St Andrews Beach

St Andrews Beach is a popular surf break on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, south of Melbourne. It’s part of the open-ocean stretch facing Bass Strait, so it gets a steady supply of swell and can produce powerful beachbreak waves.

Surf description

• Type: Exposed beach break
• Wave quality: Can be fun and punchy, with occasional strong, hollow peaks
• Best swell: Generally works well on southerly to southwesterly swells
• Wind: Usually likes offshore northerly winds; southerly winds can make it messy
• Consistency: Fairly reliable compared with more sheltered Melbourne-area beaches because of its exposure

Conditions and characteristics

• Can have multiple shifting peaks along the beach
• Sandbanks change often, so the shape of the waves can vary week to week
• Can be powerful and fast, especially when the swell picks up
• Often better suited to surfers with some experience, though smaller days can be more manageable

Hazards

• Strong currents and rips
• Dumping waves on bigger swells
• Changing sandbars and shorebreak can make entry/exit tricky

Vibe

• Natural, open coastline with a more rugged feel than city beaches
• Popular with locals and surfers looking for a less crowded alternative to some Melbourne breaks