Southerndown
Last updated: 19 January 2006
Surrounded by high cliffs, Southerndown or Dunraven Bay as it's officially known on OS maps, is predominantly a beach break with reef on the right-hand side.
Info on Southerndown & surrounding area
See some panoramic views of Southerndown This beach has been known to provide some tasty waves, especially in North Easterly winds during Winter.
The water is a pleasant brown colour like most spots in the SE, so keep your mouth closed when duckdiving.
It handles waves up to around six feet here and can be deceptively heavy with a powerful shore dump with football sized boulders moving up and down the inside section. The tide comes in very quickly here so make sure you give yourself plenty of time to exit.
It's best surfed from low to mid tide but not at high tide on a big swell or you'll end up being battered by the shorebreak.
Access to the line up depends on the tide - if it's high then take your chances on the left hand side. Wait for a lull and paddle quickly. There is also a concrete path on the right to guide you but it depends on how high the tide is, as waves sometimes break over this.
During the Summer months you will have to pay to park here. There are toilets and a lifeguard station on site.