Love big wave surfing? Head to Australia’s South-West

The south-west corner of Western Australia is famous for several things: food, wine and surf.

Margaret River, in particular, is renowned for consistent big swells and this attracts people from far and wide throughout the year – including plenty of big-name national and international surfers. In fact, the incredible surf means Margaret River is the long-time host of the third leg of the World Surf League Championship Tour.

If you’re taking a big wave surfing trip to the area, here’s what you need to know.

Where to find big swells

For those who get shivers up their spine in anticipation of surfing a monster wave, there are plenty of locations that are accessible and consistent. The South-West and Great Southern have hundreds of kilometres of beautiful rugged coastline, dotted with reefs, and waves that are whipped up by the wild Indian and Southern Oceans.

Try these spots for some big wave surfing action:

• North Point, Cowaramup Bay
  This is a heavy right-hander that starts at 6 feet and handles up to 12 feet. With hollow, fast waves with big barrelling sections, this is a very popular spot that can get crowded for obvious reasons. You might also see some of the world’s top surfers here when the swell is at its best.
• Surfers Point, Prevally
  Home to the famous Margaret River Pro, this surf break is easily accessible and consistent, and there are excellent vantage points to survey the water from. This is a year-round swell over reef and breaks both right and left. Swells start at 3 feet and hold up at over 20 feet.
• The Three Bears
  This well-known surf spot is officially named Kabbijgup Beach. You can find it slightly north of Yallingup near Sugarloaf Rock – it’s a fairly isolated spot and you will need a 4WD to get there. This exposed reef break usually starts at 3 feet, but it is often up to 8 feet.

Are you an experienced big wave surfer and looking for monster waves? Try these (warning – they are not for the faint-hearted):

• Cow Bombie, Gracetown
  This is a reef break 2km off the coast of Gracetown. It has produced enormous swells over the years. Several years ago, there were reports of 40-foot waves. And in 2015, local surfers took on the wave which was reportedly up to 60 to 70 feet. Read about it here. Cow Bombie can be inconsistent and is for the experts only.
• The Right, Walpole
  In WA’s Great Southern region is this enormous swell. Read more about it. Perth resident Mick Corbett won Oakley’s Big Wave Award for Ride of the Year in 2016 at The Right. For reference, the wave in question was around 30 to 40 feet tall.

The most formidable wave in Western Australia (and the world)

We would be remiss in not mentioning a spectacle that needs to be seen to be believed. Western Australia is home to one of the world’s scariest, most dangerous and almost un-surfable waves. It is aptly called Cyclops (named after the mythical giants in Greek mythology) and can be found near Esperance in Western Australia’s eastern region of the South-West.

Find your dream Private Properties home today. Browse our list to start planning your South-West surfing adventure.

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