Alus-Alus Rivermouth.

A horseshoe-shaped dead coral reef sits off the eastern side of the Alus-Alus rivermouth, producing multiple peaks that break both right and left. The 2005 earthquake lifted the reef significantly, transforming what were once clean walls into a more treacherous setup. The main right runs fast across fingers of exposed reef with barrel sections in very shallow water, often producing unmakeable closeout sections. A second right breaks on a slab nearby. The left offers a more forgiving wall but carries its own problems, with strong rips pulling surfers off the peak and frequent closeout sections shifting unpredictably. Across the rivermouth channel, a sand-bottom right known locally as Little Kirra breaks back into the river flow. Once a high-quality wave, it lost its sandbars during the heavy swells of 2017-18 and has been slowly rebuilding since. The rip in this section is deceptively powerful, making the wave far harder to surf than it appears. Also known as Tombstones locally, the reef peaks demand solid intermediate ability at minimum. Mid-tide on the outgoing push offers the best balance between depth and shape. River runoff muddies the water after rain, and the current pushes debris across the bay toward Alus Rights.

Horseshoe reef lifted by the 2005 quake, now shallow barrels over exposed fingers.