Top 50 Surf Spots in the World

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This world contains so many good surf spots of every description - right hand points to please regular foots, long tropical lefts reeling over reef for goofy footers, punchy rivermouth waves, classic sandy beach and horrific-death barrels over reefs! Perfect waves are breaking all over the world right now. Somewhere out there, its goin off!

So what makes a one surf spot better than another? Most surfers would agree that the quality of the wave has to be very high. To be the best, it has to break consistently to be highly rated - however, if it breaks rarely it adds an air of mystery. Surfers are looking for a wave that provides a barrel section where the wave goes hollow. Also, the wave needs to be more than a 'flash in the pan'. So the longer it goes for the better!

We surfers love to at least dream about surfing the best waves so, short of taking you there, have a mind surf ... we have compiled the top 50 surf spots in the world.

1. Pipeline, Hawaii - Pipeline is the king of all surf spots, it break big and hard! Its got some much surfing history behind it (otherwise called Banzai), breaks close to the beach over a shallow reef and is close Ehukai Beach Park. Pipeline is the hollowest, biggest barrel on the North Shore, always extremely crowded and always dangerous; capable of taking the lives of seasoned professional surfers like Malik Joyeux. Pipe is home to the annual Pipeline Masters. Find out more about surfing Pipeline...

2. Teahupoo, Tahiti - Challenger to the crown, hollower, thicker and gets insanely big Teahupoo (pro. “Cho-poo”) first made its mark on the 90's surf scene ridden by Mick Stewart, Ben Severson and Brock Little et al. Teahupoo has become thee most feared surf spot on the WCT tour for good reason - several pro + am surfers have lost their lives here. Find out more on surfing Teahupoo...

3. Lance's Right, Indonesia - Remote and tucked away in the Mentawai Islands, Lance's Rights (Hollow Trees) is a world class right hander breaking sharply over shallow coral reef. Optimal size is 4-8 ft and is harder to surf than the surf mags make it look. Typically, getting to Lance's Right is a bit of a mission. Most people fly to Padang, stay overnight before catching a transfer out to the Mentawai Islands the next day. Its expensive too, Most people who surf the Mentawais go by charter boat and pay up to whopping $US450 per day! Take heart tho, you can do it cheaply aswell by staying in a camp up there. Find out more about surfing Lance's Right...

4. Grajagan, Indonesia - Grajagan (G-Land) is the most consistent left-hand barrel in the world. Situated on the SE tip of Grajagan national park just a short overnight boat from Bali, you're guaranteed head high waves every day for months during the surf season. 100 metre rides are the short ones! Fly to Denpesar, Bali and take one of the speed boats to one of the surf camps, like Bobby's Surf Camp, situated on the SE tip of Grajagan National Park. G-Land has a few other spots apart from the main break like Reverse G which is an awesome right hander wave. Find out more about surfing G-land...

5. Tavarua, Fiji - A true pro level reef break just off the remote tropical island of Tavarua. The wave usually breaks for 150 to 300m with some heavy sections. Tavarua is a real proving ground for serious surfers and really wealthy surfers too as The resort is very exclusive - only guests on the island of Tavarua are allowed to surf here. Only the changeover day are non guests allowed to surf here. You'll need to take a short boat ride to reach the break as it lays out a long way from the island itself. Find out more about surfing Tavarua Cloudbreak...

6. Superbank, Australia - The Superbank formed around 2002 when sand pumped from the nearby Tweed Rivermouth started filling in the gaps between Snapper Rocks, Rainbow bay, Green Point and Kirra to form one long sand bank - 10 second tube rides are commonplace. Swell is consistent, the water is warm and there is usually every man and his dog out surfing! The Superbank hosts the first event on the WCT calendar, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast. Read more about surfing Superbank...

7. Raglan, New Zealand - New Zealand's finest surf spot, it lays on New Zealand's beautiful westcoast, 2hrs drive south of Auckland. Raglan can be divided into three separate waves referred to as Indicators, Whale and Manu Bay. Catch it going off on a big southerly swells with gusty SE winds and you'll be surfing this long peeling left until your legs turn to jelly! Read more about surfing Raglan...

8. Jeffreys Bay, South Africa - Jeffreys Bay is a classic right hand point made up of about 7 distinct spots to form a complex of waves winding their way down a mile of long, curving lava reef and sand. Insane! J-Bay was featured in the surf cult classic film “Endless Summer” and hosts the annual ASP WCT Billabong Pro usually mid July. Although there has never been a shark attack during any Pro or AM surf contest. However in 2003 a South African teen mauled by a large shark while warming up for an ASP Pro Junior contest at JBay. Read more about surfing Jeffreys Bay...

9. Mundaka, Espana - The Jewel in the crown of Europe's surfing. A long rifling lefthander at Mundaka's rivermouth. The sand bottom gives the wave a picture-perfect barrel when it is on. Generally October onwards is the best time of the year to catch Mundaka working, it handles up to a meaty 10ft. Mundaka is so good, the ASP choose to hold one the WCT events there. Read more about surfing Mundaka...

10. Cloud Nine, Philipines - Experienced surfers need only surf here as Cloud 9 is amongst the top reef breaks in the world. Cloud 9 is one of the world’s toughest breaks sitting on the edge of a deep oceanic trench on Siargao Island. Waves are powerful, very hollow and dangerous right handers as you'll be surfing over razor sharp coral. Read more about surfing Cloud Nine...

11. Honolua Bay, Maui - World Class righthander that the surfing world has been aware of since the early ‘60s when Californian surfers visited here for the winter. Its a hollow and powerful wave and you can expect to pick off wave that go for 50 to 150m and up to 300m on bigger days! Honolulu Bay is home to the last event on the WCT womens tour.

12. Backdoor, Hawaii - Pipeline is a peak and if you surf right instead left you'll be surfing Backdoor. Backdoor is every bit as intense as Pipeline only it has a different shape of barrel. Backdoor tends to shut down before Pipeline will. Pipe and Backdoor is the sort of proving ground that all surfers dream of being able to surf, very few can though. Backdoor is home to countless heavy locals, travelling pros and photogs all year especially on the run up to the Triple Crown. Read more about surfing Backdoor Pipe...

13. Trestles, California-USA - South California is a place where every man and his dog surfs! Trestles gets very crowded and is highly localised. Waves at Trestles can reach 10ft surfable and on a good day you'll get 300-500m rides (if the locals let you). Trestles hosts a raft of surf contests all year including the ASP Boost Mobile Pro in September. Our advice is "be cool and they'll be cool". Read more about surfing Trestles...

14. Hossegor, France - La Graviere beach at Hossegor is touted as one of the best beach breaks in Europe. The surfers who regularly surf here are all rippers and pros so make sure your surfing is up to scratch before you join the lineup. Expect Atlantic style powerful, hollow waves breaking up to 8ft over french sands. ASP hosts the WCT Quik Pro France here each year. The place is crawling with pro surfers.

15. Restaurants, Fiji - An epic reef break deep in the South Pacific for the experienced surfer only. Restaurants, so-called because surfers sit in the Namotu resort restaurant and watch the surf come in and race along the shallow coral shelf. WCT Surfers have been coming here to Tavarua Island Fiji for the ASP WCT event, those who don't get to stay on Tavarua, stay on Namotu instead. Read more about Restaurants Fiji...

16. Nias, Indonesia - Once you fly to Bali, be prepared to spend at least two days travelling to reach Nias. Once you get there it'll all be worth it. Pristine, mechanical, hollow righthander waves break at Lagrundi Bay for over 150m. Be careful surfing over that reef though, as you are a long way from proper medical help!

17. Uluwatu, Indonesia - Uluwatu is situated at the southern end of Bali and is a crowd hotspot. There are 4 different sections at Uluwatu; long and hollow 'Temples', 'The Peak' right below the warungs. Super fast, shallow but makeable barrel 'Racetrack', 'Outside corner' which is a breaks when swell is in the 8ft range. Read more about surfing Uluwatu...

18. Puerto Escondido, Mexico - Sand spitting monster size barrels. Not many beach breaks in the world can handle swell as big as Puerto Escondido and produce thundering A-frame peaks so epic. Check out the insane surfer's-eye view from the barrel in this video clip taken from Brian Conley's 'My Eyes Won't Dry' DVD.

19. Lakey Peak, Sumbawa-Indonesia - Lakey Peak is a long way from civilisation and a long way from help. This place goes off getting up to triple overhead and giving 150m lefts and shorter, punchier rights. Take the short flight from Bali if you can, otherwise you'll be spending a full day on an Indonesian ferry and minibuses to reach this spot. You'll have to get up early to get it good, onshores kick in around 10am everyday. Read more about surfing Lakey Peak...

20. Bingin, Bali-Indonesia - Bingin is a short mechanical wave on Bali's Phuket peninsula. It works best around 3-5ft and the take off spot is very narrow. Bingin gets very very crowded through the peak season (May - August) - lots of Aussies and Brazilians to contend with. Read more about surfing Bingin...

21. Mavericks, USA - Mavericks has made a lot of news in recent years in the mainstream media for good reason. Waves at Mavericks get so big that surfers need to be towed into waves by jet-ski. Waves get up to 20-30ft. Either paddle for 40 minutes in sharky waters or get a boat out to the lineup.

22. Sunset Beach, Hawaii - Infamous and has all the energy of the open ocean pouring in like a raging elephant! Home to tough Hawaiian locals so only go out if you have a big 7ft board and the courage to tackle this beast. Gets up to 15ft at its biggest. Sunset hosts one of the Triple Crown events each year. Read more about Sunset Beach...

23. Ma'alaea, Maui - Maui houses many beautiful waves, including this world class setup which produces 150m of righthand breaking waves over reef. However, don't plan on surfing it if you go to Maui because it rarely breaks, you need to get very lucky. When its firing Ma'alaea is considered to be the fastest right in the world and has a dedicated local Maui crew who might not want to share with tourists. Read more about surfing Ma'alaea...

24. Bells Beach, Australia - Open to the great southern ocean, this versitile surf break is famous all over the world for its perfect big walls that come marching in to Bells Beach. Bells will pick up almost any swell and produce long, powerful open walls that go for 150m. The world's best pro surfers come to surf here every April for the Rip Curl Pro and usually score sick waves. Read more about surfing Bells Beach...

25. Pampa, Ireland - Ireland isn't somewhere you'd think you'd get good waves, but you'd be wrong. Not quite a world class wave, but it does rank highly for its intensity and danger factor. Surfers have to hurl themselves over a nasty ledge in the lip before racing almost hopelessly down the line.

26. Todos Santos, Mexico - Todos Santos came to the fore of most surfers attention in 1998 when Taylor Knox rode the 52ft wave at the K2 Big-Wave Challenge. Todos is right up there with Jaws, Mavericks and Waimea for its sheer size and power. Accessibiliy only comes for surfers taking a boat out of Ensenada Harbor.

27. Padang Padang - So good they named it twice! Padang Padang breaks only when its 5-8ft and when it does pro's and locals come out of the woodwork, the crowd resembles a football scrum! This lefthander is very hollow and powerful and has appeared on numerous surf videos. Read more on surfing Padang Padang...

28. Margaret River, Australia - Margarets is situated along a stretch of coast just peppered with awesome waves. Margarets (Main Point) is the jewel in the crown. Wildlife is teaming out there and the crowds of surfer can do as well for good reason. This peaky wave is very consistent, gets really big and produces 300-500m rides with many tube sections. Read more on Margaret River...

29. Periscopes, Indonesia - Periscopes lays 2km from Lakey Peak, and it is a beautifully formed tubing righthander. Breaks regularly, works only on high tide and makes a nice alternative to Lakey Peak. Watch out for the for the shallow reef, tiger sharks and perhaps crocs from the nearby river! Read more on Periscopes Sumbawa...

30. Thurso, Scotland - At 58 degrees north, Thurso is the furthest from the equator a major ASP event has ever been held. If the swell, tide and wind come together, Thurso dishes up 6-8ft thundering right handers that have been compared to Nias, Indonesia for its perfect shape. Take note, because Thurso is so far north in summertime you can surf virtually all day and night! You're going to need a 5/3mm wetsuit, boots, gloves and a hood most of the year. In British summertime though, a 3/2mm steamer will be fine.

31. Corners, Tonga - Corners is a thick intense lefthand barrel that rifles across the reef into a distinct channel. Surfers can expect 30+ meters rides. Tonga is made up of 170 islands of surf potential but to really explore the islands surf potential you'll need to charter a yacht. With warm water, tropical weather and uncrowded waves you'll have a blast!

32. Sultan's, Maldives - If you wanted to surf in warm tropical waters, riding 150m+ powerful, consistent righthanders Sultans is for you! Who wouldn't want to surf here. Sultan's gets pretty crowded out there on this offshore reef and for good reason. Here is a wave that never closes out. Mid February to November is the best time to go for waves.

33. The Pass, Australia - The Pass is a 300m wally, hollow wave that ropes it's way down the headland which is the most easterly point in Australia. The rip is crazily strong. Crowding is major problem for the Pass as it is right in the middle of a busy tourist/surfer resort plus the locals aren't especially inviting. If you can get a wave you will love it! Read more on Byron Bay The Pass...

34. Waimea Bay, Hawaii - Waimea Bay is legendary and has stacks of surf history behind it. It's home to the Quiksilver Eddie Aikua Invitational. When its in full swing, literally mountains of water come crashing into the bay up to 30ft high. On the smaller days (when its only the height of one house) its not unusual to see 5+ surfers on one wave. Waimea is only for kamikazes. Don't try it if you're not confident in really huge surf.

35. Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka - Expect to surf just up the beach from wild elephants on a long sweeping right hand wave that goes forever! Arugam was affected by the Tsunami but has thankfully since recovered. The surf spot is still firing too. Arugam Bay produces its best waves around the 4ft mark and its fairly safe too as you are surfing over sand cover reef.

36. Santa Catalina, Panama - Central America has some amazing surf and the atmosphere is mostly nice and friendly at Santa Catalina. The waves are world class and normal rides are 150m long but on the epic days you can surf for half a km!

37. Pavones, Costa Rica - Every continent has its own long reeling point, South Africa has J-Bay, Indonesia has G-Land, Australians get to surf the likes of Lennox Head... Well Costa Rica has Pavones. Pavones lies in the deep south of Costa Rica and attracts lots of American gringos. However, its fickle and you could be waiting weeks to surf it but when its on (and only then) you can get rides that last for 3 minutes or more. In the world of surfing, that is a lifetime!

38. Pasta Point, Maldives - Surfers look for consistent surf and Pasta Point is a very consistent, you could surf here 150 days a year in world class lefthanders. Maldives are a super attractive surf destination. Pasta Point is ideal for even intermediate level surfers as it doesn't usually get too out of control. By the way, if you are planning to go, check out exactly when the annual WQS event is on (usually June) and try to miss it. 144 surf hungry, selfish wave spono's will be crawling all our Pasta Point during the competition. Read more about surfing Pasta Point

39. Hebara Beach, Chiba-Japan - Favoured by hoards of Japanese surfers (1-2 hours from Tokyo) who like small/medium sized waves. Home to many Quik Pro Japan events the beaches at Chiba are a swell magnet and offers up rippable waves.

40. Lennox Head, Australia - Lennox head has a world class right hand pointbreak that on a good day will reel down the rocky point for 500m. Believe me, that is a very long way to surf! The waves usually have to get above the 3ft mark to really start working but can get as big as 15ft on the biggest days. There's always a catch - entry into the water and getting back onto land is notoriously difficult due to the boulders that line the point all the way to the beach. PS. there are a few golden beachbreaks nearby that you won't want to miss. Read more about surfing Lennox Head...

41. Praia do Campeche, Brazil - World class, Praia do Campeche, is located in front of the Campeche Island and when it is breaking, mostly in winter, some surfers compare it to Jeffrey's Bay SA. One of the Brazil's best wave - sick righthanders which creates long rides, with hollow sections. It'll be crowded when its on with strong riptides.

42. St.Leu, Reunion Island - The best wave on Reunion Island down in the Indian Ocean. The reef is coral and encrusted with urchins. You'll be surfing all year on St.Leu's 300m left handers. Saint Leu is an epic left which has hosted a fair few WCT events including the Rip Curl Pro Search 2006. There were a few shark attacks in 2006, so be vary of this as well.

43. Macaronis, Mentawais - Taking a boat trip up into the Mentawis is called for at least once if you can afford it - most surfers spend well over $200 a day on a charter boat trip! Marconis is a world class, consistent 300m long lefthanders just waiting for you. The coral is sharp but the reward is high.

44. Puertecillo, Chile - You have to camp at this remote spot and get permission from the landowner too. Puertecillo is a classic point break and pumps on bigger swells when it produces long tubing 300 to 500 m waves. You'll be surfing over sand and rock in the normally cold waters of Chile. Bring your wetsuit!

45. Blacks, USA - Blacks beach in Southern California is one of the best breaks on the West Coast of America. Crowds are pretty light during the week but very busy at the weekend as surfers hassle to get on some of the hollow, fast and heavy rights and lefts. Blacks is notorious for its sneaker sets - you've been warned.

46. Duranbah, Australia - This beachie sits right on the border between New South Wales and Queensland and actually belongs to NSW although its on the Gold Coast. Duranbah (Dbah) is possibly one of the most consistently crowded spots in all of Australia, if not the world. This is a favourite home beach for many pro's like Parko, Fanning and Deano. Weekends get ultra-ultra crowded! It gets a lot of swell and produces a lot of punchy, fast waves. You'll probably not meet any locals because the guard changes so much everyday with the huge amount of tourist surfers. Read more about surfing Duranbah...

47. Capbreton, France - Fantastic world class beach break suited for experienced surfers as you'll be mixing it up with pro's in the lineup. The Atlantic Ocean unloads fast and hollow 150m rides going left and right. Its gonna be very crowded during the summertime with all the WQS and WCT event but before and after them its pretty quiet. Its hard to beat a quality beach break wave.

48. Coconuts, Samoa - Half of the way between Hawaii to New Zealand you'll find the tropical islands of Samoa and a certain spot called Coconuts, a lush wave that has been compared to the infamous HT's in the Mentawai's. The local villagers own the surf break so if you wanna surf it you have to pay them or be part of a tour! Its an awesome righthander and you'd be stokced to get surfing it.

49. La Santa, Canary Islands - La Santa is a regional classic wave. Its a long righthander wave that peels down the point at La Santa and its in the vicinity of 'The Slab' and 'El Quame'. The whole set is a big area and your closest hotel is the Sports Complex 1km away which can be a little pricey for what you get. Whats interesting is that the terrain makes it look like your surfing in a desert moonscape.

50. Fistral Beach, England - Cold wet and windy gives way to warm and sunny in the summer. After that, autumn swells roll into Britain's surf centre and good waves are a plenty. Waves max out around 6ft, up til then you can ride lefts and rights all the way to the beach.