Adelaide surf is varied and very good. It ranges from remote breaks on the Eyre Peninsula to right-hand points on the big beaches that cap off Middleton and beyond. It really rewards those willing to explore, with empty lineups and almost unstopping swell.
An introduction to Adelaide surf
People say that Adelaide – the coastal capital of South Australia – is a bit staid, a bit boring. They call it the City of Churches, say it’s for the boomer and the tea drinkers. We don’t think they’ve seen the surf. With the wild Eyre Peninsula on one side, remote Kangaroo Island on the other, and the Yorke Peninsula wedged into the middle, there’s an abundance of spots within a two-hour drive and a positive overload of surfing to be done within 10 hours’ drive.
That said, Adelaide isn’t like Sydney. It’s not like Sydney at all. There are no hip and happening little surf towns wedged into the actual fabric of the town here. You’ll almost certainly need a car of your own to make the best of the waves in the region, plus a willingness to drive quite a while just to do a proper surf check.
The payoff will be some of the emptiest and most stunning locations in Oz. It’s not unusual to share the surf with bottlenose dolphins on a summer dawnie, and evening sessions in the waters off the Eyre can be seriously affirming stuff as the sun sets over the Great Australian Bight. Swell is basically nonstop thanks to the engine room the Southern Ocean. Downsides are sharks, sharks, and more sharks, plus those aforementioned travel distances.
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This guide is just one part of our complete guides to surfing Australia and surfing in South Australia
Adelaide surf at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to Adelaide surf?
Where is Adelaide?
Adelaide is the capital of South Australia. As such, it lies on the south coast of the continent-sized country, facing almost due-west into the Gulf St Vincent, itself a leg of the Great Australian Bight. As with many of the non-east-coast cities of Oz, the town is pretty isolated. It’s over 370 miles from the nearest next major city – Melbourne, which is to the southeast. Thankfully, you can arrive from pretty much anywhere these days because of Adelaide Airport, which has links to all big towns across the country, plus long-haul connections to hubs in NZ and Southeast Asia.
We cannot recommend renting a car enough for surf trips to Adelaide. It’s not just a good idea, it’s downright necessary. The best waves here might be three or four hours’ drive to the west or south, but are worth it, especially because road trips are one of the great attractions of South Australia anyhow. Kill two birds with one stone and all that.
Adelaide surf spots
From the Eyre Peninsula some 150 miles to the west as the crow flies all the way down to Encounter Bay some 40 miles to the south, plus Kangaroo Island in the middle, Adelaide keeps dominion over one whopping great big surf region. Here’s a look at the key breaks. (Remember, though – the real joy here is exploring at your own pace, taking dirt tracks to unknown beaches and bays, and seeking out surf spots that probably haven’t made it onto maps like ours!)
The Eyre Peninsula
The Eyre clocks up 2,000km of coastline on its own – Australia is pretty big, don’t you know? It lies at least six hours’ drive out of Adelaide, which means it only just scraped onto this guide by the skin of its dune-topped, desert-scared teeth.
You’ll find waves around almost every single bend in the shoreline when you head out as far as the Coffin Bay National Park, though Flat Rock stands out for its sculpted barrels. Further south, things get progressively more sharky before you encounter the long, sweeping beach at Tinah. Also known as Salmon Hole, this is a remote spot with punchy, dumpy beach A-frames its whole way along.
There’s loads, loads more than that, enough for a whole other guide, but suffice to say that this region is tailor-made for the true surf adventurers out there.
The Yorke Peninsula
The Yorke Peninsula is MUCH closer to Adelaide than the Eyre Peninsula. It’s also got tamer beaches with slightly more tempered swell, plus a long history of being a proper SA vacation destination. It’s not for nothing that this region is seen as the surf locale of choice for weekenders leaving the City of Churches.
It’s got no shortage of waves. The western edge of the headland is even home to a designated National Surfing Reserve around Daly Head. That’s close to the sandbars of Pondalowie Bay, which give powerful wedges over a patchwork of reef and soft seabed. There are also the exposed stretches down from West Cape all the way to the Ethel Wreck. The latter is the prime spot there because it hoovers up any iota of swell and turns it into fast right shoulders, but it’s remote and hard to reach.
Chinamans is the star of the Yorke Peninsula. It’s right at the south end of the headland and gives a very challenging wave that looks like someone stretched a Mentawai barrel into twice its length. It’s usually very busy there when the swell is on because there’s a prize of long, leg-burning left pits up for grabs.
Y-Steps
The very shape of the St Vincent Gulf means that the first real workable surf spot in Adelaide city limits is Y-steps. It’s okay when there’s enough swell to make it work but usually peters out into a dumpy shore break. The best days will see the angles work properly to create wedgy left-righters with some good power. If they’re on then you can bet your bottom dollar that it’s bombing at more exposed locations in South Australia.
Christies Beach
We usually put Christies down as the best learner location in Adelaide. It struggles to see much swell, especially in the summer. When things do come through, then they tend to be small ankle slappers that mush out as they hit the shore. The surf schools usually come here to practice during the holidays.
Seaford
As the swell shadow cast by the Yorke Peninsula drops away, more quality enters the Adelaide surf picture. Cue Seaford, with its long, bowly walls. They are super fun in the 5-8 foot range and consistent throughout much of the year. Surf these on a dropping or rising tide to ensure there’s enough H2O over the rocks that dot the bay. Usually quite busy but friendly enough in our experience.
Triggs Beach
A E offshore with 5-7 foot in the swell will get the A-frames working in the middle of Triggs Beach. These have the potential to hold overhead and will hollow out into rifle-long barrels on occasion. They require an incoming tide and are usually quite busy on account of their proximity to downtown Adelaide an the holiday areas o the south.
The Fleurieu Peninsula
If we had to choose one place to go and surf during our time in Adelaide, it would be the Fleurieu Peninsula. This gem of the region is littered with beaches and point breaks that work very nicely in the early morning when the N winds drift down from the mountains. The north side of the headland is better for learners. It boasts the cruisy sets of Sellicks Beach, which rarely work in the summer because they need lots of swell.
Advanced surfers should set the sat nav for the south coast, which hosts Waitpinga, a wind-exposed spot that can give spitting barrels. Sadly, great whites are about as common as scoring a tube there, so watch the water!
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island is a true frontier of surfing. You can reach it on a ferry from the end of the Fleurieu Peninsula (the boat is about 45 minutes). Our advice? Take a 4X4. The best waves here lurk down rumbling coast tracks far from any asphalt. The easiest and most accessible waves are at Pennington, but they can be dumpy on direct S swells. More points extend west from there, hitting a zenith when you get to the hidden inlets of Hanson Bay and Cape Bouguer. But, as we say, this is surf-explore territory so be ready to drive!
Middleton
Middleton Point is the most famous spot here. It acts a touch like an East-Coast sandbank a la Kirra, with peeling right walls suited to mals as much as shortboards. The winds can play havoc though, so get in early. There are long beaches extending south and east from there that have plenty of A-frames and whatnot, but beware of rips and don’t go too far because sharks are still an issue!
Where to stay when surfing in Adelaide?
We’ve picked out the hotels below precisely because they are close to some of the finest surf spots in Adelaide. We won’t pretend they are good for seeing the sights. They probably aren’t. But who needs churches when you have barreling right point breaks, eh?
Coastal Lodge
A true South Oz getaway that puts you within striking distance of all the amazing surf bays on the Fleurieu Peninsula (provided you have a car), the Coastal Lodge is as cozy as they come. There are even units with their own wood-burning stove. Loveeely.
Bay Breeze Cottage
A cute little family home that sits overlooking the right-hand points of Middleton south of Adelaide proper.
The Beach House – Point Turton
This remote little rental is a great base for surfing the spots that dot the western edge of the Yorke Peninsula. The selling point has to be the 180-degree views of the bay from the al fresco dining terrace.
Step-by-step guide to planning your Adelaide surf trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the Adelaide surf…Lately, we like Omio for searching flights. It’s a nice interface and has lots of airline options. We also use Skyscanner because that sometimes offers deals that even beat going direct to the carrier!
Step two: Book your surf camp. Book Surf Camps is the numero uno online booking platform for fully-fledged surf-stay packages on the internet right now. Then there’s Booking.com. That has consistently unbeatable rates for hotels and a nifty map feature that lets you check EXACTLY how close your hotel is to a surf break.
Step three: Rent a car. If you’re surf camping then you might not need wheels. If you’re not then we’ll just say this: We’ve never been on a surf trip that wasn’t improved by having our own car. Use RentalCars – they’re the best.
Step four: Enjoy!
When to surf in Adelaide?
There’s year-round surf in Adelaide, don’t worry about that. Generally speaking, winter is better for advanced surfers and summer is better for beginners.
Adelaide has one short peak surf season in the midwinter when N winds sculpt the breaks along the south coast of the Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island. However, it pretty much works all year round, though the heavy winter SW are better for the protected urban beaches – Christies, Triggs – and the softer summer S swells tend to be better for the exposed beaches and points of the Fleurieu and Eyre Peninsula.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
