A Once‑in‑a Lifetime WA Wave

Hundreds of kilometres off the Kimberley coast, Scott Reef rises from deep blue water to a shallow coral rim, with waves that jack from near‑ocean‑floor depth onto a razor‑sharp reef. The right throws a heavy barrel that breaks in the middle of nowhere, no land in sight.​

It’s the kind of wave that lives in WA surf folklore: remote, risky, notoriously hard to catch and about as far from a crowded metro lineup as you can get. At the moment, the only regular visitors are small‑scale charter boats, fishers and the odd crew of chargers willing to put in the miles for a shot at a once‑in‑a‑lifetime session.

Letting heavy industry move in here would mean rigs on the horizon, exclusion zones around the reef and all the noise, traffic and infrastructure that come with a major gas field in a place that, so far, has stayed almost completely wild.

This Isn’t Anti‑Worker - It’s About a Line in the Sand

If you live in WA, chances are you’ve got family, mates or customers in oil and gas - or you’ve done a stint yourself. The industry has helped power the state, pay mortgages and fund local sport, and this campaign doesn’t deny that.

What we’re saying is simple: Scott Reef is a step too far.

You can support good, safe jobs and still agree that some places should stay off‑limits,  especially a reef‑break this remote and untouched, sitting on top of serious environmental and safety risks that even the EPA has flagged as “unacceptable”. The fight to save Scott Reef is about where we draw the line, not about demonising people who work offshore or in the resources sector.

Why Scott Reef Drilling Crosses That Line

Woodside’s Browse proposal would surround Scott Reef with up to 50 gas wells and run a pipeline hundreds of kilometres back to shore. That means:

  • ​Turning a remote atoll - known for its surf, fishing and clear water - into an industrial gas zone with rigs, ships and constant operations.
  • Long‑term safety risks to the reef if something goes wrong: a blowout, condensate spill or major accident this far offshore would be incredibly hard to contain.
  • Subsidence risk under the reef itself, threatening the sandy islets and shallow flats that make this place unique for wildlife and for the way waves wrap and break.

On top of that, the EPA has already said Woodside’s plans pose serious, unmanaged risks to endangered turtles, pygmy blue whales and other species that rely on Scott Reef as a key habitat. For many West Aussies, including plenty in hard hats and hi‑vis, that’s enough to say: we don’t need to put this particular reef and wave on the line.

Image from Corals' Last Stand

A WA‑Led Call to Keep Scott Reef Wild

West Australians are already stepping up. More than 17,000 people have already told the WA Government that this project is a bridge too far, and community pressure has pushed the EPA to reopen and scrutinise Woodside’s plans.

Surfers for Climate is part of the Save Scott Reef alliance alongside Greenpeace, AMCS, ACF and CCWA, working together to give this reef and this wave the statewide backing they deserve.

How You Can Back the Reef (Whatever Your Day Job)

Whether you work FIFO, run a cafe, drive trucks or chase swells, you can be part of the crew who all agree on one thing: drilling Scott Reef is a step too far. 

You don’t have to be an activist, quit your job or stop working offshore. You just have to be willing to back this reef and this wave, and stand with a growing WA crew saying Scott Reef should stay wild, not drilled.