There is 360,000 miles of coastline on earth, much of which produces waves.
Some average, some good, and every now and then something exceptional.
And that’s what we’re interested in with this post, the best.
You’re about to find out the locations that produce the absolute best surf in the world, bar none.
Here goes…
16 OF THE BEST SURF SPOTS IN THE WORLD
Judging the worlds best surf is always going to be subjective, and it’s always going to be open to interpretation, however there’ll be no arguments with any of the spots on this list.
Each is a world class wave, each with its own unique twist.
16. ANCHOR POINT, MOROCCO
Morocco is famous for its long right hand point breaks, and Anchor Point is the most famous of them all.
Situated in the surf mad town of Taghazout, the wave thunders down the rocky headland producing world class waves.
Can hold huge swells, and offer up insane barrels on it’s day, this is the jewel in the crown for the surfing elite in Morocco.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Anchor Point, Morocco
15. HONOLUA BAY, MAUI
Surrounded by picturesque, lushous green cliffs, Honolua Bay offers up some of the worlds best waves.
Up until just recently this wave was home to the final stop of the Womens World Surf League, crowning their champion each year.
The wave itself is a perfect right hand reef break.
Expect and open barrel section on take off, followed by multiple sections for turns and yet more barrels down the line.
One of the most beautiful places to surf hands down.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Honolua Bay, Hawaii
14. DESERT POINT, LOMBOK
Desert Point is probably second only to Skeleton Bay for producing the worlds longest barrels.
However, unlike Skeleton Bay, Desert Point breaks on reef, shallow reef.
Reef that will slice you to bits if you fall in the wrong place.
Nevertheless that doesn’t stop thousands of surfers making the trip to this remote area, attempting to score the wave of their lifetime.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Desert Point, Lombok
13. SUPERTUBOS, PORTUGAL
Home to the Rip Curl Portugal WSL event, Supertubos is known for it’s crazy sand bottom tubes.
Breaking on incredibly shallow sand, the wave learches out of deep water creating powerful, perfect tubes both left and right.
Be warned though, it’s an incredibly difficult wave to surf – even for the pros, but if you get lucky, you could have the wave of a lifetime.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Supertubos, Portugal
12. LANCE’S RIGHT, MENTAWAI ISLANDS
Waves don’t get any more perfect than this.
A perfect right hand reef break with stand up barrels in the tropical paradise of the Mentawai Islands.
What makes this wave unique is it’s often easy entry (sometimes you’ll even get a chip in take off from the outside reef) into majestic open barrels.
If you’re a natural footer and getting tubed is your thing, this is a must visit.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Lances Right, Mentawai
11. MACARONIS, MENTAWAI ISLANDS
Macaronis has long been touted as a ‘must have’ stop on the World Surf League.
Why?
Well it’s almost the perfect wave.
Perfect, hollow tube section on take off followed by multiple ripable sections.
It’s at this wave that some of the highest performance surfing has ever been done.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Macaronis, Mentawai Islands
10. MUNDAKA, SPAIN
Mundaka in the Basque Country of Northern Spain has been a little off the surf-world media the past few years since the World Tour dropped it as an event on the calendar.
But that doesn’t mean the waves have got any worse.
It’s still home to draining, chocolate barrels that reel for hundreds of metres across the Rivermouth.
A fickle wave to score, but when everything aligns, this place is unbeatable.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Mudaka, Spain
9. CLOUDBREAK, FIJI
Cloudbreak is a reef break a few killometres out to sea from the Fijian Island of Namotu.
When conditions align it produces world class waves, offering up big throaty open barrels, and huge open faces for carves.
For many years the WSL would hold annual events at the break, conjuring up some of the most memorable moments in surfing.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Cloudbreak, Fiji
8. JEFFREY’S BAY, SOUTH AFRICA
Jeffrey’s bay in South Africa is home to an iconic wave, famous worldwide for it’s big, long open walls, and fast down the line tubes.
J-Bay as it’s also known is iconic for other reasons too…
This was the spot where Mick Fanning was famously attacked by a Great White Shark on live TV.
Hasn’t put surfers off one bit though, with thousands flocking to the legendary break each year.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa
7. TEAHUPOO, TAHITI
Teahupoo is one of the gnarliest, craziest, perfect waves in the world.
The wave itself looks like something out of a cartoon, with waves so thick and powerful they virtually have no back.
Breaking over incredibly shallow reef, jacking up from deep water, this is arguably the best left hand barrel on earth.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Teahupoo, Tahiti
6. LOWER TRESTLES
Everywhere on this list so far is all about barrels, but what about fun style waves?
If you’re looking for the most ripable wave on the planet, you might have just found it.
Lower Trestles in San Clemente California is one of the most playful, high performance waves in the world.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Lower Trestles, California
5. P-PASS, MICRONESIA
P-Pass is located in Micronesia.
It’s a heck of a trip to get to, but it’s worth it.
Famous surfers will track down swells and make the long journey here in the hope of scoring some of the worlds best waves.
World class right hand barrels, unrivalled by anywhere on its day.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: P-Pass, Micronesia
4. G-LAND, INDONESIA
G-Land was only discovered in the late 80’s, but what a discovery it was.
Hidden behind dense tropical rainforest on the Indonesian Island of Java, this hidden gem is a goofy footers dream.
Expect big, open barrels breaking on shallow reef.
Not for the fainthearted that’s for sure, but if you dare to go the rewards are awaiting you.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: G-Land, Micronesia
3. SUPERBANK, AUSTRALIA
The Superbank, located on the Gold Coast of Australia is a mecca for surfers that come to Australia.
It’s widely regarded as one of the best waves in the world, but it’s also one of the most crowded too.
A high performance right hand point break with draining long barrels on its day.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Snapper Rocks, Australia
2. SKELETON BAY, NAMIBIA
Skeleton Bay in Namibia is one of the longest left-hand point breaks in the world, and it’s also home to the longest barrel’s ever ridden.
We’re talking about tube rides over 30 seconds!
A natural phenomena created by the trade winds blowing desert sand in perfect formation.
It won’t be around forever, so basque in its beauty while it lasts.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Skeleton Bay, Namibia
1. PIPELINE, HAWAII
Pipeline is the worlds most famous, most iconic wave.
The wave itself comes out of deep water and unloads on a shallow reef offering up some of the best surf in the world.
Expect huge tubes, and massive waves.
Hands down the best wave on the planet.
GOOGLE EARTH LINK: Pipeline, Hawaii
CONCLUSION
This is my list of the worlds best waves, and I think it’ll stand up to scrutiny from anyone.
But is there somewhere that I’ve missed?
Is there a wave that absolutely has to be on this list?
If so, pop it in the comments and I’ll consider adding it to the list.
ROWAN CLIFFORD
Rowan is the technical nerd behind the scenes. A lover of everything entrepreneurial, and living a minimal, simple life. Surf, Travel, Create.
