Sunset Beach is a playground for watermen and women, offering a unique challenge with its open-ocean power unleashed on a football-sized field. Surfers here must adapt their equipment and approach, navigating the wave differently compared to their usual beach breaks or reef spots.

The key to success at Sunset lies in overcoming fear and adjusting tactics to suit the reef's ever-changing and unpredictable nature. The surf arena comprises various sections, beginning with Val's Reef, a shifty and bowly peak located not far from the shore, providing fun waves during smaller swells.

Moving offshore, the Inside Bowl awaits, an end section outside Val's Reef notorious for its unpredictability and occasional violence, often causing mishaps for both surfer and board. Further out lies the West Peak, where swell energy rises swiftly from the deep channel, refracting back towards the reef.

Continuing across the reef, The Point awaits, its wave shape and takeoff point heavily influenced by swell direction. North to northeast swells create crosswise folding waves over the reef fingers, offering unpredictable and sectiony waves. Meanwhile, westerly swells focus on the West Peak/Bowl, amplifying into powerful and bowling wedge peaks. Right pointbreak conditions occur with northwest to north-northwest angled swells, allowing waves to bend along the reef.

Beyond The Point lies Backyards, where waves break across a broad lava platform. Although double overhead+ sets can break far offshore, the best shape is typically head-high to a few feet overhead, offering excellent rights and lefts.

Paddling is a significant aspect at Sunset, especially in larger conditions, as water movement can be intense. Rides are often long, necessitating a considerable distance to paddle back out. However, utilizing the Kammieland Rip in the bay's channel can ease the return journey. Larger, more westerly angled swells sweep the rip back towards Sunset's inside, though navigating this can demand considerable effort and may result in taking on water over shallow reef sections.