Nova Scotia, Canada

Where to surf in Nova Scotia, Canada

Nova Scotia is a 580km-(360mi) long peninsula-cum-island (Cape Breton) surrounded by four bodies of water – the Atlantic, the Bay of Fundy, the Northumberland Strait and the Gulf of St Lawrence – with a tortured topography that has been gouged and shaped by numerous glacial advances, the last of which reached its height about 20,000 years ago.

With an average width of only 130km (80mi), you’re never far from the sea. With a mosaic of rugged headlands, serene harbours, and ocean beaches, the irregular coastline of Nova Scotia stretches some 10,500km (6,500mi), highlighting the surf potential of this northeastern outpost.

This predominantly southeast-facing arc of coast is in a good position to gather up a wide range of swell pulses, and its complex, sawtooth shoreline provides an ideal set-up for bending swells and creating wind-sheltered pockets. Pointbreaks, an assortment of reefs and plenty of beachbreaks bring a wide range of wave choice to surfers in Nova Scotia, where crowds are rarely an issue.

Away from the established breaks near the cities, there is obvious potential for lonely sessions in quality waves. But icy cold water and harsh northern seasons make it an uncomfortable place to surf, which is fine with the small group of hardcore locals. Nova Scotia has a seemingly endless coastline with enormous untapped possibilities. Get ready for long drives, frustrating searches, and the occasional happy payoff…and bring plenty of rubber!

The southern shore

Largely untapped in terms of surf potential having countless set-ups with varying levels of accessibility. There are plenty of point and beachbreaks in the Yarmouth and Lockeport areas, but the most popular breaks on the South Shore are around Liverpool.

White Point Beach is a relatively consistent beachbreak, while nearby Western Head is a reef and pointbreak that offers more power on a good groundswell. To the northeast of Liverpool are a number of beachbreaks, such as Cherry Hill and Hirdles, and many infrequently surfed points that are yours to explore.

Halifax

The Halifax region, although often more crowded, offers numerous point, reef, and beachbreaks. Lawrencetown Beach is the most consistent beachbreak in the region, but it rarely gets good and starts to close out at about 1.5m (5ft). During larger swells, the points in this region start to light up, offering a variety of lefts and rights that provide shelter from the various wind directions. During the winter and on larger summer swells, the points and reefs of Cow Bay can also get good.

Martinique (about an hour east of Lawrencetown) is another consistent beachbreak that is surfed regularly in the summer.

Cape Breton Island

Another largely untapped surf region, there are only a handful of locals, but the area has been explored and has unlimited potential. Some of the more well-known surf areas include south-facing Michaud Point, Kennington Cove, and the exposed NE area of Ingonish, on the fringe of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park.