A rare, fast, hollow and dangerous wave that funnels over a very shallow, sunken harbor wall, offering a heart pounding tube when it breaks over 3ft. The reef/pier protected from the predominant swell direction as it's situated about 150 meters away from the Durban Harbor so, only really works on huge South swells (usually in winter) which wrap around the Harbor and rush onto the reef. Also breaks in summer, when cyclone, east swells hit the reef more flat on. These conditions are not ideal as it makes it more sectony and tends to cause ribs/rebound waves to bounce off the Harbor and ruin the ride.There are two sections to the wave. The 'Pinacle' (named after the 'Pinnacle' or 'block' that sticks out of the water at the end of the reef) on the outside, and the 'inside' section'. The 'Pinnacle' is the more serious, hollower section, that is only recommended for experts. There is a deep section 40 meters down from the 'Pinnacle' where the wave fades before breaking on the inside section. The inside section is less hollow and has more of a bowling wall that offers some rail burring funand rides up to 150 meters.It is a long paddle out, about 400 meters to the 'Pinacle', takes about 6-minutes of constant paddling. When surfing the 'Pinacle', it's better to paddle out on the inside of the reef where the curvature of the break and slight rip cut's the paddling time to the takeoff down by about 2-mins. Can link up on the right swell and run from the 'Pinnacle' all the way to the beach, but very rare to find these conditions. breaks from 2ft up to 5ft before it gets too gnarly where the bravest only survive. At 6ft it tends to close out from Limestone reef with a foam ball that washed over the 'Pinnacle' section, until reforms on the inside section section.
Park you car in the parking lot on the road. Enter the water by carefully climbing off the rocks. Surf it only on Low to mid tides. There is about 200 metres of peaks which are all super hollow sand banks with a rock here and there. Backdoor your peak and sit tight in the barrel. Generally the rides are short, very intense and offering an exit from the barrel.
Park in the parking lot. Paddle from the beach. In general the best wave is a right that breaks just to the side of the little groin. Low tide is the best and you can expect some barrels, with short punchy rides. Best at 3-4 ft, early in the morning, in summer as the winter banks close out a bit.
Hard paddle to get out(no rips). Fun break. Good to learn on and for advanced surfing. Not as crowded as the "major" spots are right next to it. Kiff locals
This is the worst wave in Durban. There are two main peaks, Xcel and 101. It is sheltered from the swell and requires at least 8ft of swell, at which point it is a two kilometre long close out and about 3 feet.
If it is small paddle from the beach or jump off the pier. 6 Feet plus you should jump off the pier, you need very good timing between sets and you must paddle like crazy.Early mornings are quiet. The right is always best on low tide. When surfing it small you can really hit it hard, don't hold back at all. In small surf it is normally very busy, you need to show the same respect as you would at your home break - There are locals, some with bad attitudes, but if you hold back you will not get any waves. There can be a hundred people in the water on an offshore 4 foot day, in which case you have to hassle a bit. When it is 6 foot and over the "Bad Boy" locals stay on the pier. You must ride a gun on low tide as it gets very hollow and fast with some waves offering more than one barrel, on high tide you can still ride a short board on the medium big days and will be able to do big carves! The banks are pretty much the same year after year and change between winter from a running outside wave to summer being bowls. On any big swell though, summer or winter the outside right will be on with a South West wind.Smile, visitors sit wide (there is always a wide set!) when the pecking order is in place, DO NOT DROP IN! And if it's firing it's 'Barrels from heaven!'Watch out for thieves. Don't get caught too deep on a big day or it's hit the pier time for you, ask Richie Sills.
Great spot, one of Durbans most popular cause it picks up alot of swell. Rights and lefts. Can get the best, sickest barrels here. Mornings are lekker here.
Get in early in the morning when there is no wind or the morning breeze is blowing down the mountain. The beach has a very long strip so if there is a crowd on the peak in front of the parking lot just go to the next one. It gets very hollow on every low tide - super fun but fast and very powerful. It comes out of very deep wter and jacks up quickly. It is absolute perfection in a 4-6ft ground swell with low tide, no wind or a slight early morning offshore - Hard paddle though, no channels.
Not as amazing as it used to be since the storms of 2006, Still a very high performance wave, picks up large swell, but now it is much faster and sections a lot. The wave can still have you completely barreled, much more exciting than Durban Town on a good South West Swell.
A rare, fast, hollow and dangerous wave that funnels over a very shallow, sunken harbor wall, offering a heart pounding tube when it breaks over 3ft. The reef/pier protected from the predominant swell direction as it's situated about 150 meters away from the Durban Harbor so, only really works on huge South swells (usually in winter) which wrap around the Harbor and rush onto the reef. Also breaks in summer, when cyclone, east swells hit the reef more flat on. These conditions are not ideal as it makes it more sectony and tends to cause ribs/rebound waves to bounce off the Harbor and ruin the ride.There are two sections to the wave. The 'Pinacle' (named after the 'Pinnacle' or 'block' that sticks out of the water at the end of the reef) on the outside, and the 'inside' section'. The 'Pinnacle' is the more serious, hollower section, that is only recommended for experts. There is a deep section 40 meters down from the 'Pinnacle' where the wave fades before breaking on the inside section. The inside section is less hollow and has more of a bowling wall that offers some rail burring funand rides up to 150 meters.It is a long paddle out, about 400 meters to the 'Pinacle', takes about 6-minutes of constant paddling. When surfing the 'Pinacle', it's better to paddle out on the inside of the reef where the curvature of the break and slight rip cut's the paddling time to the takeoff down by about 2-mins. Can link up on the right swell and run from the 'Pinnacle' all the way to the beach, but very rare to find these conditions. breaks from 2ft up to 5ft before it gets too gnarly where the bravest only survive. At 6ft it tends to close out from Limestone reef with a foam ball that washed over the 'Pinnacle' section, until reforms on the inside section section.
Park you car in the parking lot on the road. Enter the water by carefully climbing off the rocks. Surf it only on Low to mid tides. There is about 200 metres of peaks which are all super hollow sand banks with a rock here and there. Backdoor your peak and sit tight in the barrel. Generally the rides are short, very intense and offering an exit from the barrel.
Park in the parking lot. Paddle from the beach. In general the best wave is a right that breaks just to the side of the little groin. Low tide is the best and you can expect some barrels, with short punchy rides. Best at 3-4 ft, early in the morning, in summer as the winter banks close out a bit.
Hard paddle to get out(no rips). Fun break. Good to learn on and for advanced surfing. Not as crowded as the "major" spots are right next to it. Kiff locals
This is the worst wave in Durban. There are two main peaks, Xcel and 101. It is sheltered from the swell and requires at least 8ft of swell, at which point it is a two kilometre long close out and about 3 feet.
If it is small paddle from the beach or jump off the pier. 6 Feet plus you should jump off the pier, you need very good timing between sets and you must paddle like crazy.Early mornings are quiet. The right is always best on low tide. When surfing it small you can really hit it hard, don't hold back at all. In small surf it is normally very busy, you need to show the same respect as you would at your home break - There are locals, some with bad attitudes, but if you hold back you will not get any waves. There can be a hundred people in the water on an offshore 4 foot day, in which case you have to hassle a bit. When it is 6 foot and over the "Bad Boy" locals stay on the pier. You must ride a gun on low tide as it gets very hollow and fast with some waves offering more than one barrel, on high tide you can still ride a short board on the medium big days and will be able to do big carves! The banks are pretty much the same year after year and change between winter from a running outside wave to summer being bowls. On any big swell though, summer or winter the outside right will be on with a South West wind.Smile, visitors sit wide (there is always a wide set!) when the pecking order is in place, DO NOT DROP IN! And if it's firing it's 'Barrels from heaven!'Watch out for thieves. Don't get caught too deep on a big day or it's hit the pier time for you, ask Richie Sills.
Great spot, one of Durbans most popular cause it picks up alot of swell. Rights and lefts. Can get the best, sickest barrels here. Mornings are lekker here.
Get in early in the morning when there is no wind or the morning breeze is blowing down the mountain. The beach has a very long strip so if there is a crowd on the peak in front of the parking lot just go to the next one. It gets very hollow on every low tide - super fun but fast and very powerful. It comes out of very deep wter and jacks up quickly. It is absolute perfection in a 4-6ft ground swell with low tide, no wind or a slight early morning offshore - Hard paddle though, no channels.
Not as amazing as it used to be since the storms of 2006, Still a very high performance wave, picks up large swell, but now it is much faster and sections a lot. The wave can still have you completely barreled, much more exciting than Durban Town on a good South West Swell.
A rare, fast, hollow and dangerous wave that funnels over a very shallow, sunken harbor wall, offering a heart pounding tube when it breaks over 3ft. The reef/pier protected from the predominant swell direction as it's situated about 150 meters away from the Durban Harbor so, only really works on huge South swells (usually in winter) which wrap around the Harbor and rush onto the reef. Also breaks in summer, when cyclone, east swells hit the reef more flat on. These conditions are not ideal as it makes it more sectony and tends to cause ribs/rebound waves to bounce off the Harbor and ruin the ride.There are two sections to the wave. The 'Pinacle' (named after the 'Pinnacle' or 'block' that sticks out of the water at the end of the reef) on the outside, and the 'inside' section'. The 'Pinnacle' is the more serious, hollower section, that is only recommended for experts. There is a deep section 40 meters down from the 'Pinnacle' where the wave fades before breaking on the inside section. The inside section is less hollow and has more of a bowling wall that offers some rail burring funand rides up to 150 meters.It is a long paddle out, about 400 meters to the 'Pinacle', takes about 6-minutes of constant paddling. When surfing the 'Pinacle', it's better to paddle out on the inside of the reef where the curvature of the break and slight rip cut's the paddling time to the takeoff down by about 2-mins. Can link up on the right swell and run from the 'Pinnacle' all the way to the beach, but very rare to find these conditions. breaks from 2ft up to 5ft before it gets too gnarly where the bravest only survive. At 6ft it tends to close out from Limestone reef with a foam ball that washed over the 'Pinnacle' section, until reforms on the inside section section.
Park you car in the parking lot on the road. Enter the water by carefully climbing off the rocks. Surf it only on Low to mid tides. There is about 200 metres of peaks which are all super hollow sand banks with a rock here and there. Backdoor your peak and sit tight in the barrel. Generally the rides are short, very intense and offering an exit from the barrel.
Park in the parking lot. Paddle from the beach. In general the best wave is a right that breaks just to the side of the little groin. Low tide is the best and you can expect some barrels, with short punchy rides. Best at 3-4 ft, early in the morning, in summer as the winter banks close out a bit.
Hard paddle to get out(no rips). Fun break. Good to learn on and for advanced surfing. Not as crowded as the "major" spots are right next to it. Kiff locals
This is the worst wave in Durban. There are two main peaks, Xcel and 101. It is sheltered from the swell and requires at least 8ft of swell, at which point it is a two kilometre long close out and about 3 feet.
If it is small paddle from the beach or jump off the pier. 6 Feet plus you should jump off the pier, you need very good timing between sets and you must paddle like crazy.Early mornings are quiet. The right is always best on low tide. When surfing it small you can really hit it hard, don't hold back at all. In small surf it is normally very busy, you need to show the same respect as you would at your home break - There are locals, some with bad attitudes, but if you hold back you will not get any waves. There can be a hundred people in the water on an offshore 4 foot day, in which case you have to hassle a bit. When it is 6 foot and over the "Bad Boy" locals stay on the pier. You must ride a gun on low tide as it gets very hollow and fast with some waves offering more than one barrel, on high tide you can still ride a short board on the medium big days and will be able to do big carves! The banks are pretty much the same year after year and change between winter from a running outside wave to summer being bowls. On any big swell though, summer or winter the outside right will be on with a South West wind.Smile, visitors sit wide (there is always a wide set!) when the pecking order is in place, DO NOT DROP IN! And if it's firing it's 'Barrels from heaven!'Watch out for thieves. Don't get caught too deep on a big day or it's hit the pier time for you, ask Richie Sills.
Great spot, one of Durbans most popular cause it picks up alot of swell. Rights and lefts. Can get the best, sickest barrels here. Mornings are lekker here.
Get in early in the morning when there is no wind or the morning breeze is blowing down the mountain. The beach has a very long strip so if there is a crowd on the peak in front of the parking lot just go to the next one. It gets very hollow on every low tide - super fun but fast and very powerful. It comes out of very deep wter and jacks up quickly. It is absolute perfection in a 4-6ft ground swell with low tide, no wind or a slight early morning offshore - Hard paddle though, no channels.
Not as amazing as it used to be since the storms of 2006, Still a very high performance wave, picks up large swell, but now it is much faster and sections a lot. The wave can still have you completely barreled, much more exciting than Durban Town on a good South West Swell.
A rare, fast, hollow and dangerous wave that funnels over a very shallow, sunken harbor wall, offering a heart pounding tube when it breaks over 3ft. The reef/pier protected from the predominant swell direction as it's situated about 150 meters away from the Durban Harbor so, only really works on huge South swells (usually in winter) which wrap around the Harbor and rush onto the reef. Also breaks in summer, when cyclone, east swells hit the reef more flat on. These conditions are not ideal as it makes it more sectony and tends to cause ribs/rebound waves to bounce off the Harbor and ruin the ride.There are two sections to the wave. The 'Pinacle' (named after the 'Pinnacle' or 'block' that sticks out of the water at the end of the reef) on the outside, and the 'inside' section'. The 'Pinnacle' is the more serious, hollower section, that is only recommended for experts. There is a deep section 40 meters down from the 'Pinnacle' where the wave fades before breaking on the inside section. The inside section is less hollow and has more of a bowling wall that offers some rail burring funand rides up to 150 meters.It is a long paddle out, about 400 meters to the 'Pinacle', takes about 6-minutes of constant paddling. When surfing the 'Pinacle', it's better to paddle out on the inside of the reef where the curvature of the break and slight rip cut's the paddling time to the takeoff down by about 2-mins. Can link up on the right swell and run from the 'Pinnacle' all the way to the beach, but very rare to find these conditions. breaks from 2ft up to 5ft before it gets too gnarly where the bravest only survive. At 6ft it tends to close out from Limestone reef with a foam ball that washed over the 'Pinnacle' section, until reforms on the inside section section.
Park you car in the parking lot on the road. Enter the water by carefully climbing off the rocks. Surf it only on Low to mid tides. There is about 200 metres of peaks which are all super hollow sand banks with a rock here and there. Backdoor your peak and sit tight in the barrel. Generally the rides are short, very intense and offering an exit from the barrel.
Park in the parking lot. Paddle from the beach. In general the best wave is a right that breaks just to the side of the little groin. Low tide is the best and you can expect some barrels, with short punchy rides. Best at 3-4 ft, early in the morning, in summer as the winter banks close out a bit.
Hard paddle to get out(no rips). Fun break. Good to learn on and for advanced surfing. Not as crowded as the "major" spots are right next to it. Kiff locals
This is the worst wave in Durban. There are two main peaks, Xcel and 101. It is sheltered from the swell and requires at least 8ft of swell, at which point it is a two kilometre long close out and about 3 feet.
If it is small paddle from the beach or jump off the pier. 6 Feet plus you should jump off the pier, you need very good timing between sets and you must paddle like crazy.Early mornings are quiet. The right is always best on low tide. When surfing it small you can really hit it hard, don't hold back at all. In small surf it is normally very busy, you need to show the same respect as you would at your home break - There are locals, some with bad attitudes, but if you hold back you will not get any waves. There can be a hundred people in the water on an offshore 4 foot day, in which case you have to hassle a bit. When it is 6 foot and over the "Bad Boy" locals stay on the pier. You must ride a gun on low tide as it gets very hollow and fast with some waves offering more than one barrel, on high tide you can still ride a short board on the medium big days and will be able to do big carves! The banks are pretty much the same year after year and change between winter from a running outside wave to summer being bowls. On any big swell though, summer or winter the outside right will be on with a South West wind.Smile, visitors sit wide (there is always a wide set!) when the pecking order is in place, DO NOT DROP IN! And if it's firing it's 'Barrels from heaven!'Watch out for thieves. Don't get caught too deep on a big day or it's hit the pier time for you, ask Richie Sills.
Great spot, one of Durbans most popular cause it picks up alot of swell. Rights and lefts. Can get the best, sickest barrels here. Mornings are lekker here.
Get in early in the morning when there is no wind or the morning breeze is blowing down the mountain. The beach has a very long strip so if there is a crowd on the peak in front of the parking lot just go to the next one. It gets very hollow on every low tide - super fun but fast and very powerful. It comes out of very deep wter and jacks up quickly. It is absolute perfection in a 4-6ft ground swell with low tide, no wind or a slight early morning offshore - Hard paddle though, no channels.
Not as amazing as it used to be since the storms of 2006, Still a very high performance wave, picks up large swell, but now it is much faster and sections a lot. The wave can still have you completely barreled, much more exciting than Durban Town on a good South West Swell.
A rare, fast, hollow and dangerous wave that funnels over a very shallow, sunken harbor wall, offering a heart pounding tube when it breaks over 3ft. The reef/pier protected from the predominant swell direction as it's situated about 150 meters away from the Durban Harbor so, only really works on huge South swells (usually in winter) which wrap around the Harbor and rush onto the reef. Also breaks in summer, when cyclone, east swells hit the reef more flat on. These conditions are not ideal as it makes it more sectony and tends to cause ribs/rebound waves to bounce off the Harbor and ruin the ride.There are two sections to the wave. The 'Pinacle' (named after the 'Pinnacle' or 'block' that sticks out of the water at the end of the reef) on the outside, and the 'inside' section'. The 'Pinnacle' is the more serious, hollower section, that is only recommended for experts. There is a deep section 40 meters down from the 'Pinnacle' where the wave fades before breaking on the inside section. The inside section is less hollow and has more of a bowling wall that offers some rail burring funand rides up to 150 meters.It is a long paddle out, about 400 meters to the 'Pinacle', takes about 6-minutes of constant paddling. When surfing the 'Pinacle', it's better to paddle out on the inside of the reef where the curvature of the break and slight rip cut's the paddling time to the takeoff down by about 2-mins. Can link up on the right swell and run from the 'Pinnacle' all the way to the beach, but very rare to find these conditions. breaks from 2ft up to 5ft before it gets too gnarly where the bravest only survive. At 6ft it tends to close out from Limestone reef with a foam ball that washed over the 'Pinnacle' section, until reforms on the inside section section.
Park you car in the parking lot on the road. Enter the water by carefully climbing off the rocks. Surf it only on Low to mid tides. There is about 200 metres of peaks which are all super hollow sand banks with a rock here and there. Backdoor your peak and sit tight in the barrel. Generally the rides are short, very intense and offering an exit from the barrel.
Park in the parking lot. Paddle from the beach. In general the best wave is a right that breaks just to the side of the little groin. Low tide is the best and you can expect some barrels, with short punchy rides. Best at 3-4 ft, early in the morning, in summer as the winter banks close out a bit.
Hard paddle to get out(no rips). Fun break. Good to learn on and for advanced surfing. Not as crowded as the "major" spots are right next to it. Kiff locals
This is the worst wave in Durban. There are two main peaks, Xcel and 101. It is sheltered from the swell and requires at least 8ft of swell, at which point it is a two kilometre long close out and about 3 feet.
If it is small paddle from the beach or jump off the pier. 6 Feet plus you should jump off the pier, you need very good timing between sets and you must paddle like crazy.Early mornings are quiet. The right is always best on low tide. When surfing it small you can really hit it hard, don't hold back at all. In small surf it is normally very busy, you need to show the same respect as you would at your home break - There are locals, some with bad attitudes, but if you hold back you will not get any waves. There can be a hundred people in the water on an offshore 4 foot day, in which case you have to hassle a bit. When it is 6 foot and over the "Bad Boy" locals stay on the pier. You must ride a gun on low tide as it gets very hollow and fast with some waves offering more than one barrel, on high tide you can still ride a short board on the medium big days and will be able to do big carves! The banks are pretty much the same year after year and change between winter from a running outside wave to summer being bowls. On any big swell though, summer or winter the outside right will be on with a South West wind.Smile, visitors sit wide (there is always a wide set!) when the pecking order is in place, DO NOT DROP IN! And if it's firing it's 'Barrels from heaven!'Watch out for thieves. Don't get caught too deep on a big day or it's hit the pier time for you, ask Richie Sills.
Great spot, one of Durbans most popular cause it picks up alot of swell. Rights and lefts. Can get the best, sickest barrels here. Mornings are lekker here.
Get in early in the morning when there is no wind or the morning breeze is blowing down the mountain. The beach has a very long strip so if there is a crowd on the peak in front of the parking lot just go to the next one. It gets very hollow on every low tide - super fun but fast and very powerful. It comes out of very deep wter and jacks up quickly. It is absolute perfection in a 4-6ft ground swell with low tide, no wind or a slight early morning offshore - Hard paddle though, no channels.
Not as amazing as it used to be since the storms of 2006, Still a very high performance wave, picks up large swell, but now it is much faster and sections a lot. The wave can still have you completely barreled, much more exciting than Durban Town on a good South West Swell.
A rare, fast, hollow and dangerous wave that funnels over a very shallow, sunken harbor wall, offering a heart pounding tube when it breaks over 3ft. The reef/pier protected from the predominant swell direction as it's situated about 150 meters away from the Durban Harbor so, only really works on huge South swells (usually in winter) which wrap around the Harbor and rush onto the reef. Also breaks in summer, when cyclone, east swells hit the reef more flat on. These conditions are not ideal as it makes it more sectony and tends to cause ribs/rebound waves to bounce off the Harbor and ruin the ride.There are two sections to the wave. The 'Pinacle' (named after the 'Pinnacle' or 'block' that sticks out of the water at the end of the reef) on the outside, and the 'inside' section'. The 'Pinnacle' is the more serious, hollower section, that is only recommended for experts. There is a deep section 40 meters down from the 'Pinnacle' where the wave fades before breaking on the inside section. The inside section is less hollow and has more of a bowling wall that offers some rail burring funand rides up to 150 meters.It is a long paddle out, about 400 meters to the 'Pinacle', takes about 6-minutes of constant paddling. When surfing the 'Pinacle', it's better to paddle out on the inside of the reef where the curvature of the break and slight rip cut's the paddling time to the takeoff down by about 2-mins. Can link up on the right swell and run from the 'Pinnacle' all the way to the beach, but very rare to find these conditions. breaks from 2ft up to 5ft before it gets too gnarly where the bravest only survive. At 6ft it tends to close out from Limestone reef with a foam ball that washed over the 'Pinnacle' section, until reforms on the inside section section.
Park you car in the parking lot on the road. Enter the water by carefully climbing off the rocks. Surf it only on Low to mid tides. There is about 200 metres of peaks which are all super hollow sand banks with a rock here and there. Backdoor your peak and sit tight in the barrel. Generally the rides are short, very intense and offering an exit from the barrel.
Park in the parking lot. Paddle from the beach. In general the best wave is a right that breaks just to the side of the little groin. Low tide is the best and you can expect some barrels, with short punchy rides. Best at 3-4 ft, early in the morning, in summer as the winter banks close out a bit.
Hard paddle to get out(no rips). Fun break. Good to learn on and for advanced surfing. Not as crowded as the "major" spots are right next to it. Kiff locals
This is the worst wave in Durban. There are two main peaks, Xcel and 101. It is sheltered from the swell and requires at least 8ft of swell, at which point it is a two kilometre long close out and about 3 feet.
If it is small paddle from the beach or jump off the pier. 6 Feet plus you should jump off the pier, you need very good timing between sets and you must paddle like crazy.Early mornings are quiet. The right is always best on low tide. When surfing it small you can really hit it hard, don't hold back at all. In small surf it is normally very busy, you need to show the same respect as you would at your home break - There are locals, some with bad attitudes, but if you hold back you will not get any waves. There can be a hundred people in the water on an offshore 4 foot day, in which case you have to hassle a bit. When it is 6 foot and over the "Bad Boy" locals stay on the pier. You must ride a gun on low tide as it gets very hollow and fast with some waves offering more than one barrel, on high tide you can still ride a short board on the medium big days and will be able to do big carves! The banks are pretty much the same year after year and change between winter from a running outside wave to summer being bowls. On any big swell though, summer or winter the outside right will be on with a South West wind.Smile, visitors sit wide (there is always a wide set!) when the pecking order is in place, DO NOT DROP IN! And if it's firing it's 'Barrels from heaven!'Watch out for thieves. Don't get caught too deep on a big day or it's hit the pier time for you, ask Richie Sills.
Great spot, one of Durbans most popular cause it picks up alot of swell. Rights and lefts. Can get the best, sickest barrels here. Mornings are lekker here.
Get in early in the morning when there is no wind or the morning breeze is blowing down the mountain. The beach has a very long strip so if there is a crowd on the peak in front of the parking lot just go to the next one. It gets very hollow on every low tide - super fun but fast and very powerful. It comes out of very deep wter and jacks up quickly. It is absolute perfection in a 4-6ft ground swell with low tide, no wind or a slight early morning offshore - Hard paddle though, no channels.
Not as amazing as it used to be since the storms of 2006, Still a very high performance wave, picks up large swell, but now it is much faster and sections a lot. The wave can still have you completely barreled, much more exciting than Durban Town on a good South West Swell.
A rare, fast, hollow and dangerous wave that funnels over a very shallow, sunken harbor wall, offering a heart pounding tube when it breaks over 3ft. The reef/pier protected from the predominant swell direction as it's situated about 150 meters away from the Durban Harbor so, only really works on huge South swells (usually in winter) which wrap around the Harbor and rush onto the reef. Also breaks in summer, when cyclone, east swells hit the reef more flat on. These conditions are not ideal as it makes it more sectony and tends to cause ribs/rebound waves to bounce off the Harbor and ruin the ride.There are two sections to the wave. The 'Pinacle' (named after the 'Pinnacle' or 'block' that sticks out of the water at the end of the reef) on the outside, and the 'inside' section'. The 'Pinnacle' is the more serious, hollower section, that is only recommended for experts. There is a deep section 40 meters down from the 'Pinnacle' where the wave fades before breaking on the inside section. The inside section is less hollow and has more of a bowling wall that offers some rail burring funand rides up to 150 meters.It is a long paddle out, about 400 meters to the 'Pinacle', takes about 6-minutes of constant paddling. When surfing the 'Pinacle', it's better to paddle out on the inside of the reef where the curvature of the break and slight rip cut's the paddling time to the takeoff down by about 2-mins. Can link up on the right swell and run from the 'Pinnacle' all the way to the beach, but very rare to find these conditions. breaks from 2ft up to 5ft before it gets too gnarly where the bravest only survive. At 6ft it tends to close out from Limestone reef with a foam ball that washed over the 'Pinnacle' section, until reforms on the inside section section.
Park you car in the parking lot on the road. Enter the water by carefully climbing off the rocks. Surf it only on Low to mid tides. There is about 200 metres of peaks which are all super hollow sand banks with a rock here and there. Backdoor your peak and sit tight in the barrel. Generally the rides are short, very intense and offering an exit from the barrel.
Park in the parking lot. Paddle from the beach. In general the best wave is a right that breaks just to the side of the little groin. Low tide is the best and you can expect some barrels, with short punchy rides. Best at 3-4 ft, early in the morning, in summer as the winter banks close out a bit.
Hard paddle to get out(no rips). Fun break. Good to learn on and for advanced surfing. Not as crowded as the "major" spots are right next to it. Kiff locals
This is the worst wave in Durban. There are two main peaks, Xcel and 101. It is sheltered from the swell and requires at least 8ft of swell, at which point it is a two kilometre long close out and about 3 feet.
If it is small paddle from the beach or jump off the pier. 6 Feet plus you should jump off the pier, you need very good timing between sets and you must paddle like crazy.Early mornings are quiet. The right is always best on low tide. When surfing it small you can really hit it hard, don't hold back at all. In small surf it is normally very busy, you need to show the same respect as you would at your home break - There are locals, some with bad attitudes, but if you hold back you will not get any waves. There can be a hundred people in the water on an offshore 4 foot day, in which case you have to hassle a bit. When it is 6 foot and over the "Bad Boy" locals stay on the pier. You must ride a gun on low tide as it gets very hollow and fast with some waves offering more than one barrel, on high tide you can still ride a short board on the medium big days and will be able to do big carves! The banks are pretty much the same year after year and change between winter from a running outside wave to summer being bowls. On any big swell though, summer or winter the outside right will be on with a South West wind.Smile, visitors sit wide (there is always a wide set!) when the pecking order is in place, DO NOT DROP IN! And if it's firing it's 'Barrels from heaven!'Watch out for thieves. Don't get caught too deep on a big day or it's hit the pier time for you, ask Richie Sills.
Great spot, one of Durbans most popular cause it picks up alot of swell. Rights and lefts. Can get the best, sickest barrels here. Mornings are lekker here.
Get in early in the morning when there is no wind or the morning breeze is blowing down the mountain. The beach has a very long strip so if there is a crowd on the peak in front of the parking lot just go to the next one. It gets very hollow on every low tide - super fun but fast and very powerful. It comes out of very deep wter and jacks up quickly. It is absolute perfection in a 4-6ft ground swell with low tide, no wind or a slight early morning offshore - Hard paddle though, no channels.
Not as amazing as it used to be since the storms of 2006, Still a very high performance wave, picks up large swell, but now it is much faster and sections a lot. The wave can still have you completely barreled, much more exciting than Durban Town on a good South West Swell.
