Where to Surf in December

Pipeline is the proving ground of professional surfing—a shallow, left-breaking barrel that has defined generations of surfers. The wave breaks just 75 yards from the beach over a...

Sunset Beach is one of surfing's most revered and challenging waves—a football-field-sized playing field of shifting peaks and deep-water power. West Peak is the classic heavy...

Makaha is Hawaii's original big wave spot—the place where big wave surfing was pioneered before Waimea Bay. Multiple sections (Point, Bowl, Blowhole, Inside Reef) offer different...

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...

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...

Steamer Lane is Northern California's premier point break—a world-class wave system with multiple sections that has served as the proving ground for generations of NorCal surfers....

Honolua Bay is Maui's crown jewel—Hawaii's best point break offering 200-400 meter rides through multiple sections (Coconuts, The Cave, Keiki Bowl). Molokai island shadows pure NW...

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...

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...

Honoli'i is the most consistent wave on the Big Island's east side—a rivermouth break near Hilo that creates strong, reliable peaks year-round. Sharp lava rocks demand respect,...

Off The Wall sits just west of Pipeline and delivers powerful rights with workable walls and barrel sections. When N-NNE swells sweep sets down from Backdoor, OTW lights up with...

Rocky Point is the North Shore's premier high-performance wave—shifty peaks over reef that offer both rippable faces and solid barrel sections. Strong currents keep the lineup...

Haleiwa is the gateway to the North Shore and a Triple Crown venue that delivers powerful rights and hollow barrels. The Toilet Bowl inside section is brutally shallow, adding...

Laniakea is a beautiful right point break 2.5 miles north of Haleiwa, also famous as Turtle Beach for the green sea turtles that bask on shore. The wave offers fun, long walls...

Mundaka is Europe's most celebrated barrel—a left-hand rivermouth sand point in the Basque Country that delivers incredibly long, hollow tubes when conditions align. The wave...

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...

El Quemao is the "Pipeline of Europe"—a thick, square-barreling left that breaks over ultra-sharp volcanic lava reef in La Santa, Lanzarote. The wave produces some of the heaviest...

Bundoran Peak is Ireland's premier reef break—a horseshoe-shaped rock shelf that creates perfect A-frame peaks in the heart of County Donegal. The wave offers both left and right...

Easkey Right is one of Ireland's most consistent and forgiving reef breaks—a long, peeling right-hander in County Sligo that handles everything from playful 3-footers to solid...

Coxos is arguably Portugal's best wave—a heavy, hollow right-hand reef/point break in Ericeira's World Surfing Reserve. The wave produces thick, grinding barrels over a rocky...

Thurso East is Scotland's crown jewel--a world-class right-hand reef that has hosted international competition and draws dedicated cold-water chargers from across the globe. When...

Tres Palmas is the Caribbean's big wave proving ground—a powerful right-hand reef break in Rincón, Puerto Rico, that transforms into a legitimate big wave arena when massive...

Rincon is the undisputed capital of Caribbean surfing—a legendary stretch of coast on Puerto Rico's western tip that lights up during winter NW swells. The area hosts multiple...

Soup Bowl is widely considered the Caribbean's best wave—a powerful right-hand reef break on Barbados' rugged east coast. When NE groundswells hit this exposed section of...

Freights is Barbados' most accessible quality reef break—a fun, playful right on the island's mellower south coast that offers a welcome contrast to the east coast's intensity....

Noosa First Point is Australia's longboarding mecca—a sequence of five points that produce some of the longest, most perfect right-hand peelers in the country when the rare NE...

Ponta Preta is Cape Verde's world-class wave—a powerful right-hand point break on Sal Island that produces some of the best barrels in the Atlantic Ocean. The wave breaks over...

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...

Keramas is Bali's most high-performance wave—a right-hand reef break on the island's black sand east coast that hosts the WSL Championship Tour and features the world's only...

Salsa Brava translates to "angry sauce," and this Caribbean reef break lives up to its name—the heaviest wave in Costa Rica. When N-NE groundswells hit the east coast during...