The mythology of Australian surfing gets both overdone and underdone occasionally. The underdone version would make anyone think all you needed to surf in Australia was a pool cleaner, and the overdone version would have anyone learning ballet rather than surfing.
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The beaches
Australia is very well laid out for surfers- Beaches everywhere around the country. Some beaches are great, some are like mazes:
- Currents: If you’ve always wanted to see South America, Antarctica or Eastern Africa, some currents will be happy to oblige. Keep an eye on these things, and check them out with the locals.
- Rips: You’ll find all the experienced local surfers have a lot of respect for rips. These things get nasty, and even strong swimmers can get into trouble.
- Rocks: The Australian coast has a lot of very large coastal rock formations which extend offshore in some pretty unlikely places. You do need some local knowledge for the rocky beaches.
- Life savers: These guys know what they’re doing, and if you’re in trouble they’ll risk their own lives to help. So pay attention if they say something’s not a good move, they mean it.
- Popular beaches: Some beaches, like Bondi, are good surf beaches with a sad habit of attracting civilian non-surfers. Play safe, because these big crowds tend to be exactly where you don’t want them to be.
- Bush beaches: The really wild surf beaches, particularly in Western Australia, are brilliant, but being out in the bush without some backup can be a real problem. You need good communications and to know how to get help when you need it.
- Beach campsites: Check out any local dangers on land and sea before setting up camp.
