Surf Beach (NSW) is the main surfing beach for
Kiama, and is located just beside the old
highway. The embayed beach is just 270 m
long, faces east and is bounded by the
prominent 15 m high basalt headlands of
Church and Kendalls points. Kiama Oval
sits on Church Point, a park surrounds the back
of the beach with the Kiama SLSC in the centre.
Surf Beach has long been a popular beach with
the surf club forming in 1908 when people from
Sydney used to come down by train to see the
Blow Hole and swim in the surf. The first
dressing sheds, for the ladies, were built in 1911.
While this is a convenient beach it is also
potentially hazardous, being exposed to most
swell and with waves averaging 1-1.5 m.
Within the confines of the small beach the
waves generate two permanent rips against the
rocks at each end, and occasionally a
central rip. In addition, rocks are often
exposed on the beach in front of the Surf Club,
and a channelised creek drains across the
southern end. Fortunately the bar between
the rips is usually attached to the beach.