Surfing the perfect wave is the dream for all surfers – from beginners to the most advanced surfers out there. Unfortunately not many people get to live in a place where that break exists, and so you may well find yourself hankering after a perfect surf holiday instead. So how do you wade through the thousands on offer?
If you are looking for that perfect surfing holiday, the best place to start is the basics. What level surfer are you? Where do you want to surf? What kit do you have?
Surfing Lessons
Surfing well needs a whole range of techniques, and lots of practice. Beginners are really going to benefit from choosing a surf holiday which offers surfing lessons. This is going to give you the chance to avoid developing bad habits, which in the short term may not cause you any problems, but in the long term can really affect your development as a surfer. It’s really hard to ‘un-learn’ bad habits, so nip them in the bud early! A surf holiday which includes lessons is also going to help you find a safe break to practice in. Without the experience gathered over years of surfing, knowing what to do in a rip current, what dangers lurk beneath the waves and what the tides are doing and how it’ll affect you is really difficult – you’ll want someone to give you the low-down on the break.
Where to go for a Surfing Holiday
Photo credit – Matt Catalano – Courtesy of MuchBetterAdventures.com
If you’re a more advanced surfer, you’ll be looking for something a bit different. Perhaps you’re looking for long tubes, or big waves. You’ll also know whether you want a beach break, a point break or a reef break.
Where do you want to surf? Well, in many ways, the World’s your oyster! At Much Better Adventures we see surf holidays from all over the world; from Cornwall to the Galapagos, Portugal to Morocco. It’s easy to say that you want to go to the most unique destination, where you can surf in your bikini or board shorts, and finish the day with a beer on an idyllic beach. And this may well be an option! So long as you can get to a destination, there are often many options to suit many budgets. But it’s worth remembering those places closer to home – they’re often a lot cheaper and environmentally friendlier to get to, and more often than not, can have some awesome breaks (if a bit chilly!). As Billy Connolly said, ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing’. Well, ok, maybe not…
What to Wear When Surfing
And on the subject of clothing, kit will have an impact on your trip too. If you’re going to go somewhere where the water is cold, you’ll have to have a decent wetsuit, maybe booties and gloves too. The type of way is all important when planning which surfboard to take too. This is where it’s worth checking with whoever you book with, as they’ll know the conditions you’ll be surfing in, and they may be able to hire you the most appropriate equipment.
Surfing Gear
If you are going to buy some new equipment before you go, it’s worth checking out what impact that equipment will have on the environment. Surfing culture is so connected to the environment, because it’s literately immersed in it! There is a huge amount of great work being done by the surfing community on environmental problems, from beach cleans to lobbying, but you may be surprised at how much pollution is caused by the production of surf equipment. This article on the toxicity of surfing, shows how much crap gets pumped into the environment, from wetsuits to surfboards and wax… You can change this though, with some smart shopping!
What is on Offer When the sun sets?
Whilst we’re talking about the environment, you might want to think about what other activities you want to do on your surf holiday. Do you want good nightlife? If so, maybe you want to head for somewhere near a surf-town like Newquay. Want to get away from it all? Perhaps an isolated beach community in Nicaragua might be the best bet…
A Great Surf Holiday
All of these aspects are going to contribute to having the perfect surf holiday. But there’s one extra in there too, and we reckon it’s the most important. What ever level surfer you are, where ever you go, it’s the company you go with which will have the greatest impact on the quality of your holiday. Choose a bad one, and regardless of how good the surf is, your holiday won’t be as good as it could be. A good one though, can turn a week with poor waves into an awesome holiday regardless.
Much Better Adventures has been working tirelessly to collate the best locally owned and independent surf holiday providers from around the world. That’s because we believe that the local companies, run by local people are the most able to offer you the best possible holiday. They’ve made their life out of providing great surf holidays, they’ll be the ones surfing with you, and will have years of experience in surfing those exact breaks. As dedicated surfers, they’ll know what goes in to making the perfect surfing holiday. If you don’t care whether your provider gives a thought to protecting the environment, then that’s cool –they still offer great surf holidays. If you do care, and want to support those businesses, then look for the ‘muchbetter approved’ providers, they’ll have a strong commitment to sustainability (which you can read too), and will be acting upon it!