AUSSIE SURFER AND SIX-TIME WORLD CHAMPION STEPHANIE GILMOUR HAS SALT WATER RUNNING THROUGH HER VEINS. SHE'S GRACEFUL, SKILFUL, AND HAS A DEEP APPRECIATION OF ONE OF THE STRONGEST FORCES ON THE PLANET - THE OCEAN.

“The ocean has to be the strongest natural force on the planet, right? It’s where you recharge the batteries,’ says Stephanie. “We’re all solar-powered and when you put sunlight on top of all the motion you get in the ocean, it feels like you’re having as beautiful a spiritual moment as a human being can have,” she says. 

This rich culture of surfing, coupled with the vast expanse of Pacific Ocean on its easterly border, draws visitors from across the globe to Byron Bay every day of the year.  It’s a place where beginners trying to learn some basics skills are just at home as the pros hellbent on riding the best waves wherever they might be in the world. It’s the joy of surfing.  All it takes is a body, a surfboard and a wave, and the waves are abundant in Byron.

SEIN LOWRY, CO-OWNER OF THE BOWER AND BYRON BEACH ABODES AND KEEN SURFER, HAS PUT TOGETHER THIS LIST OF THE BEST SPOTS TO SURF IN BYRON

• “For longboarders and shortboarders Byron Bay has an iconic right hander, sandy, point break where you can ride waves for 500m or more when the sand banks are good all the way to Clarkes Beach. It’s also a fantastic place for learn-to-surf enthusiasts.
• The next headland over you’ll find Wategos Beach which can have a variety of waves more suited - most of the time - to longboarders.  And Little Wategos which sits just north of Cape Byron Lighthouse, has a magic little beach which during their annual migration north, can be a playground for whales, and then their young too on the return journey back down south.
• Main Beach offers up a variety of beach breaks through to The Wreck. It’s a popular surf break before the north east wind comes up in Summer.
• Further on from The Wreck there’s a spot called Signals which can have a great right hand beach break when the sand banks are working. 

• Further north is Belongil Beach, a very popular place for families with dogs. It offers great swimming and more often a longboard wave but when the northerly swell is running, it can be fun for shortboards as well.
• On the southern side of the lighthouse Tallows Beach picks up the most swell and when the Northerly wind is blowing during Summer, the most Northern area of the beach next to the rocks (we call it Cosy Corner) can offer a little escape from the wind and a it’s a lovely spot to swim, surf and climb around the rocks.
• Tallows Beach stretches all the way down to Broken Head and there are various surf breaks to be found but as the sand changes regularly you need to seek out the spots with a sand bank for surfing.

• Broken Head also has an amazing right hand sand bank which, with the right conditions, can offer very special waves.
  
  
• Summer-time surfing is traditionally better early morning before the NE wind comes up and late afternoon when it periodically settles down.
  
  
• From Easter the Winter months offer a greater variety of waves and most experienced surfers prefer that time of year.
  
  
• The Cape Byron headland serves surfers well as we can surf either side to escape the prevailing northerly wind in Summer and southerly wind in Winter.”

We saw a quote a while back that says “..there are a million ways to surf, and as long as you’re smiling you’re doing it right.”  It’s a good one. It’s hard not to have a smile on your face in Byron. Come check it out for yourself soon.