Surfing Waves

Hey guys would really appreciate much help. Been lucky enough to have some small swell the past 2 weeks and have been able to go and surf the rivermouth. My question is, where can I surf when it is big and scary? I am a kook and haven't really surfed regularly for around 10 months now. I have heard that the beach fronting grunters is good and have actually been to huzzas (but that needs huge swell to break). Need some advice so I can improve my surfing and hopefully surf the more challenging stuff one day. Thanks again! Really appreciate it!