Cape Solander surfing Sydney

Cape Solander sits at the southern entrance to Botany Bay, inside the Kamay Botany Bay National Park. It was named after Daniel Solander, the Swedish naturalist who sailed with Cook on the Endeavour when it anchored in the bay in 1770.

The headland looks south along an open stretch of coast that receives swell directly from the Tasman Sea. On a calm day there is nothing remarkable about the water below. On a day with a significant southerly swell, it becomes one of the most dramatic surf locations in Sydney.

The surf

Cape Solander only performs when there is real size in the water — the wave doesn't exist without a proper groundswell behind it. When conditions align, it draws experienced surfers willing to deal with heavy, exposed water and the logistics of a location that requires a jet ski for the longer paddle-in breaks along the cliff line to the south.

It is not a place to swim. It is a place to watch.

The spray visible at the top of a breaking wave from the clifftop path is the reliable indicator that something worth watching is happening below.

Whale watching

From May to November, humpback and southern right whales pass close to the Cape Solander headland during their annual migration. The clifftop path is one of the better shore-based whale watching spots in Sydney — the elevation gives clear sightlines and the whales regularly surface within a few hundred metres of the rocks.

As part of a custom day

Cape Solander can be included in a custom Sydney private tour — particularly for guests interested in coastal headlands, marine wildlife or the history of Botany Bay and Cook's landing. The national park also contains the Inscription Point site where Cook's crew carved their names into the rock in 1770.

take off

another powerful break

end of the line