Best places to surf in December

The top 10 at a glance

Days 4-5★ = share of December 2025 days whose best window rated 4 or 5 of 5 stars. Rank = 60% the 4-5★ share + 40% the 3★+ share. Typical wave = the median of those days' best windows.

All 50, ranked

1. 1

   Cimaja

   Indonesia · Reef · Intermediate+Today

   • 87%days 4-5★
   • 97%days 3★+
   • 1.8 mtypical wave (6 ft)
   • 29 °Cwater (85 °F)

   Cimaja Point is a south-facing reef break, and in our modelled year it had fair-or-better surf on most days in every month. The wave is a right-hander that runs over rocks and boulders on the edge of Pelabuhanratu Bay in West Java.

   Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
2. 2

   Playa Grande

   Costa Rica · Beach break · Intermediate+Today

   • 74%days 4-5★
   • 100%days 3★+
   • 1.4 mtypical wave (5 ft)
   • 29 °Cwater (83 °F)

   Playa Grande is a long, exposed sandy beach just north of Tamarindo, and its peaks pick up swell very consistently. It faces west and works best around mid tide, with the wind blowing offshore from the east.

   Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
3. 3

   Tamarindo

   Costa Rica · Beach break · All levelsToday

   • 71%days 4-5★
   • 100%days 3★+
   • 1.5 mtypical wave (5 ft)
   • 29 °Cwater (83 °F)

   Playa Tamarindo is a west-facing beach break in Costa Rica that works for every level, in water that stays warm all year. It sits beside the Tamarindo River estuary, next to the marine park that covers Tamarindo Bay.

   Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
4. 4

   Cerritos

   Mexico · Beach break · All levelsToday

   • 77%days 4-5★
   • 90%days 3★+
   • 1.4 mtypical wave (5 ft)
   • 25 °Cwater (77 °F)

   Playa Los Cerritos sits by the village of El Pescadero in Baja California Sur. It has a soft right-hand point with beach peaks on the inside, so it suits surfers of every level.

   Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
5. 5

   Barra de Navidad

   Mexico · Intermediate+Today

   • 71%days 4-5★
   • 97%days 3★+
   • 1.4 mtypical wave (5 ft)
   • 28 °Cwater (83 °F)

   Barra de Navidad is a south-west-facing jetty break that takes swell from the south round to the west. It sits in a small fishing and farming town on the Bahía de Navidad in Jalisco, and the water stays warm all year.

   Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
6. 6

   Playa Guiones

   Costa Rica · Beach break · All levelsToday

   • 64%days 4-5★
   • 97%days 3★+
   • 1.6 mtypical wave (5 ft)
   • 29 °Cwater (84 °F)

   Playa Guiones is an exposed beach break in Nosara that faces south-west and takes swell from the south round to the west. It is one of the most consistent waves in the world, with more than 330 days a year of rideable conditions.

   Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
7. 7

   Santa Teresa

   Costa Rica · Beach break · Intermediate+Today

   • 64%days 4-5★
   • 94%days 3★+
   • 1.6 mtypical wave (5 ft)
   • 29 °Cwater (84 °F)

   Playa Santa Teresa is an exposed, south-west facing beach break on the Nicoya Peninsula that picks up swell from the south round to the north-west. It is consistent all year, with lefts and rights, warm water and strong rips.

   Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
8. 8

   Moonlight Beach

   USA · Beach break · All levelsToday

   • 64%days 4-5★
   • 94%days 3★+
   • 1.1 mtypical wave (4 ft)
   • 17 °Cwater (63 °F)

   Moonlight Beach is a busy, west-facing sand beach in Encinitas, California, with fast waves whose quality depends a lot on the sandbars. A five-time women's world champion learned to surf here, and she now calls it mostly a shortboard wave.

   Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
9. 9

   Del Mar

   USA · Beach break · All levelsToday

   • 68%days 4-5★
   • 87%days 3★+
   • 1.1 mtypical wave (4 ft)
   • 17 °Cwater (63 °F)

   Del Mar is a west-facing beach break at 15th Street that suits all levels and takes swell from the south right round to the north-west. It sits in a small beach city in San Diego County, on the Pacific coast of California.

   Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
10. 10

    San Onofre

    USA · Reef · All levelsToday

    • 68%days 4-5★
    • 84%days 3★+
    • 1.1 mtypical wave (4 ft)
    • 18 °Cwater (64 °F)

    Our San Onofre forecast is set for Old Man's, a south-west facing cobblestone reef that works for all levels and fills up with longboards. It sits on Surf Beach inside San Onofre State Beach, a long strip of coast just south of San Clemente.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
11. 11

    Balian

    Indonesia · River mouth · Intermediate+Today

    • 61%days 4-5★
    • 90%days 3★+
    • 1.9 mtypical wave (6 ft)
    • 30 °Cwater (86 °F)

    Balian is a rivermouth in West Bali where long, easy walls peel mostly left over smooth boulders. It picks up swell from the south to the west and rarely goes flat.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
12. 12

    Oceanside

    USA · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 64%days 4-5★
    • 81%days 3★+
    • 1.1 mtypical wave (4 ft)
    • 17 °Cwater (63 °F)

    Oceanside Pier is a west-facing beach break that picks up swell from the south round to the north-west, with waves for every level. Surfers ride both sides of the long wooden pier, which is the second longest of its kind on the US West Coast.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
13. 13

    Carlsbad

    USA · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 64%days 4-5★
    • 81%days 3★+
    • 1.1 mtypical wave (4 ft)
    • 17 °Cwater (63 °F)

    Carlsbad is a west-facing beach break in North County San Diego, and our Tamarack forecast picks up swell from the south round to the north-west. Wide white-sand beaches sit under ocean-side cliffs, and the break works for surfers of all levels.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
14. 14

    Terramar

    USA · Reef · Intermediate+Today

    • 61%days 4-5★
    • 84%days 3★+
    • 1.1 mtypical wave (4 ft)
    • 17 °Cwater (63 °F)

    Terramar is a west-facing reef in Carlsbad, California, that takes swell from the south round to the north-west and cleans up when the wind blows from the east. It is a scenic spot backed by cliffs, and it gets busy when it works.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
15. 15

    Sayulita

    Mexico · Reef · All levelsToday

    • 55%days 4-5★
    • 94%days 3★+
    • 1.1 mtypical wave (4 ft)
    • 27 °Cwater (80 °F)

    Sayulita Right is the reef break in front of town, and it works for all levels when the swell comes from the south to north-west. The water stays warm all year, and the bay has three distinct breaks.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
16. 16

    Chun's Reef

    USA · Reef · Intermediate+Today

    • 58%days 4-5★
    • 87%days 3★+
    • 2.5 mtypical wave (8 ft)
    • 26 °Cwater (78 °F)

    Chun's Reef is a very consistent reef on Oahu's North Shore, breaking left and right over coral and sand, with a softer left and a shorter, punchier right. It faces north-west and is at its best from November to January, when most days rate fair or better in our data.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
17. 17

    Ensenada

    Mexico · Point break · Intermediate+Today

    • 55%days 4-5★
    • 90%days 3★+
    • 1.6 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 18 °Cwater (64 °F)

    Our Ensenada surf forecast follows San Miguel, a rocky cobble point that faces south-west and takes swell from the south-west round to the north-west. Ensenada is a city on Bahía de Todos Santos, on the Pacific coast of Baja California.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
18. 18

    Medewi

    Indonesia · Point break · Intermediate+Today

    • 55%days 4-5★
    • 90%days 3★+
    • 1.4 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 30 °Cwater (86 °F)

    Medewi Point is a south-facing point break that likes swell from the south to the west and a wind from the north. It suits intermediate surfers and up, and it works best on a mid to high tide.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
19. 19

    Jaco

    Costa Rica · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 39%days 4-5★
    • 100%days 3★+
    • 1.5 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 29 °Cwater (84 °F)

    Jacó is a black sand beach about 4 km long, with many peaks breaking over a sandy bottom. It faces south-west and takes swell from the south round to the west.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
20. 20

    Lakey Peak

    Indonesia · Reef · Intermediate+Today

    • 48%days 4-5★
    • 84%days 3★+
    • 2.0 mtypical wave (7 ft)
    • 30 °Cwater (86 °F)

    Lakey Peak is an A-frame over shallow reef on the south-east coast of Sumbawa, with a left and a right peeling off the same take-off. It faces south-west and picks up swell from the south through to the west.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
21. 21

    La Lancha

    Mexico · Reef · Intermediate+Today

    • 48%days 4-5★
    • 81%days 3★+
    • 1.1 mtypical wave (4 ft)
    • 27 °Cwater (81 °F)

    La Lancha is a south-facing rocky reef near Punta de Mita that picks up swell from south to west. Surf guides describe it as an exposed point with lefts and rights and very reliable surf.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
22. 22

    Nusa Dua

    Indonesia · Reef · Intermediate+Today

    • 42%days 4-5★
    • 84%days 3★+
    • 1.9 mtypical wave (6 ft)
    • 30 °Cwater (86 °F)

    Nusa Dua is a reef break off the resort coast of southern Bali, facing south-east and reached by a long paddle or a boat. It is at its best from November to March, and a west wind blows offshore here.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
23. 23

    Nicaragua

    Nicaragua · Reef · Intermediate+Today

    • 42%days 4-5★
    • 74%days 3★+
    • 1.3 mtypical wave (4 ft)
    • 27 °Cwater (81 °F)

    Our Nicaragua surf report is built around Popoyo, a reef break that faces south-west and takes swell from the south round to the west. Winds blowing in from Lake Nicaragua groom the waves here, and the area mixes points, beaches and reefs.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
24. 24

    Miyazaki

    Japan · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 45%days 4-5★
    • 68%days 3★+
    • 1.4 mtypical wave (4 ft)
    • 20 °Cwater (68 °F)

    Kisakihama (木崎浜) is the east-facing beach break we forecast for Miyazaki, and it takes swell from the north-east round to the south and cleans up on a west wind. It is a contest beach too, and it hosted the 2019 ISA World Surfing Games.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
25. 25

    Perth

    Australia · Reef · Intermediate+Today

    • 42%days 4-5★
    • 71%days 3★+
    • 1.6 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 22 °Cwater (72 °F)

    Our Perth surf forecast is built for Trigg Point, a west-facing reef in Perth that suits intermediate and better surfers. Trigg is one of Perth's most popular boardriding beaches, so expect company in the water.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
26. 26

    Orio

    Spain · River mouthToday

    • 45%days 4-5★
    • 64%days 3★+
    • 2.2 mtypical wave (7 ft)
    • 15 °Cwater (60 °F)

    Orio is a rivermouth left in Gipuzkoa, close to Zarautz, and it faces north. The wave depends on the sand the river leaves behind, and when the banks line up it ranks among the best waves on this coast.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
27. 27

    Okuragahama

    Japan · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 36%days 4-5★
    • 74%days 3★+
    • 1.1 mtypical wave (4 ft)
    • 20 °Cwater (69 °F)

    Okuragahama (お倉ヶ浜) is an east-facing beach break in Hyuga, Miyazaki, and it works for surfers of every level. It picks up swell from the north-east round to the south, and it is cleanest when the wind blows from the west.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
28. 28

    Teahupoo

    French Polynesia · ReefToday

    • 39%days 4-5★
    • 68%days 3★+
    • 1.9 mtypical wave (6 ft)
    • 28 °Cwater (82 °F)

    Teahupo'o is a left-hand reef break in Tahiti that picks up distant groundswells and is known for very reliable surf. It breaks heavy and hollow over very shallow, sharp reef, so it is a wave for advanced surfers only.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
29. 29

    Ichinomatsu

    Japan · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 36%days 4-5★
    • 71%days 3★+
    • 1.6 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 18 °Cwater (64 °F)

    Ichinomatsu is an east-facing sandy beach break on Chiba's Kujukuri coast, with several peaks and a jetty that shapes where people paddle out. It sits between Shirako and Ichinomiya, yet it is often less crowded than the spots around it.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
30. 30

    Pavones

    Costa Rica · Point break · Intermediate+Today

    • 42%days 4-5★
    • 61%days 3★+
    • 1.6 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 29 °Cwater (84 °F)

    Pavones is a left-hand point inside Golfo Dulce, and on the right swell its walls can link up for hundreds of metres. It sits in a sheltered gulf, so it needs a big south to south-west swell to wake up.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
31. 31

    Tanjung Aan

    Indonesia · Reef · Intermediate+Today

    • 39%days 4-5★
    • 64%days 3★+
    • 2.2 mtypical wave (7 ft)
    • 30 °Cwater (86 °F)

    Tanjung Aan is a reef in South Lombok that faces south and picks up swell from the south through to the west. The peak sits far out in a wide horseshoe bay and offers a long, slow right and a shorter, softer left.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
32. 32

    Anchor Point

    Morocco · Point breakToday

    • 39%days 4-5★
    • 61%days 3★+
    • 2.7 mtypical wave (9 ft)
    • 17 °Cwater (63 °F)

    Anchor Point in Taghazout is a long, fast right-hand point and probably the best-known wave in Morocco. It faces west, takes west to north-west swell and is a wave for advanced surfers only.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
33. 33

    Bunbury

    Australia · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 29%days 4-5★
    • 74%days 3★+
    • 1.4 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 21 °Cwater (71 °F)

    Bunbury Back Beach is a west-facing beach break that suits all levels and works best in waves of about 0.8 to 1.5 m. It is a popular local beach for surfing, swimming and fishing, and it is known for its sunsets.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
34. 34

    Toyoma

    Japan · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 36%days 4-5★
    • 64%days 3★+
    • 1.8 mtypical wave (6 ft)
    • 16 °Cwater (61 °F)

    Toyoma (豊間) is an east-facing beach that takes swell from north to south. It is known as a central spot for surfers in the Iwaki area, with waves coming through in every season.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
35. 35

    Taghazout

    Morocco · Point break · Intermediate+Today

    • 36%days 4-5★
    • 61%days 3★+
    • 2.7 mtypical wave (9 ft)
    • 17 °Cwater (63 °F)

    Our Taghazout surf forecast is built for Anchor Point, a west-facing right-hand point that likes swells from the west to the north. On a good day the ride can run a long way down the point, past Hash Point and on to Panorama's.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
36. 36

    Margaret River

    Australia · ReefToday

    • 36%days 4-5★
    • 61%days 3★+
    • 2.7 mtypical wave (9 ft)
    • 20 °Cwater (69 °F)

    Margaret River Main Break at Surfers Point is a powerful reef that faces west and takes swell from the south round to the west. It is a wave for experienced surfers, with shallow reef, crowds and sharks to respect.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
37. 37

    Elands Bay

    South Africa · Point break · Intermediate+Today

    • 39%days 4-5★
    • 55%days 3★+
    • 1.6 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 15 °Cwater (60 °F)

    Elands Bay is a long left-hand point on South Africa's West Coast. It breaks over a rocky, kelp-covered shelf and runs toward a small river mouth. It faces north-west and cleans up on a south-east wind, and it works best in the colder months.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
38. 38

    Waihi Beach

    New Zealand · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 32%days 4-5★
    • 64%days 3★+
    • 1.1 mtypical wave (4 ft)
    • 19 °Cwater (66 °F)

    Waihi Beach is a long, sandy beach break at the foot of the Coromandel, with punchy rights and lefts you can surf almost anywhere along the shore. It faces north-east, so it lights up on north-east swell with a south-west wind.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
39. 39

    Hyuga

    Japan · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 32%days 4-5★
    • 64%days 3★+
    • 1.0 mtypical wave (3 ft)
    • 20 °Cwater (68 °F)

    Hyuga's main break, Okuragahama, is an east-facing sand beach that picks up swell from north-east round to south and cleans up when the wind blows from the west. It suits all levels, and it is one of several Hyuga beaches known for surfing.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
40. 40

    Bali

    Indonesia · ReefToday

    • 42%days 4-5★
    • 48%days 3★+
    • 2.4 mtypical wave (8 ft)
    • 30 °Cwater (86 °F)

    Our Bali surf forecast reads the swell at Uluwatu, a south-west facing reef at the south-western tip of the Bukit Peninsula, and it is for advanced surfers only. The reef throws left-hand rides in several sections, and the water is warm all year.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
41. 41

    Taito

    Japan · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 32%days 4-5★
    • 61%days 3★+
    • 1.8 mtypical wave (6 ft)
    • 19 °Cwater (66 °F)

    Taito is a sandy beach break in Isumi, Chiba. Sandbars build up beside the Taito fishing port breakwater and can shape good waves. The breakwater and the cape take some power out of the swell, so it is often softer than the beaches nearby. It can also stay rideable when a south wind spoils other spots.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
42. 42

    Katakai

    Japan · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 32%days 4-5★
    • 61%days 3★+
    • 1.7 mtypical wave (6 ft)
    • 16 °Cwater (61 °F)

    Katakai is a south-east facing beach break on Chiba's long Kujūkuri coast that takes swell from north-east round to south. Japanese surf magazines have called it the most consistent wave in Japan, and its gentle peaks draw big crowds from nearby Tokyo.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
43. 43

    Yallingup

    Australia · Reef · Intermediate+Today

    • 26%days 4-5★
    • 68%days 3★+
    • 2.4 mtypical wave (8 ft)
    • 20 °Cwater (69 °F)

    Yallingup Main Break is a west-facing reef that works best in 1.2–3 m of swell with an east wind blowing offshore. It is an exposed and reliable break, with both lefts and rights on the reef.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
44. 44

    Deba

    Spain · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 39%days 4-5★
    • 48%days 3★+
    • 2.0 mtypical wave (6 ft)
    • 15 °Cwater (58 °F)

    Deba is a north-facing beach in the Basque Country that opens to swells from west to north-east and cleans up on a south wind. It is an exposed beach and reef setup with lefts and rights, but it can be inconsistent.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
45. 45

    Jeffreys Bay

    South Africa · Point breakToday

    • 36%days 4-5★
    • 48%days 3★+
    • 1.5 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 19 °Cwater (67 °F)

    Jeffreys Bay is home to a long, fast, hollow right-hand point break, and many surfers rank it among the best rights on earth. Our forecast tracks Supertubes, the section most people rate as the heart of the wave.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
46. 46

    Playa Hermosa (Jaco)

    Costa Rica · Beach break · Intermediate+Today

    • 26%days 4-5★
    • 58%days 3★+
    • 1.5 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 29 °Cwater (84 °F)

    Playa Hermosa is a long, open beach just south of Jacó, and its strong currents help build heavy surf. It faces south-west and suits intermediate-plus surfers who can handle powerful closeouts and strong rips.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
47. 47

    Zarautz

    Spain · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 36%days 4-5★
    • 42%days 3★+
    • 2.1 mtypical wave (7 ft)
    • 15 °Cwater (60 °F)

    Zarautz has the longest beach in the Basque Country, a north-facing sandy stretch with many peaks that suit every level of surfer. It picks up swell from the west round to the north-east, and the cleanest days come with a south wind.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
48. 48

    St Clair

    New Zealand · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 23%days 4-5★
    • 58%days 3★+
    • 1.6 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 14 °Cwater (57 °F)

    St Clair is Dunedin's home beach, a south-facing stretch of sand that picks up swell from east round to south-west. On good days a right can peel off the rocky point by the saltwater pool, and it can get hollow.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
49. 49

    Tenerife

    Spain · Reef · Intermediate+Today

    • 19%days 4-5★
    • 61%days 3★+
    • 1.5 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 22 °Cwater (71 °F)

    La Izquierda, also called the Spanish Left, is a reef break with several peaks. One guide calls it the most famous left in Tenerife, and it sits right by the palm-dotted promenades of Playa de las Américas. It faces south-west over a shallow reef, and the best days come with mid to high tide and a north-east wind.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →
50. 50

    Waimarama

    New Zealand · Beach break · All levelsToday

    • 16%days 4-5★
    • 64%days 3★+
    • 1.4 mtypical wave (5 ft)
    • 18 °Cwater (64 °F)

    Waimārama is a sandy beach break with a rocky point in Hawke's Bay, with both lefts and rights that often suit surfers of any level. It faces east and picks up swell from the north-east round to the south.

    Full guide + hour-by-hour forecast →