20 of the Best Surf Spots in the World (Bucket List)

Every surfer keeps a list: waves you hope to ride one day, and waves you just want to watch, coffee in hand, while the ocean does something extraordinary. We have narrowed the best surf spots in the world down to twenty breaks that shaped the sport and still deliver, from our own Supertubes at Jeffreys Bay to Pipeline, Teahupo'o and the endless lefts of northern Peru. For each one you will find the type of wave, when it works, who it suits and a link to its live surf report.

How we chose the best surf spots in the world

There is no definitive ranking, and any list like this starts arguments in the car park. We weighed the quality of the wave on its day, its place in surfing history, and variety: points, reefs, beach breaks and big-wave arenas on six continents.

Be honest about your level. Several of these waves test the best surfers alive, and they are here so you can plan to watch, not paddle out. Where a spot has gentler days or a friendlier section, we say so.

The bucket list at a glance

Africa: cold water and very long rides

1. Supertubes, Jeffreys Bay (South Africa)

We are biased, but few waves on earth match J-Bay on a solid south-west groundswell. Supertubes is the fastest, hollowest section of a right-hand point that stretches for several kilometres, with about 300 metres of wall on a good wave and, on the rarest days, a link-up from Boneyards to The Point of more than a kilometre. Winter, May to September, is the season. Supers is for advanced surfers; The Point and Albatross suit competent intermediates. Start with our complete guide to surfing Jeffreys Bay and the live Supertubes surf report.

2. Skeleton Bay (Namibia)

On the ocean side of a sand spit near Walvis Bay, with the Namib Desert at your back, a left-hand sandbar produces what many surfers consider the longest barrels on the planet in a big south-west swell. The water is cold, the wave is fast and shallow, and late take-offs get punished. It is strictly expert terrain, but watching it is worth the drive. Watch the Skeleton Bay surf report for the swells that make it fire.

Hawaii: where the modern sport grew up

3. Banzai Pipeline (Oahu)

Off Ehukai Beach Park on Oahu's North Shore, Pipeline throws heaving lefts over a flat tabletop reef riddled with caverns, while Backdoor runs right off the same peak. Phil Edwards is credited with the first ride, in December 1961, and the Pipe Masters has run here since 1971. It is one of the deadliest waves in surfing, so unless you are an expert, enjoy it from the sand between November and February. Check the Pipeline surf report.

4. Waimea Bay (Oahu)

Waimea was thought unrideable until a handful of surfers paddled out on 7 November 1957. It became the original big-wave arena and is home to the Eddie Aikau Invitational, which only runs when open-ocean swells reach at least 20 feet, producing faces of 30 to 40 feet in the bay. That happened just eleven times between 1984 and the end of 2024. In summer the same bay is usually calm enough to swim. See the Waimea Bay surf report.

Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific

5. Snapper Rocks and the Superbank (Gold Coast)

Since 1995 a sand-bypassing scheme at the Tweed River has fed a sandbank that runs for about two kilometres from Snapper Rocks through Rainbow Bay, Greenmount and Coolangatta towards Kirra. On its day it delivers some of the longest, fastest sand-bottom rights anywhere, and some of the most crowded: more than 500 surfers along its length is not unusual. Late summer and autumn cyclone swells are the best bet. See the Snapper Rocks surf report.

6. Bells Beach (Victoria)

About 100 kilometres south-west of Melbourne, near Torquay, Bells is a powerful right-hand reef that comes alive in autumn and winter, when big Southern Ocean swells meet north-westerly winds. The Easter contest here, now the Rip Curl Pro, dates back to 1962, one of the oldest events in the sport, and the winner famously rings a bell. Here is the Bells Beach surf report.

7. Raglan (New Zealand)

On the west coast of the North Island, Raglan is a run of left-hand points, Manu Bay, Whale Bay and Indicators, with Indicators capable of rides of around 600 metres. Manu Bay starred in The Endless Summer in 1966, and in 2026 it took J-Bay's slot on the Championship Tour. Autumn and winter bring the most consistent swell. Intermediates can enjoy Manu Bay on smaller days. Here is the Raglan surf report.

8. Teahupo'o (Tahiti)

Teahupo'o breaks over a reef so shallow that the lip is often as thick as the wave is tall. Laird Hamilton's Millennium Wave in August 2000 changed what people believed could be ridden, and pro contests have been held here since 1999. In 2024 it hosted the Olympic surfing competition, more than 15,000 kilometres from Paris. The season runs from about May to September; for most of us the right seat is a boat in the channel. See the Teahupo'o surf report.

9. Cloudbreak (Fiji)

Cloudbreak is a powerful left about a mile off Tavarua in Fiji, reached only by boat. Plenty of good surfers rank it as the best wave in the world: long, open walls at normal size and a cavernous beast when the Southern Ocean sends real swell. It hosted the WSL Finals in 2025. Go between May and October and choose your days carefully, using the Cloudbreak surf report.

Indonesia and the Philippines

10. Uluwatu (Bali)

Uluwatu sits on the south-western tip of Bali's Bukit Peninsula, where a long left reef breaks in five sections, from the outer Bombie through Temples, Outside Corner and Racetracks to The Peak. You paddle out through the cave at The Peak. The 1972 film Morning of the Earth put it on the map. The dry season, May to October, brings south-west swell and offshore south-east winds. Pick the section that suits you and check the Uluwatu surf report.

11. G-Land (Java)

G-Land, or Plengkung, is a long, barrelling left on Grajagan Bay inside Java's Alas Purwo National Park. Its sections run from Kongs at the top through Moneytrees to Speedies, the heaviest of the lot, and the best waves run for 300 to 400 metres. One of the earliest paying surf camps anywhere opened here in the mid-1970s. Come in the dry season, May to October, and only as an advanced surfer. See the G-Land surf report.

12. Cloud 9 (Siargao, Philippines)

Cloud 9 is a thick, hollow right breaking over reef off General Luna on Siargao, with a long boardwalk running out from the shore that makes it one of the best places anywhere to watch a barrel. Travelling surfers found it in the late 1980s, and a photographer named it after a chocolate bar. The best season is August to December, when the south-west monsoon blows offshore. See the Cloud 9 surf report.

Europe: canyons, river mouths and giants

13. Mundaka (Spain)

At the mouth of the Oka estuary, inside the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve in the Basque Country, a sandbar can produce long, hollow lefts that you can watch from the harbour wall in town. It depends on the sand and a solid swell, so it is famously fickle, but on its day it ranks with Europe's best lefts and it was once a Championship Tour venue. Autumn and early winter offer the best odds. Here is the Mundaka surf report.

14. Hossegor (France)

Hossegor's beach breaks, La Gravière, La Nord and Les Estagnots, owe their power to the Gouf de Capbreton, a deep underwater canyon that focuses Atlantic swell onto the sand. La Gravière throws some of the heaviest beach-break barrels in the world. Pro contests have been held here since the late 1980s, usually in autumn, which is also the best time to visit. Check the Hossegor surf report.

15. Nazaré (Portugal)

The Nazaré Canyon focuses winter swell onto Praia do Norte, home of the biggest waves ever surfed. Garrett McNamara rode a 23.8 metre (78 foot) wave here in November 2011, a record at the time, and Sebastian Steudtner's 26.2 metre (86 foot) ride in October 2020 set a new world record. Maya Gabeira set the women's mark of 22.4 metres in February 2020. Almost all of it is tow-in surfing. Watch from the lighthouse at the Fort of São Miguel Arcanjo, and follow the Nazaré surf report.

The Americas: California, Mexico and Peru

16. Lower Trestles (California)

Between San Onofre State Beach and San Clemente, Lower Trestles is a cobblestone peak with long, rippable rights and shorter lefts that rewards high-performance surfing. You walk in under the railway line whose old wooden trestle bridge gave the place its name. Lowers has hosted world tour contests for years, will stage the surfing at the 2028 Olympics and is best on south swells from about May to October. See the Lower Trestles surf report.

17. Malibu (California)

Surfrider Beach at Malibu is the tapering right-hand point that shaped Californian surf culture in the 1960s. First Point is the classic longboard wave, peeling smoothly towards the pier on late-summer south swells. In 2010 Malibu became the first World Surfing Reserve. It is forgiving enough for improving surfers, though the crowd can be intense. Here is the Malibu surf report.

18. Mavericks (California)

Just north of Half Moon Bay at Pillar Point, an unusual rock reef turns winter storms into waves that routinely top 25 feet and can exceed 60 feet. An invitational contest ran here between 1999 and 2016 when conditions allowed, and South Africans won three of its ten editions: Grant "Twiggy" Baker in 2006 and 2014, and Chris Bertish in 2010. The season runs from November to March. Follow the Mavericks surf report and watch from the bluffs.

19. Puerto Escondido (Mexico)

Zicatela beach at Puerto Escondido is known as the Mexican Pipeline for its thick, powerful beach-break barrels. Strong rip currents run along the beach and the shorebreak is unforgiving, so this is no place to learn. Mid to late summer, roughly May to September, brings the biggest swells and the international contests. Keep an eye on the Puerto Escondido surf report.

20. Chicama (Peru)

Chicama, at Puerto Malabrigo in northern Peru, has a strong claim to being the longest left on the planet. On a big swell its sections can connect for around 2.2 kilometres to the pier, and The Point alone runs for about a kilometre. It needs a swell of six feet or more to link up properly, and the season runs from around Easter to September. The walls are mellow enough for confident intermediates, but your legs will burn. Here is the Chicama surf report.

Planning your bucket-list surf trip

• Follow the season. Each of these waves needs a particular swell direction and wind, so the best months in the table matter more than your leave dates.
• Watch before you book. Follow a spot's surf report for a few weeks to learn what a good day looks like there. Our guide on how to read a surf forecast explains period, direction and wind.
• Respect the locals. Sit wide, wait your turn and hire a local guide for your first reef sessions.
• Get proper cover. Check that your travel insurance covers surfing and medical evacuation.
• Pack smart. Our free Ultimate Surf Trip Packing Checklist covers boards, rubber, reef cuts and documents.

Starting closer to home? Our guide to South Africa's best surf spots runs from Elands Bay to Ballito.

You don't need to tick off all twenty. Choose one wave that matches your level and the time of year you can travel, learn its moods on the live surf reports and start saving. And when you finally make the trip, pack a Find Your Wave tee for the flight home: by then you will have earned it.