Waves are quick to dole out punishment. Even relatively small surf can spell dire consequences under the right circumstances, and true waves of consequence are rightfully feared the world over. However, some breaks aren’t content to just break your body and spirit in the lineup, forcing you to endure pain and hardship just to get to them.
YouTuber Dan Harmon recently took to his channel to break down a few of these spiteful beasts, with a roundup of the five worst surf spots to get in (and out of) the water. Some of the inclusions in the list are far from surprises, such as the horrifying Sydney death slab known as Ours. Others are more esoteric picks, like Rocky Point (but in the Canary Islands, not the North Shore), the rocky nightmare known as Lennox Head in New South Wales and the cobblestoned Salvadorean spot Punta Roca.
But what ended up earning top marks? The answer was one of the world’s most famous breaks: Uluwatu.
“Uluwatu is a very, very famous break. It’s still surprising to me that people who can’t really surf actually surf Ulus, purely because of the reef,” explained Harmon. “When the wave’s small, it’s obviously quite mellow and quite easy, but the reef is savage. Super sharp. At low tide you’ve got to walk all over all of it. At high tide, you can paddle, so it’s a bit easier. Mid to low tide, you’ve gotta wade across this sharp coral reef. It’s horrible underfoot. When you enter the water, you’re going from ankle to knee-deep water, wading over these corals.”