Johnny, determined to follow Bodhi, knows he won’t miss the ’50-year storm’ at Bell’s Beach in Victoria. He arrives in the rainy Australian town of Torquay, actually filmed in Wheeler, Oregon. This location is about 35 miles south of Astoria, Oregon. Here, Johnny parks near the Old Wheeler Hotel before heading to the beach. Contrary to appearance, Wheeler isn’t directly on the coast but by the Nehalem River estuary, which flows into Nehalem Bay.

The climactic storm scene was shot at Indian Beach in Ecola State Park, located just north of Cannon Beach in Oregon. This location was used to represent the dramatic surfing sequence. Meanwhile, the scenes featuring massive waves where Bodhi disappears were filmed in Waimea, Oahu. This blending of locations from Oregon and Hawaii helped create the impactful finale of the film.