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The Perfect Wave Surf Experience Destinations

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Page 1: Reworked ebook  the perfect wave eu

The Perfect WaveSurf ExperienceDestinations

Page 2: Reworked ebook  the perfect wave eu

www.theperfectwave.com.auTel: +61(2) 9939 0890

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Banda SeriNorthern BegawanSumatra

Kuala Lumpur

Singapore

Mentawai

JakartaCentral Java

Southern LombokSumatra &Sumbawa

West JavaEast Java

Dili

I N D I A N O C E A N BaliSumba,Flores&Timor

1500km

1. Mentawai Islands and North SumatraGet a group together and experience the Mecca of surf destinations

Overview :A trip to The Mentawai Islands for any surfer worth his salt is an absolute necessity. Any surfer who reads surfing magazines or watch-es surf videos will definitely have fantasized about booking a trip to the Mentawai.

The Mentawai Islands are a chain of about seventy islands and islets off the west coast ofSumatra in Indonesia. There are 4 main islands and the rest are small islets. The islands lie ap-proximately 150 kilometres off the Sumatran coast and are widely regarded as one of, if not the premier surf destination in the world. The Mentawai chain spans about 160 kilome-tres. There are literally thousands of surf able options for every standard of surfer. The 49 named breaks are some of the most famous waves in the world. The islands are fringed

by coral barrier reefs that pick up consistent swell from the Indian Ocean. The sheer num-ber of the little passages, reefs, bays, inlets and points is unsurpassed anywhere on the planet. Considered the most consistent area of surf in the world, the Mentawai can get surf year round, but is most consistent time for Surf Tour is from March to November.

The most popular way to surf the Mentawai Islands is by charter boat, but there are also a couple of great resorts if you prefer land-based accommodation or are planning to travel with a non-surfing partner. We recom-mend Wave park in the Playgrounds region of Siberut as well as HT’s Surf Resort and Aloita in Sipora. Travel to the resorts from Padang is either by charter flight or overnight ferry. Charters generally depart Padang in the af-ternoon or evening of the first day, and return on the morning of the last day.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

North Sumatra

From the Mentawai you can access the more remote islands of Nias, Telo’s &Banyaks. Most charters in the Mentawai region will run trips to these areas, but with dedicated charters and surf camps / resorts in the area, you can be sure to get a local perspective of the regions.

Banyak IslandsThe Banyak Islands in remote North Sumatra has been a closely guarded secret, so could be described as one of the last surf frontiers inIndonesia! It is a surfer’s paradise with some still untapped breaks setting the scene for any kind of surfer /adventurer. The safest and best way of getting around is aboard an air-condi-tioned surf charter vessel.

The majority of surf breaks have remained nameless and there is still more exploring going on. There is a wide range of lefts and rights, hollow and performance waves, so ex-pect your back-hand and fore-hand to both get a solid workout. There are waves for all styles and ability levels ranging from dredging deep barrels, fast down the line peelers, per-fect peaks or long cruisy walls for long board-ers or mellow crew.

The Banyak Islands are located approximate-ly 60 miles off the northwest coast of Sumatra, Indonesia’s northern most and largest Island. There are two main islands in the Banyak Is-lands- Treasure Island and the island of theBay Of Plenty. Both harbour incredible breaks perfectly aligned to catch the clean, consist-ent swells of the Indian Ocean.

Surfing charters in North Sumatra and particu-larly the Banyak Islands are less likely to en-counter crowds like in the Mentawai’s. You will never feel lonely though, as these islands are exposed to pretty much the same swell as the Mentawai Islands, giving you plenty of surf days to keep you well busy.

Uncrowded barrels, plenty of swell, untouched natural rainforest, wildlife, epic Sumatran sun-sets; remote islands and warm tropical water await you. You can also go fishing, snorkelling, spearfishing, jungle-trekking-no mass tourism here, just fun and adventure in the comforta-ble luxury of an air-conditioned motor yacht.

Nias

The Nias Islands of Indonesia are one of the most consistent surfing travel destinations in the world. The perfect right-hander at Sorake Bay on the island of Nias was the first world-class wave discovered in the Sumatra region. Nias was first surfed in 1975, by Aussie surfers.

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The recent earthquake actually improved wave quality in the Nias region, raising the high tide mark and ensuring most reefs gen-erally pick up more swell, and are surf able on all tides!

Its broad exposure towards the vast southernIndian Ocean ensures these majestic islands are remarkably consistent pretty much year round. Keyhole Surf Camp’s goal is to provide any surfer the opportunity to score the best waves of their lives. Surf Nias has the experi-ence and local knowledge to get you to the best possible waves as quickly as possible and in complete safety.

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Surf breaksMentawai

from North to South (main surf spots)

BurgerworldBurgerworld is a mushy point break right -hander. It can offer hollow sections at times, but usually it offers a long, rippable wall with multiple cutback sections.

Four BobsFour Bobs is a small peak when there is heaps of swell, or if you are looking for a mellower option. Mainly a right with a short barrel off the takeoff, but it tends to die off into the channel. There’s an even shorter left, but it’s not usually worth the effort.

E-BayE-Bay is a hollow left that barrels on the take-off and offers a short wall down the line. A great option when there’s plenty of swell.

Bank VaultsBank Vaults is a heavy right-hander that bar-rels and spits. Usually bigger than most spots in the area. Watch out for clean-up sets.

IcelandsIcelands is another consistent left-hander when the swell is smaller. It usually offers some rideable waves, even when other breaks are flat.

ScarecrowsScarecrows breaks off of an island just south of Telescopes. Good lefts but a bit unpredict-able and shifty. It’s a short, wedgy wave that works best on a dropping high tide.

Pit StopsPit Stops is the right off the peak at E-Bay. A playful right that can offer some cover-ups on the take-off, but it is generally a high per-formance wave with air sections at the end.Ends in a sandy channel.

TelescopesTelescopes is a perfect wrapping left reef. Long walls wrap around the reef with very few sections on larger days. It generally breaks in pretty deep water, but it can get heavy and shallow on the inside on big days.

BintangsBintangs is a short and hollow right across the channel from Lance’s Left. As the wave ap-proaches the reef, the bottom drops out be-fore barrelling towards the channel.

HideawaysHideaways is a very hollow left that can be very shallow at low tide. The waves come out of deep water, then unload on a shallow section of reef before barrelling towards the channel.

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Lance’s LeftLance’s Left is a long left wall that wraps down the point before hitting the last section, which is the main take-off area. Great hollow section after the take-off. A bigger board helps on the large days.

No KanduisNo Kanduis is a long barrelling left that wraps around a small island. Usually very sectiony, but can line up on very big swells. Many bar-rels on offer, but usually only makeable for one or two sections before closing out.

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Surf breaksMentawaifrom North to South (main surf spots)

Rags RightRags Right is a shorter, hollow right on the southern end of Rags Island. Similar to HT’s only a little shorter, but just as good. It can be fickle, but it’s one of the best rights in the is-lands.

ThundersThunders is another large left that both picks up, and can hold the biggest swells. It’s a top to bottom wave on the outside, that gets a bit mellower on the inside section. Another wave that usually has a lot of water mov-ing about, so a bigger board can come in handy.

The HoleThe Hole is another very hollow left off a small island in the southern end of the Mentawais.Starts barrelling from take off, but never really stops until a close out section at the end of the reef. Definitely not a place to straighten out at.

Rags LeftRags Left is a sick lefthander that can hold the biggest swells. It is very hollow and can often dish out some of the heaviest hold-downs in the island chain. Usually a bit more water mov-ing around so a larger board can be useful.

RiflesRifles is one of the best waves in the Menta-wais. A very long right-hander that wraps around the other side of the same island as No Kanduis. Rarely makeable from start to finish, but even just from section to section you can score epic rides up to 100 yards or longer. Nice and hollow when it’s a few feet overhead, but usually a little sectiony when it’s smaller.

MacaronisMacaronis is one of the most perfect waves in the world. A very hollow wave with various shallow spots. Lefts start peeling way up the point, and then gradually slow down as they

approach the channel. The further up the point you paddle, the faster it barrels when you take off. After the initial barrel ride, the wave offers one of the most rippable walls to unleash any manoeuvre you can think of during your Surf Trips.

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Bank VaultsBank Vaults is a heavy right-hander that bar-rels and spits. Usually bigger than most spots in the area. Watch out for clean-up sets.

NipussiNipussi is a shorter right that breaks down the point from Bank Vaults. Definitely fun and rippable. Usually has fairly deep wa-ter from the takeoff to the inside. Ends in a riptide that sucks all the water back out to sea. A good option for Surf Travel when there’s not much swell, and usually the most consistent spot in

the area.

Hollow Trees (HT’s or Lance’s Right)Hollow Trees (HT’s or Lance’s Right) is an epic right-hander that has been all over the surf mags and videos during the last ten or so years. The main takeoff spot is up the point where most of the waves start barrelling and peel flawlessly down the reef. On larger swells it can be very shifty and hard to read. It can shift more to the end bowl where it can break, reform, then bowl again into the channel. The inside is very shallow and is of-ten referred to as the “surgeon’s table” due to the many reef-cuts doled out to travelling surfers.

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Surf breaksNorth SumatraBanyak IslandsMigila’sMigila’s is located inside of “The Pig.” Migila’s is a right-hand peak with a short perfect barrel on take-off before slowly peeling off to the beach.

Warren’sWarren’s is a fun right-hand peak opposite Cobra’s. It breaks over a combination of reef and sand which can finish on the beautiful white sandy beach.

Toytown LeftsToytown Lefts is a perfectly shaped peeling left located deep in the bay. It really only starts to work on larger swells. You can cruise down the line or hit the lip over and over again.

The PigThe Pig is a deep water right-hand break exposed to all possible swell. Rarely below head-high “The Pig” provides some exhilarat-ing drops and big open faces.

Indies 1 and 2Indies 1 and 2 “Indies” 1 and 2 get their names because they are the outside breaks and in-dicators for “Treasures”. These two waves are for experienced surfers only and produce heart-pumping barrels over shallow reef. The bigger the swell the better!

Lizards NestLizards Nest is somewhat fickle, but if the el-ements come together you will experience one of the best waves in Indo. Known to pro-duce a magic 10-second barrel leaving any of those who have surfed it or even seen it totally awe-struck!

Turtle’sTurtle’s is a fun, playful left-hand peak that peels along and also winds up on the beauti-ful white sandy beach. A great take-off and workable wall that can produce a nice bar-rel also depending on swell direction.

JoysticksJoysticks is a super fun right-hand peak which produces a perfect barrel on the take-off be-fore backing off into a nice wall allowing for some turns. If you have enough speed you can link up into the inside bowl for a nice long ride.

Gorilla’sGorilla’s is an untamed right-hand beast that is

rarely surfed. It is the type of wave that will really deflate your ego if it smashes you.Make sure you pack your peanuts!

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Mini’sMini’s is located deep in the bay “Mini’s” is a playful right which peaks up and delivers a short barrel and workable face. It only starts working on larger swells, as it picks up half the swell of Treasure Island.

ClaretsClarets is a beautiful long left-hand point which peels down the line offering a per-fect open workable face. You will be able to perfect your big carving turns or hunt down some inside barrels.

CobraCobra is a world-class left-hander that can produce an epic 8-10 second barrel or nice ripable face depending on swell direction.Cobra’s clean blue lines peel down the reef into a channel, which can provide a perfect photo opportunity.

Treasure IslandTreasure Island is one of the best right-hand point breaks in Indo, consistently offering up to four mesmerising barrels per wave with a nice almond-shaped rippable face. This is one of the jewels in the crown of sheer Indo perfection running a few hundred yards down a perfectly shaped reef. Always a fa-vourite amongst guests as it satisfies all abili-ties. A taste of “Treasures” has you hooked for years to come.

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Seasonalit y

The Mentawai Islands experience consistently high temperatures and humidity, with barely any change in temperature year round, due to the chains’ close proximity to the Equator. The dry season runs from March to September, and the wet season is from about October to February, but even during the dry season, you will often find there can be brief thunder-storms, but they generally don’t last long and occur mostly at night.

The best time for M entawai Surf is from March to November. This is when the low pres-sure systems off Antarctica push ground swells

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for thousands of miles up towards the equa-tor. The Roaring 40’s are the swell source theMentawai are directly exposed to. Even dur-ing the off season when the trade winds tend west and north-west, you can still find some great, fun waves as the swells can still be quite regular.The winds are variable throughout most of the year. Favourable easterly trade winds that blow side/offshore on the main breaks are predominant from May to September. March, April, September and October often experi-ence light winds and glassy conditions. Water temperature is fairly constant at about 27-28C.

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Mumbai INDIA

Thiladhunmathee Atoll

INSET

Chennai

SRI LANKAColombo

THE MALDIVES

Central Atolls

Miladhunmadulu Atoll

Faadhippolhu Atoll

North Male Atoll

MALE

MALE

South Male Atoll Mafuri

Felidhe Atoll Haru Haru

Mulaku Atoll

Fulidu

Rakidu

Kolhumadulu Atoll

Hadhdhunmathee Atoll

Southern Atolls

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Huvadhoo Atoll

Havaru

Foammulah Atoll

Gan

INSET HitaduAddu Atoll

INSET

400km

2. Maldives Island NationThe perfect destination for a couples’ getaway or a family holiday to remember

Overview :

The Maldives is a perfect S urfing World for a couples’ geta-way or even a mind blowing family holiday. With so many resorts in the Maldives there are options for everyone. However as a surfer it is essential to ensure you have a wave at your front door. That way you can squeeze a wave in while your significant other does a multi-tude for other activities, enjoys world class spa treatment or just lazes by the pool. Most of the resorts in the Maldives aren’t geared to ser-vice surfers, so make sure you are staying at a resort with a surf program so that you can ac-cess all breaks in the region you are staying.The resorts in North Male that service surfers

with surf programs and expert surf guides are Dhonveli , Four Seasons Kuda Huraa & Hud-huranfushi Resort. Other resorts will be able to assist you to surf, but don’t have dedicated surf programs. In South Male you have Holi-day Inn Kandooma and Anantara. We be-lieve that the surf program at Kandooma is the best in the Maldives, but we are biased, as we run the program ourselves. There are a few options in the Central atolls with resorts inMeemu and Laamu. The pick for us is the Six Senses in Laamu that is just amazing and with Ying Yang surf break across the channel, you have all bases covered.

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

But if a resort is not what you are after the new way to experience the Maldives is to stay in a guest house on a local island. The first of these was set up by our partner Brian James. Brian set up Cokes Surf Camp on Thulusdhoo. Since then they have been popping up eve-

rywhere, but be careful as many will promise things they can’t deliver, so make sure you get a referral before making your decision.In our opinion though the best way to expe-

rience the Maldives Surf is by boat charter. Boat charters guarantee

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you get to really maxi-mize your surf time. Boat charters are best when you have a group of mates or a few families that you can travel exclusively with. But if you want to just jump on a charter, there are normally plenty of mixed charters, where you can meet new friends.

The Maldives are a group of over 1200 islands formed from coral and located south west of India in the Indian Ocean. It is a tropical is-land paradise with pristine clear waters and beautiful world renowned resorts with over-

water bungalows. The Maldives has some-thing for every budget. There are local island surf camps, or if you’re not travelling with a non-surfing partner then the best way to get the most out of a surfing trip in the Maldives is to get yourself on a surf boat charter.This is life stripped down to simplicity – bright blue skies, all-year sunshine and fantastic div-ing and snorkeling in lagoons the temperature of bath water. The country embraces travel-lers from around the world allowing them the freedoms holiday makers require without compromising the islands’ deep Muslim faith. The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in terms of both population

and area; it is the smallest predominantly Muslim nation in the world. The Maldives is unique. The islands are on average only 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the lowest country on the plan-et. It is also the country with the lowest high point in the world, at 2.3 metres.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Surfing Maldives

During the last decade, surfing in theMaldives has attracted plenty of Aus-tralian surfers and crew from all over the world. The same swells that hit Indonesia deliver the goods to the Maldives, the only difference being that the latitude is higher, so exposure is reduced.

There are three main surfing areas

1. The North and South Male Atoll, best dur-ing the South-West Monsoon season, from April to October. From May to August waves are strongest.

2. Central Atolls offer predominantly long, clean rights varying in size between 3 and 6ft. During the Australian winter (April-Oc-tober), it’s never flat

3. Southern Atolls best from February to April and from September to November. There are always waves in the area, but the winds become very strong at other times.

North & South Male Atoll

The most famous breaks are in North Male’ At-olls. These points offer rights and lefts. Always something for beginners or for professional surfers, with waves from ranging from 1 to 3 meters with long point breaks. Surf spots can be accessed in two ways; by surf charter, or

by dhoni transferring surfers from the resorts. Although not all the spots can be accessed from the resorts.

Usually surfers prefer the surf charters to reach the different points in North and South Male’Atolls, as they have no constraints and can choose among the most famous breaks. Don’t leave without surfing Cokes, Jailbreaks (Himmafushi), Honky’s, Sultans and TuckyJoes!

Central Atolls

Around 140kms south of Male lie the CentralAtolls. This area was explored by seaplane on an Oxbow expedition in 2004, and from there the first Central Atolls surf charters began. To this day few boats canvas this area, so it’s perfect for those wanting to experience un-crowded surf.

Southern Atolls

There are atolls, about 340kms south of Male, with at least a dozen high level reef breaks. Only just recently increasing in popularity, these atolls are less travelled due to their dis-tance from Male. An extra domestic flight is required to get there, which is great news for those looking to get away from the crowds.

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Due to wind conditions these atolls are best surfed from February to April and from Sep-

tember to November.

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Surf breaks North Male Surf breaks

LohisLohis - Good and hollow left-hander with two sections. It requires big SE swells and high tides to work best. NW-NE offshore winds are ideal.This is the break at Hudhuran Fushi Resort.

ChickensChickens - Eastern reef of North Male Atoll.This long, excellent left-hander has two sec-tions with an enjoyable, thin, peeling, racing lip. Best winds are NW-NNE (offshore). It was named because of the poultry farm on the island and is only accessed by boat.

HonkeysHonkeys - One of the most consistent waves ofNorth Male Atoll off the island of Thanburud-hoo which is uninhabited. This is an excellent, long, world-class left-hander. The take-off is a steep outside peak called ‘Phantoms’, which slingshots into a very long, walled, super fast section called the ‘Pinnacles’. Rides are 100 to 150 meters. It is best on high tide with any wind from W to N and is only accessed by boat.

SultansSultans - Easy spot located off Thanburudhoo island on the other side of Honkey’s. Excellent and long right-hander that can provide long walls and even hollow sections during big swells from the south. One of the most con-sistent waves of the Male atolls that never closes out, even on large swells. It is best at high tide and with west to north winds.

NinjasNinjas - North Male Atoll break out the front of Club Med Resort. This slow right-hander is good for beginners and long-boarders. Best on W-NW winds with a moderate Sth swell. It was named Ninjas due to the Japanese rid-ers that love the break. However can be a serious wave when a big SE swell hits it.

JailsJails - Jails is actually the break off the islandHimmafushi which used to actually have a jail on it. The jail has moved to a new one, but the name stays. This wave is a perfect right-hand reef break with a big wack able wall and a few cover up sections. One of the most popular breaks due to the fact it isn’t a heavy wave and is normally a little smaller than its cousin Honkey’s across the channel.

CokesCokes - Also at the eastern reef of North MaleAtoll, this wave is a short, intense ride with a steep barrelling take off, followed by a very shallow inside section that opens up even more than the takeoff. Ideal on a straight south swell and NW winds. Named after the Coca-Cola factory on the island, there’s a beautiful view of the palm fringed beach from the surf zone. To best experience Cokes, you can stay at our surf camp right on the point of the break itself.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Surf breaksSouth Male Surf Breaks

Kandooma RightKandooma Right is at your doorstep if you’re staying at Kandooma Resort. You could throw a cricket ball to the take off zone from your villa. A fast breaking right with two take off spots, the first an easier option with the sec-ond a more critical take off. This wave breaks over relatively shallow reef for 100 meters and provides many barrel opportunities. It is best on a mid tide and is one of the best waves in the Maldives at 3 to 6ft. It likes a SE swell direc-tion and is offshore in any W win.

Natives/FoxysNatives/Foxys - This wave is very fast and hol-low breaking over relatively shallow coral. It’s “Goofys Paradise” or if you’re fast on the backhand you will love this wave. Breaks for100 to 150 metres and provides many barrel opportunities. Best with SE swell and NW wind. On transfer you will visit both Foxy’s and Rip Tides, so you get the best of both worlds.

QuartersQuarters - Gulhigaathuhuraa, uninhabited island attached to Anantara Resort. Eastern Reef of South Male Atoll. The wave has two sections; the outside is a fat, slow and mean-dering wave perfect for long boarders and even beginners. The inside section is a re-ally nice, fast little right-hander that picks up less swell than most other places, but on its day delivers perfect barrels. Best in W to NW winds. It was named after the resort workers’ quarters on the island.

Twin PeaksTwin Peaks - Iyaru Faru near the island of Gul-hi, an inhabited island, eastern reef of South Male Atoll. Sectiony left and right, that picks up more swell than most of the breaks in South Malé Atoll. Can have a good end section on the left in a big southerly swell. The right is a real mixed bag and rarely delivers the goods. Best in N winds, and the higher the tide, the better.

KatesKates - Boduhuraa, uninhabited island near the Anantara Resort, eastern reef of South Male Atoll. Small short left, best in NW to N winds. This wave is fickle, but with the right conditions is a very fun option.

RiptidesRiptides - A right hander breaking for 150 meters on a reef in the middle of a channel. Need a transfer to this wave even though it is very close. The wave is aptly named as some-times very strong currents can sweep you seaward so we always check current con-ditions before settling in for a session. Great wave for longboarders and shortboarders as well as low or intermediate surfers, providing very carvable walls and the occasional hol-low section. Best in Sth swell and SW wind.

Tucky Joes / BoatyardsTucky Joes / Boatyards - Considered by those “in the know”, to be the best break in the Maldives on its day. The take off can be steep. A very fast reaction is required to set up for the freight train ahead. Up to 200 mtrs long it offers several barrel opportunities, sometimes linking to offer long intense rides out of the sun. On a perfect day you will get 3 barrel sections, the best being the last if you have the guts to take it on. The reef is shallow and low tide can stop play. Prefers light NW wind and SE swell. Not for the faint hearted on a big day.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Central Atolls

The Meemu, Thaa and Laamu Atolls offer spots exposed to all wind directions and for all levels. All spots in the Meemu Atoll are on a coastline facing to the east. There is always a left or a right hander well protected from the predominant south westerly wind, but south easterly or even easterly winds may affect all spots negatively. All spots are close to each other so you can change spots within a few minutes!The Thaa Atoll picks up south east swell and may be even bigger than spots on east fac-ing coastlines of other atolls. Due to its seclud-ed location it is almost guaranteed that you will not even spot another surf charter during your stay. The spots are well protected from North to Northwest winds. Conditions may be fickle in other wind directions. This area will be chosen only in very stable weather condi-tions.

Spots in the Laamu Atoll are spread from the south facing coastline along the east fac-ing up to the north east corner where waves wrap around. As a result you will find spots protected from all wind directions except a rare straight easterly breeze. The first resort on the atoll has now opened and you can now stay at the luxury Six Senses Resort, which is directly across the channel to Ying Yang surf break.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Central Atolls

Meemu Atoll :VeyvahVeyvah - Perfect left hander with long wall. Easy take off with several options with long rides. Not too heavy - great fun.

MulhaMulha - The left here is a pretty shallow, fast wave. Works only in certain types of conditions.

MulhaMulha - Right hander that can hold bigger swells, easy to ride even when it is big. Good for intermediates and even beginners.

Muli Inside/F1Muli Inside/F1 - A very fast right, with long walls, hollow, barreling, can be shallow, but still with a safe ending. Very well protected from south-erly winds, needs bigger swells to work.

Muli Outside/MushroomsMuli Outside/Mushrooms - Picks up more swell, good in SW winds, right hander with long walls, can max out easily, easy exit on the corner.

Thaa Atoll :Malik’sMalik’s - When the wind is from the southeast and the swell is large from the southwest you should head to the island of Hirilandhoo. The left hand reef pass there can produce some great barrels on long and speedy walls.

Outside and Inside MikadosOutside and Inside Mikados - Powerful waves with fast, hollow walls. Can produce some awesome barrels. Catches more swell than other spots in this area but is less protected to winds. When it is on, it can give you the surf of your lifetime.

FinnimasFinnimas - On the other side of the island there is a

right hander that sometimes breaks.

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FinnimasFinnimas - Speedy, shallow left that can pro-duce some firing waves. When it is on it can provide some greenroom time.

Adonis

Adonis - This right hander needs bigger swells as it is more protected. Can get fast and hol-low, shallow sections. If it is on the rides can be pretty long.

TimarafuriTimarafuri - Pretty straight reef. Tends to close out. Can be fun in a sectiony swell with a beach break style.

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Central Atolls

Laamu Atoll :

Refugee’s LeftRefugee’s Left - Heavy left that tends to close out picks up a lot of swell.

Ying YangYing Yang - one of the most consistent spots in the area and loves a solid southeast swell.Yin Yang has a long inside section and can produces some incredibly hollow barrels.Out-side is a mellow wall with safe rides in deep water.

Refugee’s RightRefugee’s Right - Fast and shallow take off,

barreling, spitting, perfect wave. Only for those who can handle the speed! Quite dan-gerous wave, Tsunamis usually works better.

Langon BankLangon Bank - This right needs big easterly swells but is very well protected from south-erly winds. This spot is rarely surfed due to a lack of anchorage.

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Opposite TsunamisOpposite Tsunamis - This left picks up prob-ably the most swell of all east facing spots in the Laamu atoll. As the reef is quite straight it tends to close out though. When Tsunamis is too small this left can be fun. It is well pro-tected from westerly to northerly winds.

TsunamisTsunamis - When the swell is big this right hand wave is just perfect. It has three parts to it. The outside, corner and the inside. All three parts are connecting when the swell is right and make the wave tons of fun. Usually you take off at the outside. The reef is pretty straight here and you can pull into the barrel just af-ter take off. When you are fast enough you get to the corner where waves are a bit mel-lower and give you a little break to do perfor-mance turns. Stay on from there to the inside and you will get another long and heavy bar-rel section. Unfortunately this wave is always smaller than Ying Yang and has its flat spells. Also currents can get very heavy to make this impossible to surf.

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Southern Atolls

Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll :

It is said that the Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll (also named Huvadhoo Atoll) offers the best con-ditions for surfing in the Maldives. It works best in February to April and September to November. It picks up more swell than any other Atoll in the Maldives and from every direction. The Gaafu Dhaalu offers the greatest quantity and variety of spots. To almost every island

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on the outside of the atoll you will find one or two breaks. There is everything from barreling and hollow walls to soft and never ending playful waves.

BeaconsBeacons - This break is 3 hrs away from the air-port, at the first southern reef pass. Touted as the Maldives’ gutsiest wave, Beacons pow-erful right tubes onto a shallow unforgiving reef. SW swells will break down the reef, but a SE swell will create peaks slamming straight onto close-out sections of coral. Beacons is flanked by an unnamed left across the chan-nel, which have its days in a big swell and tend to go unridden.

Dhigulaabadhoo / CastawaysDhigulaabadhoo / Castaways - Across the channel from Beacons, this left is called Dhi-raagu after the phone company in the Mal-dives as the island is shaped like a phone. A sort of fat ride on the takeoff and if the swell direction is right can link up with another sec-tion on the inside where it produces a bit more speed and power, needs same wind as Beacons and can be surfed on all tides, plenty of marine life around here common to see whale sharks.

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Southern Atolls

Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll :

KH - KHKH - KH is almost east coast and the two distinct take off spots link together in bigger swell and tide conditions.

Blue Bowls or VoodoosBlue Bowls or Voodoos - Blue Bowls is the most flexible right, tucked inside the pass and pro-tected from SW-W Winds. More of a point style wave, it has good a length of ride and nice bowly sections for performance moves. All swells, all tides and all sizes.

Kaededhdhoo or AirportsKaededhdhoo or Airports - Fun right hander when the swell is large. As it is on the west side of the atoll it doesn’t receive as much swell as the other

breaks. Lucky punters will score good at Airports with a strong S-SW swell andNE wind.

Love CharmsLove Charms - are actually several reliable lefts, which can handle E winds and any size of swell. Low tide is the best when it is small, soft and broken into two distinct sections. Big-ger swell morphs into a long, hollow wall, with protected pockets.

Gani Point or Five IslandsGani Point or Five Islands - Five Islands is an-other righthander that breaks hard and hol-low on the shallow reef inside. The outside section encourages deep takeoffs into racy walls and handles the biggest swells at all tides

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Koodhoo and Viligili RightKoodhoo and Viligili Right - East facing lefts, very well protected from dominant westerly winds.

Booga Reef or Two WaysBooga Reef or Two Ways - Left and right-hander - with the right usually coming up bet-ter but it needs a big swell to hit its protected position, making it at favourite with interme-diates. Fun, peeling, long walls with a bit of depth to the water.

Rockets or Tiger StripesRockets or Tiger Stripes - Named after the narrow gouges in the reef that give a striped effect, Tigers is a real growling left in a strong swell. Tricky take offs into a long speedy wall before committing to an inside tube section that wraps and peters out in the channel. Un-impressive when small, it always seems to be bigger than everywhere else. All tides, all vari-ations of S Swells and any N Wind.

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Southern AtollsAddu Atoll :

The Addu Atoll is basically not described at all yet. Nevertheless some adventurous surf-ers have discovered the area and found several spots on the south but also at the west and east facing parts of the atoll. Es-pecially the left hander on the island of Vil-ingili and the right hander just south of Gan are known to offer good days. The Addu At-oll doesn’t have the perfectly shaped soft breaking waves. It is technically more chal-lenging as it requires more flexibility to make the sections or to get enough speed out of the less powerful faces. The swell exposure is the best of the whole Maldives.

VilingiliVilingili - This right needs swell from westerly di-rections to stay open. Clean and small swells work the best at this spot.

Mulikede / Kanda MuliMulikede / Kanda Muli - Beach break type reef as it is too straight for a point break. Can be fun with small swells. Then there are tons of peaks favouring lefts.

Hithado / KotteyHithado / Kottey - Left Hander beach break type reef. Works in easterly and southerly wind directions. The spot is accessible by land. Take a cab from equator village or hire a motorcycle. The spot is in front

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of a dump and can have its heavy days.

Gaukendi BridgeGaukendi Bridge - Works best when all other spots are too small. Then it may offer some short but fun left hand rides on the south side of the bay.

Airport LightsAirport Lights - Very fast and powerful right-hander that tends to close out unless you are really fast. If you make the sections you will be rewarded with nice barrels, if you are not, you will definitely end up on the shallow reef. The spot is well protected from west to south west winds especially if the swell is large and once you can surf the more northern parts of the reef corner. Outsides can be really throw-ing and intimidating.

Vilingili / MadiheraVilingili / Madihera - This spot picks up a lot of swell but tends to be fickle. In the right wind directions it offers a fun lefthander with differ-ent sections and take off points. The waves hit from deep water and provide some heavy barrels at certain spots of the reef. The bot-tom of the reef is a bit uneven which makes the wave funny at times and changes from heavy to soft within a few meters. For those of you that can adapt quickly the Vilingili left can be tons of fun and high quality. Once the winds swing around more to the south east the end section of this wave can be firing.

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Seasonality

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Temperature is consistent the whole year round 29 - 32’C during the day and 25-26’C during the night. The Maldives climate can be divided into two periods, characterised by two monsoons.

1. The South-West Monsoon, from May to No-vember, is humid and with persistent rain-falls. In this period the sea is heavy and winds are strong.

2. The North-East Monsoon, from December to April, has very little rainfall and lower hu-midity.

The tides and currents place a very important role in defining the surfing conditions in the

Maldives. All the breaks occur near the tight channels of the atolls. The currents through these channels can become very strong. Dur-ing the south-west monsoon, currents go to-wards the external reef of the atolls creating the best conditions for surfing. The swelling lines are usually perfect and the waves keep the same shape with all the tides.The surf throughout the Maldives generally ranges in size from 4-8 feet, however bigger days have been experienced. The best waves in North Male can be experienced from May to October, with the biggest swells likely to oc-cur in June/July/August. The best waves in South Male usually come July to October.

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Seasonality

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

INSETHonolulu AHU

CaliforniaLos Angeles

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LahainaMAUI

HiloHawaii

BIG ISLAND

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UNITED STATES OF

Washington D.C.

AMERICA

A T L A N T I CMEXICO O C E A N

Maxico City

INSETPERU

BRAZIL

C a r i b b e a nLima Brasilia

P A C I F I C O C E A N S e a CHILE Rio de Janeiro

EL SALVADORSalvador

Santiago

2000kmCOSRA RICA

San Jose

3. Hawaii

The birth place of su

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rfing and also home to big wave surfing in the pac

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ific PERFECT to learn to surf as well

Overview :

Surfing was first documented here in 1779 but

in all likelihood the Polynesian people had been surfing here since 400AD. Hawaii truly is the birthplace of surfing. Initially a sport re-

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served for royalty, the ancients would move from their winter homes in the north shore to their summer retreats in the south of the is-lands to pick up the best waves all year round.Surfing was popularised by Olympic swimmer Duke Kahanamoku in the 1920’s, whose stat-ue can be found on Waikiki’s waterfront.Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, Maui and Ha-waii’s Big Island are the six main islands that create Hawaii and every one has it’s own distinct individuality that entice people for anything from the ultimate

honeymoon, to adventure activities, or amazing shopping.

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Located in the Pacific, not too far off the shores of the mainland USA, Hawaii will offer a paradise like no other and should not be missed. You have not made it as a world

class surfer if you have not made it on the North Shore. Look in any Surf mag and it will not take you too long to find a picture of a Ha-waiian wave. It is a place truly blessed with top quality waves and swell. Hawaii receives numerous swells from October to March, gen-

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erated from deep lows tracking across the North Pacific. The swells can be anywhere in the region of 10-30ft - now that is big surf!Unfortunately due to the surf size and the lo-calism, a surf trip to Hawaii might be better spent away from the North Shore and there are no shortage of spots and less crowding elsewhere. The other side of the island gets frequent 3-8ft waves so you will not be missing out trying out other

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lesser known breaks. If you are keen for the North Shore, stay at Turtle Bay Resort so you can go out with their surf guide. If you want to learn to surf though or are trav-elling with a non-surfing partner or your family, and want to be closer to the ‘non-surf’ action, you are best off staying in Waikiki. Here there are plenty of tourist activities and amazing shopping to amuse your travelling compan-ions. You can find surf at the local beaches or hire a car and go cruising the coast. For be-ginners, there’s no shortage of Learn to Surf operations in the main areas of most of the

islands. More people learn to surf on Waikiki’s beach than anywhere else in the world. The small rolling waves that come into Waikiki are the perfect waves to experience surfing from the first time.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Surf breaks

The swell that rolls into these islands is from the intense lows that circle the earth south of Aus-tralia, blessing the islands with a generous SE to SW groundswell (March to September), team-

ing this with some of the most consistent trade winds (South Pacific Trade Winds) generally from the east with slight variations. The North Pacific delivers some intense lows that send in NE to NW swells (October to March). This makes these island gems in the perfect

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posi-tion to make use of the swells with perfectly cut out bays, banks and reefs set up and wait-ing for you.Oahu from October through to March is re-nowned for its monstrous waves and has host-ed many a world surfing championship. Trav-elling surfers are attracted to Haleiwa, one of the surf capitals of the world and the gateway to Oahu’s famous North Shore breaks. Along the 7 mile stretch of beach there are some 40 surf breaks including Sunset Beach, Waimea and Banzai Pipeline - without a doubt the best known break in

the world. For beginners head down to Waikiki Beach where you will find some of the easiest beach breaks to get your first ride.Consistency on Kauai is awesome for begin-ners and reliable waves on the south coast at Poipu is fortunately protected majority of

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the year. But watch out for the winter months when the big swells hit as even the most expe-rienced surfers will have a challenge.Hawaii or the ‘Big Island’ is not as well known for its breaks however there are some excel-lent set ups at Waipio on the north coast and Papeekeo just north of Hilo on the east coast.There are

scattered breaks around Keauhopu south of Kailua that will also keep you enter-tained for a while.In Maui, the best spots for surfing are off the north shore between Hookipa Beach andBaldwin Park (summer surfing is good) and Napili Bay. Beginners will find Kealia Beach in Kihei (west coast) a great place to learn. Winds pick up in the afternoons so if you are not ex-perienced, go early. Body surfing is good atLahaina harbour.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Surf breaksNorth Shore Breaks

Log CabinsLog Cabins - Fast, powerful, very long, and can get epic.

RockpilesRockpiles - Hollow, ledgy and powerful right and left reef break.

Rocky PointRocky Point - A hollow, fast and powerful right and left reef break.

Off The WallOff The Wall - Generally a hollow, fast and powerful right tube. The odd left that tends to close out on the inside.

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BackdoorBackdoor - The same take off zone as Pipe, but a right hand barrel that breaks over very shallow reef. It’s hollow, fast and powerful.

No KanduisEhukai Beach Park - A hollow, fast and pow-erful right and left that can break furiously. When the sand bars have formed correctly this break will give you the tube ride of your life over shallow and soft sand.

HaleiwaHaleiwa - First stop on the Triple Crown of Surf-ing Circuit. The right is more consisten

t and can get hollow and heavy. There are also some lefts that come through that are fun and rippable when it is smaller.

Sunset BeachSunset Beach - Site of the second stop of theTriple Crown of Surfing, this wave is also one of the more famous breaks in surfing history. There is nearly a 200m takeoff zone, with three main spots: The Point, The Main Reef, and Backyards. Generally hollow, fast, powerful and ledgey right reef breaks, with some lefts at Backyards.

VelzylandVelzyland - This wave is an amazing right hander

with rippable walls and long barrels. When it gets really big, there is a left called

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Freddies on the south side of the same bay, and behind them both is a big wave spot called Phantoms.

Banzai PipelineBanzai Pipeline - Pipe is a legendary wave that demands a surfer’s respect. It is the final stop of the Triple Crown of Surfing as well as the ASP World Tour. It’s a super fast, ledgy left hand reef break with one of the best tubes in the world.

Waimea BayWaimea Bay - One of the first recognised big wave surf spots in the world, and site of the only ASP sanctioned big wave contest – “The Eddie.” When the North Shore is closing out, Waimea Bay starts to come alive. It is a right point break that holds swells up to 30ft. When it is

not big enough to work, another right called Pinballs can be surfed on the inside close to the rocks.

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Turtle BayTurtle Bay - On the west side of the resort, a hollow, fast and powerful right reef break when the swell is up, and a fun longboard wave that can take you over a hundred yards when its smaller. On the

east side of the resort there is a right called Rainbows that gets fun when there is more east in the swell. Further east from Rainbows is Baggers, a very long and hollow left tube over shallow reef.

South Shore and Waikiki BreaksAla Moana Bowls Long, hollow, powerful, fast and ledgey left tube.Kaisers A ledgey, fast and powerful right and left reef break.Three’s A long, fast and powerful right and left reef break.Canoe’s

Short, easy right and left reef break.Queens A fun right and left reef break.Publics A consistent long left

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Season

ality

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With two distinct seasons, big wave season hits the north shores of all islands from Novem-ber to April and is produced from the winter storms around Alaska. As there is no land mass between the continent and the

islands, the waves grow in strength on their 5000km jour-ney. During summer, the north shore goes flat, the focus shifts to the south shore.Tropical storms around the south pacific send the swell north in the Summer, reaching the ex-posed southern shores from May til October.These waves are not as intense as the winter

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waves that hit the north shores, but the south coast of Oahu (including Waikiki

Beach) and Kauai (Poipu Beach) have particularly favour-able conditions for surfing.Summer temperatures are usually around 25-29°C, with June and July being the driest months. During the winter, the temperature is usually a few degrees cooler, with north west-erly winds. Temperatures range from approxi-mately 23-26°C and drop another 10° after the sun goes down.

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SOLOMON ISLAND

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S

TUVALUTOKELAU(N.Z)

SAMOA

VANUATU TAHITI(FRANCH POLYNESIA)

FIJI COOK ISLANDS

TONGA NEW CALEDONIA

S O U T H P A S I F I C O C E A N

AUSTRALIA

1200km

4. South Pacific

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Islands of Fiji

The ultimate family holiday with surf

Overview :Made up of 3

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33 islands, Fiji is located in the South Pacific approximately

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4 hours from the east coast of Australia. There are two main is

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lands Viti Levu and Vanua Levu both of which are mountainous, w

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ith peaks as high as 1,300m and covered with dense rainforest.

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Fiji has so many options to keep everyone entertained, everythi

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ng from trekking moun-tains, ocean rafting, romantic dinner for

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two on a private beach, diving and snorkelling around some of

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the most beautiful reefs, and exploring local villages and lear

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ning their tra-ditions (like Kava drinking!). Fiji also offers

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all levels of accommodation standards, from backpacker/budget,

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to family friendly, to honeymooners paradise. Fiji’s family fri

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endly resorts also offer some of the best ‘kids clubs’ making F

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iji Surf truly amazing.

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

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to keep the little ones busy and babysitting at bargain prices so Mum & Dad can have a holiday too!

Whilst the likes of Cloudbreak, Frigates Pas-sage and Namotu are well known and photo-graphed, it will be the ‘as yet undiscovered’ or unpublicised gems of the outer islands and reefs that will ensure this country continues to grow as a surfing destination of choice. Most of the islands are surrounded by barrier reefs

which makes the water quite calm but there are some amazing breaks that allow the full power of the Pacific Ocean to crash in. Most reef breaks around the islands are accessed by boat transfers and live aboard surf boat charters have not really taken off here, which keeps the crowds down.

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Surf breaks

Fiji has a renowned reputation amongst the international surf community. There are a half dozen spots that have proven to have world-class surf, and that is just the beginning with more unnamed and un-ridden surf spots wait-ing to be discovered. Almost all of the named breaks are off the main island of Viti Levu or the nearby island chain known as the Mama-nuca Islands.The surf, which is generally all outer coral reef and overhead high, can be challenging for inexperienced surfers. For this reason surfers need to be competent and confident. There

is a beach break near Sigatoka river mouth, but it’s said to be quite challenging and we’ve found it to be shark infested and muddy brown water. Alternatively, the less experienced surf-er can be catered for at Little Daku at Naninya Island Resort or Shifties which you can access from Matanivusi off Veti Levu(see below).Recommended surfboards would be a ‘hot-dog’ short board and a larger semi-gun for the bigger days. Board shorts can be worn year-round, a rashie and sunscreen are needed for sun protection and booties are optional for the reef.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Surf breaksMamanuca Islands Breaks

Mini CloudbreakMini Cloudbreak - Powerful, fast wave. The best wind direction is south-east. Best around high tide.

DesperationsDesperations - A classic wave that doesn’t really work until its 4-5ft but just keeps getting better the bigger it gets. A left and a right with length, speed and nice hollow sections.

RestaurantsRestaurants - This is a good, fast left hand reef break for pros or kamikazes only. However, with the new laws prohibiting the exclusivity of surf breaks you can now surf this awesome waves any day you want.

CloudbreakCloudbreak - The world famous WCT loca-tion is one of the best lefts in the world. With the new laws prohibiting the exclusivity of surf breaks, you can now surf this awesome waves any day you want. This is a serious wave though, and will definitely sort the crowds out when it gets over 6ft.

Wilkes PassageWilkes Passage - This fun right-hander is great for most levels of surfers & is best at mid to high tide. Like most of the breaks in the area, it works best with S - SW swell. The only access is by boat. Unfortunately, it is very exposed and prone to being blown out by the prevailing trade winds. Afternoon glass-offs, though rare, can be a truly wonderous sight as clean right hand barrels peel off mechanically into the safety of the deep channel.

Namotu LeftNamotu Left - A left that breaks all year round, best from October to April with lighter winds. When its under 6 ft, it will even suit longboards, but becomes very challenging over 6 ft. Namotu itself is a quality wave, but remember to kick off at the end of your ride - don’t fall into the trap of going for that final barrel sec-tion - no one gets out of it.

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Surf breaksViti Levu Breaks

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J’sJ’s - J’s is a hollow, fast wave that breaks from 2’ to 6’. It’s best around the high tide with winds from NE to W. It needs some west in the swell to run down the reef.

VunaniuVunaniu - Vananiu is a short wedging right which has a bowl section at the end, usually smaller than other breaks. This would be a good option for the kids. It does get good. It’s best at high tide.

ShiftiesShifties - This wave has a deep water take off making the break a ‘not too threatening’ ride. This outside point of the barrier reef picks up all the swell and can be double the size of J’s and Vunaniu. It is powerful and thick.When everywhere else is flat, you can almost guarantee a 4-foot wave at Shifties. It can be surfed at all tides. Again, a wind of the north quadrant is needed.

HideawaysHideaways - Hideaways is a right hand reef break, only a short paddle in front of Hidea-way Resort. It’s a hollow, fast, ledgey barrel, but only good around high tide. Starts work-ing at less than 3ft and holds up to 6ft plus. Year-round wave, although it is more consist-ent from May to October. Recommended for experienced surfers only.

FrigatesFrigates - Definitely a world-class left that can rival Cloudbreak for power, size and consist-ency. Because of the gradual tapering of the reef, it can handle all swell sizes. The SE trade winds are offshore, so when the inside waves near Matanivusi are blown out, there is al-ways the consistent Frigates. Because it’s out in the ocean, about 20 kilometres from Ma-tanivusi, it picks up all swell. However, some west in the swell can make it a bit dicey. It definitely makes the end section stand up! Frigates is accessed by a number of resorts and can get crowded. However, once the swell gets up over 10’, there is a drop in the numbers tackling the waves. A longer board is recommended to tackle the big drops and strong offshore winds.

Naninya Island Breaks

The BombiThe Bombi - 10 minutes from Naninya Island Re-sort by boat, can be seen from the resort deck.

Little DakuLittle Daku - This break is often suitable for the less experienced surfer. This is also an excel-lent area to enjoy a free “getting started” surfing lesson by Naninya’s surf guide.

Middle DakuMiddle Daku - Daku is the Fijian name for the beautiful sandy beach. In the middle of the beach, 60 metres from the sand, is a coral break. It breaks both right and left but the right is generally better. The trade winds are on-shore/across this break but the summer wind (north-easterly) is directly offshore. It is also best early morning before the trade winds start.

King Kong RightKing Kong Right - This is often 6ft plus face height. This is an exciting very fast tube for a more advanced rider. The trade winds are onshore for this break, but the summer wind (north easterly) is offshore. It is best early morning before the trade winds start, or late afternoon if the trade winds die down.

King Kong LeftKing Kong Left - This is a 40-metre long wave that has a take-off in deep water, reducing risk of coral scratches and is good for intermediate to advanced surfers. The average size is 3 ft to 5 ft offshore, but it can hold up to 15 ft plus. It was named King Kong because of the famous 1935 movie which was part-ly filmed underneath the mountain Nabukelevuira. This mountain also has a moderating effect on the wind at the King Kong Left break so that it is still op-erating when other areas are blown out.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Seasonality

Fiji generally receives swell year round, although April to October is the preferred surf season, when deep lows tracking across the southern ocean south of Australia and New Zealand pro-vide consistent clean groundswells. Most of the south and south-westerly swells from these lows are blocked by New Zealand and hence Fiji generally receives south-easterly swell from the lows that have passed east of New Zealand. South-westerly swells arrive at the islands after piecing the gap between Australia and NewZealand.South-east trade winds also dominate the weather at this time of year, which means the

wind is conveniently blowing directly off-shore at the world class breaks such as Frigates and Restaurants. From November to April, these south swells are smaller and less consistent. North Pacific winter swells do arrive at the is-lands, though have little impact on the main reefs that all lie on the south facing coasts of Viti Levu and Kadavu. Also at this time of year, South Pacific tropical cyclones can produce good swells. If you’re lucky enough to have one, blow up in the right location, particularly those forming between Papua New Guinea and Australia that track south giving days of consistent westerly swell.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Water temperatures are very warm with virtu-ally no seasonal variation from about 27-28°C, apart from the easternmost islands, which tend to have slightly cooler water during the south-ern hemisphere winter, but no need to pack rubber.Air temperature is determined by its location in the South Pacific Ocean and has tropical mari-time climate without extremes in temperature.The hotter season in January, February is usually no morethan 3 to 4 degrees hotter than the cool season of July and August. Although the hot season is the rainy season and higher humidity can make this season feel much hotter.Rainfall in Fiji is largely determined by the time of year. For example, the wet season is November to April and experiences a much larger amount of rainfall that the other months of the year. Es-pecially the larger islands that generate clouds and precipitation.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Banda Seri

Northern BegawanSumatra

Kuala Lumpur

Singapore

Mentawai

Jakarta

SouthernSumatra

West Java

I N D I A N O C E A N

1500km

5. Bali

The Original surf destination for the first time overseas

trip

Overview :The words ‘Bali’ and ‘surfing’ have gone hand in hand for over 40 years. A favourite amongst Australians due to its close proximity, Bali is also world renowned for its consistency, variety and number of awesome breaks.Bali gets surf most of the year, during the dry season of April to October, the trade winds favour the west coast. During the wet sea-son of November to March, the tides and winds favour the east coast, mainly around Nusa Dua and Sanur. The most popular area of Bali for surf is around Uluwatu. The unique geography of this area means you can get a selection of left hand breaks on one side of the Bukit Peninsula; or drive for 20 minutes and get a selection of right hand breaks around the other side. But there are many other op-tions to discover in and around Bali that makes Bali Surf complete and perfect.

Bali is also one of the best places for begin-ners as there is a number of suitable beach breaks, with some surf camps including les-sons in their packages.Accommodation choices are outstand-ing; with an uncountable number of options for every standard, and every budget... surf camps; party hotels; 5 star resorts; and luxury villas great for groups of couples or families. There are also many alternative activities and tours available when you need a break from surfing or for non surfing partners and family members.Are you planning the holiday of a lifetime, a honeymoon, a family holiday with something different or just getting some mates together and don’t want to battle the tourists or stay in a hotel? Bali is fast becoming the ‘Villa Capi-

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tal of the World’! There is the most amazing range of villas for the size of the island, and it is proving to be a much preferred choice of accommodation for travelers to Bali.We can organise a villa for you that matches the lifestyle that you want on your holiday, whether it be overlooking rice fields, beach-front, cliff top, riverside, mountainside or close to the trendy shops and restaurants of Sem-inyak.Most villas have a collection of experienced staff to suffice your every need, like your own private chef to cook up some tantalizing meals, or a your own personal driver to take you wherever your want to go, not to men-tion you won’t have to lift a finger to clean or worry about security, it’s all taken care of. And if you don’t want to go out for a mas-sage, masseuses can even be arranged to come to you at your villa.In a villa you can have your own private pool, lounge rooms, dining rooms, outdoor areas, kitchens – so different to being confined to a

small hotel room….So if you are after your own private oasis, we can organise a villa to match your needs. Whether it be a 2 bedroom budget style, a family friendly 3 or 4 bedroom, or luxurious 5 or 6 bedroom villas for a group of couples.

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Surf breaks

Bali West Coast(Dry season - May to September)

BalianBalian - Further north, Balian is a peaceful riv-ermouth left and right, breaking over a rock and sand bottom.

MedewiMedewi - Further north again, Medewi is a very long left point break, peeling gently for hundreds of metres along round river stones. Perfect for longboards and best at mid tide from 4-8ft. Swell size here is usually larger than Kuta depending on swell direction.

BinginBingin - Bingin is a perfect machine of a wave that works best around mid tide. It is a very consistent wave and throws out many perfect barrels. If you want to practice barrel riding lefts - Bingin could be the perfect loca-tion. At low tide it can be very shallow and for expert surfers only. At high tide the wave can break very soft and is where the Bali chil-dren learn to surf. High tide can be perfect for long boarders or intermediate surfers.

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Bali offers over 30 top quality breaks on the west and east coasts of the island, which are just half an hour apart by car or motorbike. You’ll find offshore winds virtually every day all year.

Canggu

Canggu - Just north of Seminyak, Canggu has a variety of waves in the area. The main break called Canggu is a superb right peak that breaks over black lava rock with two fun lefts nearby. Good intermediate break be-tween the safety of the beach breaks and dangers of coral reefs.

ImpossiblesImpossibles - A fast racy wave that is very picturesque. There are 3 separate peaks on this wide reef which breaks up the crowds.On the right conditions with a good size swell and offshore wind it is possible for the sections to link up and to get a ride of a mile or more to the warungs at Bingin.

BalanganBalangan - his is the next break on the Bukit and is waking distance from Dreamland. It is a reef break but has a beautiful white sand beach which is very quiet and beautiful. Bal-angan is a fun left hander that is not so fast as the other reef breaks on the Bukit and is suitable for intermediate surfers.

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Surf breaksBali West CoastDry season - May to September

Padang PadangPadang Padang - This wave is known as the Balinese Pipeline. It is a very fast, long barrel-ling wave that lives up to it’s reputation as the most serious wave in Bali. Similar to Hawaii’s very own Pipeline, the Bali Pipeline also breaks over a shallow coral reef and is only for expert surfers. Lesser known is Padang Padang Right which breaks in front of a beautiful white sandy beach. This is a very easy wave and is suitable for beginners, longboarders and intermedi-ate surfers. This is a perfect surf spot for learner surfers to progress from riding whitewater to unbroken waves. The conditions at high tide are very forgiving - a long slow unbroken wave which can reform from whitewater to swell. It is also a beautiful location for sunbathing and watching the sunsetUluwatuUluwatu - The indicator break for the west side of the bukit and is very consistent. The wide reef offers many different peaks which all turn on at different tide stages. The Peak is imme-diately in front of you as you paddle out of the cave and is a consistent wave that works at all tide stages. Outside Corner only breaks at low tide on the biggest swells and is a classic wave.Racetrack is a fast racy wave that works best at low tide. Temples is a bit of a paddle from the main peak so tends to be less busy. The bombie will break on the biggest swells and is rideable at up to 20ft or even bigger!

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DreamlandDreamland - Dreamland is a beautiful white sand beach a short walk from Impossibles & Bingin. There are many different breaks that work at different stages of the tide and is suit-able for novice surfers as it breaks over sand.The best wave is an A frame peak that works best at low tide on a big swell. There is also a punchy shorebreak wave where you will seeBalinese and visiting surfers exhibiting their skills at the water’s edge. Dreamland is a perfect location to spend the day surfing, sunbathing and hanging out in the local warungs.

BaliSouth Coast (All seasons)

Nyang NyangNyang Nyang - Always has swell, but usually too big to surf safely. Normally only visited when everywhere else goes flat but it is dif-ficult to access. A right reefbreak with a left on the opposite side of a very treacherous channel with some weird currents.

Green BallsGreen Balls - This wave is usually too big to surf - a thick right hander, but often too big and very dangerous. The waves here are very powerful, facing directly into the open ocean. Arrive early before any wind and be careful of the currents!

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Surf breaksBali East coastWet Season - December to March

Sanur ReefSanur Reef - This is one of the world’s best right hand reef breaks when over 8 ft, but unfor-tunately it is fickle and only breaks about 20 days a year. Yet again it can be very crowd-ed under 6 ft and under 4ft gets very shallow.

Nusa LembonganDry Season - May to September

Nusa Lembongan is the quintessential Ba-linese surf destination that you’ve dreamed about, away from the 24 hours of in ya face partying and sleepless nights of Kuta. Lem-bongan is a laid back destination where time

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- and busy roads - don’t exist. It also happens to have some great surf spots. With surf breaks known as Lacerations and Razors you should know what to expect, though there are a couple of mellower reefs such as Playgrounds and Cheningan, a great long-board wave.

Nusa DuaNusa Dua - This break is considered Bali’s most consistent right reef break, rarely under 4 feet, so your best option most days. It has 3 separate peaks and can get very crowded at times. The break is 1 km offshore so you will need a boat to get out there. This is a serious wave with strong currents and shifting peaks that will get you eventually.

ShipwrecksShipwrecks - The most famous and most surfed of all the waves on Nusa Lembongan, this right produces a good wall for manoeu-vres and, depending on the tide, good tubes. Best at medium tide with a 4 to 6 foot swell, but can hold bigger swell on a good day.

LacerationsLacerations - A powerful and very hollow right hander that can produce some of the best barrels around if the swell direction is right. Best at medium tide with swell of 3 to 8 ft. Breaks on very sharp live coral reef, hence the name!!

PlaygroundsPlaygrounds - A right and a left with a soft coral bottom that are very easy and fun to surf, making it the favourite of inexperienced surfers and longboarders. Best with medium swell (3 to 6 ft) and medium or high tide.

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Seasonality

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The dry winter season is offshore on the famous Kuta - Uluwatu west side of the island, with south-east winds from around late May to Sep-tember, this is the best season for quality surf and guaranteed sunshine, so the best time to plan your trip.

The wet summer season is offshore on Nusa Dua- Sanur east side of the island, with north-west winds usually from early December to late March. This is the least crowded season

for surfers. Although rain averages 2 inches a day in January and February, there can still be weeks of sunny weather with perfect surf.

Between seasons can be less predictable, but there are usually offshore waves somewhere on the island. The largest swells reliably arrive mid-winter form roaring forties weather fronts in the southern Indian ocean, although tropi-cal cyclones during summer can send up a few days of solid swell.

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GUAM

F E D E R A T E D S T A T E S M I C R O N E S I A

Pohnpei

CAROLINE ISLANDS

O F MARSHALL ISLANDS

Kosrae

N O R T H P A S I F I C O C E A NN

ew

Irelan

d

Kavie

ng

1000km

PAPUANEW GUINEA

SOLOMON ISLANDS

Port MoresbyHoniara

6. Papua New Guinea & Solomon Islands

The new Frontier of surf travel is Melanesia

Overview :Located near the equator, Papua New Guin-ea (PNG) is the second largest island in the world. Only 5.5 million people call

PNG their home, but this consists of 850 different tribes and more than 800 languages that are spo-ken. Parts of Papua New Guinea can be dan-gerous, but it is not nearly as bad as common-ly perceived and these areas are away from the main tourist areas. By using a little com-mon sense you’ll more likely be smothered in smiles than encounter any problems. One

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government official has stating saying there is still tribal flighting in the Highlands, but they stop flighting and pose for you when they see you have a camera!The geography is as diverse as it is unique. The country is an island, nearly the size of a continent, which is divided down the mid-

dle east from west. The eastern half, called Papua New Guinea, has been independent for a dozen years, while the western half is the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya. There is a spine of mountains that run the length of the island forming the populous highlands re-

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gion with the highest point being Mt Wilhelm (4,500m). Rainforests are dense and located around the lowlands and coastal areas which have made it difficult to create a transporta-tion infrastructure, so in some areas the only way to get from one point to another is by air. Coastal plains, flooded delta regions, and mangrove swaps are found next to sandy beaches making it one of the most unique environments on earth.PNG is not only renowned for its surf, but also the spectacular diving, offering those looking for more than just surf a playground of WWII wreck dives and an amazing array of sea life. The Surf Association Papua New Guinea (SAPNG) has successfully controlled the tour-ism and environmental impact of surfing in the region. The Surf Association Abel Reserve spiral management scheme has uniquely created an approach to surfing as a sustain-

able tourism model that can be applied to other niche tourism sectors around the globe. This means the number of surfers to the area are restricted which is great for keeping the crowd factor low.

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Surf breaksPNG is a relatively new destination for surf en-thusiasts. The areas of New Ireland and NewHanover are the main regions currently being commercially surfed.

Kaviengin New Ireland ProvinceKavieng in New Ireland Province has numer-ous reef breaks which have several good op-tions for surfers who are after a bit of variety.The waves you find below are the well estab-lished ones which are known in international surfing communities.

PIKININIPIKININI - Extremely fast, heavy barreling, very shallow right-hand coral reef break. Given the

right conditions and swell direction, waves can peel for up to 200m. Works best on a low to mid-tide, with a west to north-west swell di-rection. A mini Kirra. Reef boots are a must.

CangguEDMAGO ISLAND - Edmago is a smaller island situated South West of Nago, in between Nago and Ral. It has a very good quality left-hander, given the right swell and wind direc-tion and is best at mid-tide. The right-hander is also best at mid-tide and can pick up more swell than the left.

NUSA LEFTS (also known as KARANAS)NUSA LEFTS (also known as KARANAS) - Situ-ated across the harbour from Pikinini, Nusa Left is a fast breaking, very reliable barreling left-hander that jacks up out of deep water,

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with a very shallow end section. It works best on mid to low-tide with a westerly swell direc-tion and an easterly wind. Keep an eye on the outside bomby, as this can also be ridden on the right conditions.

LONG LONGSLONG LONGS - A right-hander, good on a big swell, works best on a mid-tide with a north wind. Long Long is a more forgiving wave than most of the other reef breaks. The wa-ter is deeper and long rides, with a nice wall, ending with a hollow bowl section can be had. Good for long boards and mid size fish fun boards and twin fins.

NAGO ISLANDNAGO ISLAND - This picturesque little island has both a left and right-hander. The left-hander is a bit of a wave magnet and very consistent. A great hotdog, fun wave that has a nice tubing inside wall section. Likes low to mid-tide as it can be a bit fat and break too close to the inside ledge on high tide. It does not like too much swell, but can still be fun on a light onshore. This is one of the most surfed breaks in the area. The right-hander on the other side of the island has a very fast, long wall. It likes a mid to low tide, is a little incon-sistent, but a great ride when it’s on. Keep an eye on this break when the swell comes up.

RAL ISLANDRAL ISLAND - A small, uninhabited island situated further out to sea. A great place to go if there is no swell anywhere else, Ral attracts more swell than the other breaks in the region. Best surfed on small, clean swells, the right-hander can at times be peaky like a beach break, and some-times can line up like a point break. The left is not as consistent as the right, but worth check-ing. Both waves pack a bit of punch once the wave height gets bigger. Ral can also handle more surfers than most of the other breaks.

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Surf breaksKaviengin New Ireland Province

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There are uncountable more breaks on offer in PNG, you can discover these by getting out of the Kavieng area by land or by sea. The other areas have similar surf management systems to Kavieng, so restrictions on surfer numbers are still imposed. Boat charters can often get you to the Islands of St Matthias, the east coast group of islands of New Ireland, and to the Admiralty Islands to the far North West of Kavieng.

GABE’S LEFTGABE’S LEFT - A quality rip able left hander, ei-ther log ride on the nose or line up for about 5 turns on a standard ride. A mellow option to SPs which is nearby.

LOOKOUTSLOOKOUTS - A left for the more adventurous surfer- a not to challenging take-but then time the horse-shoe that bends around the knuckle in the reef, pull in and aim for the ten-der in the channel.

SP’SSP’S - A right hander anything from 3ft plus this is definitely a more challenging wave. No bottom turns required take off in the barrel and get spat out into the channel. No more said.

BONSAIBONSAI - A fast hollow right-hander, that has a friendly weedy bottom. Good for all abilities sit deeper around the point and challenge the fast section or sit a bit wider and pick off the easier ones.

RAINBOWSRAINBOWS - A classic long walled left hander that has the best of both worlds with a big long face to tear apart but a quick stall and your locked into a smoking pit. This wave needs a little bit more bite in the swell that many of the other breaks but is a quality left that will impress the most travelled surfer .

FEEDING GROUNDFEEDING GROUND - A swell magnet looks smaller from the boat until you are in the line-up and a huge set comes through. A deep water left hander, a 50 m ride that has a lot of double up and link up sections to produce a gnarly barrel section or a carve able face.If you end up on the reef there will be plenty of kids on hand to offer a refreshing coollah (young drinking coconut).

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Surf breaksVanimo

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The surf breaks are easy to access by foot or a short paddle if you stay in Vanimo Surf Lodge and the range of waves is for all levels; easy Town Beach, Freight Trains at the right of Log Point or Lido’s Left and Lido’s Right. The size and direction of surf breaks in the area means that they work at the same time, giving you a plenty of choice when the surf is on. The waves break from 2-10ft all season (November - April)The right-hander just outside the Vanimo Surf Lodge (Lido’s Right or Vanimo Right) is super consistent and offers long, walkable rides, but they also have a vehicle that they take to 6 sur-rounding surf breaks which are about 5-10 min-utes drive away east and west of the Surf Lodge.

Quarters

Waromo is a drive or boat ride 3km to the west and a further kilometre there is Yako, while Log Point is three kilometres to the east by boat or drive. Further to the east is TownBeach and Narimo Island’s Right and Left.The Town Beach break is ideally suited to an-yone who fancies an easy small sand bottom wave and learning here is a great alternative for the family.Besides quality waves, the area offers you tropical remote wilderness, thousands of coconut palms, occasional village huts and pristine jungle.

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Seasonality

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The seasons in PNG are not as black and white as other countries in the Asia region. Majority of the year it is hot and humid, the rain season changes depending on province, however in general the dry season runs from May to De-cember.The wet season’s rains are heavy but vary, for example Port Moresby the annual rainfall is 1000mm and falls for a short period and then is dry and dusty for the majority of the time.

Once your out on the islands, there is a steady climate with the dry season from December

to late May having milder temperatures (21’C– 28’C during the days) and infrequent, light rainfall. The heat and humidity rise during the wet season from May to December and cy-clones may be experienced between Janu-ary and April.

Surf season in PNG are from November to April.The operators do not run their operations for surfers out of these season to ensure you have the best chance of great surf when you do go.

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UNITED

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IRELAND

Dulbin London

A T L A N T I C O C E A NParis

FRANCE

BiaritsHossegor

AZORES(PORTUAL)Mundaka

SPAIN

LisbonMadrid

MADEIRA(PORTUAL)

Rabat

CANARY ISLANDS(SPAIN) Agadir

1500km MOROCCO

7. Europe’s Atlantic Coastfrom Frances South west coast to Portugal’s South Coast

Overview :France

Renowned as one of the best coastlines in the world for surf, France offers so much with cul-ture, history and plenty of action in the bars or on the beach. There are waves all year around but it is the winter that brings the big-gest and most consistent waves to this area. The main (and warmer!) surf season is be-tween May - October.France is the largest country in Europe, and one of the world’s favourite tourist destina-tions, offering something for every taste and budget. It’s a very diverse country with a rich culture, great food and even better wines.It’s located in Western Europe and has a coastline of nearly 3500 km. The country of-

fers a spectacular variety of scenery, from the mountain ranges of the Alps and Pyrenees to the beautiful beaches in the south of France.It boasts the best waves in Europe and some of the heaviest beach breaks in the world, so it’s no surprise that it’s one of the pro surfers favourite destinations on the tour. However don’t be disheartened if you are learning or an intermediate, there are plenty of options for all levels.

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Spain

30 - 40 minutes down the road from Biarritz,France is the Spanish Basque Country. San Se-bastian is a beautiful little old town where you can find fun waves and delicious tapas. An-other hour along the northern coast of Spain takes you to the fishing village of Mundaka, which is a river mouth with one of the best and most famous lefts in Europe.

There are waves all year around but it is the winter that brings the biggest and most con-sistent waves to this area. The main (and warmer!) surf season is between May - Octo-ber.Surfing in Spain was first introduced sometime around 1960 when a couple of intrepid surf-ers from France went on safari looking for new waves in the Basque Region. Today, Spain holds the Billabong Pro Mundaka which is a major stop on the ASP World Tour circuit. Spain has now become one of the prime surf desti-

nations in Europe for its warmer temperatures, and vast array of beach breaks, rivermouths, and reef breaks.Spain has now become one of the prime surf destinations in Europe for its warmer temper-atures, and vast array of beach breaks, river mouths, and reef breaks.There are great waves for all levels here in-cluding some great learn to surf waves such as Loredo. Spain entices travellers from all over the world for their friendly locals, beau-tiful beaches, party atmosphere and wild festivals. If you go in summer (June, July, Au-gust), don’t miss the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona near San Sebastian in early July or La Tomatina, the tomato street fight in Bunol near Valencia at the end of August. San Se-bastian is also famous for its tapas bars and is well worth a visit to make Surfing Spain complete.

Portugal

Portugal, in Southern Europe, shares the Ibe-rian peninsula at the western tip of Europe with Spain. It picks up north, west and south swells, resulting in very regular surf. Very mild climate with plenty of consistent surf and va-riety of breaks, shape Portugal’s reputation to be the place to quench thirst for European. It is an excellent place to learn to surf with lots of places offering mild points and surf lessons. Visits by big-wave specialists like Ross Clarke-Jones and Manoa Drollet, suggest the level of difficulty one can find in some other areas, particularly in the winter time of big swells.

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Surf breaksFranceThe best waves are in the southwest; not only beach breaks, but also reef and point breaks further down the coast in the Basque Coun-try. The south west of France has the famous Hossegor barrels, where a deep trench crosses the continental shelf delivering big swells from the Atlantic Ocean. When the swell is too big, you can travel further down the coast into the French Basque Country where you can ride reef and point breaks that hold big swells as well as provide shelter from the wind.Hossegor gets crowded in August but you can always find less-crowded waves if you are pre-pared to go searching just 10 minutes or so fur-ther up the coast. The rest of the time you can find good waves with few crowds especially if you are willing to get out there early! It’s bright well before 6am in summer so you can get un-crowded waves if you are an early riser!

Biarritz / Anglet30 minutes further south is The Basque Coun-try. Biarritz is a pretty little coastal town in the Basque Country with some lovely beaches surrounded by rocks and cliffs. Slabs of reef dot the coast and there are also coves, headlands and a series of jetties in Anglet, which are protected from the wind.

Graviere / Le NordThe most famous waves in Hossegor are found out the front of the central Hossegor beach, opposite The Rock Food bar. The Graviere is a really heavy, barrel with a thick lip just to the north of the Rock Food; it’s basically a serious shorebreak onto the beach. When the swell is over 6 foot, a wave called Le Nord breaks into deeper water straight out the front of the Rock Food. There is a channel to get you out the back, the waves are big and heavy and the hold-downs are sobering….these waves are for the intermediate to advanced surfer.

Guethary / LafiteniaFamous waves like Guethary and Lafitenia at-tract the crowds from far and wide, especially when the northern beaches in Hossegor are too big to surf. Depending on the swell direc-tion, it’s usually a few feet smaller in the Basque country so this

area caters for all levels of surfing.

Le Sud / La PisteIf the waves are too big then go to the next break down, which is called Le Sud – it’s lo-cated on the Hossegor side of the port. If the waves are huge, the only place to surf is in between the groynes at Capbreton, which is more suitable for beginners as it is sheltered

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from the big swells. Further south again is a wave called La Piste, which is another heavy, barrelling beach break. Culsnus / Estagnots

Just north of the Graviere is a nudist beach called les Culsnus (literally translated as bare bum beach) – in summer you will walk through the naturalists on the beach to get to some really good A-frame barrels. Further north again, you get to a popular beach called Les Estagnots – there’s a great bar / restau-rant in the car park here owned by an Aussie called Woody. Another 15 minutes walk up this beach takes you to Les Bourdaines. This is where the best sandbanks often form and where the ASP surfing contests are sometimes held. The Cream Café is a good bar / res-taurant situated in the car park right next to The Perfect Wave European Headquarters.

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Surf breaksFranceThere are also waves further up the coast on the Atlantic side through Biscarosse and theGironde. The breakbreaks of Hortin and La-canau are lovely little towns with less heavy waves than in Hossegor. Brittany towards the north of France is a beautiful area where the coastline is similar to the UK and the weather and waves are quite similar too.

BidartBidart is another safe and fun wave, per-fect for learners, rights and lefts break onto a sandy / rock bottom.

LafiteniaLafitenia is an exposed reef and a right-hand point break. It’s fairly consistent so beware of crowds and watch out for the rocks.

HendayeFurther south again is Hendaye is the ideal spot for beginners, it’s a big beach on the border of Spain where the waves are way less heavy than up north.

Les CavaliersJust across the Adour River in Anglet, LesCavaliers is a stretch of coast that is interrupt-ed by a series of jetties on the southern side of the beach offering protection from the wind.This area tends to close out when the swell gets bigger than a solid 6 – 8 foot.

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La cote des Basques

La cote des Basques is where the annual RoxyASP event is held; it’s a beautiful bay with peaks all along it. You can have a nice surf and then watch the waves while having lunch in the restaurant overlooking the whole bay.

La Grande PlageLa Grande Plage is a beach that picks up a lot of swell in Biarritz itself. The waves get busy in summer with locals as well as tourists. Al-though waves here can be hollow, they are usually less heavy than the barrels of Hossegor.

GuetharyGuethary is a 20-minute paddle out the back.It breaks in deep water onto a reef and is for experienced surfers only. It doesn’t get good until the waves hit 5 or 6 foot and it holds up to a solid 15 ft. and bigger. It’s a powerful wave with a big ledgey take-off and a nice drop leading back to the channel. Going left when it’s big will leave you in the impact zone and watch out for the currents. Be very respectful of this powerful wave and the lo-cals will command respect too.

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Surf breaksSpainFrom Playa Gros in San Sebastian to Zarautz, Tapia, and then Santander, Loredo, Liencres, and heaps of other secret spots all along the northern coast of Spain as far as Pantin– Spain / The Basque Country has lots of hid-den treasures.

ZarautzZarautz is just along the north coast of Spain not far from San Sebastian, it’s a big sandy bay with lefts and rights, perfect for all levels and works well on a south wind. A fun place to be in the summertime when there are plenty of fiestas in the local bars

MundakaMundaka is a fast, barrelling left-hander, the lo-cals are heavy and the wave is even heavier when big. When it’s on, it’s considered the best left in Europe. The fishing village of Mundaka is very picturesque but very small so you are advised to book a hotel before you get there.

BakioBakio is situated not far from Mundaka; it’s a left and a right beachbreak suitable for all

levels of surfing. It holds up to solid 8 foot.

San SebastianSan Sebastian boasts one of the best in-city beaches in Europe. The surf gets crowded but

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there are some fun waves, usually managea-ble even if the swell in the Bay of Biscay is huge.

Santander / Loredo

LoredoLoredo is located in the state of Cantabria. A wide variety of beaches produce huge stretch-es of easily accessible waves for beginner to advanced surfers. There are point-breaks and reef breaks for the experts and the surf is pretty consistent all year around although the waves are at their best during autumn and spring.

Southern PortugalPraia do Amado(West)Praia do Amado(West): Most famous surf spot. Large sandy beach with dunes ideal for begin-ners - this is were many surf schools do their teach-ing. Only holds up to two meters. Respect locals!

Sagres (West / South)Sagres (West / South): Europe’s southwestern most point, this peninsula is surrounded by the Atlantic to the south and the west, providing numerous surf spots and surfing options according to swell conditions.

Meia Praia (Lagos)Meia Praia (Lagos): Portimao and Faro (South Coast): On the Algarve’s southern coast. Surf spots with good breaks offering a good alterna-tive to the western coast when the swell is too big there, or when the SE wind (Levante) blows.

Carrapateira / Bordeira(West)Carrapateira / Bordeira(West): Adjacent to Praia do Amado. Splendid surf spot with sandy beach accessed through a lagoon surrounded by dunes. Perfect for beginners, but watch out for the undercurrent. Great left handers if the banks are on!

Arrifana(West)Arrifana(West): North of Carrapateira, a scenic surf spot and beach showcased by a high cliff topped by a picturesque white-washed village. Beach break, usually half the size of other west coast beaches - good when others are too big. To the right of the beach, you have a good reef break, good right, but it only breaks with at least 1.5 me-ter swell. Watch out for the “hamburger” or “Kangaroo” rock. Only for Kamikazes!

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Seasonality

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France

The waves are bigger and the swells more consistent during the winter months between September and May. You will need a 4’3 wet-suit until from October to May and then the water temperature heats up and you can usu-ally wear a shortie or board shorts from mid-July until September.

The southwest of France is close to the moun-tains, which brings changeable weather

however it’s usually hot and sunny (30 - 35°C) during the summer months of July and Au-gust. The bigger swells start to come through around September time when the Quiksilver Pro comes to town. November to February is normally colder and rainy but there’s snow in the Pyrenees from December until springtime so this is one of the few places in the world where it’s nice to snowboard and surf in the same day.

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Seasonality

Spain

Spain’s climate varies from temperate in the north to dry and hot in the south. The best months for weather are from April to October. As with the rest of Europe, the surf season in Spain is best from Autumn through to Spring. The big low pressure systems tracking across

northern Europe send the consistent ground swells south to pound the Spanish coastline in winter, but Autumn is generally considered the best season for getting swell with warmer wa-ter temperatures.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Seasonality

Portugal

During winter season the swell size is around the 6-7ft but can get to 10-12 ft or more, making it a spot for those looking for challenging surf. There is surf throughout the summer months and you can expect waves in the 3-5ft range. From May till October, when the swell is small and waves gentle so you would usually surf west coast beach breaks. In winter from Octo-ber till May, when the swells are bigger, surfaris involve more driving and much more adven-ture, and an entire new dimension opens up in

the South Coast - including secret spots. In this season, surfaris for beginners, intermediate and experienced surfers are much more exciting and you will be able to explore many different beaches along the entire Southern Coast from Sagres to Lagos. While the west coast can be maxing out, there is beautiful beaches on the south coast breaking perfect glassy head-high waves. e.g. Mareta, Barranco, Zavial, Ingrina, Cabanas Velhas, Rocha Negra, Burgao, Meia Praia, Furnas, Portimao etc.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

NAMIBIAMOZAMBIQUE

SWAZILAND

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Port Nolloth

LESOTHO North East Coast

Durban Durban

West CoastHibiscous Coast

Wild Coast

South West CoastEast London

Port ElizabethEast London

Cape Town Cape Town Mossel BayPort Elizabeth

Garden Route GaorgeJ-Bay

I N D I A N O C E A N

A T L A N T I C O C E A N350km

8. South Africa’s Ga

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rden Route

Overview :The Republic of South Africa is

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situated at the bottom of the African continent. South Africa

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is a place where you can discover local cul-tures and tradition

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s older than time; or find yourself diving in a cage surrounded

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by great white sharks; or visiting a game park to hunt out som

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e of the ‘Big Five’.

Quite similar to Australia in its weather

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and landscapes, the 3000km long South African coastline is litt

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ered with stunning beaches, cute little beachside towns and ama

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zing surf. Surfing in South Africa, like Australia, is a way of

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life. Stretching over 1700km, with some of the most beautiful

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beaches in the world, is the coastline from Durban to Cape Town

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, this area is the most popular for surfers and has an abundant

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array of beach breaks, reefs and

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point breaks. South Africa is blessed with con-sistent, quality surf; an extremely long peak surfing season; and as with Australia, you can find waves here year round.

Along the coast two oceans meet. The Indian Ocean is to the east of the Cape of GoodHope; and the cold waters of the Atlantic is to the west. The Antarctic supplies the coastlines with plenty of lows and with two main

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currents swooping up and down the coastline, the warm south Mozambique-Agulhas current and the cold Benguela current - this means loads of waves.

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Surf breaks

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South Africa has very consistent surf, world class surf waves, pretty uncrowded, some-times sharky..., but well worth the visit. The people and beaches are among the nicest you can find in the world. Make sure to visit all of the traditional spots (Cape Town, Garden Route, J-Bay, Durban (no sharks in Durbs)) but also not to miss some of the less-frequented areas such as the Transkei/Wild Coast. Be careful whose advice you take, we

recom-mend that if you want to explore, you have an experienced guide to navigate the pitfalls that can happen to the trepid traveller.The most popular and safest place you can visit is the spot on the WCT, Jeffrey’s Bay. Con-sidered one the best left hand point breaks on the planet, Super Tubes is the most pop-ular. But there are plenty of options in the area and here are some of the most popular breaks around J-Bay;

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Surf Spots @ St. Francis BayNext to Jeffrey’s Bay you will find St. FrancisBay. This little surf town is only a short drive away and definitely worth the visit!

Anne’s AvenueAnne’s Avenue - This beach break has a hol-low, fast and ledgy wave and is very con-sistent. To surf these waters, you better have some surfing experien

ce.

Seal PointSeal Point - A bit further, you’ll find a spot for all surfers, called Seals Point. The waves are less hollow as Bruce’s but on a good day, they can offer a long ride.

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HulettsHuletts - Huletts is situated between Bruce’s Beauties and Anne’s Avenue. It is appropri-ate for surfers of all levels. If you master

Hu-letts, you could give Bruce’s a try.

Bruce’s BeautiesBruce’s Beauties - A century ago, a guy called Bruce went to search the perfect wave…Here is where he found it. Bruce’s Beauties has the A-class wave, just as Super Tubes. It has a very fast, powerful and hollow wave. This is where you can see the masters at work. Only down-side: It is very inconsistent and breaks only a few days a year.

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

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Surf breaksSurf Spots @ Jeffreys BayJeffrey’s Bay is world-renowned for its many dif-ferent surf breaks, each possessing its own magic.

Magna TubesMagna Tubes - Here you’ll find fast powerful and classic waves, as good as anywhere else.

TubesTubes - This is a short, perfect hollow wave. Once you master Tubes, you can surf Super Tubes.

Salad bowlsSalad bowls -These waves a short en hollow. The water is quite shallow so this place is re-served for experienced surfers.

Albatross(near Kabeljous Caravan Park)Albatross(near Kabeljous Caravan Park) - A wave in the same

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class as Point and mostly un-crowded.

Super TubesSuper Tubes - The waves here can get large (up to about 10 - 12 feet). This is the ultimate test of your surfing ability. It is very fast, power-ful, and very long and as the name suggests, getting tubed is the name of the game. It’s suited only to people experienced in surfing.Super Tubes - the best!

Kitchen Windows (near Main Beach)Kitchen Windows(near Main Beach) - This surf break is an excellent place to learn how to ride waves. It is a peak that breaks left and right.

PointPoint - The Point is 100% enjoyable with cut-back sections and everything else you could possibly want from a wave. The waves here tend to be a little smaller than those at Bone-yards and Supers.

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The difference is, that you will have a much longer ride here than at the other two.

BoneyardsBoneyards - Boneyards is right next to Supers. You will be able to recognize it with ease, as it is the spot where the waves are breaking al-most perfectly, but there are only one or two guys sitting out there. Don’t be fooled, this is a locals only break and they take it as a serious offence if you as an outsider decide to surf there. Yeah, it may have the better wave, but that is the bonus of being a local at Jef-frey’s Bay for quite some period of time.

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Seasonality

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South Africa has diverse climatic regions, from tropical to arid deserts. The east coast is in a subtropical climate area and wraps around the Western Cape up the Garden Route to-

wards Port Elizabeth. This area is usually hot and sunny during the summer months and mild and wet during winter. Most of time the sea-sons are the well defined southern hemisphere seasons of summer (December - February), autumn (March - May), winter (June - August) and spring (September - November). These are influenced by the cold fronts that sweep up the coast across the Cape from the Atlan-

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tic Ocean through to the Indian Ocean highs. Surfing is best done when the Roaring Forties provide the best

swells from March to Septem-ber. Waves usually range 6-15ft, but you will come across much bigger waves in certain spots. In summer the swell tends to be a bit smaller with pleasurable surf available at the many beach breaks. In the Durban area, you can find great waves through December un-til February as well, from the hurricane swells which can turn some average waves into monsters.

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INSET

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Honolulu

AHUCalifornia

Los Angeles

LahainaMAUI

Hilo Hawaii

BIG ISLAND

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UNITED STATES OF

Washington D.C.

AMERICA

A T L A N T I CMEXICO O C E A N

Maxico City

INSETPERU

BRAZIL

C a r i b b e a nLima Brasilia

P A C I F I C O C E A N S e a CHILE Rio de Janeiro

EL SALVADORSalvador

Santiago

2000kmCOSRA RICA

San Jose

9. Central Ameri

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ca

Overview :With more concentrated diversity than any other place on earth, Central America starts with the Caribbean’s white sand beaches and underwater worlds of coral reefs, to lit-tle local villages that look as though you have travelled back in time with cobblestone streets and 16th century buildings. There are rainforests & jungles; massive gorges & croco-dile infested rivers; Pyramids and ancient ruins

dating back thousands of years; and many different amazing cultures. The 8 countries that make up Central America - Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Cos-ta Rica, Panama and Mexico are a colourful and exotic destination with many opportuni-ties to find surf.

Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua play

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host to a multitude of fantastic set-ups

span-ning both the Pacific and Caribbean. The Pacific coast is popular for its classic beach breaks, long points, and fast breaking hollow waves which generally work all year round.

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Mexico

‘South of the Border’ to the United States and stretching down to Belize and Guatemala is Mexico. Apart from being the largest Spanish speaking country in the world it also has over 6000 miles of coastline to be explored. Mex-ico has so many sights & contrasts, such as northern Mexico with extreme weather, de-sert, and mountain ranges; through to central Mexico with Mayan ruins, historical towns, and picturesque villages full of colour and culture. To enjoy some of the most popular white sand beaches in the world then you should stop by the Yucatan Peninsular which is surrounded by the

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Caribbean Sea and is popular with di-vers as it has the second largest coral barrier reef at its shores. The Pacific Coast is dotted with some of the best beaches and you’ll find awesome surf spots all up the coast from the south near the Guatemala right up to Baha California – the little strip of land that leads up to the US border.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica is generally a safer destination than some of its other Central American neighbours. Costa Rica is also a brilliant surf-ing location as it has two coastlines, the Car-ibbean and the North Pacific, which both produce consistent head-high surf all year

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round. The Caribbean side has a short surfing season but produces large swells from tropi-cal storms off Mexico. The Pacific coast has smaller but generally more consistent surf generated by low pressure systems located off New Zealand.Tamarindo is one of the best surf destinations in Costa Rica as there are a wide variety of surf breaks within a short distance. Playa Avel-lanes/Negra is best for those looking to travel to a remote location. Nosara receives consist-ent swells, good wind conditions and is partic-ularly liked by longboarders. Mal Pais is ideal for surfers looking for a quiet holiday as there is not much nightlife in this area, but good, consistent waves and a friendly atmosphere. Playa Hermosa/Jaco is best for the more ex-perienced surfer.

El Salvador

El Salvador is a natural footers paradise due to the number of right hand point breaks, some of which are world-class rights that break for several hundred metres. Crowds here are non-existent away from the main towns and cities and there is huge potential to discover spots that have never been surfed before.The rainy season between March to

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October is the main swell season and the south swells during this time can get up to 10ft.

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Panama

Panama is a natural bridge between North and South America and the Panama Canal joins the worlds two largest oceans. As well as great waves, Panama has huge expanses of tropical rainforest, and is one of the most bio-logically diverse areas in the world. Although slightly less exposed to the North Pacific Swells than Costa Rica it gets the

west and south swells that are generated from the Roaring 40’s and hurricane swells.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is the Caribbean’s version of the North Shore of Hawaii. It is blessed with good surfing conditions all year and can get pretty big and powerful. Northerly swells that are generated from the east coast of America are

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the main source of the waves in Puerto Rico, October to February being the main surfing season. The surf can be anything from 2ft to 20ft, and there are waves to suit all abilities.

Nicaragua

In the south-central part of the country, Lake Nicaragua covers a surface of more than 8000sq kms, creating a huge, flat area where wind can blow almost year round. As a result,

the south Pacific side of Nicaragua receives almost constant offshore winds, and unlike virtually all other Pacific destinations the wind does not change during the day. In Nicara-gua, not all the breaks are accessible by vehi-cle nor are most beaches marked with signs, therefore unless you are staying at one of the surf lodges you will need water transportation or a vehicle with a guide to get around.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Surf breaks

There is literally 1000’s of kilometers of coast-line around Central America. It doesn’t mat-ter

whether you are just starting out in a Cos-ta Rican surf school or for those a little more advanced check out El Salvador, Panama and Puerto Rico which has been dubbed theCaribbean’s equivalent of Hawaii.

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MexicoMexico boasts over 6000 miles of coastline. Waves are generated all year round by the deep Southern Ocean low pressure systems and more localised tropical storms, with June to October being hurricane season. A great place for a surf trip is the southern tip of Baja California - the place is a swell magnet and remains uncrowded. There is a large variety of waves to suit everyone there - from begin-ner to the most experienced surfer. Other fa-vourite spots to check out are Puerto Escon-dido - one of the best beach breaks in the world - and the many other waves around

the Oaxaca region in the south.

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San Pancho, NayaritSan Pancho, Nayarit - Small waves here, bet-ter in Sayulita (10 minutes

by car). A good place to stay is Costa Azul. They have daily minivan trips to surrounding surf areas.

Mazatlan, SinaloaMazatlan, Sinaloa - Excellent conditions year round from beginner to expert. Check out Playa Bruja, Playa Olas Altas, Cerritos Beach, Cagadazo Beach, and Playa Los Pinos.

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Surf breaksMexico

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Pascuales, ColimaPascuales, Colima - Huge beach break - very powerful - for experienced surfers only.

Punta de Mita, NayaritPunta de Mita, Nayarit - Good waves off the beach near the end of the point in Banderas Bay.

Todos Santos, Baja California SurTodos Santos, Baja California Sur - Good surf spots between Los Cabos and Todos Santos.

Sayulit

a, NayaritSayulita, Nayarit - Good waves, a large surf community, and frequent surf contests, catch the north swell December through early April.

San Blas, NayaritSan Blas, Nayarit - Las Islitas was once fa-mous for the longest wave in the world - now a good jetty and shore break at Borrego Beach. Best surf is in the summer. Surfers hang out at Pompis Ramada on Borrego.

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Huatulco, OaxacaHuatulco, Oaxaca - La Bocana beach, Barra de la Cruz, 20 km east is great. Summer and autumn are the best.

Ensenada, Baja CaliforniaEnsenada, Baja

California - good surfing in San-to Tomas north of town. Camping available. Best time is autumn and winter - take a wetsuit.

Los Cabos, Baja California SurLos Cabos, Baja California Sur - Surf spots mainly outside the resort, on the Pacific near Todos Santos for example

Puerto EscondidoPuerto Escondido - Crank up the Marley and cruise to the beach. Puerto is just right for chillin’ at a no-frills tourist town that refused to go ‘resort.

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Surf breaksCosta RicaProbably the most famous surf beacah in Costa Rica is Playa Jaco. Costa Rica surfers also head to Playa Dominical and Playa Her-mosa nearby. Farther north, Playa Grande near Tamarindo is another popular CostaRica surf spot.

Witches RockWitches Rock - 2 mile stretch of beach with hollow sand bottom beach breaks creating long lefts and rights. Take off can be steep, but offshores generally keep the wave open and easy to surf.

Ollies PointOllies Point - Right point at the rivermouth with fast, long, hollow and powerful waves that roll on the beach endlessly breaking over a rocky bottom. For the experienced surfer. Needs a strong swell from the southwest or northwest to break.

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JunquillalJunquillal - A beach break and a left reef break that work better on higher tides. There are many peaks with hollow, fast rights and lefts. On a large enough swell, check out Pla-ya Blanca directly in front of the Iguana Azul which can offer double overhead lefts.

Roca LocaRoca Loca - a right which breaks in deep wa-ter over a reef. It is one of the heaviest spots on the coast offering long, clean rights.

Playa AvellanesPlaya Avellanes - A series of rights and lefts from a rivermouth offering a series of peaks in-cluding reefs and beach breaks. The northern end of the rivermouth boasts an outside reef break, “Little Hawaii,” which works best on a west or northwest swell and is ideal for long-boarders.

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Playa TamarindoPlaya Tamarindo - There are a variety of good surf spots in Tamarindo Bay. The Tama-rindo Rivermouth is a solid right hand wave. Other quality local waves in the area are Pico Pequeno – mellow reef break; Old Man’s – good longboard wave; and Playa Langosta– fun outside reef and inside beach break.

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Surf breaksCosta Rica

Playa

CamaronalPlaya Camaronal - Nice beach break, very consistent and generally gets surf year round.

Playa NosaraPlaya Nosara - Great beach break with peaks and shallow reef that barrels with a large south or southwest swell.

Playa Marbella

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Playa Marbella - Located between Junquil-lal and Ostional, this is one of the area’s most consistent breaks offering excellent condi-tions.

Playa GrandePlaya Grande - Exposed, powerful beach breaks just north of Tamarindo with steep hol-low faces that tube in some sections. Very playful waves, good for high-performance surfing.

Playa GuionesPlaya Guiones - A beach break with a left point that works better at high tides. This area offers some of the most consistent year round surf ranging from head high to double over-

head.

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RivermouthRivermouth - Solid right beachbreak with hol-low waves as they hit the inside reef.

Playa JacoPlaya Jaco - Long beach with left and right breaks. This area is smaller than Hermosa and a good option for beginners.

Playa Santa TeresaPlaya Santa

Teresa - Good lefts and rights at this hollow beach break. Tends to pick up more swell than nearby breaks and holds shape better at low tide.

Playa NegraPlaya Negra - 12 kilometers south of Tamarin-do offering a reef right break that is fast & hol-low at low tide and picks up swell from many directions. Good for all ability levels.

Playa HermosaPlaya Hermosa - Long stretch of beach of-fering some of the most consistent conditions on the Pacific Coast. A variety of sandbars have formed

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creating a pounding and tubu-

lar beachbreak.

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Surf breaksEl SalvadorThere are two separate surf areas on El Sal-vador’s Pacific coast. The La Libertad is the most popular area and offers numerous quality breaks. Punta Roca and Suznal in LaLibertad are two of the best breaks in the country. But Punta Roca has a somewhat of a bad reputation, so talk to other travelers to stay out of trouble. The beaches around La

Libertad have an awesome selection of right hand breaks.The second area, the ‘Wild East’, also has some world-class breaks and is slowly grow-ing in popularity as the quality of accommo-dations improves. Some of the breaks in this area .

ZonteZonte - Consistent and fast right point break that sometimes also has two lefts.

Punta MangoPunta Mango - Powerful, fast, and hollow, can also get quite

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big.

Las FloresLas Flores - Flores is a quality right point break featuring a hollow outside section and long rides.

La BocanaLa Bocana - This is the best left break in El Sal-vador. It’s a long and powerful rivermouth break.

SunzalSunzal - Ranging in size from chest high to a few feet overhead, this right break is very consistent.

Punta RocaPunta Roca - This is the best wave in El Sal-vador. It is a word-class right that is hollow and can run for about 400m. The inside sec-tion, called La Paz, is separated from the big wave break and is ideal for beginners.

Playa Conchalio

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Playa Conchalio - During the peak season the waves are fast and hollow, but a great place to

check out in the off season as it holds ride-able waves even when other breaks are flat.

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Surf breaksPanamaPanama is not currently a well travelled des-tination for surfers, but for adventurous surf-ers there can be found superior surf breaks including Punta Brava on

the Pacific coast, near Santa Catalina; and ‘P Land’ nearChiriqui. There are also several reef breaks in the Bocas del Toro islands.

Puerto RicoPuerto Rico gets good quality surf on all coasts during all

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seasons, but the most popu-lar place for surf is the north and northwest coasts during winter swells. Aguadilla and Rincon are the two main surfing destinations on Puerto Rico’s northwest coast. Aguadilla is located at the northwestern tip of Puerto Rico and picks up the majority of north and north-west swell activity. On the western coast,Rincon’s surf breaks are not as exposed as Aguadilla and it takes a bigger swell for Rincon to break, but when it does, it can pro-duce some of the biggest, best waves in theCaribbean.

NicaraguaNicargaua has some of the best points, reef breaks and sandbars in Central America, It’s best surf breaks are in the province of Rivas.They get the south swells from the Roaring 40’s averaging 3-5ft and average about 330 days of offshore winds.The most popular Nicaragua surfing beaches are those near San Juan del Sur, such as Pla-ya Maderas and Playa Majagual. A bit far-ther north, Playa Gigante and Popoyo also offer decent breaks. Much further north is less travelled so you’ll find less crowds.

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Seasonality

Central America usually has two distinct sea-sons - wet and dry - however that one thing that is predictable about Central America is it unpredictability. In some areas you may expe-rience up to four seasons within the day and then in others there’s a hurricane season and dry to the point of drought during the rest

of the year.Traditionally the wet season runs from June through until October, where some places may receive up to 300mm in one month, the dry season then runs from November through until May. Just remember that it is not uncom-mon to have 2 weeks of sunshine and blue sky during the wet season or flooding

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during the dry.Less swell arrives during the dry season but off-shore winds blow nearly every day.Water temperatures rarely vary, hovering around 27-28°C.

Nicaragua

Nicaragua has a long surf season, from around March to November. The swell averages 3-5 ft with bigger swells of 6-8ft occuring regularly between April-October.

Panama

Expect hot and humid conditions year round in this lush tropical country. December through April is dry season and is the best time for out-er island surf missions. For the majority of the country, May through November is rainy, but this is the best swell season for the Pacific side, although good waves can be found here year round. On the Caribbean side, the surf peaks twice. The main season on the east coast is dur-ing the regional wet season in the months be-tween December and March, it

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then makes a resurgence when weather fronts clash in June and July.

Puerto Rico

The surf season in Puerto Rico stretches from late summer to early spring. Puerto Rico re-ceives the majority of its swells during hurricane

season as large storms move off the west coast of Africa, and during winter months as cold fronts and low-pressure systems move off the eastern seaboard of the United States, send-ing in long period groundswell to the north and northwest facing beaches.

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Seasonality

Mexico

In Mexico there are two main seasons. Al-though there is some variation in temperature over the year, and throughout the

different areas of Mexico; the most obvious difference is between rainy and dry seasons. The rainy season through most of Mexico falls roughly from May through September or October. During the rest of the year there is little or no

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rain. Don’t be discouraged from visiting during rainy season, when you’ll see lush, green land-scapes, and it often only rains in the late after-noons and evenings. But June to November is also Hurricane season, so if you are travelling during this time make sure you know if you are heading to an area prone to hurricanes!

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Seasonality

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Costa Rica

The Northern Pacific Coast is generally consid-ered the most consistent area from December to April. During these months, strong offshore winds combine with ideal swell directions to make breaks like Witches Rock, Playa Negra and

Playa Grande perfect performers. The

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Central and Southern Pacific Coasts are gen-erally best between May to November when the south swell season starts while the Carib-bean Coast tends to get the best conditions from November to March.

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Seasonality

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El Salvador

There are 2 seasons in El Salvador for surf-ing. You have your dry season which is from November to April and you have your rainy season which is April through November. For surfing in El Salvador the the rainy season will generally give you the larger waves

while the

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dry season will give you a more consistent break. The best time to go is during the wet season between March and October, but you can also find smaller waves in the 3 - 6ft range in the dry season. Water and air temperatures are warm year round.

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INSET

Honolulu

AHUCalifornia

Los Angeles

LahainaMAUI

HiloHawaii

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BIG ISLAND

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UNITED STATES OF

Washington D.C.

AMERICA

A T L A N T I CMEXICO O C E A N

Maxico City

INSETPERU

BRAZIL

C a r i b b e a nLima Brasilia

P A C I F I C O C E A N S e a CHILE Rio de Janeiro

EL SALVADORSalvador

Santiago

2000kmCOSRA RICA

San Jose

10. South America

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Overview :Comprising of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela, South America is the fourth largest continent in the world. It has the Caribbean Sea to the north, Atlantic Ocean on the east coast and the Pa-cific Ocean along the west, with the continent being joined to Central America via Panama. South America boasts some of the world’s bests tourist attractions such as

Iguazu Falls - one of the world’s largest waterfalls; the Ama-zon Rainforest with its intricate ecosystem; the infamous Inca Trail leading to Macchu Picchu; and the Andes – the longest mountain range in the world, just to name a few. Then there are also the beaches, lakes and glaciers that make South America such an amazing place to visit.

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Most of South America hasn’t yet

been spoilt by development and it is easy to find yourself off the beaten track, immersed in the diver-sity of cultures - with some indigenous people even still living the same as they have for hun-

www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

dreds of years. With differen

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t influences from Africa, Asia and Europe, each country has its

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own distinct culture and way of life.South America is home to

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the longest wave in the world - Chicama in Peru. Peru, along wi

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th Chile, Ecuador and Columbia all have coast-lines on the Sout

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h Pacific Ocean and have a large expanse of open water for the

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swells to generate and develop. Surfing along this west coast i

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s generally pretty uncrowded most of the year. Further south in

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Argentina and Chile the water gets increasingly colder the fur

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ther south you go and therefore typically less crowded as well.

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The powerful Humboldt

Current generated in Antarctica brings con-stant surf to the Chilean coast. Waves are also generated by wind coming from low-pressure centers off central Chile.Surfing is most popular in Brazil, with many Bra-zilians embracing surf culture and lifestyle. Bra-zil’s long Atlantic coastline offers a huge vari-ety of consistent waves although it may not be as consistent or as big as the West Coast.

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Surf breaks

BrazilBrazil has a huge amount of waves, great con-sistency and has surf to suit all levels. There are

literally thousands of surf spots, as pretty much the entire coastline can be surfed, but particu-lar favourites are the popular beaches of Co-pacabana and Ipanema, and the hundreds of spots located around Rio. Further south are the beautiful beaches of Florianopolis offering the most consistent surf on the Atlantic Side. The deep south of Brazil is best, it has bigger

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swells and more variety than further north. The island of Santa Catarina has the best that Bra-

With 2 huge coastlines both open to swell from many directions, South America is a land begging to be discovered by Australian surfers. Here you can find the longest wave in the world, Chicama.South America has been popular in the surf-ing world for a long time, especially Brazil. However it’s time to also look at Peru, Ecua-dor, Chile and a few other places that de-serve as much attention.

zil has to offer. Conditions

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there vary up to 15 ft with both lefts and rights. The second best is Saquarema, a small village 1.5 hours drive from Rio de Janeiro, conditions are great year round, and nearby there are 18 miles of beach-es with similar conditions. Many of the swells are generated by the

deep low pressures that track past Cape Horn, sending swells north-wards throughout the year, although April to October are the best. Time your trip right and get to party in Rio for the Carnival (Feb) - well worth it but must be booked well in advance.

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Surf breaks

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PeruPeru was thought to be an unlikely can-didate for world class surfing however it is quickly becoming one of the most sought after surf spots in the world. Peru offers one of nature’s miracles: Chicama. It is the world’s longest wave stretching over 4kms and is situ-ated north from Trujillo. The Peruvian coast is littered with similar point breaks with big lows from deep down south sending the swells northwards, and many of the surf spots re-ceive persistent offshore winds. Punta Her-mosa gets good waves and is within an easy distance of the capital Lima. Near the bor-der of Ecuador is Mancora which is the main spot surfers head to, enticed by the tropical weather and clear waters, few leave disap-pointed. Whilst your there check out nearby Cabo Blano and Pacasmayo which will re-quire a little bit of a trek but it’s worth it. If you are after a variety of uncrowded, offshore, good quality waves then Peru is a great desti-nation. Include in your trip a 4 day trek on the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu and enhance your experience with one of the world’s best man-made wonders.

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ChileChile has over 4000kms of coastline and due to the constant low pressure systems pro-duced within close proximity, and the deep water trench just off the coast, the surf size is consistent and powerful. The chilly waters of Chile can be brutal to surf, however, here you can find some of the best breaks on the continent. The north coast is best, particu-larly near Arica near the Peruvian border the waves are quite strong. Tubes can be found further south near Iquique, and good waves can be found all the way south to La Serena, although a wetsuit is essential.

EcuadorEcuador and the Galapagos Islands of-fer contrasting surfing environments. The Galapagos Islands are quiet, remote, quite fickle and rocky; whilst Ecuador offers party towns and sandy beach barrels through to long points and reefs. However they do share the same north and south swells. Ecuador’s surfing is focused around the northern reach-es of the country and the famous surf town of Atacames.

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www.theperfectwave.com.au Tel: +61(2) 9939 0890

Season

ality

South America can be travelled year round, but some of the most popular tourist destina-tions like Machu Picchu, Patagonia, the Ama-zon and the Andes have varied seasons and when heading towards these areas you need to take into account how their expected tem-peratures & rainfall may affect your trip, for example summer heat in the Amazon Jungle may be unbearable but this will be the best time to visit Patagonia.

The peak season for tourists is usually during June through to August for the north of South America as its perfect weather around the equator, whereas De-cember through to March is the most popular time for the southern area of South America. Southern hemisphere storms send consistent surf to almost all coastlines on the Pacific side during the winter months. Summer is the best time for clean surf, even though the waves are often bigger in the winter. The low-

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pressure sys-tems that usually produce sizable surface very close to the coast. The surf is sometimes out of

control, therefore. Winter wave heights some-times reach 12-15’. The waves have juice all year, so the visiting surfer should have a board that can handle a wide variety of conditions.

Ecuador

Ecuador receives plenty of small swells and has the added bonus of warmer water due to the Panama Current. It gets the tail of the Ha-waiian swells and is exposed to both north and south swells. Swell is regularly in the 2 - 6ft re-gion during the offshore November to March surf season. Ecuador

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really shows it’s stuff in a big swell, but this does not happen very often.Many of the northern surf spots only really start to get good once they are double

overhead. Tradewinds blow from a southerly direction all year, but are more easterly for the Galapagos and westerly for Ecuador.

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Seasonality

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Chile

If you’re travelling to Chile between May & September - the northern region of Chile is where you want to head. It is renowned for its hard breaking waves and long lasting tubes. Between September & March the southern-central region of Chile

offers a surfer the op-portunity to surf extremely high quality left-

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hand points that break over sand/volcanic rock bottoms. Chile is not known for it’s tropical waters, so a thick steamer is essential for most of the country. Depending on when you go, you can find warmer spots towards the north of the country near Peru.

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Seasonality

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Northern Peru

Located just south of the equator, exposed to north and south Pacific ground swells, North-ern Peru receives world class surf year-round. The north swell season coincides with summer and it is sunny with less wind and warmer water temperatures, unlike central and southern Peru

where most days require at least a springy.Just south of Cabo Blanco two currents collide producing extreme differences in water tem-

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peratures at breaks only a few kms

apart. In general, the waves in the area are practically perfect with fast walls and magic barrels that rarely exceed 6-10 ft. The south swells are actu-ally bigger and more consistent than the north swells, but north Peru’s headlands and points make for more perfect waves. The peak south swell season is from March through to Novem-ber.

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Seasonality

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Brazil

Brazil surf conditions are pretty good year round but the best time is April to October for swells. From April to October, southern Brazil

catches east to south swells produced in theAntarctic. From November to March, the north of Brazil catches northern swells.

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