This guide to surfing in Maroubra covers everything you need to know about the spots and surf seasons at one of the best-performing breaks in south-central Sydney.
An introduction to surfing in Maroubra
Maroubra is one of the solidly performing breaks of south-central Sydney. A couple of bays down from the legendary Bondi Beach, it’s not the poster-boy of its MTV cousin. But the waves are generally better and the crowd is certainly smaller. You’re looking at around 900 meters or so of decent beach break, which can alternative between clean summer shoulders to broken up peaks that froth and barrel in the winter months.
At heart, Maroubra loves a E swell but, just like everywhere else up this run of NSW shoreline, will get kicking when there’s S-SE in the compass (and there often is between May and October). Perhaps a little surprisingly, Maroubra Beach is infamous for the number of lifesaving rescues that take place in its confines – they say there’s one per day. The upshot? Watch out for shifty peaks and strong rips. They are both common here.
This is the stomping ground of the Bra Boys, the local Maroubra crew. They’re positively softies (read: human) compared to the NASA ballbreakers of Avalon in North Sydney, but still demand respect and own the best peaks on the best days.
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Surfing in Maroubra at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to surfing in Maroubra?
Where is Maroubra?
Maroubra is situated on the southern side of the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. It’s along the same run of shoreline where you find famous names like Bondi Beach and Coogee. Getting there is a cinch if you have a car. Just follow Anzac Parade south from the CBD and turn off when you get to Snape Park. There are also regular trains to the Randwick Light Rail, from where you can hop on the 350 bus to take you straight to the beach.
Maroubra surf spots
Maroubra Beach has 5-10 separate peaks depending on the day. The locals have named some of the best of them, which we take a look at here, starting at the point at the northern extremity of the bay.
The Point/Mistral Point
The northernmost take-off on Maroubra can be a feisty thing, with sucky peaks ripping off the stone boulders. They’ll give snapshots of long left shoulders to those who think they can get looking down the line fast enough. The wave opens up a little as you come in 10-20 meters, bulking into a fatter shoulder that’s good fun on strong NE swells. This spot gets the best protection from summer N winds, so is popular November-March.
Dunnybowl
Forget the name, this is a quality spot. We’d say it’s actually one of the best along the whole stretch. Strong 5-10 foot winter swells with SE or direct E can turn it into a frothing A-frame peak that has short rights and longer lefts, both of which get nicely hollow. This one fires even when it’s really big and can hold up when other parts of the Sydney beaches are blown out. The paddle can be hard and rips are strong, though.
Stromies
The last of the reef breaks that string along the northern end of Maroubra, Stromies is a punchy peak that forms about 200 meters of the rocks. This far down the beach, you’re kinda’ exposed to the summer winds, which is a shame because when there’s an E in the swell come December this can be one of the most consistent take-offs in Sydney. Get in early to enjoy it without big crossshores and smaller crowds.
Southies
On a turning low tide, Southies starts to push out curly little wedges that are a shortboarder’s dream when there’s some good groundswell power pumping up from the SE or E. It’s more for the regulars, since rights replace lefts as the waves start to come in northwards off the outer reefs that hug this part of Maroubra Beach.
The Reef
The Reef is one of the best surf breaks in the Eastern Suburbs when it gets drumming on E-SE swells. It’s a bit of a barrel machine when at its best, churning out human-height pits one after the other. It’s not for beginners and is usually patrolled by the local crews, but has some sheer quality rights that are worth chasing. A N wind in summer can ruin the lot, so keep your eye on the weathervane.
Where to stay when surfing in Maroubra?
Maroubra is a bit of a local’s suburb, so there aren’t LOADS of hotels. Still, we’ve managed to pick out two places that will get you within walking distance of the waves.
Southend Hotel
The Southend Hotel is a proper neighborhood B&B in the heart of Maroubra. It’s within 20 minutes’ walking of the beach and the breaks and offers simple but charming rooms, both twins and private doubles.
Seadreams, Maroubra
There’s a single apartment rental on offer at Seadreams Maroubra that we really love. It comes equipped with a small kitchenette and a bijou garden space with its own tropical plantage. You’ll be staying near the northern end of the beach, close to the reef breaks and lefts.
Step-by-step guide to planning your [yoast_kw] trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the [yoast_kw]…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: Get insuranceThis is kinda’ important. Not just for surf trips but for any trips. SafetyWing is great for nomad travelers. They offer rolling contracts that cover amateur surfing.
Step four (optional): 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 Maroubra?
Maroubra is actually blessed with surf all year round and it’s one of the few spots in the Sydney Eastern Suburbs that has decent wind protection from the north. That can keep the waves working here while places like Bondi and Coogee are a blown out mess. The best days of all are those summer hits when there’s a E in the compass. They’ll get the outer reefs properly pumping. Maroubra can also work really nicely on winter SE swells between May and October.
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!
