Tasmania – Shipstern Bluff
Port Arthur, Tasmania, Australia
Sports: Surfing, Tow foiling
Best time to go: April–September
Shipstern Bluff is a remote headland on the southern tip of the Tasman Peninsula in south-east Tasmania, south-west of Port Arthur. Below the bluff, deep water meets a rock ledge and big Southern Ocean swells stand up into a very thick, hollow right-hand wave, known for the steps and ledges that form on its face. Access is by a long walk through national park bushland followed by a scramble down the rocks, or by boat.
The wave needs large south-west to south swells, most common from autumn to early spring, roughly April to September, and northerly winds are offshore. It is ridden by paddle-in big-wave surfers and, on the largest days, by tow-in teams with jet skis. It is a spot only for expert surfers with big-wave experience and safety support: wipeouts are violent, the ledge and the rocks are close, and there is no rescue service nearby. Sharks and seals are present. The water is cold, about 11 to 12 °C in winter, so a 5/4 wetsuit with hood and boots is needed.
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