Crescent Head
Crescent Head, New South Wales, Australia
Sports: Surfing, Surf foiling
Best time to go: March–August
Crescent Head is a small coastal town on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, east of Kempsey. The headland at the southern end of town forms a long right-hand point break that peels over rock and sand towards the mouth of Killick Creek, and the area is part of a National Surfing Reserve. On east to south-east swells the wave gives long, gentle walls, which have made it one of the most famous longboard waves in Australia, and southerly to south-westerly winds blow offshore.
The best season is autumn and winter, roughly March to August, when south-east swells are most consistent. On smaller days the wave is forgiving and suits intermediates, longboarders and prone foilers; bigger swells make it faster and more powerful. Getting in and out over the rocks needs care. The line-up is busy on good days and at holiday times, so take your turn and give way to the surfer closest to the peak; foilers should keep well clear of other surfers. The water ranges from about 18 °C in winter to 24 °C in summer: a 3/2 wetsuit in winter.
Spots near Crescent Head
- Angourie (193 km)
- Lennox Head (272 km)
- Byron Bay – The Pass (290 km)
More: All spots in Australia · Surfing in Australia · Surf foiling in Australia