Tallow Beach
Also known as: Tallows
A long, wild, exposed beach break with space to spare - powerful peaks, serious rips and a genuine shark reputation; experienced surfers only.
Best time to surf
Works much of the year on autumn/winter groundswell and summer E/cyclone swell; needs offshore/light wind
Shoulder season: Good for swell (very exposed) but wind-sensitive; onshores blow it out
The wave
Break type: Beach break
Bottom: Sand (long open beach break)
Wave direction: Beach break - lefts and rights
Typical wave length: Short - shifting beach-break peaks
Ideal swell: Open E swell window; handles a range of sizes (more exposed than the points)
Ideal wind: W / SW offshore
Working tide: Bank-dependent; mid tide generally workable
Difficulty & skill
Difficulty (1-5): 4 (exposed, powerful, strong rips, unpatrolled, shark exposure)
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced (not for beginners)
Options for a mixed group: Spread along the long beach for uncrowded peaks; send lower-skill members to patrolled Main Beach/Clarkes instead
Safety & hazards
Strong unpredictable rips, unpatrolled/no lifeguards, documented shark activity (a fatal attack has occurred in the Byron zone)
Nearest patrol Byron Bay Main Beach (Byron Bay SLSC); Byron Central Hospital ED, Ewingsdale (02 6639 9400); 000
Crowd, access & conditions
Crowd & localism: Uncrowded relative to The Pass - space to find your own peak; low localism pressure
Access & parking: Access points along Tallow Beach Rd / Suffolk Park; Arakwal National Park section (parking fee at the Cosy Corner end)
Surf schools & rental: Byron schools occasionally use Tallows in the right conditions; not a standard beginner-lesson beach; generally self-guided for experienced surfers
Water temp & wetsuit: ~19-25 C; boardshorts/springsuit summer, 3/2 steamer or springsuit winter
Crowds, access and local conditions change - confirm locally before you paddle out.
Around the break
Facilities: Limited - car parks and some toilets at access points; largely undeveloped natural beach
For non-surfers: Cape Byron lighthouse and coastal walk, headland lookouts, Byron township cafes and markets
Location
Nearest hub: Byron Bay (NSW)
-28.6600, 153.6100 (approximate)
Live conditions
Today's swell, wind and tide are a runtime layer - check the live sources: Surfline Tallows; Surf-Forecast Tallows Beach; Byron Shire Council patrol page
This profile is desk research, compiled from public sources - not a first-hand surf report. Coordinates are approximate.