If a perfect vacation is no cell service, no TV, no crowds, and lots of surfing, then Australia’s Lord Howe Island may be heaven. Photo: Justin Spencer//Screenshot
“No crowds, no traffic, no pollution, no crime, no TV, no phone, and no internet.” Sounds relaxing. But sprinkle in some coral reef passes and warm-water surfing, and it must be a paradise.
Those are the conditions as described by surf filmer Justin Spencer, who recently paid a visit to the remote Lord Howe Island. The island is 350 miles from the mainland — 400 miles by boat from Sydney — out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. (There is an airstrip, too.) Only about 400 people live there, with plenty of waves for surfers who make the remote trek.
According to Stormrider Surf Travel Guide, “the island’s coastline is exposed to waves…hitting a great variety of breaks, creating fairly consistent surf all year. A barrier reef stretches for six kilometers along the west side of the island, enclosing a beautiful lagoon. It is sliced by several passages, most of them being home to quality surf breaks.”
That description checks out in Spencer’s video, depicting a stunning island with plenty of nooks and crannies to ride waves. “It doesn’t get better than this,” he wrote.
