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 W-NW swells, waves break on the shallow reef at heights that rival anything on Earth: 70-100 foot faces have been documented. Getting there requires a major boat expedition and perfect weather windows. The wave breaks maybe 3 days per year. Cortes Bank represents big wave surfing at its most logistically extreme and potentially largest scale.
Difficulty
6/10
Crowd level
3/10
Access: Major boat expedition
How well swell angle matches the spot
Wave height in the ideal range
Each spot has different period requirements. Points and reefs can handle longer periods than beaches.
Offshore/glassy conditions