Best Big Wave Spots in the World

Belharra is France's premier big wave—a deepwater reef 2.5 kilometers offshore from Saint-Jean-de-Luz that only wakes up during the most massive North Atlantic storms. The wave...

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Mullaghmore Head is Ireland's premier big wave slab—a terrifying left that combines Teahupo'o's thick lip with Shipstern's mutant steps to create one of Europe's most challenging...

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Nazaré is where surfing's largest waves are ridden—a Portuguese beach break that produces mountainous surf thanks to the Nazaré Canyon, an underwater trench that amplifies...

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Aileens is Ireland's most dramatic big wave—a right-hand reef break that detonates beneath the famous 700-foot Cliffs of Moher on Ireland's west coast. The setting is almost...

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Riley's is the proving ground for Ireland's big wave chargers—a shallow, heavy slab that serves as training for the more serious Aileens nearby. The wave breaks over a dangerously...

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The Cribbar is England's answer to big wave surfing--a monstrous reef that lurks off Towan Head in Newquay, only awakening when massive Atlantic storms send long-period...

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Brimms Ness Bowl is one of Scotland's most fearsome waves--a thick, grinding slab that detonates over shallow reef on the remote Caithness coastline.

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Bagpipes is the kind of wave that separates the serious from the curious--a heavy slab that detonates on a shallow reef shelf along the remote Caithness coast.

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Dalbeg Slab lurks in a secluded cove on Lewis' west coast--a left-hand slab that fires during winter storms.

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Murkle is a fickle but fearsome left-hand slab near Thurso that wraps around the point and produces thick, pitching barrels.

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Gills Bay Slab is one of Europe's heaviest waves--a monstrous left-hand slab that only comes alive during the most violent winter storms.

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The Zorba is the Cribbar's lesser-known but equally fearsome sibling--a big wave reef off Pentire headland.

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Cayton Point is Yorkshire's most feared wave--a heavy, multi-lipped left that breaks directly onto shallow boulder reef.

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Punta Galea is where the Basque Country's big wave pedigree reveals itself in full fury—a clifftop amphitheater overlooking some of the most powerful surf in Europe. When the Bay...

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The Box is one of the most feared waves on Earth—a mutant right-hand slab that produces square-shaped barrels of terrifying intensity over a barely submerged reef shelf. When...

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Shipstern Bluff is one of the most terrifying waves on the planet—a Tasmanian slab famous for its mutant "steps" that form mid-face as the wave throws over a shallow reef ledge....

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Shark Island is Sydney's most punishing wave—a right-hand slab that breaks over an almost-dry rock shelf, producing thick, heavy barrels of cartoonish proportions. The wave is...

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Ours (Cape Fear) is Sydney's most notorious wave—a heavy right-hand slab that breaks over shallow rock in front of dramatic sea cliffs in Bra Boys territory. Made famous by the...

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Pedra Branca is surfing's final frontier—a tiny rock pinnacle 26km off the coast of Tasmania that faces directly toward Antarctica and catches the full force of Southern Ocean...

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The Right is one of the heaviest waves on Earth—a mutant right-hand slab that detonates over a flat rock shelf on Western Australia's remote south coast. When massive Southern...

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Cyclops is one of the most terrifying waves in the world—an ultra-shallow slab that breaks over a barely submerged reef shelf near Esperance on Western Australia's remote south...

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Cow Bombie (Cowaramup Bombora) is Australia's premier big wave break—an open-ocean reef that lurks 2 kilometres offshore from Gracetown in the Margaret River region. When massive...

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El Colegio ("The School") is the heaviest wave in the Iquique slab complex - a thick left that breaks over a shallow reef. The name is ironic, as this wave provides harsh lessons...

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Pico Alto is Peru's premier big wave—a deepwater reef 1.5km offshore from Punta Hermosa that produces some of South America's largest rideable waves. The unique geography means...

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El Buey ("The Bull") is a tow-in big wave reef near El Gringo that comes alive when massive SW swells hit Arica. The wave can produce 40-foot faces, making it one of South...

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Intendencia is a wedging slab in the Iquique heavy wave zone, producing thick, hollow lefts when SW swells wrap into the bay. A step up from beginner waves but not quite as heavy...

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Punta Dos ("Point Two") is another heavy slab in the Iquique complex, delivering thick barrels over a shallow reef. Part of the world-class concentration of slabs in this northern...

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Roca Cuadrada ("Square Rock") is a big wave left reef near Matanzas that comes alive on massive SW swells. Named for a distinctive square-shaped rock, the wave can produce 30-foot...

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La Cupula is Antofagasta's signature bodyboarding slab, a left breaking over shallow rock in Chile's dry northern coast. It has hosted international bodyboarding events because...

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Laje de Jaguaruna is Brazil's answer to Nazaré, a massive offshore slab that produces some of the biggest waves in the Southern Hemisphere when giant Antarctic swells march up the...

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Waimea Bay is the birthplace of big wave surfing—a thundering right-hander that only truly comes alive when swells exceed 15 feet. When it's on, the takeoff is a heart-stopping...

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Jaws (Pe'ahi) is one of the biggest rideable waves on Earth and the birthplace of tow-in surfing. A deep water reef amplifies massive North Pacific swells, producing walls of...

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Phantoms is a big wave outer reef that lurks beyond Velzyland and Sunset Beach, only awakening when XL winter swells march in. It funnels swell toward the shoreline breaks and...

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Outer Log Cabins is the North Shore's extreme outer reef that refracts long-period WNW swell toward Pipeline. Breaking on only the biggest swells, it reforms into Pipe on the...

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The Backdoor Outer Reef encompasses Pipeline's 2nd and 3rd reef, breaking 80 yards outside the main zone at 4x+ overhead. Foamy lumps reform into Pipe on the inside, creating one...

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Himalayas is a massive outer reef off Haleiwa that only breaks on historic, once-in-a-decade swells. Named for the Himalayan scale of the waves it produces, this is true frontier...

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Killers at Isla Todos Santos is the West Coast's answer to Mavericks and Jaws—a world-class big wave spot where underwater canyons focus and amplify winter swells to terrifying...

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Todos Santos (Killers) is Mexico's answer to Jaws—a powerful right-hand point break on an island 8 miles off Ensenada that's been designated a World Surfing Reserve. An underwater...

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Rarely's is a second-tier big wave spot on Isla Todos Santos that breaks less frequently than Killers but offers quality big wave surfing when conditions align. Named for its...

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Thor's Hammer is a heavy slab on Isla Todos Santos that breaks with extreme power over shallow reef. The wave is aptly named—wipeouts here feel like being hit by a mythical...

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Cloudbreak XXL (aka "Thundercloud") is big-wave surfing's most terrifying playing field—the outer reef at Fiji's famous Cloudbreak that activates during massive Southern Ocean...

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Teahupo'o is surfing's most feared and respected wave—a mutant left-hand slab that detonates over an impossibly shallow reef on Tahiti's southern coast. When S-SW swells push...

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Teahupo'o CODE RED is the ultimate expression of the wave's power—a condition declared only twice in history (2011 and 2022) when enormous swells transform the already-heavy slab...

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Mavericks is Northern California's big wave proving ground—a cold, shark-infested, boulder-strewn reef off Half Moon Bay that produces some of North America's most dangerous surf....

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Cortes Bank is surfing's most remote big wave venue—an underwater mountain rising from the seafloor 100 miles off the San Diego coast. When massive Pacific storms generate huge...

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Ghost Trees is Pebble Beach's secret big wave—a right-hand slab named for the white, ghostly Monterey Cypress trees that frame the break. The Carmel Canyon focuses swells to...

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Dungeons is South Africa's premier big wave spot—a powerful right-hand reef break near Hout Bay that hosts the Red Bull Big Wave Africa event. The wave produces double-up drops...

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Safi Le Jardin is one of the most feared waves in Morocco—a heavy, slabbing right that breaks over a shallow reef just outside Safi harbor. When massive WNW swells arrive, usually...

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Uluwatu Bombie is Bali's big-wave arena—the deep-water outer reef that activates when massive Southern Ocean swells march north. While the famous inside sections of Uluwatu max...

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Punto La Gillette is the gnarliest wave in Venezuela—a shallow coral slab in the remote Los Roques archipelago that produces fast, thick right barrels when solid north swells slam...

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