Imagine Surfing A Wave Like This After A Night Of Camping On Boulders

Shipstern Bluff is no joke.

By that, I not only mean traversing the pesky boil or surviving the Tasman freeze, but also putting forth the effort that it takes just to surf there.  

Unless you live in Tassie—which would make you one of their 23 local surfers—you must first catch a plane to Hobart.

Then, depending on your friend group, you can either take an hours-long boat ride to the point or traverse Tasmania’s natural terrain by car, landing you at the Shippies “parking lot” in about two hours. From there, it’s a significant hike to the wave with what is typically an abundance of gear, as you’re probably planning to camp there for the night. 

That night will be spent in a swag (personalized mini-tent contraption, for our American readers) on a patch of grass that barely covers prehistoric bedrock and boulders. You’ll wake up freezing to the sound of a demonic rumble. That would be the ocean, taunting you like a morning rooster.

Cock-a-doodle-doo, pussy! Time to meet The Step. 

At this point, you have no choice but to surf. That means pulling on a 4/3, booties, gloves (if you’re a wuss), and either paddling from the rocks or taking a jetski to the lineup.

The first option is deceptively safer. Tow waves at Shippies take more scalps than the paddle-ins, and more importantly, you’ll get way less heckled by the local boys if you achieve the lineup by your own volition. This is a social code, just accept it. 

And after all of that, you must turn and paddle into a warping, six-turned-twelve foot wall of water that offers a jagged cliff face for its unwelcomed guests. 

This is the reality Kipp Caddy faced when filming for his newest release, “Inside the Bluff.”

And inside the bluff he got.