We all know about Dungeons, the vicious South African break that was allegedly named by “a local surfer who got pounded by two consecutive 25-foot waves and held underwater,” but have we all been sleeping on nearby Sunset Reef?
Dubbed “South Africa’s Original Big Wave,” by Surfline, Sunset Reef is the lesser known brother to Dungeons’ extreme right-hander. Last week saw some “sublime conditions at Sunset Reef in Cape Town, South Africa, to usher in the Southern Hemisphere winter,” writes Now Now in the description for its latest YouTube edit.
The page then goes on to espouse the untapped resources of the South African break: “While Dungeons (located across the bay) undoubtedly holds more size, Sunset has yet to be ridden to its full potential and locals like Matt Bromley claim it is capable of delivering XXL tubes on par with waves like Jaws on the right swell – if you can physically paddle into it.”
Big wave aficionado Twiggy Baker agrees, “There’s the opportunity there to get just a mind-bending barrel on a really big wave,” he told Surfline. “One of us is going to do it soon. And once it hits 20 feet and over, it becomes a really dangerous, proper big wave.”
Whether or not we have yet to see Sunset Reef’s true form, we agree with Now Now’s evaluation: “Regardless, this warm-up session bodes well for South Africa’s big wave winter ahead.”
