Thinking of going surfing in South Australia? Check this complete guide, which homes in on all of the state’s best breaks, from the wild reaches of Cactus Beach to the accessible peninsulas and reef breaks nearer to Adelaide.
An introduction to surfing in South Australia
Ocean waters that rarely push past 54 F (15 C) and resident colonies of great whites make South Australia one of the tougher places to paddle out in Oz. That plus the fact that you’ll often drive two, four, six, eight hours to a break only to find the wind has switched to onshore and it’s not working. But there are potential prizes here that keep dedicated crews coming back for more…
First, South Oz is remote surf territory. Save for a few famous line ups – Chinamans, Trig – you can have days of true solitude here. It’s not the bustling barge fest of Kirra and NSW. Second: That swell. It’s incessant in these parts but then just glance at the map – there’s literally nada between the state’s coast and the tumultuous depths of the Southern Ocean, which everyone and their gran knows is a veritable engine room of groundswell.
The way we see it, there are two ways to go about surfing in South Australia. You could keep it urban. Jet into Adelaide and stick to the breaks that line the city. They are okay, but nowhere near the sublime reefy points, you might get if you go for option two: A proper surf expedition with a 4X4 and a fearless crew. Yes, you might cross paths with snappers but you can explore thousands of clicks of coastline on the hunt for barrels and peeling perfection.
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 guide to surfing Australia
Surfing in South Australia at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to surfing in South Australia?
Where is South Australia?
South Australia – just as the name implies – is in the south of Australia. It’s sandwiched between the states of Western Australia, which is to the west, and Victoria, which is to the east. The surfing is mainly done on a series of islands, big bays, and peninsulas around the state capital of Adelaide, which is probably where you’ll arrive into anyhow. When we say around Adelaide, we mean in the Aussie sense. AKA with drives of up to 10 hours possible in either direction.
Where to go surfing in South Australia
South Australia is riddled breaks, but it’s certainly fair to say that the bulk of the better spots are crammed into the eastern half of the state. For the first 190 miles or so of coastline, where the wild Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area meets the water, the shores here are nothing but sheer-cut cliffs that lurch 50 meters straight out of the Great Australian Bight. There’s none of those neatly shelving reefs or sandbars to give many waves of note.
Things really begin in earnest at Cactus Beach and Point Sinclair, also known as Witzigs. That’s a jutting headland that slices northbound swells into frothing left shoulders. It’s a real hallmark of what surfing in South Australia is all about – big, beefy, strong, unforgiving, but potentially the ride of your life. It heralds the start of many more breaks to follow as you go east.
Western South Australia
Cactus is the star of the show in western SA. The remote region gets endless S-SW swells that hit the point here and curl inward to offer four or five breaks that are local legends. Here’s a closer look…
Cactus Beach
Cactus Beach is the centerpiece of a series of bays that forms one of the most hallowed spots in the whole of South Australia. Hard, grinding lefts that bend and bowl inward are the name of the game. The shoulders begin on Point Sinclair, the most exposed point of the headland (see below). They don’t ever really connect up like you can hope for up in Kirra on the East Coast. Instead, they’re divided into four key take-off points:
- Cunns – The biggest S swells will need to work hard to wrap around Sinclair point to reach Cunns making this a decent spot when there’s close outs all over the region. It’s not the best wave but is offshore in E winds, so can shine in the summer.
- Cactus – Strange but the namesake wave of the area is actually a bit fickle. Heavy S swells will close it out and small swells don’t have enough to filter through between the caves off the point. What you’re left with is an okayish wave that runs left off the reefs when it’s in the 5-7 foot range.
- Caves – A high-performance wave that bucks the trend of the Cactus roster by going right, not left, Caves is where the local rippers go. On its day (big S swells and autumn N offshores) it can throw out slabby barrels that mimic Ireland more than they do southern Oz.
- Outside Castles – A shark-infested paddle channel ends at another take-off point that can give hollowish waves of varying quality. Like Cactus itself, these ones prefer less size and aren’t – at least in our opinion – worth the potential company of great whites.
Point Sinclair (Witzigs)
Point Sinclair is the outermost break of Cactus Beach, a spot that’s nothing shy of legendary on the SA surf lineup. It’s super exposed and really not for anyone below god level. Sets crash into the outer reefs and rip off the shallow rocks, giving pitching left walls that steam through into the bays that roll up the western side of the peninsula. Surfing Witzigs has become a bit of a rite of passage for the most dedicated South Oz rippers, but you gotta bide your time and pick your battles. Sharks everywhere, of course.
The Eyre Peninsula
The Eyre Peninsula is South Australia’s true surf frontier. It’s wild, untamed, where desert spills straight into the ocean. Sharks patrol the bays more than angry locals but you can score hollow barrels and all sorts if you get the right spot on the right swell…
Blackfellows
Blackfellows is one of the first spots of remark on the Eyre Peninsula. It forms on the reefs off Cape Finnis and is a true beast. As the winter SW get pumping, this one can go XXL without much warning. It’s a frothing left with sections that slab over and come down hard, all framed by shallow rock underwater. Experts only.
Sheringa
A very high-quality left hander on its day, Sheringa has peeling walls that start on an A-frame reefy at the south end of the bay. Ignore the rights. The money is on the goofies here, who can score 100-meter rights and backdoor tube sections if the E wind is playing ball. There’s a paddle channel to return in but there are rips and sharks have been spotted so stay aware.
Fishery Bay
Super-pretty Fishery Bay is old whaler territory and it’s one of the more protected waves on the south Eyre. The SW winter sets have a hard time wrangling around the point to make it in here and there are 100-meter headlands with high cliffs on both sides to negate the wind nicely. That can mean that there are flat days once in a while in these parts but when there are good S sets coming through you can spot long, marching left walls hitting the northeastern cliff and peeling into the middle. It’s a fun place to surf and usually kinda empty.
The Yorke Peninsula
The Yorke Peninsula is the destination of choice for escapees from Adelaide on the weekend. It’s a long, curling finger of land with one or two spots that are simply epic. You will have to travel some way to get to them, though, mainly because the geography of the headland means there’s not all that much swell on the east coast nearer the city. Expect between 4-6 hours on the road.
Spits
Good SW swells bring marching rows of lefts into Spits, a reef point that’s tucked between the dramatic Swincer Rocks on the western end of the Yorke. They’re sectiony and fun, but also challenging. E offshores – which usually swing by end of summer and into fall – make them a whole level better.
Salmon Hole
There’s usually a dedicated crew ripping up the rights that come off the point at Salmon Hole. They’ll form into long workable shoulders that hollow and then drift, usually made up of lovely, turquoise-blue water from take-off to endzone. It’s a bit sharky. Again, those E offshores make it a whole load better if you’re lucky enough to be around for one.
Chinamans
The wave that put the Yorke Peninsula on the map is the pitching wedge of Chinamans. Barrels can be scored ten to the penny when there’s anything over the 5 foot mark hitting this one, and you’ll know it because there’s always bodies out there. The take-off is on a few boily little blocks of reef that aren’t all that deep, even at high tide, but don’t worry, the idea is to shift left right away and get ripping that wall. Reminds us of something good out of the Ments.
West Cape
A solid, solid wave that can throw out frothing barrels if the banks have built up enough. Usually works on fall S swells because there’s been time for the sands to build up and not shift because of the wind. Often, the more famous hollow wave is nowhere to be seen and it’s replaced with easier beach break peaks.
Adelaide
Adelaide itself doesn’t have urban surf spots a la Sydney. There’s a bit of a hefty swell shadow cast over the town’s main coastal runs. Waves begin properly about 20-30 minutes’ drive to the south on Trig Beach and others. The locals here often consider the Yorke Peninsula (to the northwest) and the Fleurieu Peninsula (to the south) part of the Adelaide sphere. That’s pushing it a little – the first is a minimum of two hours’ driving away!
Check out our complete guide to Adelaide surf right here
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island has it all. There are gnarly reefs that bomb out on any direct S swell. With an autumn northerly, spots like Hanson Bay will shine for the tray riders and the daredevils, offering heavy backdoor sections that don’t even look makeable from the shore. There’s also Pennington Bay. It’s more accessible and offers smaller knee-high waves even when things are big elsewhere, which is why it’s become the spot of choice for beginners. We think Kangaroo is perfect for surf drive tours because the spots often need 4X4s to reach and it’s never that busy.
Middleton Point
The closest thing you’ll get to an East-Oz righty down here is Middleton Point. On small days it does a great Noosa impression, with long, peeling lines running off the main rocks. It’s not often as clean as its QLD compadre, though. Winters send up hardcore 10 footers that will batter the outward point and then reform into steep faces that draw the committed performance surfers. Given the proximity to the city, this one’s usually quite busy.
Goolwa
About an hour South of Adelaide is where the seemingly endless sweep of glittering white sand at Goolwa begins its journey around the southeastern edge of the state. It’s a whole run of beach peak after beach peak. Most people stick to the northern zone close to the town of Goolwa Beach itself. There’s easy access on boardwalks onto the sand there. The breaks themselves form and reform thanks to sandbanks, so the autumn is better because the banks will be settled after the summer. Depending on swell size, it’s wedgy take offs into short rides or long, hollow arms with overhead potential.
Where to stay when surfing in South Australia?
There are vast tracts of South Australia that don’t have any coast hotels whatsoever. Mostly, the best stays for surfers are in the region around Adelaide and the Yorke Peninsula. They are relatively easy to access and put you near a whole load of great spots. Here’s our pick…
- The Beach House – Point Turton ($$-$$$) – Access to Chinaman’s and the reef points of the western Yorke is offered at The Beach House. But that’s if you can convince yourself to leave the uber-cool beach home with its sea-view deck and New England-style interior. It’s a lovely rental that can sleep up to four people.
- Cooks Cottage ($$) – Close to Adelaide so you can see the sights but also well on the way to the surf spots south of town, this cozy bolthole is a fantastic balance between urban explorations and surfing.
- Strandmarken ($$) – Go wild and head over to Kangaroo Island. This spot puts you on the north coast so you’ll need a car to drive to the breaks. It promises to be a bucket-list stay, though, what with its al fresco bathtub and walking access to the white-sand beach.
Step-by-step guide to planning your surfing in South Australia trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the surfing in South Australia…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 South Australia?
There’s no best time to go surfing in South Australia. There’s swell here summer, autumn, winter, and fall – the Southern Ocean never really sleeps. If we had to pick a best time, then we’d say come in the fall months of April and May. They see more regular E-NE winds, which are mostly offshore, but not always. Winter is the most consistent time of all, but sometimes so big that the whole region is unrideable. Summer wins out for beginners, and is best for families looking to learn to surf on the urban beaches of Adelaide and Middleton.
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!
