Shipstern Bluff: a wave within a wave

And you thought Mavericks was gnarly, and Cortes Bank insane. Let me introduce you to Shipstern Bluff.

Nestled on Tasmania’s remote Tasman Peninsula, Shipstern Bluff—nicknamed Shippies, or formerly known as Devil’s Point—is famed for being a surfing destination for the criminally insane. Why not. It is considered one of the most dangerous places to surf on earth.

The wave breaks over a shallow reef, which happens to be a razor-sharp reef, generating brutal slabs that are moving with insane speed. Oh, and there are sharks. And it’s bloody cold. It’s not easy to get to, either. You either have to hike for 2 hours through the national park or take a boat or jet ski, and that’s about a 20-mile ride.

The Shippies is best known for its “mutant steps,” which are sequential drops that create a “wave within a wave.” The wave’s height is not the tallest you would’ve heard of but can get up to 30 feet, which is nothing to sneeze at. But what’s truly impressive is its speed. We’re talking about riding at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.

Shipstern only breaks on the largest southwest winter swells, and the wave is often unsurfable because of the winds. You could attempt to paddle in on a smaller day, but it’s mostly a tow-in affair.

‍ The chef who found Shippies

The first surfer at Shipstern Bluff was a local chef, David Guiney, who since 1986 and then on for years rode the break by himself, just like Jeff Clark at Mavericks. He just wandered along the coast, found a new wave—no big deal.

David said about Shipstern:

“Takes everything. It takes your energy, it takes your confidence, it takes your ego, it takes it all so you’ve got nothing left.”

Thank God it’s such a pretty wave—as photographed by Sean Davey, who took Kieren Perrow, Mark Mathews, and Drew Courtney to Shipstern Bluff in 2001, and effectively broke it to the world.

Surfing at the Shippies is a badge of honor for many surfers like Andy Irons, Kelly Slater, and Mick Fanning. It truly is a miracle that no one has died there yet.

But one came close. In 2024, big wave surfer Mikey Brennan disappeared from view as the wave crashed over him. He later recalled:

“To be honest, [the Shipstern wipeout] was the closest to death because even when I broke my back on the east coast at Governor, I was conscious for the whole time. It was equally as dangerous, but like this was just being knocked out and going unconscious. I really can’t quite explain it.”

Guess where I won’t be surfing any time soon.

Author: The Wipeout Weekly team