Get to know the locations from the new Apple TV+ seven-part documentary series Make or Break, where the top surfers battled for the title at the World Surf League Championship Tour in 2021.
LessThis dreamy right-breaking pointbreak, located on the northwest corner of Maui, Hawaii, is described by four-time world champion Mark Richards as as "the ultimate wave; the best wave in the world." The northwestern coast of Maui is riddled with bays and crags that can produce all variety of great surf during the winter months, when the North Pacific is busy churning out storm after storm. Honolua Bay has just that magical angle, producing a perfect right-hander that can line up flawlessly.
Newcastle, about two hours drive north of Sydney, is old by colonial Australian standards. It's the the place where Episode 2 of Make or Break begins; it has become an iconic stop on the calendars of Championship Tour pros and Championship Tour aspirants alike. On calm nights, the surfers of Merewether, Bar Beach, and City Beach can hear from their beds the horn blasts of the giant coal bulker ships approaching town.
A dynamic beachbreak located in the northeast suburbs of Sydney, Australia, Narrabeen is home to the area's most consistent surf, and it's where the drama from Episode 2 of Make or Break continues. Narrabeen (Aboriginal for "place of eels") has ridable surf all year, as the area is open to a wider range of swells than anywhere in Sydney, but it generally sees its best waves from April to October during the South Pacific storm season.
This thirty-mile stretch of coastal area on the southwest corner of Western Australia, 145 miles south of Perth, is renowned for its powerful reef waves, translucent Indian Ocean water, and bucolic beachfront settings. Dozens of good-to-world-class waves are located in the area, including Margaret River (often called "the Point"), a left-breaking reef located just west of the small town that gives the area its name.
Situated only 19 kilometres off the coast of Perth, Rottnest Island offers visitors a casual atmosphere, picturesque scenery, and a rich cultural heritage to discover. It is an A-class reserve, the highest level of protection afforded to public land. Together with Garden Island, Rottnest Island is a remnant of Pleistocene dune ridges.
The waves produced by the technology at Surf Ranch are what physicists call solitary waves, or solitons. These resemble the more desired ground swell waves in the ocean. These waves are ideal for advanced surfing and competition although they can still be modified for beginners. The exclusive soliton-generating hydrofoil cuts through the water at precise speeds, angles, and water depths that, when combined with the reef, create clean, barreling waves.
The Mexican state of Oaxaca is home to some amazing wonders, like ancient Zapotec and Mixtec archeological sites, smokey and smooth mezcal, and fresh seafood. But for surfers, its crown jewel is a fang of land jutting out into the Pacific Ocean. And when a strong south swell makes its way to the shoreline of Barra de la Cruz, one of the best waves in the world puts on a show.
Lower Trestles is, for many surfers, the best surf spot in the world. There are many reasons why riders pick the Californian surf break as their favorite wave. Lower Trestles means consistency, all-around fun, perfect-peeling left and right-handers, easy paddle-outs, and endless wave faces. Located a few miles away from San Clemente, Lower Trestles is a surfers' paradise.