Cayton Bay - Bunkers is a horseshoe-shaped bay that has long been a hub for local and travelling surfers. The headline break, Bunkers, peels in front of WW2 concrete bunkers and reliably draws a crowd with its fun walls. It is not the only wave here: Pumphouse, a rocky reef at the bottom of the slip road, can throw excellent lefts, while Cayton Point wraps around the northern tip as a heavy, pinwheel, thick-lipped left over boulders and rocks. Across the bay, expect fast, hollow, bowly beachbreaks over sand.
When It Works
The bay draws swell from north through east-northeast to southeast (N-ENE-SE), with north swell the best match. It works from 0.6 m / 2 ft to 3 m / 10 ft, breaking both left and right over sand. Waves turn up year round but the spot comes into its own in autumn, roughly September to November, and can be excellent in regular northeast groundswells.
Wind and Tide
Look for southwest offshore wind. The beachbreaks fire from mid to just before high tide, with a rising tide generally the better call. At low tide a fringing reef cuts off the swell, so it pays to time your session around the push.
Local Tips
There is something here for most levels, from beginners to experts, and it suits everything from shortboards and fish to funboards, longboards, and bodyboards. Cayton Point is strictly for advanced surfers, heaving over shallow rock and boulders. Expect a busy lineup when it works, with a somewhat reserved atmosphere. The paddle out gets tough at size as the sweep over the shallow sandbar turns fierce.
Access
A large pay car park sits cliff-top above the breaks, with showers, restrooms, a surf shop, a surf school, and camping nearby. A steep path leads down to the beach, which gets cut off at high tide, and the cliff is prone to landslips.
