Where to Surf in December

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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....

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...

Anchor Point is Morocco's legendary wave—a long, perfectly peeling right point in Taghazout that can deliver 500-meter rides when NW Atlantic swells hit the coast. The wave needs...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

P-Pass (Palikir Pass) is perhaps the cleanest wave in the Pacific—a flawless right-hand barrel that breaks over pristine coral in Pohnpei, Micronesia. Getting here requires...