Sunset Beach

Surf Guide

While Sunset is no longer the great proving ground for North Shore rookies that it once was, it still truly is one of the world's great and thrilling surf zones. The Sunset shoreline is a long curve starting in front of Kammieland reef to the west, sweeping past a broad deep-water channel, and straightening out in a line past Sunset Point to the northeast. Not far off the beach is Val's Reef, a quirky semi shore-dumping peak. Outside of Val's, there's a deep pit some 60 yards across, then a shallow mushroom shaped reef which links across to the point. A couple hundreds yards farther out lies the main reef area -- a series of very broad, long fingers of lava that slope gradually out to sea to the west-northwest. These lava fingers, with their swell refracting ability, are responsible for the characteristic peaked shape of good Sunset, especially in a west swell. Sunset Point breaks up to around six feet in wedgey chunks that sometimes reform into a wall across the uneven inside reef. It reflects Sunset's general nature, in that wave selection can be difficult; you'll either find yourself scratching after peaks that suddenly blunder off into deep water, or paddling farther and farther north trying to get a hold of the mirage-like rights peeling down from Backyards. Sunset proper starts to wake up around 6-8 feet, and can occasionally hold 12-15 feet in flawless northwest swell conditions. The style of ride is highly subject to swell direction: Anything north of northwest will be an unpredictable, lumpy wall sectioning down toward a possible barrel through the inside. Anything farther west will be a powerful, drawing peak with a sometimes critical takeoff and a big, open pocket. Takeoff points vary, too: The north direction might break at a dozen different places as it folds crosswise over the reef fingers; the west is more predictably wedged up, but more likely to punish the unwary. Get caught inside on a bigger west swell day and you can say goodbye to your leash or your board -- or maybe both. Smart surfers don't rush their sessions at Sunset; they cruise for a half hour, getting the rhythm, then go in hard and don't hesitate in their wave choice. The entire lineup is very exposed to wind, and stronger trades blow straight up the face of west swells, which makes that takeoff just a little trickier. Water from the vast swell bombardment gathers in the deep hole outside Val's Reef and floods out to sea to the west. This is the famed Kammieland Rip, and it's a good reason to hope the trades are blowing, because if they're not -- and a big west swell is running -- that rip will turn around, flow into the break, and start dragging you past the peak and into a world of pain. Parking is ad hoc straight off the highway and facing down to the beach, or in a small parking lot recently built across the street by the city. This lot boasts a bathroom block, but there's very little else in the way of showers, rinse-off taps, etc. Porta-potties are erected during contest time on a roughly paved area behind the first Sunset Point houses. Click here for Surfline's Sunset Spot Check with Pancho Sullivan