Bells Beach/Winkipop:
Pulling in at The Bells/Winki parking lot, in the world’s first Surfing Recreation Reserve, is a special treat, particularly when it’s six feet plus. When it’s that size, you’ll see lines of swell well before you’re in the car park – a sight sure to get the heart beating.
Winki is without doubt a world-class wave. When it’s on, it breaks for over 250 meters over a flat reef bottom. It’s rideable from three feet (choose the lower tides), great from five feet, and unforgettable from 8 feet and up (all tides). On a typical three to five foot day there are two distinct sections, Uppers and Lowers. Get the right wave from Uppers and you’ll connect through Lowers for one of the rides of your life. Many opt to sit at Lowers where it’s less likely to close out on you.
You’ve got two choices for the paddle-out. When it’s small you can head out in front of the break. When it gets bigger, paddle out from the beach at Bells. Take the path from the Winki car park and head to the right, down onto the sand at Bells. Watch the sets breaking out at Bells and wait for a nice gap. You want to be a good ten metres away from the reef to your left, known as The Button. Keep your eye on the Button as you express paddle through the shorebreak – you do not want to get swept onto it. Once you get round it, you’re sweet – you’ll drift quickly into prime location at Uppers.
Bells Beach has two defined waves. Rincon breaks on high tides when the waves are four feet and under, peaking on a distinct ledge and then peeling nicely beneath the limestone cliffs all the way through to the beach. The Bowl is the premier wave, though when the swell is four feet and under it only breaks on low tide. Over five feet though, and the Bowl comes into its own. Get Bells Bowl at ten feet and you’ll remember it for the rest of your life. When it’s this big, paddle out from the inside corner of the beach, closest to the cliffs. Timing is crucial – the sweep will quickly drag you sideways along the beach. You’ll probably need to punch through chunky shorebreak waves before you make it into open water.
Jan Juc:
Jan Juc gets a lot of surf action – mainly due to the fact that it’s the closest decent beachbreak in the vicinity of the quality reefs found in the Torquay area. Located in front of the Torquay golf club, Juc can serve up some quality beachbreaks when the right conditions come together. Thing is, when the conditions are right here, its often firing at the nearby reefs. This means a lot of people use it as a back-up spot when the swell is getting a touch small or the wind is getting into Bells and Winki.
The peaks tend to shift around a bit at Juc, and it can get a touch crowded – but it can still serve up the goods, particularly when the reefs haven’t been firing for a while and the locals need to get wet. It’s also a useful testing ground for those wanting to practice their air-time in cross-onshore days.
When surfing at Juc, keep your eye on Bird Rock, at the western end of the beach – it can provide some short, sucky barrels on mid to high tide. The small take off spot means locals get their pick first. Don’t bother paddling out if it’s crowded.