FIND YOUR SOMEWHERE

A world of waves.
Your kind of place.

From a first lesson on a sandy bay to the point break you’ve been dreaming about. Start with a place. Make it your own.

Ericeira's whitewashed town above Praia do Algodio and the rocky Atlantic shoreEurope
Portugal

Ericeira

Atlantic days. Village nights.

◷ Sep–NovIntermediate · Advanced
Surfers riding the reef waves at UluwatuAsia
Bali, Indonesia

Uluwatu

Famous reefs. Golden cliffs.

◷ Apr–OctAdvanced
Taghazout village and bay beneath the Atlas foothillsAfrica
Morocco

Taghazout

Right-hand points. Winter sun.

◷ Oct–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Aerial view of the palm-lined beach and fishing boats at Arugam BayAsia
Sri Lanka

Arugam Bay

East-coast points. Slow days.

◷ Apr–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A quiet curve of beach backed by forest near Nosara, Costa RicaAmericas
Costa Rica

Nosara

Jungle roads. Consistent peaks.

◷ Dec–AprBeginner · Intermediate
Surfers among the rocks of the Cape Byron marine protected areaOceania
Australia

Byron Bay

Point-break mornings. Easy afternoons.

◷ Jun–AugBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A surfer on the rocks watching lines of swell wrap into Manu Bay, RaglanOceania
New Zealand

Raglan

Long lefts. Black-sand beaches.

◷ Mar–MayIntermediate · Advanced
A bicycle with a surfboard rack under palm trees above Swami's, EncinitasAmericas
California, USA

Encinitas

Reef points. Beach-town rhythm.

◷ Sep–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Surf rolling into Tullan Strand beside Bundoran under a big Donegal skyEurope
Ireland

Bundoran

Cold water. Warm welcome.

◷ Sep–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Aerial view of Praia dos Supertubos curving towards PenicheEurope
Portugal

Peniche

Find your side of the peninsula.

◷ Sep–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Weligama Bay and its small island on Sri Lanka's south coastAsia
Sri Lanka

Weligama

A gentle bay. A tropical coast.

◷ Nov–AprBeginner · Intermediate
Boats among the golden rock arches of Ponta da Piedade, LagosEurope
Portugal

Lagos

Two coasts. One sunny base.

◷ Oct–AprBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Waves rolling into Praia do Tonel below the cliffs of SagresEurope
Portugal

Sagres

The end of the world. Waves in every wind.

◷ Sep–MayBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Aerial view of surfers on a turquoise wave off the coast of FuerteventuraEurope
Canary Islands, Spain

Fuerteventura

Volcanic reefs. Year-round sun.

◷ Oct–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Famara beach curving below the Famara cliffs, LanzaroteEurope
Canary Islands, Spain

Lanzarote

Lava reefs. Famara's long beach.

◷ Oct–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Waves washing around the temple rock at Batu Bolong, CangguAsia
Bali, Indonesia

Canggu

Rice fields, cafés and a wave for everyone.

◷ Apr–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A long wave peeling through the bay at Imsouane below the desert hillsAfrica
Morocco

Imsouane

One of Africa's longest rides.

◷ Oct–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A surfer launching off the lip at the Quiksilver Pro France in HossegorEurope
France

Hossegor

Europe's beach-break capital.

◷ Sep–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
The Côte des Basques beach and promenade in BiarritzEurope
France

Biarritz

Where European surfing began.

◷ Sep–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Fishermen on the rocks at sunset, Playa Santa Teresa, Costa RicaAmericas
Costa Rica

Santa Teresa

Jungle, sunsets and consistent peaks.

◷ Dec–AprBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Aerial view of Playa Tamarindo and its river mouth, GuanacasteAmericas
Costa Rica

Tamarindo

Learn here. Then explore Guanacaste.

◷ Dec–AprBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Sunrise behind a palm over Blue Beach Island at Nilwella, near HiriketiyaAsia
Sri Lanka

Hiriketiya

A horseshoe bay in the palms.

◷ Nov–AprBeginner · Intermediate
The Cloud 9 boardwalk at dusk, SiargaoAsia
Philippines

Siargao

Cloud 9 and island time.

◷ Aug–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Morning light over the waves and rocks at Fistral Beach, NewquayEurope
Cornwall, UK

Newquay

Britain's surf capital.

◷ Sep–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Lifeguard tower on the sand at Playa Zicatela, Puerto EscondidoAmericas
Oaxaca, Mexico

Puerto Escondido

The Mexican Pipeline, and a gentle point next door.

◷ Apr–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Aerial view of Sayulita beach and town on the Riviera NayaritAmericas
Nayarit, Mexico

Sayulita

Colourful streets. Friendly waves.

◷ Nov–AprBeginner · Intermediate
A green wave breaking at Lobitos with an offshore oil platform behindAmericas
Piura, Peru

Lobitos

Desert lefts and oil-town charm.

◷ Apr–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A surfer driving a powerful cutback on a Jeffreys Bay right-handerAfrica
South Africa

Jeffreys Bay

One of the world's great right-hand points.

◷ Apr–SepBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A surfer in front of a heavy, hollow wave at Teahupoo, TahitiOceania
French Polynesia

Tahiti

Heavy reef passes and black-sand beaches.

◷ Apr–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A surfer on a giant wave at Praia do Norte as spectators watch from the Nazaré headlandEurope
Portugal

Nazaré

Home of the biggest waves ever surfed.

◷ Oct–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A surfer carrying a yellow board along the waterline at ZarautzEurope
Basque Country, Spain

Zarautz

The Basque Country's longest beach.

◷ Sep–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
The Mundaka river mouth and sandbars of the Urdaibai estuaryEurope
Basque Country, Spain

Mundaka

Europe's most famous left, when it breaks.

◷ Oct–JanBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A surfer carving through spray during the Lacanau ProEurope
France

Lacanau

Bordeaux's beach, between the ocean and a lake.

◷ Sep–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Waves peeling along Lahinch Strand in County ClareEurope
Ireland

Lahinch

A surf town between the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher.

◷ Sep–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Fishing boats on the white sand at Selong Belanak, near Kuta LombokAsia
Lombok, Indonesia

Kuta Lombok

Boat-access reefs and empty bays, east of Bali.

◷ Apr–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A palm-fringed white-sand beach in the Mentawai IslandsAsia
West Sumatra, Indonesia

Mentawai Islands

The benchmark for perfect tropical reef waves.

◷ Mar–OctIntermediate · Advanced
A surfer riding a wave in La Union, the surfing capital of northern LuzonAsia
Luzon, Philippines

La Union

The surf capital of northern Luzon.

◷ Oct–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Looking along the waves and sand of Kirra Beach from Kirra Point on the Gold CoastOceania
Queensland, Australia

Gold Coast

Right-hand points and a city built on surf.

◷ Feb–JunBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Hell's Gates headland in Noosa National ParkOceania
Queensland, Australia

Noosa

Longboard points in a national park.

◷ Feb–MayBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A rider escaping a heavy wave at the Banzai Pipeline, North ShoreAmericas
Oahu, Hawaii, USA

North Shore, Oahu

Seven miles of the world's most famous waves.

◷ Nov–FebBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Surfers on gentle waves at Waikiki with hotels and Diamond Head behindAmericas
Oahu, Hawaii, USA

Waikiki

Where Duke Kahanamoku taught the world to surf.

◷ Apr–SepBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
The dunes behind Praia da Joaquina, Florianópolis, with the coast beyondAmericas
Santa Catarina, Brazil

Florianópolis

An island of forty beaches.

◷ Apr–SepBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A surfer riding a green wave on the Kujukuri coast of ChibaAsia
Chiba, Japan

Ichinomiya

Tokyo's surf town and an Olympic beach.

◷ Aug–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A surfer on a wave at Popoyo, NicaraguaAmericas
Rivas, Nicaragua

Popoyo

Offshore winds and a reef that rarely sleeps.

◷ Mar–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A surfer silhouetted on a wave at sunset in TofinoAmericas
British Columbia, Canada

Tofino

Rainforest, storms and cold-water surf.

◷ Oct–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Waves and spectators at Surfers Point, Margaret RiverOceania
Western Australia

Margaret River

Raw Indian Ocean power and world-class wine.

◷ Mar–SepBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Montaña Roja rising behind La Tejita beach near El Médano, TenerifeEurope
Canary Islands, Spain

Tenerife

Two coasts, one volcano and waves all year.

◷ Oct–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
The cliffs and bay at Praia da Arrifana with the Pedra da AgulhaEurope
Portugal

Arrifana

A cliff-ringed bay on Portugal's wild west coast.

◷ Sep–MayBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
The sun setting behind the El Tunco rock on the beach at La LibertadAmericas
La Libertad, El Salvador

El Tunco

Surf, sunsets and the rock that named a town.

◷ Mar–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Aerial view of the bay and point at Santa Catalina, PanamaAmericas
Veraguas, Panama

Santa Catalina

A powerful right and the gateway to Coiba.

◷ Apr–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Aerial view of Ngor and its bay at the western tip of DakarAfrica
Senegal

Dakar

City surf at the westernmost tip of Africa.

◷ Oct–AprBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Wai'ao Beach and Wushi Harbour on the Yilan coast, with Guishan Island offshoreAsia
Yilan, Taiwan

Wai'ao

A black-sand beach with a station on the sand.

◷ Oct–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
The giant coral boulders in the surf at Bathsheba, BarbadosAmericas
Barbados

Bathsheba

The Soup Bowl on Barbados's wild Atlantic coast.

◷ Nov–MarIntermediate · Advanced
Bells Beach and its cliffs on the Great Ocean Road, VictoriaOceania
Victoria, Australia

Bells Beach

Australia's most famous reef and the start of the Great Ocean Road.

◷ Mar–SepBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Palm trees and golden sand on Hikkaduwa beach, Sri LankaAsia
Sri Lanka

Hikkaduwa

Sri Lanka's original surf town.

◷ Nov–AprBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Baler Bay and the Sierra Madre foothills seen from above the townAsia
Aurora, Philippines

Baler

The birthplace of Philippine surfing.

◷ Oct–FebBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
The northern side of Croyde Bay, North DevonEurope
Devon, UK

Croyde

North Devon's punchy beach break.

◷ Sep–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Rocky headland looking along the coast towards Jacó beachAmericas
Costa Rica

Jacó

The Central Pacific's closest surf to San José.

◷ Apr–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Palm-fringed beach and rainforest on the Golfo Dulce near Golfito, the gateway to PavonesAmericas
Costa Rica

Pavones

One of the longest lefts in the world.

◷ Apr–OctIntermediate · Advanced
A cyclist under palm trees on the sand at Playa Cocles near Puerto ViejoAmericas
Limón, Costa Rica

Puerto Viejo

Caribbean reefs, reggae and rainforest.

◷ Dec–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Clean lines of Atlantic swell rolling in at Strandhill, County SligoEurope
Ireland

Strandhill

Sligo's surf village below Knocknarea.

◷ Sep–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Caballitos de totora reed boats standing on the beach at Huanchaco at sunsetAmericas
La Libertad, Peru

Huanchaco

Reed boats, long lefts and ancient ruins.

◷ Apr–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
A surfer throwing spray off the top of a wave at MáncoraAmericas
Piura, Peru

Máncora

Warm water and a lively beach town in Peru's north.

◷ Nov–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Palm trees leaning over the rocks and blue sea at Mirissa on Sri Lanka's south coastAsia
Sri Lanka

Mirissa

A reef break, blue whales and a palm-fringed bay.

◷ Nov–AprBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
View along the south-west coast of Madeira from Paul do Mar towards Jardim do MarEurope
Portugal

Madeira

Boulder rights under green cliffs.

◷ Oct–MarIntermediate · Advanced
Aerial view of Playa de Somo, Cantabria, with waves breaking on the sandEurope
Spain

Somo

Spain's schoolroom by the bay.

◷ Sep–AprBeginner · Intermediate
Playa de Las Canteras in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with waves and the city behindEurope
Spain

Gran Canaria

A city beach and a reef wave.

◷ Oct–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Dunnet Bay and Dunnet Head near Thurso, CaithnessEurope
United Kingdom

Thurso

The far north, and a famous reef.

◷ Sep–MarIntermediate · Advanced
Torre di Capo Mannu on the Sinis coast of Sardinia above the seaEurope
Italy

Sardinia

Mediterranean surf, on its terms.

◷ Oct–AprBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Haukland Beach in Lofoten with turquoise water and mountainsEurope
Norway

Lofoten

Surfing above the Arctic Circle.

◷ Oct–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Aerial view of the Durban beachfront and Golden Mile with surf along the sandAfrica
South Africa

Durban

Warm water. Pier peaks.

◷ Mar–Sep (swell), year-round (warm)Beginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Surf washing onto the long sandy beach at Praia do Tofo, MozambiqueAfrica
Mozambique

Tofo

Sand tracks. Whale-shark winters.

◷ May–SepBeginner · Intermediate
Waves breaking over a rocky shelf on a beach near Santa Maria, Sal, Cape VerdeAfrica
Cape Verde

Sal

Salt flats. Trade-wind reefs.

◷ Nov–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Palm trees and sea at Busua beach, GhanaAfrica
Ghana

Busua

Fishing village. Easy lefts.

◷ Varies; ask locally (see guide)Beginner · Intermediate
Palm trees shading Sorake Beach on Nias with blue sea beyondAsia
Indonesia

Nias

One long right, a long way from anywhere.

◷ May–OctIntermediate · Advanced
A reef wave breaking off the Lakey beach in Dompu, Sumbawa, with an outrigger boat in the foregroundAsia
Indonesia

Lakey Peak

A tight A-frame and a crowd of friendly regulars.

◷ May–OctIntermediate · Advanced
Waves rolling onto the beach at Batu Karas, West JavaAsia
Indonesia

Batu Karas

Java's friendly right, with a village behind it.

◷ Apr–SepBeginner · Intermediate
Aerial view of surf breaking on the reef along the coast of Nusa LembonganAsia
Indonesia

Nusa Lembongan

Three reefs, one small island, half an hour from Bali.

◷ Apr–SepIntermediate · Advanced
Kata Beach on Phuket with rocks in the shallows and a blue skyAsia
Thailand

Phuket

Small, soft monsoon waves on a big tourist island.

◷ May–OctBeginner · Intermediate
Waves breaking on the beach below the red cliffs of Varkala, KeralaAsia
India

Varkala

Soft beach waves under red laterite cliffs.

◷ Oct–AprBeginner · Intermediate
Surf washing onto a sandy beach at Da Nang with the city skyline beyondAsia
Vietnam

Da Nang

A city beach with a seasonal winter swell.

◷ Sep–MarBeginner · Intermediate
Beach fales on Lalomanu Beach, Upolu, with Nuutele island offshoreOceania
Samoa

Upolu

Reef passes, village fees and a boat to the lineup.

◷ May–OctIntermediate · Advanced
Manly Beach in Sydney on a sunny summer day with swimmers and surfersOceania
Australia

Sydney

A harbour city with surf on the doorstep.

◷ Mar–AugBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Lion Rock rising from the black sand of North Piha beach under a blue skyOceania
New Zealand

Piha

Black sand, a lion in the surf.

◷ Feb–MayIntermediate · Advanced
Midway Beach at Gisborne with Young Nicks Head on the horizon under a blue skyOceania
New Zealand

Gisborne

Sunrise surf at the far east.

◷ Dec–AprBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Surfers waiting for waves at Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, CaliforniaAmericas
USA

Santa Cruz

Cold water, point breaks, deep surf history.

◷ Sep–NovIntermediate · Advanced
Surfers and a breaking wave at Zuma Beach in MalibuAmericas
USA

Malibu

The right-hand wave that defined a coast.

◷ Jun–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse rising above sea oats on the Outer Banks beachAmericas
USA

Outer Banks

Barrier islands, storm swell and sandbars.

◷ Sep–NovBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Windsurfer riding a wave at Hookipa Beach Park on MauiAmericas
USA

Maui

Winter north shores, summer south shores.

◷ Nov–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Cerritos Beach near Todos Santos with breaking waves and desert hillsAmericas
Mexico

Todos Santos

Desert town, Pacific waves, an hour from Cabo.

◷ Oct–AprBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Domes Beach in Rincon, Puerto Rico, with the dome beside the coastAmericas
Puerto Rico

Rincón

Caribbean warmth with real winter swell.

◷ Nov–MarBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Kitesurfers on Kite Beach at Cabarete, Dominican RepublicAmericas
Dominican Republic

Cabarete

Wind sports capital with a reef wave next door.

◷ Nov–AprBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Palm-fringed beach and forested headland at Itacaré, BahiaAmericas
Brazil

Itacaré

Rainforest on one side, surf on the other.

◷ Year-roundBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced
Playa Malabrigo near Chicama under a blue skyAmericas
Peru

Chicama

A left that goes the distance.

◷ Apr–OctIntermediate · Advanced
Forested coast and beach at Dominical, Costa RicaAmericas
Costa Rica

Dominical

A river-mouth beach break with jungle behind.

◷ May–OctBeginner · Intermediate · Advanced

Months are editorial trip-planning windows, not live forecasts. Ability filters describe suitable trip options; individual breaks and daily conditions vary. Card photos show each destination and are credited on the guide.