Where to Surf in June

June is when the Southern Hemisphere winter hits its stride. The storm tracks circling Antarctica are firing on all cylinders, pushing long-period SW groundswells into every exposed coast across South Africa, Indonesia, Peru, and beyond. Jeffreys Bay reaches peak season. G-Land in Java switches fully on. Bali’s famous Bukit Peninsula breaks fire with world-class conditions all day, every day. The tropics — Mentawais, Maldives, Arugam Bay — are deep in their seasons. Meanwhile the Northern Hemisphere is waking up too: Portugal still has Atlantic swell, France’s beach breaks are warming, and the Pacific is starting to rumble ahead of the Northern Hemisphere summer. June rewards the surfer who knows where to point the nose of their board.

Ten destinations worth your attention this month: eight that have earned their reputations, and two your crew probably hasn’t talked about yet.

Jeffreys Bay, South Africa

June is peak season at Jeffreys Bay. The Southern Ocean’s winter storms are tracking close enough to the Eastern Cape to generate consistent, powerful SW groundswells that wrap around Cape St Francis and peel down Supertubes with mechanical perfection. This is when the wave runs at its absolute best: 4–10 ft faces, long-period swell, the SE offshore winds grooming every section from Boneyards through Impossibles, Supers, and The Point into a seamless conveyor of right-hand barrels that can run for 200–300 metres. The WSL Championship Tour (Stop No. 10 for 2025) holds its competition window in mid-to-late July — meaning early and mid June gives you the legendary wave at peak conditions with only the dedicated local crew and international surf travellers, rather than the full circus of the CT event. The Surf Atlas reports June is statistically the most consistent month for clean surfable waves at J-Bay. Water temperature drops to around 16–18°C, which calls for a 4/3mm wetsuit, but the air is mild and the Garden Route scenery — dramatic cliffs, fynbos, roaming dolphins at the dawn patrol — makes even a between-swells flat spell feel worth the flight.

Bali, Indonesia

June is the month Bali’s surf scene announces itself to the world. The SE trade winds — the key to everything — are now blowing consistently offshore across the Bukit Peninsula from morning until late afternoon, grooming the left-hand reef breaks of Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Bingin, Impossibles, and Dreamland into perfectly walled, fast, hollow conditions that have made this stretch of coast one of the most photographed in surfing. Uluwatu is a series of breaks at the southwest tip of the Bukit Peninsula — Racetrack, Peak, Temples, Outside Corner, The Bombie — each working at different tides and swell sizes, with 400-metre rides possible at Racetrack when the swell and tide align. Padang Padang, a short walk from Ulu via cliff path, is more intimate and more barrel-focused: a short, powerful left-hander that requires commitment and timing. Bingin and Impossibles are slightly more accessible for intermediates wanting to progress to reef breaks. Beyond the Bukit, Canggu on the west coast has beach breaks for all levels and a booming social scene. June is peak season — which means crowds are real at the main spots, particularly at Uluwatu’s Peak section — but the quality of the waves makes it worth it, and the Balinese water temp (29°C, boardshorts, all day) remains one of surfing’s great pleasures.

G-Land (Grajagan Bay), Java, Indonesia

Named by 1970s pioneers who flew into Bali and spotted perfect lines reeling along the East Java coast from the plane, G-Land — formally Grajagan Bay on the edge of Alas Purwo National Park — is one of the most storied and serious waves on the planet. A series of eight named sections string along a coral-studded lava reef at the southeastern tip of Java: Kongs (the workable outside entry), Money Trees (the main event, the section Gerry Lopez made famous — fast, hollow, running for hundreds of metres), Launching Pad (a critical steep take-off leading into Speedies), and Speedies itself (the heaviest and most consequential section, a near-bottomless barrel at mid-to-high tide that has produced some of surfing’s most incredible images and some of its worst injuries). The wave is 2–3 ft bigger than a similarly-exposed Uluwatu, thanks to an ocean canyon off the point that funnels uninterrupted Indian Ocean swell directly into the reef. June sits in the prime season: 70% probability of head-high or better waves, SE trade winds arriving offshore by 9:30am every morning with near-religious consistency, and the jungle-meets-ocean setting so remote and wild that you feel genuinely far from the world. Getting here requires a fast boat from Bali’s Sanur Beach (2–3 hours) or a long overland journey through East Java — the remoteness is part of the experience. Book well ahead: the surf camps have limited beds.

Chicama, Peru

Ask any surf data source what June is like at Chicama and the answer is unambiguous: it’s the best month of the year. Average swell heights hit 6 ft in June — the level at which Chicama’s famous multi-section left starts to properly link up, turning what is normally a very long wave into an extraordinary one. Chicama sits on the Peruvian desert coast, 85 km north of Trujillo, in the driest place on earth. The headland at Puerto Malabrigo is positioned in an almost supernatural alignment with the South and SW swells generated by the Roaring Forties, bending long-period wave trains into the bay at an angle that allows them to peel for up to 4 kilometres without breaking down. Seven named sections run from La Isla at the far outside point all the way to El Malecón pier in town — and in June’s 6 ft conditions, the last three start to connect, creating leg-burning rides of over a kilometre that require local boat taxis to retrieve you to the top. The Humboldt Current keeps the water cold year-round (around 16–18°C, 3mm suit essential even in the Peruvian winter), but the reward is extraordinary: a consistent, long-period left that surfers of every level can ride, in one of the most atmospheric and unhurried surf towns on earth. June is peak season by every metric — swell consistency sits at 90%, offshore ENE winds are reliable, and the valley flanking the wave creates a natural wind funnel that keeps conditions clean day after day.

Mentawai Islands, Indonesia

The Mentawais need little introduction to anyone who has watched a surf video in the past three decades. This remote archipelago off the coast of Sumatra is home to over 70 named world-class reef breaks — Rifles, Macaronis, Bank Vaults, HT’s, Lance’s Right, Pitstops, Telescopes — and June is deep inside the peak season that runs from May through October. The SW swell window is fully open: Indian Ocean groundswells arrive with 90% consistency, trade winds are offshore from the SE, and the water temperature is a constant 27–28°C. What makes the Mentawais different from everywhere else on this list is the sheer concentration of quality: you can drift from one world-class break to the next by boat in under 20 minutes, with breaks for every skill level within the same proximity. Macaronis is an approachable, long-period left for intermediate surfers who want their first Indo barrel. Rifles is a hollow, grinding right for advanced surfers wanting a genuine challenge. Lance’s Right (HT’s) is the machine — a perfectly symmetrical A-frame that fires relentlessly. The archipelago’s remoteness is preserved by the near-total boat-or-resort-only access model, and the crowd levels, while not zero, are far more manageable than comparably quality waves in Bali or the Maldives. Book 12–18 months ahead for June trips.

Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Arugam Bay‘s east coast surf season is well established by June — the SW monsoon has pushed the swell season onto the island’s eastern shores, and the Main Point right-hander is doing what it always does from April to October: producing long, gentle, consistent waves that peel for hundreds of metres over a sandy bottom in 28°C water. It’s one of the most accessible quality point breaks in the world: the take-off is straightforward, the wave is forgiving even on bigger days, and the warm tropical water removes the wetsuit anxiety that plagues colder-water destinations. Beyond the Main Point, Pottuvil Point and Whiskey Point offer more challenging options for experienced surfers — faster, hollower, less crowded. Crocodile Rock, a short tuk-tuk ride north, is a growing favourite. The setting is genuinely extraordinary: Sri Lanka’s east coast in June is dry and sunny, the beach town is unhurried and charming, the food is outstanding (fresh seafood, rice and curry for virtually nothing, incredible smoothie bars), and the wildlife — elephants visible from the road, crocodiles in the lagoon — is a constant reminder that you’re somewhere genuinely special. June is established season but not yet the July–August peak: waves are consistent, the expat and surf camp community is fully up and running, and prices are still firmly in the budget travel bracket.

The Maldives (North & Central Atolls)

June is well inside the Maldives’ SW monsoon surf season, which runs from April through October, and the North Male and Central Atolls are at their most consistent. The SW swell window is fully open: long-period Indian Ocean groundswells are now arriving regularly, and breaks like Cokes (a steep, hollow right-hander that fires over a shallow reef in North Male Atoll), Ninjas, Chickens, Sultans, and Pasta Point are all operating. Cokes is Maldivian surfing at its most intense — shallow, fast, and unforgiving, best at mid-to-high tide with a clean SW swell — and is not for the faint-hearted. Sultans and Ninjas, a short boat ride from Hudhuranfushi or Niyama Resort, are more approachable A-frames that offer quality rights and lefts for intermediate surfers. The Maldives experience is defined by the water: 29–30°C, crystalline visibility, boardshorts only, surrounded by reef fish and the occasional turtle or reef shark in the line-up. Getting between breaks requires either a resort speedboat or a live-aboard charter; the infrastructure is entirely boat-dependent. June is busy but not peak — July and August are the most crowded months — and the combination of warm water, consistent swell, and one of the world’s most beautiful settings makes it one of surfing’s most compelling destinations in any month.

Portugal (Algarve & Peniche)

Portugal’s surf season is well into its stride by June — the Atlantic is still sending consistent swell, the weather has warmed to pleasant beach-afternoon temperatures (24–26°C air, 18–19°C water), and the summer crowds haven’t yet reached their late July–August peak. The Algarve’s west-facing coast — Arrifana, Amado, Cordoama — offers accessible and picturesque waves for beginners and intermediates, set against dramatic orange cliff scenery and some of the most photogenic coastline in Europe. Further north, Peniche remains consistent: Baleal Bay is a sheltered, graduated learn-to-surf environment that produces more confident surfers per square metre than anywhere else in Europe; and Supertubos, just outside town, is one of Europe’s heaviest beach barrels — hollow, fast, and shallow — available when the Atlantic cooperates. Ericeira, 30 minutes south of Peniche, is a World Surfing Reserve with six world-class breaks within 10 minutes of each other, including Ribeira d’Ilhas and Reef. The water requires a 3/2mm shorty or thin fullsuit, which is a mild inconvenience. Everything else — the food, the wine, the price of a surf camp week, the ease of reaching good waves by bus or scooter — makes Portugal one of Europe’s most compelling June surf destinations.

Hidden Gems for June

Lombok, Indonesia

Twenty-two miles across the Lombok Strait from Bali, Lombok is the version of Indonesian surfing that hasn’t been completely overrun yet. The island’s south coast runs for 20 miles and holds nearly two dozen quality breaks — and in June, the dry season is in full effect: SW swell is consistent, trade winds are offshore across the exposed south coast, and the water is 28°C. Kuta Lombok is the hub: a small, low-key surf town dramatically unlike Bali’s Canggu, with coconut rice, cheap accommodation, and a beach-first mentality. From here, a short boat ride reaches Gerupuk Bay — an extraordinary multi-peak setup with five named breaks covering every skill level, from gentle beginner peelers on the inside to powerful performance waves outside. Mawi, further west, is a powerful A-frame exposed directly to the full force of the Indian Ocean that fires when the swell hits 4 ft or more — potentially one of the most underrated intermediate-to-advanced waves in all of Indonesia. And for advanced surfers who’ve done their research: Desert Point, on Lombok’s remote northwest tip, produces one of the longest left-hand barrels in the world in June–September when the SW swell arrives — up to 20-second tube rides over a shallow, unforgiving reef — and remains significantly less crowded than G-Land or the Mentawais. The island’s transport logistics require planning (boats to most breaks, scooter-hire for the rest), but the surf camp infrastructure in Kuta Lombok is now genuinely excellent, and the overall experience — quality waves, warm water, no Bali prices — is hard to beat in June.

Ponta D’Ouro, Mozambique

Ponta D’Ouro sits on the very southern tip of Mozambique, 120 km south of Maputo, so close to the South African border that you can see the KwaZulu-Natal coast from the headland. It has been producing one of the best right-hand point breaks in the Indian Ocean for decades, and June is when it comes alive. The same Southern Ocean storms generating the swells that make Jeffreys Bay famous send SW groundswells up the Mozambican coast, where they wrap into the bay in front of Ponta D’Ouro’s main point and produce long, peeling, turquoise right-handers over white sand — waves that look like something a graphic designer might render if asked to create the ideal surf destination, and that the surf travel world has been writing about in hushed tones for years. The rainy season is genuinely finished by June (unlike May, which can still be transitional), the swell consistency is in full swing, and the level of tourist infrastructure — while developing — remains low enough to give the place a raw, authentic quality that has all but vanished from the Indo destinations. Dolphin diving is the other main activity here: Ponta D’Ouro is one of the world’s most reliably dolphin-dense coastlines, and you can arrange a dive or snorkel trip between surf sessions. Access is easiest from Johannesburg or Maputo; the border crossing with South Africa is straightforward.

We publish a new monthly surf guide every month — updated destinations, honest conditions, and hidden gems. Check back next month for the July edition.