Sydney’s Best Beaches For Learning To Surf
Living in Sydney, we've got some of the best surf beaches right on our doorstep. When you first land, it can be challenging to get your bearings and choose the right spot that's going to give you the best chance of improving your rad green room beginner skills.
With that in mind and winter just around the corner (the water doesn't get that cold), we think it's about time you got acquainted with all things surf. We're helping you out with the most beginner-friendly spots in Sydney. Suit up!
1. Manly Beach
Manly is a 3km stretch of beach which is the first surf beach on the north side after Sydney Harbour. The Southern end of the beach provides the goods when it comes to learning to catch whitewash or practising to catch your unbroken waves. It's protected by a large headland which generates clean and mellow surf in a typical south swell and prevailing southerly wind. What's more, Manly generally has some nice banks, and with the slow sloping waves, it can create perfect little peaks to get you wiggling.
2. Palm Beach
Palm Beach sits beneath the lighthouse on Barrenjoey headland, where the southern side of the beach has been dubbed Kiddies Corner thanks to its headland shelter. Palmy can hold smaller wind-protected banks offering long, gentle rides; it's the perfect spot to practice your pop-up.
3. Collaroy Beach
Collaroy sits inside from its sheltering neighbour Longreef, making it a perfect training ground for beginners. The waves are usually small, fat, rolling waves that are gonna give you plenty of time to find your feet. The further south you go, the smaller the waves are on the prevailing south swell
4. North Bondi Beach
South-facing North Bondi is a foamy rider’s dream on a summer’s day. Protected by Ben Buckler (the northern headland), sheltering the north corner from those Summer NE trades. Waves tend to be small, clean and very manageable, offering smooth running waves. The downside of this gem is the mega summer crowds and red and yellow flags for swimmers.
5. Maroubra Beach
The infamous Maroubra beach has always been a goodie for the beginners if you can score an uncrowded little bank in the north or south corner. The north corner of the beach, dubbed the dunny bowl by the Bra Boys, can generate some nice clean right-handers in the summertime. The Southend has the "Maroubra express", a rip which will take you out the back of the line up when conditions are small, so you can spend less time paddling and battling and focus more on wave selection
6. Green Hills Beach
Greenhills is on the north side of Cronulla Beach. You can take a walk along the 3km stretch and find a deserted bank to try your luck on. Offshore in a Northerly wind and sheltered in a NE swell, making summertime the best time to go on an adventure to Greenhills to have a crack at the empty line up.
WHEN TO GO?
The Sydney coastline is relatively consistent all year round, providing fun waist to head high surf on the most exposed beach breaks. SE to S groundswells are the most reliable swell providers from April to September. The Summer months are more consistent with small NE winds swells, and Summer mornings usually kick off with a friendly offshore Westerly wind before the NE trades kick in.
Thankfully, Sydney has a vast stretch of coast with little nooks and crannies that seems to always provide a clean corner to surf all year-round no matter what the swell or wind direction.
Looking for a surf pro to teach an old dog a few tricks or get you on the board for the first time? Book one of our Surf Trip Packages and we'll have you shredding in no time!
