North Narrabeen is recognized as having the most consistent breaks on the east coast, as well as having some of the best. The combination has developed a local crew which as individual and a team which probably has the most enviable record of contest success at local, state, national and the international level. Located in the centre of Sydney’s northern beaches, at the northern end of Narrabeen-Collaroy beach, the reserve takes in Narrabeen Head, the inlet entrance and the beach extending 600 m to the south. Within this relatively small area are six outstanding breaks.
Breaking against the rock platform that surround the head is The Point, a left-hand break with an ultra-fast takeoff followed by a short intense barrel. The rock form the seabed south of the point and produced two breaks. The Alley Rights or Shark Alley, works in east to south swell, forming long rights that depending on bar conditions can be long walls or hollow. It breaks into the easy paddle out of the inlet channel. The Alley Lefts are the main break and considered the most consistent break on the east coast and a world class break, hence the site of many contests. During east to north swell and northeast through southwest winds it produced long hollow powerful lefts, running for up to 250 m and holding up to 4 m. Car Park Rights or Carries is a beach break that works best during east to south swell, when the inlet rip carves a channel along which it breaks as a super-fast rights that can provide an intense heavy barrel or a hideous wipeout. The Gardens consist of the beach breaks extending south of Carpark Right, considered a place to get away from the crowds. Two to three hundred meters off the beach is The Bombie breaking over a deep reef. It breaks during south swell when wave exceed 3-4 m, initially breaking left, then as the swell rises producing an intense hollow right.
The North Narrabeen Boardriders Club was founded in 1964 and is one of the very few clubs to have held monthly club competitions ever since. This combined with the outstanding waves has bred not only a competitive local crew who jealously guard their waves, but who have gone onto conquer the world, including Col Smith considered in the pre-contest era as the best surfer in the world, Mark Warren one of the Bronzed Aussies, two times world champion Damien Hardman, inventor of the ‘Thruster’ Simon Anderson, the sultan of speed and founder of ‘Hot Buttered’ Terry Fitzgerald, Laura Enever holder of the record for the biggest wave padded into by a woman. Five club members have become Members of the Australian Surfing Hall of fame: Col Smith, Terry Fitzgerald, Mark Warren, Simon Anderson and Damien Hardman and the club has produced 18 surfers who have toured with the ASP/WSL competition. As a club the NN Boardriders has also dominated inter-club competitions having won the Kirra Teams, Australian Boardriders Battle and Jim Beam Surf Tag a number of times, and more recently the club won the inaugural East Coast Invitational. The women’s team has also won the Jim Beam Surf Tag a number of times. The outstanding and consistent waves have also seen North Narrabeen being used as the site of local, regional, state, national and international contests.
The North Narrabeen Surf Life Saving Club is located in the centre of the reserve. Founded in 1911 is also has an outstanding record of competitive success at the local, regional, state and national level. Despite patrolling what is considered a challenging beach to patrol with strong rips, a heavy shorebreak couples with the lagoon outflow the club is proud to say “there have been no lives lost during patrol hours”.
