Learn all there is to learn about the greatest beefcake of the Southern Hemisphere: Shipstern Bluff, where slabby barrels and double ups are all in a days work.
An introduction to Shipstern Bluff
Shipstern Bluff is considered by many to be the most challenging and deadly wave in the whole of Australia. One glance at its ferocious barrel and washing machine inside section and it’s hard to disagree. This one’s a slabby colossus with double ups you’ll have nightmares about and hold downs that will feel like you’ve been in a coma for decades – you know, the sorta’ ones when you wake up and ask “wait, Trump was president?”
Whether you come to surf the epic spot yourself (you daredevil, you) or just watch (like us mere mortals), this guide to Shipstern Bluff has all you need to know. There’s in-depth info about the style of the wave itself, details about how to get there, and thoughts on the ideal swell conditions throughout the year.
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!
This guide is just one part of our complete guides to surfing in Tasmania and in Australia
Shipstern Bluff at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to Shipstern Bluff?
Where is Shipstern Bluff?
Shipstern Bluff is on the southeastern edge of Tasmania as a whole. That’s the most favorable part of the island for surf, since it gets good dominant W winds and all the action from the SE winter storm systems. You’re looking for a big shoulder of rock that pokes out of the side of the Taman Peninsula. You can’t get there by road. Instead, it’s either a 40-minute jet ski journey or a long hike on the local Tasman National Park trails.
All about the Shipstern Bluff surf (and nearby spots)
Here’s a look at the details and science behind Shippies, what makes it such a feared wave, and any of the more accessible spots in the surrounding area.
Shipstern Bluff
The slab to end all slabs, Shipstern Bluff – or Shippies as the locals know it – is a behemoth of a wave. It’s exposed to the full force of all the low-pressures that send heavy groundswells up through the Southern Ocean. They’ll build well off the edge of Tasmania and flow up through the channel to hit Shippies head on. It all begins on a shelf of very sharp rock reef, where huge drifts of water suck back and regularly form 20-30 foot walls.
If you can make the drop in, which is fast and demanding, you’ll find yourself in a colossal barrel with tons (and we really mean tons) of water overhead. You’ll have to angle straight down the line immediately – there’s no space for cruisy bottom turns here. That brings you closer to the base of the wave, which is constantly sucking and fizzing water off a shallow seabed. This is where it gets truly gnarly, because Shippies is known for its unpredictable and brutal double ups. The locals call them The Steps, and they are sometimes simply unmakeable. If you’re serious about blasting through, then you’ll need to be comfy hitting up to five airs in the same ride and doing it in a way that lets you maintain enough speed and balance to navigate the barrel that’s still curling overhead.
Even getting to Shippies is a challenge. You’re looking at a cling-on-for-dear-life jet ski or boat trip of 30-40 minutes on pretty rough seas around pretty rugged coast. Or you can hoof it – it’s about an hour’s hike through the wild Tasman National Park. The wave itself isn’t the only hazard, either. The spot around Shipstern Bluff is well known for its gatherings of great white sharks and aggressive sealions.
Remarkable Caves
Lay eyes on the wedgy rights of Remarkable Caves and you might just find it impossible to believe the spot exists a mere 5 miles over Cape Raoul from legendary Shipstern Bluff. But it’s there, offering something WAY tamer, WAY nicer for intermediates and up. The wave is a performance dream really, with varying shapes and lines to cut. It gets nice and fast with midsized 40s swells in the winter and can offer good airs on its day. Usually hosts a crew of local Tasman rippers but localism doesn’t tend to be a massive issue since there’s lots to go around. We mention this one here because it’s a solid surf option for those mortals who’ve just come to watch the bombs going off at nearby Shippies.
Step-by-step guide to planning your Shipstern Bluff trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the Shipstern Bluff…We use Skyscanner and only Skyscanner for this. The reason? We’ve always found it the best site for comparing deals from basically ALL airlines and somehow seems to offer deals that beat going direct.
Step two: Book your surf lodge. There’s Booking.com. That has consistently unbeatable rates for hotels and a nifty map feature that lets you check how close EXACTLY that hotel is to particular breaks. Or Book Surf Camps, which is the numero uno online booking platform for fully-fledged surf-stay packages.
Step three: Book surf lessons and other activities For advance booking, you can use GetYourGuide or Viator. To be fair, though, we usually just leave this until we’re there – it’s easy to book in person in most surf destinations.
When to surf in Shippies?
Shippies can work all year because it’s so exposed but the real action starts in the winter months when the roaring 40s are doing their thing. The spot needs at least a meter in the swell charts to get going, and really hits its finest when its at least double that. The months between June and August tend to be the best overall.
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!
