North Curl Curl SLSC True Protein 3 Points Challenge & 2km Ocean Swim

The North Curl Curl SLSC True Protein 3 Points Challenge & 2km Ocean Swim takes place in the open sea off North Curl Curl Beach, in the coastal northern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. Organized by the North Curl Curl Surf Life Saving Club, the gathering is rooted in community competition. Swimmers who prefer a purely aquatic challenge can take on the 2km Ocean Swim. This standalone event follows a triangular loop course that begins and finishes directly on the sand at North Curl Curl Beach. Heading straight out through the shoreline breakers into the open ocean, the route demands sharp navigational focus around the offshore turning buoys before guiding competitors back through the incoming swell to an energetic shore sprint.

For those seeking a full-body coastal trial, the 6,000-metre 3 Points Challenge presents a demanding multisport journey linking three distinct bays. The event combines multiple swim legs with soft-sand running and rugged coastal trail scrambles between North Curl Curl, South Curl Curl, and Freshwater Beach. Athletes must manage repeated shifts between ocean swimming and overland efforts, including a steep climb from the sand up to the headland car park. After battling the swell and running the inter-beach trails, competitors finish with a high-energy beach sprint across the sand to the roar of the beachside crowd. The event is held in early December. During this time of year, ocean water temperatures generally hover between 19 and 21°C (66-70 °F). While wetsuits are optional, organizers recommend them for the multisport challenge.

North Curl Curl Beach and the Curl Curl shoreline

North Curl Curl Beach is the northern half of the stretch of sand at Curl Curl, which is divided into North and South Curl Curl beaches. Curl Curl Lagoon and Greendale Creek separate the suburb of Curl Curl from North Curl Curl. The lagoon that empties into the ocean at Curl Curl Beach was named Harbord Lagoon until it was renamed Curl Curl Lagoon in the 1980s. Saltwater rockpools sit at each end of Curl Curl Beach. Curl Curl has a reputation for some of the best surfing on the Northern Beaches. Northern Beaches Council employs professional lifeguards to patrol Curl Curl Beach from the end of September until Anzac Day.

Curl Curl swell: reading the surf and rip currents

In past editions, changing tides and local currents during the final leg have formed powerful rip currents that pull seaward away from the beach. A rip current is a narrow, localized channel of water flowing directly off the shoreline, typically developing where waves break over shallow bars and seek an exit. Because these fast-moving flows can cause distress to unseasoned swimmers and lead to serious safety hazards, handling them with proper technique is essential. Reading the surface before entering the water makes navigating the surf far more manageable. Swimmers can often spot a rip current by looking for a distinct gap in the incoming wave pattern, an outgoing river of foam, or water with a noticeably darker or different hue than the surrounding shallows.

If caught in one of these offshore flows, fighting directly against the current only wastes energy. The proven method is to remain calm and swim parallel to the shoreline, easily escaping the narrow corridor of moving water before turning back toward the safety of the breaking waves and the beach.

Cabbage Tree Bay and the North Head marine haven

Just about three kilometres down the coast from the race site lies the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve. Encompassing 17 hectares of protected marine habitat on the northern flank of North Head, this pristine sanctuary is designated as a strict no-take zone where fishing and the removal of marine life are prohibited. Beneath its sheltered waters, the bay supports an interconnected mosaic of sandy beaches, rocky reefs, seagrass meadows, and kelp forests that provide year-round feeding and nursery grounds for coastal wildlife. The biodiversity thriving within the reserve is extraordinary. Researchers and divers have catalogued over 160 fish species and 50 invertebrate species in these waters. Remarkably, the reserve also supports a resident colony of Pocillopora aliciae hard corals, a subtropical species typically found in much warmer northern waters that somehow flourishes in this temperate corner of New South Wales.

Nearby along the sheltered rocky shoreline, the secluded bays of Manly also shelter New South Wales' only mainland breeding colony of little penguins.

North Head: sandstone cliffs and quarantine heritage

Beyond Cabbage Tree Bay stands the imposing promontory of North Head. Rising up to 115 metres above the crashing surf, this dramatic remnant of the Hornsby Plateau forms the northern gateway to Port Jackson. Together with South Head, it frames the two-kilometre-wide Sydney Heads, where ocean swells meet the expansive waters of Sydney Harbour. Long before modern ships charted the coastline, Indigenous Australians lived along North Head, leaving archaeological traces that include shell middens, rock art, and ancient burial grounds. At Spring Cove, authorities established a historic quarantine station in 1828 to isolate incoming ships and prevent outbreaks of contagious diseases like cholera and smallpox from reaching the fledgling colony. Over the decades of its operation, individuals detained along the cliffs carved their stories directly into the soft rock, leaving behind more than 1,600 historic sandstone inscriptions that can still be traced today.

The oceanway: coastal life between Manly and Shelly Beach

The broad golden sweep of Manly Beach is split into three main sections—Queenscliff, North Steyne, and South Steyne. From the southern end of the beach, a paved oceanway path winds gently along the rocky shoreline past Fairy Bower to Shelly Beach. Professional lifeguards patrol South Steyne throughout the entire year, while North Steyne and Queenscliff maintain active lifeguard operations from October through April. On weekends and holidays throughout the warmer months, volunteers from the local surf lifesaving clubs patrol the sands, preserving the community spirit that makes ocean swimming such a pure and enduring challenge.