Watch: Here is the Secret Behind This Popular Australian Surf Break
Surfers often take waves for granted.
We see waves and overanalyze, complain, and say what could be better. Then we ride them, overanalyze, complain, and say what could be better all over again.
Rarely do we think about what it actually took to create the wave. Or just how lucky we are that somehow the elements came together to make a surfable wave, like the epic righthand pointbreak that is Snapper Rocks.
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The video above comes from YouTuber Dan Harmon, who explains what makes Snapper Rocks the epic wave it is today.
In its caption, Harmon wrote:
"Hey guys!! Hope you’re getting waves this week!
"In this video, I break down how one of the best waves on Earth was accidentally created. Please let me know if you surfed Snapper prior to 2001 and what it was like!! Enjoy :)"
Harmon calls Snapper "one of the most perfect—and crowded—waves on earth."
But, he points out, that many people don't know that "Snapper wasn't always like this."
Harmon explains that geology alone isn't the only thing responsible for Snapper's quality.
"Humans have just as much to do with how Snapper was created," he says. "So in this video, we're gonna take a look at how a combination of coastal engineering and natural phenomena formed one of the best waves on earth."
Here's Snapper's evolution in a nutshell:
Millions of years ago, an ancient volcano poured lava into the ocean. That lava cooled, condensed, and formed rocks that eventually eroded. Fast forward to the 1980s, and the beach was severely eroding.
In 2001, the Australian government decided to do something about the erosion. Pumps and jetties were installed that put sand back into the water, which then drifts to all the right places.
Around 600,000 cubic meters of sand—enough to fill 240 Olympic pools—is pumped out at Snapper each year, creating the epic wave.
Sounds great right? But it came with a high price—Kirra.
Press play above for details.
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