How to Surf Snapper Rocks

Snapper Rocks is a classic Australian surf spot and one of the world's great waves. Like any high-performance wave, Snapper Rocks owes its high-quality surf to a unique combination of sand flow, coastline and bottom contours, tides and winds. Because of these factors, there is a certain way to surf Snapper Rocks. Knowing these tips can mean the difference between scoring great waves or constantly paddling around in vain.

Instructions

    • 1

      Paddle out from the beach on small days. On big days with strong currents, walk out on the rock reef directly in front of the lineup. Wait for a lull, jump in and paddle out as fast as possible. Mistiming your paddle out here can have horrific results.

    • 2

      Watch the incoming waves and study how they swing into position, refract or grow in size as they reach the rocks. You'll notice the best waves are the ones that look small on the outside but will suddenly jump up when nearing the rocks. These are the waves that will continue to grow down the line, whereas the larger ones expend most of their energy early on.

    • 3

      Position yourself a little bit behind where the waves are breaking.

    • 4

      Paddle for a wave when it comes. Paddle hard and commit.

    • 5

      Drop into the wave and pull into the barrel. Most waves at Snapper Rocks tend to barrel off the takeoff. If you don't pull in, you will likely get pushed right into the rocks.

    • 6

      Keep up your speed and momentum after being released from the barrel. You can enjoy some turns during this shoulder section, but keep up your speed, as you will enter into another barrel section.

    • 7

      Pull into the second barrel section if you have enough speed.

    • 8

      Pull off the wave after the second barrel section releases you. Paddle back up the point and do it all again.