Popham Beach (Phippsburg Coast)

Popham Beach is an exposed, south-facing sandy beach break at the Morse River mouth in Phippsburg, with waves that form over shifting sandbars. The surf is described as capable of fast, hollow waves at high tide, and it can also provide longer rides on sandbars—though that same sandbar mobility makes conditions highly changeable from day to day and even within a session. The beach is wide and sandy, and launching is generally straightforward from the swim/parking beach areas. Water quality is described as clean, but the water is cold year-round, so a wetsuit (including winter coverage with hood/boots/gloves when needed) is part of the baseline setup. Safety is the central concern here. Multiple sources emphasize consistently strong currents and the presence of rip currents, plus shifting sandbars and quicksand. The local guidance is to avoid any attempt to swim toward islands or areas where currents can overpower you, and to use proper rip-current technique—swimming parallel to shore to clear the outward pull—if you get caught. For wind and wave clean-up, offshore North/Northwest winds are noted to produce cleaner surfing conditions. While surfing is the headline sport, the wide sand beach also supports kitesurfing and wingfoiling for intermediate riders, with added caution again around the river-mouth currents and changing bottom bars.