What makes a spot great for surfing? It’s important to keep in mind that surfing is a year-long sport and not just summer activity. So, prime surf locations have good conditions during each season. But this doesn’t mean it has to be warm and sunny out. In fact, winter weather patterns and tide movements often cause the biggest waves to break.
But the huge swells of waves that crash here continue to attract adventurous surfers looking for a wild ride. And sometimes the best surf spots aren’t the ones that attract thousands of visitors; often, the best beaches for catching waves are known only to locals and surfing enthusiasts who will travel far and wide for the perfect wave.
North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii
Start off somewhat close to home by traveling to North Shore in Oahu, Hawaii. It is not only one of the best surfing places in the country; it’s also one of the top spots in the world. Enjoy high quality waves with beautiful scenery, a destination respected by many world-class surfers and competitors.
Fuerteventura, Spain
Head to Europe for another top surfing destination: the Spanish island of Fuerteventura. While at the second largest island of the Canary Islands, enjoy the beautiful white sand beaches and crystal clear water perfect. The island is always sunny and warm, perfect surfing weather.
Jeffreys Bay, South Africa
Travel to the southern tip of the African continent for another top place for surfing: Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa. Jeffreys Bay has been named the place “where dreams become reality” or “surfer’s paradise” for its great surf rides of up to 800 m. J’ Bay has 70km of beaches and four epic point breaks. The best season to go to J’Bay is between June and August, but even in winter surfers can have a great ride with a 3mm wet suit. The bay also hosts the annual Billabong Pro WCT surfing event in July.
Bali, Indonesia
Fly to Bali, Indonesia, for another great place to surf. Just eight degrees south of the equator, Bali is seen as a mandatory stop for those taking a global surfing trip. This great location has over 20 top quality breaks on the southwest and southeast coasts of the island. There are so many different places on the island, surfers can choose from a variety of beaches from white sands, black sands, and fantastic scenery.
Gold Coast, Australia
In order to finish off your amazing surfing adventure you need to reach every continent. Make Gold Coast, Australia your last stop of the places you go to surf. Gold Coast City is known of its sunny subtropical climate and popular surfing beaches. Surfers at beach breaks near the Gold Coast are almost always guaranteed a wave. Some of the best point breaks at the city are Snapper Rocks Superbank, Kirra and Burleigh Heads.
Post 1 – The Top 5 Surf Destinations In The World
There are a lot of places where you can go surfing, but they might not be the best places. If you are planning a surfing holiday, there are certain locations that you need to consider. These locations will offer you the best waves for the time you spend there.
Turtle Beach, Hawaii
Turtle Beach is the north shore of the island of Oahu in Hawaii. This beach is the home of some of the biggest waves in the world. For many people, Laniakea is considered the best point break on the whole coastline.
If you are going to head out to this beach, you will find rough waves of 4 to 12 feet in the winter and flatter surf in the summer. When you are on the beach, you need to ensure that you protect yourself from the sun as it is warm all year. It is also important to note that the surf has strong currents and there is a nearly exposed reef bottom which makes low tide surfing a challenge.
Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa
Jeffrey’s Bay is often referred to as the mecca of all waves because of the supertubes that you can find there. These tubes are known to offer rides of up to 300 meters and will be one of the best right-hand point breaks in the world. The surf is so good there that an annual Billabong Pro ASP World Tour is held each July.
The surf is very consistent throughout the day and year starting at 1 meter and holding up to 3 meters. It is important to note that surfing here is best for the more advanced surfers. This is due to the nature of the surf and the drag that can happen when surfing a tube.
If traveling all the way to Bay in South Africa make sure you spend sometime in Cape Town. Cape Town has many of it’s own fantastic surf breaks. Big Bay and Muizenberg has some of the best surf lessons Cape Town has to offer.
Gold Coast, Australia
When most people think about a surfing holiday, they will think about the Gold Coast in Australia. The Superbank is a man-made sandbank that is ideal for surfing, but you need to be careful. The surf attracts a crowd and there could be up to 200 surfers around you trying to get a piece of the action.
The surf starts with waves of 1 meter and can go up to 2.5 meters. While there are larger waves out there, this is still a location for the more advanced surfer. Not only do you need to content with all the other surfers in the water, but there are also rips and undertows to consider.
Hossegor, France
If you are thinking of heading to Europe, Hossegor is considered the surfing capital of the continent. The tubes here will rival those of Hawaii and there are a lot of pro surfers who head out to take on the waves. There are people who come from miles around to watch the surfers which shows the popularity.
The surf range can reach up to 4.5 meters on the spring tides. The surf is moderate depending on the day, but you need to be aware as it can also become rough. When this happens, rips are common and powerful with many people drowning each year.
Tamarindo Beach, Costa Rica
If you are looking for a surfing location that is ideal for beginners to experts, this half-kilometer of beach is ideal. Not only does the water look wonderful, you will be able to take in the rest of the Costa Rica nature while you wait for the waves. It is important to note that the surf builds up a few days a week and will max out overhead.
There are decent swells and they are great for any skill level. However, you do need to note that it can become crowded. There are also rip and rock hazard that you need to look out for.
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