100 Best Surf Spots in the World: The World's Best Breaks for Surfers in Search of the Perfect Wave [Paperback]

Rod Sumpter (Author)

Book Description

Series: 100 Best Series | Publication Date: October 1, 2004

100 Best Surf Spots in the World will include top surfing destinations ranging from Sunset Beach and the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia to Malibu, California and Oahu, Hawaii. Lesser-known destinations such as Metigama, Sri Lanka and Aviero, Northern Portugal take readers to every corner of the globe in search of the perfect wave. Other countries that make the list include: South Africa, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Morocco, New Zealand, Japan, Indonesia, and Fiji.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

100 Best Surf Spots in the World explores the planet’s premier surfing playgrounds, from the hollow curls of Banzai Pipeline on the North Shore to the massive breaks of Teahupoo, Tahiti. International surfing legend Rod Sumpter reveals the world’s greatest reef breaks, left- and right-handers, point breaks, and beach breaks, and offers vital details about the characteristics of the waves and how to surf them.
Take the big drop into Oahu’s Gas Chambers; fly the barrel at Hossegor, France; or ride Super Tubes, Tubes, and The Point in one ride at Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa. This guide will take you to every corner of the globe in search of the perfect wave.

Inside you’ll find:
• full-color photographs of each location
• first-hand descriptions of the areas with detailed analysis of the breaks
• at-a-glance information on hazards, skill level required, and which boards to bring
• quick-reference chart with the average swell size, air and water temperature, wetsuit requirements, and the average number of days per month you can charge the waves
• suggestions for where to stay, how to find each break, and avoiding the crowd
• and much more!

About the Author

Rod Sumpter has been to and photographed every destination in the book, basing his selections on over 30 years of traveling the globe in search of the perfect wave, competing for national and world surfing titles, and shooting and filming surfing events for publication and production. He has won multiple national and international surfing championships, placed top ten in the World Surfing Championships, acted as president of the English Surfing Federation, held a starring roll in the U.S. surfing film The Endless Summer, and captured more surfing titles in his 30 years of worldwide competition than most surfers in the world alive today.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: GPP Travel; 1st edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762725982
• ISBN-13: 978-0762725984
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,238,061 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars OK, but not always accurate, and not always the best spots., November 18, 2005

By 

Roger McEvilly (the guilty bystander) (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 100 Best Surf Spots in the World: The World's Best Breaks for Surfers in Search of the Perfect Wave (Paperback)

This book is not really a collection of the "world's best surf spots", but rather a collection of surf spots that this author (Rod Sumptor) has visited and surfed. It probably has only about a quarter of the world's top 100 surf spots, (eg there is only one wave listed for the entire country of Indonesia-Uluwatu- which country has at least a dozen of the world's best waves). The internet and various magazines and publications have greatly expanded knowledge of the world's best waves, and they show that this book is quite incomplete in this respect. The pictures, descriptions, and general information on the various spots is ok, just not very complete. Each spot area has a 2 page coverage, with reasonable colour pictures, swell info, water temperature, consistency/month, type of break, accomodation, access, travel and other general information.

The coverage of Hawaii (21 spots), and mainland USA (13 spots) are probably the most complete, but there is only 1 spot on the whole of Central America (La Rocca), 2 in South America (one of which-Rio De Janero-is not world class), one in Morocco (Anchor Point), 3 in New Zealand (2 in Raglan and 1 in Piha), one in Indonesia (Uluwatu), one in Western Australia (Ocean Beach), 6 in Africa, 1 in Tahiti, 1 in Fiji (Tavarua island), 1 in Japan, 1 in UAE, and 1 for the Maldives. There is about 18 listed on the east coast of Australia (some of which are not world class), and 3 in Victoria. Europe gets a lobsided 25 spots, many of which surprisingly, are in the UK (11).

Seasoned surf travellers will know that this distribution is not really indicative of the world's best surf spots. A good example is the Mentawais in Indonesia, with no spots described at all, but with at least half a dozen (probably more) of the world's best waves.

Some other points and corrections:
-Some choices within countries are not the best breaks of that country, eg Punta Rocas in Peru is not considered in the same class as Panic Point or Cabo Blanco; there is no mention of Coxos in Portugal-widely considered as Portugal's best wave; Western Australia has eg Red Bluff, Strickland Bay, Margaret River, North Point, Jakes, and Gnaraloo all not mentioned, and all better than the one spot described (Ocean Beach); Indonesia, as mentioned above, has many other world class breaks outside of Uluwatu, which is the only one listed (eg G Land, Lagundri, One Palm, Asu, Bawa, Desert Point, Nihiwatu, Kandui, Rifles, HTs etc etc,); New Zealand has Shipwrecks, Stent Road, Papatowi, Seconds, the Spit and many other world class spots not mentioned (Note: A new New Zealand surf guide is out which is excellent, with 470 breaks listed, and many uncrowded).
-Some of the Australian section's Gold Coast waves have changed due to man-made intereferance at the Superbank, so this section is now out of date. Snapper, Greenmount and Kirra all have different qualities now, and they have been ridden all the way through for a measured ride of 2km p160-166.
-Broken Head sandbars are fickle p182.
-Cabarita sandbars are fickle p184.
-Manly sandbars are fickle p190.
-the picture on p129 is not of Supertubos.
-Queenscliff beach is on the north end of Manly beach, the picture in the photo on p 191 is Freshwater beach.
-Raglan is not 40 miles from Auckland airport, it is more than 100 miles p207.
-Indicators is not the most westerly point on the headland near Raglan, there is another point further round called Coloseums p206.
-Manu Bay normal rides are about 300m on a really good day, not half a mile p210.
-Lembongan is not on the east coast of Bali, it is a separate island p219, with several breaks.
-there is no break called 'Lombok'-it is an island with many breaks p218

In general, the book needs external review. The information is useful, but occasionally inaccurate, and some information is missing. The World Stormrider Guides are better and more accurate, and with more information, but the internet is still probably the best source if you are looking for information on world surf spots. Purchasing publications on individual countries or regions are also a better bet than this guide.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great photography, great guide book, September 12, 2006

By 

Spunk Brophy "spunk" (Southern California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 100 Best Surf Spots in the World: The World's Best Breaks for Surfers in Search of the Perfect Wave (Paperback)

I've already surfed many of the spots in this book. I really enjoy the simplicity of this book, and I view it as a guidebook that I can use to map out my next surf trip. I particularly enjoy the various quotes from surfers around the world, giving their thoughts on a particular spot. All in all, a good book!

2.0 out of 5 stars Very inaccurate writing, December 27, 2009

By 

Alan Clarkson-dodds "Alan" (Pacifica, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 100 Best Surf Spots in the World: The World's Best Breaks for Surfers in Search of the Perfect Wave (Paperback)

I don't normally review stuff, but this one time I had to say something. This book is wildly inaccurate at times, mostly in geography. Simple stuff like saying a break is north of another when it's south. More simple stuff like distances.

There's one entry for Cabo San Lucas that says Todos Santos (the big wave break - not the town) is 60 miles north of Cabo. Well, it's more like 995 miles(!).... that 60 miles is to the town, which is not the big wave spot.

Under Mavericks he says Jeff Hawks rode it alone for years. Even non-surfers know the name Jeff Clark.

I could go on, but you get the point. It's not just a little inaccurate - it's way off base.

Even the photos aren't particularly good - many are badly framed.

I feel like this book was written quickly and without adequate research. Clearly the writer hasn't been to many of these spots, so why write about them without researching them first?

There are far better coffee table surf guides out there.