Where to Surf in January
Compare seasonal surf destinations for January, with spot profiles and links to current forecasts.
30 spots featured
January is winter in the north and summer in the south, so the useful question is which coast faces the swell you want. Hawaii's Ocean Safety service lists November to April as its winter season, when north and west shores see consistent large surf. Those are expert conditions: the state advises inexperienced surfers to stay out of the water at north shore beaches during high surf.
How to choose a January surf destination
For a warm-water trip at a gentler pace, 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, while the east coast takes over from April. Costa Rica is in its dry season from mid-December to late April, which makes getting around easier, though dry weather is not a swell forecast.
If you are surfing at home in Australia, remember that Queensland's cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April. A distant system can send swell down the coast, but the same systems bring hazardous surf, so check official warnings before you paddle out.
Before booking
Shortlist breaks that suit your ability, then open their forecasts to compare swell direction, period, wind and tide for your dates. A seasonal match is a starting point, not a prediction that the break will work every day in January.
These 30 spot profiles include January 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...
View Mundaka surf forecast
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...
View Belharra surf forecast
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,...
View El Quemao surf forecast
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...
View Easkey Right surf forecast
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...
View Coxos surf forecast
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...
View Thurso East surf forecast
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...
View Mullaghmore Head surf forecast
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...
View Nazare surf forecast
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:...
View Aileens 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 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...
View Pipeline surf forecast
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...
View Sunset Beach surf forecast
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...
View Makaha surf forecast
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...
View Honolua Bay surf forecast
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...
View Waimea Bay surf forecast
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...
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
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....
View Steamer Lane surf forecast
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....
View Mavericks surf forecast
Australia(2 spots)
Noosa First Point
Sunshine Coast, Australia
Noosa First Point is Australia's longboarding mecca—the first of Noosa's string of right-hand points, which produce some of the longest, most perfect right-hand peelers in the...
View Noosa First Point surf forecast
Kirra (Cyclone)
Gold Coast, Australia
Kirra Cyclone is the Gold Coast's ultimate expression—the legendary sand point that transforms into the world's best right-hand barrel when massive East cyclone swells hit. These...
View Kirra (Cyclone) surf forecast
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...
View Ponta Preta surf forecast
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...
View Anchor Point surf forecast
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
South America(1 spot)
Caribbean(1 spot)
Southeast Asia(1 spot)
Sources and local information
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