Cowaramup Bombora

Cowaramup Bombora (also known as Cowie Bombie or simply Cow Bombie) is a big wave open-ocean surf break found on the south-west coast of Western Australia. It is located 2 km (1.2 mi) offshore west of Gracetown which is near the town of Margaret River, world-renowned for its surf, and is 265 km (165 mi) south of the capital city Perth.[1][2]

Cowaramup Bombora
Cowie Bombie, Cow Bombie
Mick Corbett surfing Cow Bombie in 2014.
Locationoffshore of Gracetown, Western Australia
Coordinates33°51′20.57″S 114°58′4.51″E (approximate)
Part ofIndian Ocean

The break first came to the world’s attention in 2007, when local Damon Eastaugh won the Big Wave Award after riding a wave estimated to be more than 15 m (50 ft).[3]

It doesn't break often, requiring huge swells from the Southern Ocean,[4] but these can produce very large waves often in excess of 12 m (40 ft)[5] with some contending for the biggest wave in Australia at over 18 m (60 ft).[6][7][8]

Its name comes from Cowaramup, the name of the small local townsite, and bombora, an Indigenous Australian term for an area of large sea waves breaking over a shallow area.

The break was featured in the 2013 documentary series Storm Surfers 3D which described it as "on its day, the tallest wave in Australia",[9] where Tom Carroll survived a near-death wipeout while surfing with Ross Clarke-Jones.[10] It also featured in the 2011 documentary film Fighting Fear.[11][12]

In 2011, Western Australian surfer Damien Warr won the Oakley Biggest Wave award for his ride on Cow Bombie.[13] In February 2015, Jarryd Foster, won the Oakley Biggest Wave award for his ride on Cow Bombie.[14][15] Mick Corbett was also a 2015 finalist for the same award with his Cow Bombie ride.[16][17]

On 26 June 2015, Australian surfer Felicity Palmateer became the first woman to surf Cow Bombie.[7][18][19]

On 2 March 2016, the Oakley Big Wave Awards 2015-2016 were announced, with two of the three major awards coming from Cow Bombie: Zac Haynes won Biggest Paddle-In, and Justin Holland won Biggest Wave in Australian Waters, finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively for Ride Of The Year. All three contenders for Biggest Wave were at Cow Bombie.[20]

References
  1. "Surf locations, Surf forecast, Cow Bombie, Australia, Oceania, , Western Australia". SurfingAtlas.com. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  2. "Cow bombie - Surfing in Margaret River North, Australia - WannaSurf, surf spots atlas, surfing photos, maps, GPS location". Wannasurf.com. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  3. Pancia, Anthony. "Just passing through - Jamie Mitchell drops into Cow Bombie - Your Margaret River Region". Margaretriver.com. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  4. "Surf locations, Surf forecast, Cow Bombie, Australia, Oceania, , Western Australia". SurfingAtlas.com. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  5. "COW BOMBIE REVIEW". Archived from the original on 12 April 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
  6. "The Biggest Wave Ever Ridden In Australia?". mySURF.tv. Archived from the original on 8 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  7. "Did This Margaret River Surfer Ride Australia's Biggest Ever Wave". Perthnow.com.au. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  8. "Big wave surfing". Au.news.yahoo.com. 5 January 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  9. "Storm Surfers 3D (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  10. "Storm Surfers - Near-Death Wipeout at Cow Bombie". YouTube. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  11. "TOP TEN Mark Mathews waves from FIGHTING FEAR - Watch actions sports online at Garage Entertainment". Garageentertainment.com.au. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  12. "Fighting Fear (2011)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  13. "Five-year wait pays off for surfer - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. 9 February 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  14. "Big Wave awards: WA surfer Jarryd Foster wins top prize for Cow Bombie ride - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  15. "Jarryd Foster at Cow Bombie - 2015 XXL Biggest Wave Nominee - WSL Big Wave Awards". YouTube. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  16. "Surfer Mick Corbett rides the Cow Bombie off WA's South-West coast - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. 12 February 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  17. "Mick Corbett at Cow Bombie - 2015 XXL Biggest Wave Nominee - WSL Big Wave Awards". YouTube. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  18. "Felicity Palmateer Makes History At Cow Bombie". Surfinglife.com.au. 2 July 2015. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  19. "Felicity Palmateer Makes History At Big Cow Bombie". mySURF.tv. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  20. "Winners Announced at the Oakley Big Wave Awards!". Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
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