a more distinctive feel than a wide-open beach. Sea grape and coconut trees, along with caribbean-colored houses, line the street by the beach giving the beach a tropical feel. One weather-worn house creates a huge square of morning shade on the coarse grey sand. For families it is ideal because older kids can surf on its smooth waves on the northern side while nearby, younger kids play in crystal clear rock pools on its southern side (during high tide only). Piles of perfectly intact shells of orange, white, and grey in all sorts of patterns line the shore. Kids have a blast collecting their favorite ones. Many people use this beach to access Bathtub Beach, which is just steps from this beach to the south. The Chastain Beach parking lot has a small blue sign that says "unguarded beach" and is the second last one before the road ends at the tip of Hutchinson Island.Sometimes there are Portuguese-Man-of-War at this beach, especially during winter. Keep an eye out for the blue bulbs floating in the water or laying on the sand by the shore. You might choose not to swim if you see them. If you do get stung, remove the stinger and then shower the area with the hottest water you can stand for fifteen minutes. At this tip of Hutchinson Island the land is such a thin strip that you are surrounded on both sides by water- the ocean on one side and the intercoastal waterway on the other, which makes the drive out to this beach particularly lovely. Every time I visit this beach, it is different, depending on the tide and the way the rocks or sand have been sculpted by the waves. Sometimes there are huge piles of shells, other times smaller collections of them. Once when I swam here, thousands of tiny minnow fish clustered around me turning the water from clear to black. It was a little scary!

The surfers always look like they are having a lot of fun on the waves at this beach.
The sand at this beach is coarse and not the prettiest color. As you go further south in Southeast Florida, the sand becomes paler.
Chastain Beach has restrooms and showers surrounded by tropical foliage. There is also a raised wooden boardwalk onto the beach where surfers gather to check out the waves.There are often sharks at this beach January- March when they are migrating north and looking for food along the coast, so be careful.
For amazing views of the ocean and the intracoastal, stop at the House of Refuge on your way back.
While on Hutchinson Island, check out the super fun Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center, where you can hand-feed sting rays and go on a walk through the jungle to the Indian River on a boardwalk.
After your swim, head over to downtown Stuart or Jensen Beach Blvd for a bite to eat.

Directions

Chastain Beach is located at 1213 SE MacArthur Blvd, Stuart FL 34996. It is north of Bathtub Beach on the southern tip of Hutchinson Island.
From Highway 95, exit at Kanner Hwy and follow it for six miles to the northeast into Stuart. Turn right on Ocean Blvd and head over the causeway to Hutchinson Island, for five miles. Turn right on SE MacArthur Blvd and follow it for a mile past a golf course and then several beach parking lots. As you drive down SE MacArthur Blvd, Chastain Beach has two parking lots, a white sandy one on your right and one on your left with a small blue sign that says "Unguarded Beach." It is the second last beach parking lot on SE MacArthur Blvd when traveling south.

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