Best Beach Breaks in the World
Sand-bottom waves that shift and shape with the swell. From mellow rollers to thundering shore break.
30 spots featured
Beach breaks are surfing's most democratic wave. They don't require the sharp reef or precise rock formations that create point and reef breaks — just sand, swell, and the right conditions. This makes them more accessible but no less rewarding when they're on.
At their best, beach breaks produce some of the most powerful, hollow waves in surfing. Puerto Escondido's "Mexican Pipeline" is a beach break. Hossegor's barreling sandbars host the WSL Championship Tour. Supertubos in Portugal delivers European power over sand. The Wedge in Newport Beach creates mutant shore break that draws crowds of spectators.
With over 400 beach breaks in the database, this list spans everything from gentle, beginner-friendly rollers to heavy, expert-only shore break — sand-bottom waves on every continent.
Know when it’s about to fire
Get the best 2-day & 5-day strike windows worldwide in your inbox every Monday & Thursday. Live Strike Scores, the swell behind them, zero fluff.
Europe(7 spots)
La Graviere
Hossegor, France
La Graviere is arguably the world's heaviest beachbreak—a freight-train of a wave that breaks with reef-like power over shifting sand banks in Hossegor, France. The Gouf de...
View La Graviere surf forecast
Supertubos
Peniche, Portugal
Supertubos is Portugal's answer to Pipeline—a savage beachbreak that produces some of the heaviest barrels in Europe. The wave breaks over sand banks shaped by the Nazaré Canyon...
View Supertubos surf forecast
Hoddevik
Stadlandet Peninsula, Norway
Hoddevik is Norway's most spectacular surf beach—a remote fjord setting surrounded by dramatic peaks where you can surf under the midnight sun in summer or chase Northern Lights...
View Hoddevik surf forecast
Westerland
Sylt Island, Germany
Westerland is Germany's unlikely surf capital—a beach break on Sylt Island in the North Sea that receives consistent swells from autumn through spring. The water is cold, the...
View Westerland surf forecast
Þorlákshöfn
South Coast, Iceland
Þorlákshöfn (Thorlakshofn) is Iceland's most accessible surf spot—a black volcanic sand beach on the south coast that receives consistent North Atlantic swells. The water is...
View Þorlákshöfn surf forecast
Varberg
West Coast, Sweden
Varberg is Sweden's unlikely surf capital—a beach break on the west coast that catches North Sea swells and has developed a passionate local community against all odds. The waves...
View Varberg surf forecast
Les Cavaliers
Anglet, France
Les Cavaliers is one jewel in the crown of Anglet's legendary beach break chain—a stretch of sand that has produced French surf champions and hosted competitions for decades. The...
View Les Cavaliers surf forecast
Don't watch 30 spots yourself — get the winners by email
Get the best 2-day & 5-day strike windows worldwide in your inbox every Monday & Thursday. Live Strike Scores, the swell behind them, zero fluff.
Australia(5 spots)
North Narrabeen
Sydney, Australia
North Narrabeen is Sydney's premier beach break—a long stretch of sand where lagoon run-off creates ever-shifting sandbanks that produce world-class lefts on their day. The...
View North Narrabeen surf forecast
Bondi Beach
Sydney, Australia
Bondi Beach is Australia's most iconic beach—a crescent of golden sand flanked by sandstone headlands that has defined Australian beach culture for over a century. The surf is a...
View Bondi Beach surf forecast
Duranbah
Gold Coast, Australia
Duranbah (D-Bah) is the Gold Coast's swell magnet—an east-facing beach break that picks up energy when everywhere else is flat. The wave produces punchy A-frame peaks that offer...
View Duranbah surf forecast
South Stradbroke
Gold Coast, Australia
South Stradbroke (TOS - The Other Side) is the Gold Coast's secret weapon—a hollow A-frame beach break that requires a 350-meter paddle across the treacherous Seaway channel. The...
View South Stradbroke surf forecast
Manly Beach
Sydney, Australia
Manly Beach is where Australian surfing began—an iconic crescent of sand just a ferry ride from Sydney's harbor that has been the heart of Australian surf culture for over a...
View Manly Beach surf forecast
Central America(4 spots)
Zicatela (Puerto Escondido)
Zicatela Beach, Oaxaca, Mexico
Puerto Escondido is the "Mexican Pipeline"—a brutally powerful beach break on Oaxaca's Pacific coast that produces some of the heaviest closeout tubes outside of Pipeline itself....
View Zicatela (Puerto Escondido) surf forecast
Witch's Rock
Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Witch's Rock is Costa Rica's most famous wave—a perfect A-frame beach break inside Santa Rosa National Park that gained worldwide fame in Endless Summer II. Getting here requires...
View Witch's Rock surf forecast
Colorados
Tola, Nicaragua
Colorados is Nicaragua's answer to boat-access exclusivity—a perfect beachbreak on a remote island that's only accessible via boat from Las Penitas. The resort setup keeps crowds...
View Colorados surf forecast
El Paredón
Pacific Coast, Guatemala
El Paredón is Guatemala's emerging surf destination—a black volcanic sand beach on the remote Pacific coast that catches SW swells consistently from March-October. The fishing...
View El Paredón surf forecast
North America(4 spots)
The Wedge
Newport Beach, USA
The Wedge is a powerful shorebreak at the end of Newport Beach's Balboa Peninsula. South swell interacts with the harbor jetty to form steep, wedging peaks, and strong backwash...
View The Wedge surf forecast
Black's Beach
La Jolla, USA
Black's Beach is Southern California's power center—a world-class beach break where Scripps Canyon focuses and amplifies swell energy to produce some of the heaviest waves on the...
View Black's Beach surf forecast
Ocean Beach SF
San Francisco, USA
Ocean Beach SF is California's cold-water crucible—a powerful beach break directly exposed to the full fetch of the North Pacific, where San Francisco's most committed surfers...
View Ocean Beach SF surf forecast
Cox Bay
Tofino, Canada
Cox Bay is Canada's surf capital—a beautiful beach break surrounded by old-growth rainforest on Vancouver Island's wild west coast. Tofino has become a surfing mecca, drawing...
View Cox Bay surf forecast
South America(3 spots)
Cacimba do Padre
Fernando de Noronha, Brazil
Cacimba do Padre is Brazil's Pipeline—a world-class beach break on the remote island paradise of Fernando de Noronha. When North swells hit this UNESCO World Heritage Site, the...
View Cacimba do Padre surf forecast
Playa Grande
Mar del Plata, Argentina
Playa Grande is Argentina's surf capital—the most consistent beach break in the country, located in the resort city of Mar del Plata. When South Atlantic storms deliver swell, the...
View Playa Grande surf forecast
La Barra
Punta del Este, Uruguay
La Barra is Uruguay's most famous surf spot—a beach break near the glamorous resort town of Punta del Este. The wave breaks near the iconic undulating bridge and offers fun,...
View La Barra surf forecast
Asia(2 spots)
Riyue Bay
Wanning, China
Riyue Bay is China's flagship surf destination—a consistent beach break on tropical Hainan Island that hosts WSL Championship Tour events. The Chinese government has invested...
View Riyue Bay surf forecast
Donghe
Taitung County, Taiwan
Donghe is Taiwan's surfing showcase—a rivermouth break on the island's wild Pacific coast that hosts international competitions and represents the heart of Taiwanese surf culture....
View Donghe surf forecast
Hawaii(1 spot)
Pacific(1 spot)
Africa(1 spot)
Mediterranean(1 spot)
Indian Ocean(1 spot)
Use the full 10-day window before you book
Strike Mission Pro unlocks the longer forecast window, unlimited alerts, and custom spots that matter most when this guide turns into a paid surf trip.
10-day window
See the trip window before flights get expensive.
Unlimited alerts
Let the app watch your score threshold for you.
Custom spots
Track the breaks that actually matter to your travel plans.
Related Guides
Best Beginner Surf Destinations
Gentle waves, sandy bottoms, and warm water. The ideal spots to learn or get back into surfing.
Best Point Breaks in the World
The longest rides, the most perfect walls. These point breaks define what surfing can be.
Best Longboard Waves in the World
Six classic longboard destinations, with the wave character and trip tradeoffs to help you choose.
See live forecasts for these spots
Open the Strike Mission dashboard for real-time conditions, 10-day forecasts, and Strike Scores across 1,100+ spots worldwide.