Where to Surf in December
Compare seasonal surf destinations for December, with spot profiles and links to current forecasts.
30 spots featured
December brings the start of the strongest season on many north-facing coasts, and holiday travel to match. Hawaii's Ocean Safety service lists November to April as its winter season, with consistent large surf on north and west shores. The state advises inexperienced surfers to stay out of the water at north shore beaches during high surf.
How to choose a December surf destination
For warm water and more manageable waves, look at Sri Lanka's western side: Sri Lanka Tourism says the western side has its dry season and its best surfing conditions from December to March. Costa Rica moves into its dry season from mid-December, which helps with getting around between sessions.
For an Atlantic trip, Visit Portugal describes early autumn and winter as the stronger surf period on its central west coast. Large winter swells make exposed reefs and beaches demanding, so keep a sheltered option in your plan.
If you surf in Australia, Queensland's cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April. Systems offshore can send swell, but they also bring hazardous surf, so check official warnings first.
Before booking
Shortlist breaks that suit your ability, then open their forecasts for your dates. Holiday flights and accommodation book out early, so compare real prices before you commit, and treat a seasonal match as a starting point rather than a promise.
These 30 spot profiles include December in their recorded primary season. The list prioritizes catalog highlights and profile completeness; it is not a live forecast ranking or a list of beginner-friendly beaches.
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Europe(11 spots)
Mundaka
Basque Country, Spain
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...
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Belharra
Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France
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 is...
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El Quemao
La Santa, Lanzarote, Spain
El Quemao is a thick, square-barreling left that breaks over ultra-sharp volcanic lava reef in La Santa, Lanzarote. The wave produces some of the heaviest tubes in the Atlantic,...
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Bundoran Peak
County Donegal, Ireland
Bundoran Peak is Ireland's premier reef break—a rock reef that creates A-frame peaks off Bundoran, the most southerly town in County Donegal. The wave offers both left and right...
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Easkey Right
County Sligo, Ireland
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...
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Coxos
Ericeira, Portugal
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...
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Thurso East
Caithness, UK
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...
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Mullaghmore Head
County Sligo, Ireland
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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Nazare
Praia do Norte, Portugal
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
Cliffs of Moher, Ireland
Aileens is Ireland's most dramatic big wave—a right-hand reef break that detonates beneath the towering Cliffs of Moher on Ireland's west coast. The setting is almost unreal:...
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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 shifting sand banks, creating hollow,...
View Supertubos surf forecast
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Hawaii(6 spots)
Pipeline
North Shore, Oahu, USA
Pipeline is the proving ground of professional surfing—a shallow, left-breaking barrel that has defined generations of surfers. The wave breaks close to the beach over a...
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Sunset Beach
North Shore, Oahu, USA
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...
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Makaha
West Shore, Oahu, USA
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...
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Honolua Bay
NW Coast, Maui, USA
Honolua Bay is Maui's crown jewel—one of Hawaii's best point breaks, offering long rides through multiple sections. Molokai island shadows pure NW swells, so it needs a N...
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Waimea Bay
North Shore, Oahu, USA
Waimea Bay was the most prestigious big wave break in the world for decades—a thundering right-hander that only truly comes alive when swells exceed 15 feet. When it's on, the...
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Jaws
North Shore, Maui, USA
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 giant walls...
View Jaws surf forecast
North America(4 spots)
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...
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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...
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Steamer Lane
Santa Cruz, USA
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....
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Mavericks
Half Moon Bay, USA
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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Africa(2 spots)
Ponta Preta
Sal Island, Cape Verde
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...
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Anchor Point
Taghazout, Morocco
Anchor Point is Morocco's legendary wave—a long, perfectly peeling right point in Taghazout that can run all the way through Hash Point to Panoramas when NW Atlantic swells hit...
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Central America(2 spots)
Killers (Isla Todos Santos)
Isla Todos Santos, Mexico
Killers at Isla Todos Santos is the West Coast's answer to Mavericks and Jaws—a world-class big wave spot where winter swells produce some of the biggest waves in North America....
View Killers (Isla Todos Santos) surf forecast
Todos Santos (Killers)
8mi off Ensenada, Mexico
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...
View Todos Santos (Killers) surf forecast
Australia(1 spot)
South America(1 spot)
Caribbean(1 spot)
Southeast Asia(1 spot)
Pacific(1 spot)
Sources and local information
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