First of all, a caveat or three. There are hundreds of lists of the best surf spots to visit. There’s one here. And another here. Even the Guardian has done one. But none of these has as subjective and skewed a set of criteria as the list below, with waves picked that can be appreciated by all, even from the safety of land. So here it is: the best list of best surf spots in the world. Probably.
We’ve endeavoured to include most major landmasses, divided into three sections to introduce maximum variety and offer something for everyone. After all, who wants to see yet another story full of pictures of someone calmly taking on a mountainous wave in a clearly self-indulgent and vulgar display of their own prowess? You might prefer to sup espresso martinis in the bar beside the beach. In either case, here we go:
Waves to get the adrenaline pumping
Teahupoo, Tahiti
Teahupoo (pronounced Te-a-hu-po-o, “Cho-Po” or simply “Chopes”) is amazing and one of the heaviest waves in the world. It makes every surfing top 10 if the criteria involve being absolutely terrified.
It was pioneered by bodyboarders in the late 1980s, and professional surfers really started hitting it only in the late 1990s. Now the World Surf League holds an annual contest here, as part of the Championship Tour.
People have died here, with horrific injuries. One for only the best surfers. But what a sight. You could always say you went there, and leave out the fact that you didn’t get your feet wet. It’s a great spectacle for tourists sitting in boats in the channel.
A record swell hit the place in 2011, forcing the Tahitian coast guard to call a “code red” to try to keep people onshore. Big-wave surfers flew in from around the world, leading to some of the most mesmerising surfing ever caught on film. And this raw footage from 2013 is breathtaking (warning: these waves can cause excessive whooping).
Pipeline, Hawaii
Pipe is one of surfing’s holy grails. Any surfer who wants to make a name for themselves wants to prove themselves at this spot. It’s also one of the world’s deadliest waves. At least six surfers have died here since 2000.
The legendary surf filmmaker Bruce Brown claims to have filmed somebody surfing Pipe for the first time, back in 1961. It was US surfer Phil Edwards. The footage can be found in Brown’s classic film Surfing Hollow Days (see here for the moment).
These days the world’s surf media are at Pipe every winter (from roughly November through to March), when huge swells start pounding Hawaii’s north shore. This year’s winter has delivered some monster swells, including a perfect Christmas present for some. It’s always a huge spectator sport, even in the water.
The World Surf League holds the last Tour event of the season at Pipe, as the season’s crowning glory. It’s led to some epic battles, like Kelly Slater v Andy Irons in 2006.
Cloudbreak, Fiji
Cloudbreak is one of the best lefthanders in the world. This drone footage shows how perfect the wave can be, with long, huge walls, and fast-paced peeling barrels.
It’s one of the waves that pros on the world tour look forward to surfing the most during the year. But with big swells come equally sizeable dangers, as Aaron Gold’s near-drowning in 2016 shows.
In 2012, the pro event was called off by officials because the surf was deemed too big for competition. So the pros paddled out and began free-surfing, leading to one of the best free-surf sessions ever caught on film. Kelly Slater hopped into the commentary box for a while that day, to explain to TV viewers why what they were witnessing was so remarkable. But after watching his peers catch the best waves of their lives he had to leave the commentary box to paddle out himself. You can watch that legendary footage here.
Aileen’s, Ireland
It’s very windy, cold, you need to tackle near-vertical cliffs to reach it, the beach is rocky and it’s really quite shallow. But on the bright side the 120-metre cliffs on Ireland’s exposed Atlantic coast are a popular natural attraction in themselves and you get to watch tiny people far below scratching around trying to catch churning waves that are among the best in the world.
Surfed for little more than a decade, Aileen’s – named after the nearby Aill Na Searrach cliffs – is a relative newcomer and viewed as Ireland’s best big wave.
If you’re someone who likes doing things differently, or the cold, or stunning scenery, this could be your big-wave spot. Surfers from California fly out to try it, and Mick Fanning escaped here after a trying year that saw him tussle with a shark in South Africa. Just remember to bring a very thick wetsuit, with hood and booties.
Nazaré, Portugal
With Nazaré it’s the juxtaposition that does it. This tourist hotspot just north of Lisbon experiences the biggest waves you’ll ever see surfed, but its true scale emerges only when you see the town’s lighthouse in the picture.
The ocean floor, or rather a deep canyon, magnifies Atlantic swells and makes this place one for your viewing pleasure only. Leave the record-breaking 78ft monsters to the likes of Garrett McNamara. Even big-wave legend Grant “Twiggy” Baker says it’s too dangerous.
Great for a glide
Hainan, China
It’s just beautiful. Watch this and see if you don’t feel relaxed, eased and/or elated. Billed as China’s surf capital, this South China Sea island has long beaches, entirely unthreatening waves that you’ll never find on Kook Slams and a variety of spots for all skill levels throughout the year.
The World Surf League holds a longboarding event at its Riyue Bay. Its surf club boasts imported beer and surf lessons so you’ll be welcome if you can make the journey. The advent of drone technology and the region’s tourism focus has really opened up this place.
Crescent Head, Australia
This town in New South Wales five hours north of Sydney holds a special place in the hearts of many an older surfer. The quality and length of ride that its main pointbreak offers is responsible for its growth from a tiny outpost where surfers would sleep on the beach to a sizeable community boasting rental homes, campgrounds, a golf course and bowling green. Yet it is still a tranquil spot. Best known for its longboarding events, it can cater for all.
When the main pointbreak gets too crowded, which it often does, there are options aplenty elsewhere. On a flat day, you can switch to stand-up paddleboards and explore Killick creek while improving your core fitness for when the swell returns.
Secret spot, somewhere
Mick Fanning and Rip Curl did that thing recently where they publicise an amazing spot, and then don’t reveal where it is. We’re told it produces a smooth ride that can last 5km and the takeoff point sits just 20 metres off a very pleasant-looking, sandy beach. The secret can’t last long, can it?
This tantalising offer is the most recent in a string of discoveries made as part of Rip Curl’s long-running project, called The Search, which since the early 90s has uncovered waves everywhere from Mexico to Indonesia as well as colder climes, and further popularised waves such as South Africa’s Jeffreys Bay.
Malibu, California
The name is well known in pop culture, though some may not be exactly sure why. It is steeped in surf history, from the 1950s antics of counterculture hero Miki Dora to its appearances in countless surf movies – plus Hollywood efforts Big Wednesday and Point Break.
It features consistent, waist-high waves that sleepily roll along in blissful ignorance of their proximity to the bustle of Los Angeles. A surfing style capital, epitomised more recently by the likes of Joel Tudor and Alex Knost among countless others, it’s also a real melting pot. You could be wobbling around on a wave next to a Hollywood A-lister or a complete beginner. Usually both.
Raglan, New Zealand
Popularised by its appearance in the 60s surf movie Endless Summer, this North Island spot is in fact three pointbreaks broadly linked together.
Shaped around a wide open, spectacular bay, Raglan – or Whaingaroa in Māori – has options for all abilities, and just goes on and on. Bruce Brown famously says in the above film: “At Raglan, you get two rides: one after breakfast, and one after lunch. You try for three you starve to death.”
On the downside, everyone else loves this place too, and with long rides come long paddles to get there.
The X factor
St Agnes, England
It is crowded, frequented by protective locals, full of rocks to bash your board on and has a healthy anti-body boarding vibe. But it is so beautiful.
Cornwall, on England’s south-west coast, possesses a rugged allure and this little cove encapsulates it all. It has that soaked-in-history feel, where the houses are so little because, well, they were built in the days when we were all a bit shorter. It is carefully preserved on land, and raggedly wild in the ocean. It is from here that the headline-grabbing environmental group Surfers Against Sewage was born.
With the right Atlantic swell direction, this place and its people put on a real show.
Skeleton Bay, Namibia
Yeah, yeah, sharks, powerful currents, malaria, surrounded by desert, etc. But look at the wave. Green, uniform perfect cylinders that roll down the coast just metres from the beach. In the past 10 years the internet has become brimful with GoPro footage of surfers getting such long, barrelling rides their eyes glaze over.
This place is really on the edge of the known surfing universe. You could potentially surf at a spot that no one has ever surfed before. That means you get to name it, assuming you come back alive. A trip here will live long in the memory.
Lofoten, Norway
Anywhere that you can see snowy mountains from the surf line-up intrinsically has a tinge of adventure to it. Then add the possibility of surfing under the northern lights. Australian hero Mick Fanning did it last year..
This group of islands in the Arctic Circle caught the surf bug in the 60s, so the story goes, after merchant sailors returned from visits to Australia and used a Beach Boys album cover as a guide to make their own boards so it’s a well established activity (alongside night golf). If you pick the right time of year to go, it has options for even the beginner. The greatest peril you will face is the absolute mind-numbing, paralysing cold.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The water is polluted and World Tour stars have said its waves aren’t good enough to feature on the WSL tour but does that mean those waves aren’t good enough for you? Absolutely not. In recent years, Brazil has become a force to be reckoned with in surfing, with the likes of world champ Gabriel Medina and Filipe Toledo leading the charge. Some of that pizzazz might just rub off on you in the hectic breaks around this beachfront city.
The area’s safety failings have been frequently covered both during last year’s Rio Pro and the Olympics yet you can’t deny this place has life and personality.
Kamchatka, Russia
Let’s go volcano surfing! Well, not quite but this peninsula is packed with them, as well as glaciers. Surfer Dane Gudauskas rightly describes it in surf travelogue movie Russia the Outpost, Volume 1 as the “land of fire and ice”.
Hidden away by the Soviet military and, well, its distance from anywhere, this vast stretch of coast on the Bering Sea opposite Alaska has been drooled over by surfers via the medium of Google Earth for a long time. Only a few inroads have been made. Maybe it’s the cold, maybe it’s the brown bears.
Live for the beach? To find discount codes for SurfStitch and other shop surfer brands, visit discountcode.theguardian.com/au
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion