The Surf Window

Marrawah

Tasmania, Australia

Beach breakAdvanced

On Tasmania's remote northwest coast, Marrawah is one of Australia's last true surf frontiers, an exposed headland and beach where the roaring forties deliver massive Southern Ocean swells to a coast so wild it was the last place in Tasmania settled by Europeans.

Typical Conditions

The Surf Window

Swell Window

N
OptimalSSW (195°)
WindowSSE–WSW (150°–240°)
Size–SW 2–5m at 14–22s

Wind

N

Light to NE under 12 knots

Tide

Mid tide

LowMidHigh

Season

Apr–Oct

JFMAMJJASOND

The Wave

Type

Beach and point break

Bottom

Sand and rock

Shape

Long beach with multiple peaks, point rights when it's on

Length

80–200m

Skill Level

  • •Who it's for: Expert surfers
  • •Why: Massive Southern Ocean exposure, extreme cold, and complete remoteness, for committed specialists only

Hazards

  • •Extremely cold water, 9–13°C requires 5mm hooded wetsuit
  • •Massive swells arrive with extreme power, dangerous for inexperienced surfers
  • •Very remote, the nearest major town (Smithton) is 40km away

Local Tips

  • •The roaring forties generate the world's most powerful swells, this is the real thing
  • •Aboriginal cave art (ochre hand stencils) is visible in nearby caves, thousands of years old
  • •The wilderness here is extraordinary, platypus, quolls, and Tasmanian devils in the surrounding bush

Location

Map showing the location of Marrawah in Tasmania, Australia

-40.9194, 144.6992