Pedra Branca is surfing's final frontier—a tiny rock pinnacle 26km off the coast of Tasmania that faces directly toward Antarctica and catches the full force of Southern Ocean storms. First surfed in 2008, the wave breaks on a reef around the rock in ice-cold water saturated with great white sharks. Getting there requires a major jet-ski expedition and favorable weather windows. The wave is powerful, remote, and genuinely life-threatening. This is as far from civilization as surfing gets.
Difficulty
6/10
Crowd level
3/10
Access: Jet ski mandatory
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