Why do some sections of coast just never really fire?

The last few articles have talked about how rare perfect surfing reefs are. We've looked at important shapes that can make a reef epic with regards to the wave climate. We're now going to relate this to geology of the local rock and the geomorphology of the coastal environment and how this can translate in to awesome setups - or not! 

I write this article from Red Bluff on Western Australia's North West Coast. The vision in front of me is special, the wave set up almost perfect. The setting is incomparable with an idyllic beach, azure waters, and limestone cliffs all drawing attention toward the point. The herd of goats wandering the arid limestone crags behind me makes for a very Old World feel, like I'm in Morocco or the Mediterranean.

Having driven thousands of kilometres to get here, we know that there is a awful lot of coast that is simply not productive when it comes to surf set ups. Yet when the factors come together you can get world class waves clustered together a virtual stones throw apart. Amongst hundreds of kilometres of Ningaloo Reef, it is rarely acknowledged that it is about 6 - 7 hours drive between recognised, reliable, and quality surfing reefs at North West Cape and the Quobba/Gnarloo region. The point being that good surfing set ups don't just depend on a coral reef or a limestone coast, a whole bunch of factors have to come together to make the magic.

This is equally true on Australia's east coast where most of the photos in the magazines, web clips, and surf films are shot on a few short sections of coastline. Think the points of the southern Gold Coast, the points and reefs of Byron to Ballina, the rock shelves of Sydney, and the reefs and slabs of the South Coast.

We know these sections of coast pump, but what about those long sections of coast in between? Why are there no world class waves recognised south of Batemans Bay? Why is Port Stephens usually forgotten as a surf destination? The Mid North Coast has a couple of slow point breaks, but does it get really epic?

I believe that the reason these coasts underwhelm is mainly due to the alignment of the coastal geography and the underlying geology. Those underwhelming coasts suffer from geology that is just not aligned or disposed to forming those perfect lozenges of convex reef aligned at favourable peel angles into the prevailing swells.

Now, before any locals decide they hate me for deriding their home breaks, I am not saying they don’t get waves. They just don’t get world class waves with any regularity. Considering the expense and effort that surfers will go to chasing world class waves, being a coast that gets good, yet slips below the radar of the surf media, is probably a very good thing. Just ask the Gold Coast locals or the Balinese how they feel about sharing waves with an endless horde of travelling surfers.

As mentioned in earlier articles, to get perfect reefs you need a lot of important factors to come together. To summarise the goodness, we need at least five important features to align before there is any chance of a world class wave, these are:

• Coastal features aligned at a good angle to the prevailing swells to create an optimum peel angle.
• Coastal topography aligned at favourable angles to prevailing winds so as to maximise offshore and minimise onshore winds.
• Geology of coastal rocks that will form convex lozenges of reef aligned at good peel angles to the prevailing swells.
• Geology of coastal rocks that are not vertical, perpendicular or too blocky, thickly bedded or otherwise chunky that would interrupt the formation of good reef gradients.
• Offshore coastal geology and features that create favourable seafloor contours so as to lens prevailing swells on to the reef at good amplitude and peel angles.

Lastly, a coastline slightly oblique to the main swell train is also very helpful. A distant cape can help straighten and sort out swells as they approach the coast (eg: The Victorian Surf Coast benefits as the swell bends around Cape Otway).

Let's look at points one and two a bit more closely: the alignment of coastal features with respect to swell and winds. In later articles we will examine the importance of geology in reef shape and the offshore topography.

Firstly, the alignment of coastal features to the prevailing swells. On the east coast of Australia we love our north-facing points as they tend to take the prevailing south-east through to east swells and turn them into long pointbreak waves. It's all about the peel angle! In general, east coast points don't like acute south swells because they don't wrap and peel at a good angle. However rare south-east groundswells bring a lot of smiles because epic, solid, and long rides often ensue. The same applies for east swells, especially for Queensland points that don't get south-east swell.

Unfortunately north-east swell is is a bit more problematic as many points will shut down as the peel angle becomes too acute. Thankfully east through to south-east is the prevailing wave climate for most east coast point breaks. The same applies on the west coast except as a mirror reflection: Red Bluff and Gnarloo are north-facing points allowing a favourable alignment to the prevailing south-west groundswells. The swell wraps onto the reef with little loss of energy and then peels evenly down the headland at an angle optimum to the shape of the reef. The result at both Red Bluff and Gnaraloo are steep and fast waves.

Secondly, the alignment of coastal features is important in the way it affects the wind. On the east coast of Australia we love the fact that most pointbreaks face north, so they are largely tucked out of the prevailing southerly winds. A good high headland and perhaps valley and or lagoon to the north can even turn the wind offshore at the point. We all know the spots to go to when the wind will pick up from a dreaded angle. This even applies to north-east winds as well as southerlies. There are many great places where the common summertime combination of easterly trade swell and north-east sea breeze is still a great workable combination.

Some points are so well aligned that they can even turn the dreaded south-easterly into an offshore running down the point. It is tremendous serendipity that the coastal features most likely to be aligned for a good peel angle are the same features likely to turn the prevailing wind to a near offshore angle. 

The point of all this: straight coasts are bad. However, if you can find points facing up to 90 degrees away from the straight coast there's a good chance of a favourable peel angle on any obliquely angled swell. It's not the only factor, what happens down below the waterline in the bedrock also has great influence on wave shape. In the next article we will look at the sort of geology that creates optimal reef shapes.

Coastal Creationsim is an eight part series written by Chris Buykx. Chris Buykx is a geologist, traveller and lifelong surfer. Specialising in eco-tourism, his passion is interpreting nature and the environment. Chris is a resident of Sydney’s Northern Beaches though he's currently doing a lap of Australia with his family. Read past articles:
Part 1: Basic Reef Shapes
Part 2: Complex curves