An overview of the countries we have visited and the waves we have surfed, categorized by continent. We are only including the names of the breaks that are common knowledge. If it is a place that we promised locals we wouldn’t share, then we aren’t breaking that promise.
AFRICA
South Africa– Waves everywhere. We focused on Jeffrey’s Bay and surfed along the coast all the way to Cape Town. Best months are May-August, but good and consistent waves year round. Mostly reef breaks, Indian Ocean is warm enough to trunk in the Summer, wetsuit the rest of the year. Intermediate/Experienced skills. Bunny chow is a local cuisine, how rad is that name? Experienced only at Jeffrey’s Bay. Atlantic Coast is freezing cold. The coldest water we have ever encountered. Really cheap to stay. Favorite wave: J Bay.
EUROPE
France– Basque Country France has incredible waves. Very crowded. Best season to visit is fall. We made Biarritz our home base. Good north swells and warm water. Intermediate/Experienced skills. Mainly heavy, pounding beach breaks. Speedo/bikini in summer and early fall, wetsuit rest of the year. Did we mention how crowded it is? Expensive to stay. Favorite wave: Hossegor
Spain– Basque Country Spain picks up where France leaves off. Very good waves. Less crowded than France but crowded. We made San Sebastian our home base. Don’t forget your speedo unless you want to look like a tourist! Within an hour, there are at least 5 quality waves. Expensive to stay. Intermediate/Experienced skills. Favorite wave: Mundaka
Germany– River surfing in Munich. Eisbach River. Freezing water and air most of the year except Summer. Very crowded. Nothing like surfing in the ocean. Expensive to stay. Be prepared to be asked nonstop questions about US politics. Politely tell them that politics are boring to talk about and ask them about Oktoberfest instead.
OCEANIA/AUSTRALIA
Fiji– World class waves everywhere. Incredibly fun. Reef passes, shallow, sharp, heavy barrels. Boat trips required for most waves. Waves for all skills. Best season May-Aug. Tropical water. Expect to come home with lots of reef cuts. Bring your first aid kit. Usually crowded, especially in season or when its pumping. Cheap to stay. If you bring your kids, Fijians will spend the entire day feeding and entertaining them. Favorite wave: Cloudbreak
Tahiti– World class waves. Mainly reef passes and boat trips. Crowded. Tropical water. Intermediate/Experienced skills recommended. Heavy, fast barrels over shallow and sharp reef. Nowhere to rent boards (in 2012). INCREDIBLY expensive to stay. Learn French because they don’t speak English at all. Favorite wave: Orofara
New Zealand– Waves everywhere. Points, rivermouths, beachies, reefs…North Island is much warmer than South Island. Plenty of board rental shops everywhere. Crowded lineups. Affordability depends on exchange rate. Say mate instead of bro. Kiwis love American accents. Favorite wave: Raglan/Ruapuke
Australia– Waves everywhere. It feels just like California but with way more people surfing every break. Very crowded. The level of surfing is very high. Watch out for the box jellies and try not to think about all the shark nets everywhere. Everyone will love your accent. Affordability depends on the exchange rate, can be really cheap or expensive. They call sunscreen cream and cookies biscuits. Favorite wave: Only surfed in Sydney area, so Manly Beach
Cook Islands- Consistent waves. Short rides. Very dangerous and sharp reef. High tide is only option to surf. Find out from locals what the situation is before you go surf. We recommend wearing reef booties. Warm water. Fairly cheap to stay. Advanced only skill level.
Hawai’i– Waves everywhere. Crowded. Hierarchy at good North Shore spots. Mellower on South shore. Waves on every island. Tropical water. Reefs are typically sharp and shallow. Barrels galore. Expensive to stay. Learn pidgin for extra points! Favorite wave: V-Land
ASIA
Thailand– Fickle and usually in season only, May-October. Not lots of waves, but monsoon season, which is low tourist season will bring swells. All skill levels. Good place for beginners on most days. Tropical water. Lots of cool things to do in this country. Really cheap to stay. Favorite Wave: Kata Beach
Indonesia– When you die, if you behaved well in this life, your reward will be surfing somewhere in Indo for the eternities. We only went to Bali. World class waves. Sharp, shallow reef. Unbelievably crowded but unbelievably good. Intermediate/Experienced skills. Aggro crowds. We surfed at low tide. The crowds are manageable then, but try not to fall unless you like pain and bleeding. Bring a first aid kit. Really cheap to stay. Favorite wave: Uluwatu
Philippines– Siargao Island is the main surf hub and was home base. Sharp and shallow reef. All skill levels. Boat trips to reef passes which are fairly uncrowded. Cloud 9 is crowded and can get heavy. Tropical water. Really cheap to stay. Favorite wave: Rock Island
Sri Lanka– Two coasts, two different seasons. Consistent waves, very crowded. Most surfers are beginners. All skill levels. Mostly gentle waves. Coral reef. Usually shallow, not at all spots. Home base was Midigama. Tropical water. Cheap board rentals. Really cheap to stay. Breakfast usually included. Favorite wave: Kabalana
India– Two coasts, two seasons, Monsoon season is big and blown out and dry season is smaller and glassier. Very unexplored. Not crowded at all. Warm and clean water. Good and cheap board rentals in Varkala and Kovalam, which were our home bases. Very cheap. Mainly beach breaks and rivermouths. Cool locals. Favorite wave: Varkala
Malaysia– Cheap to stay, good food and cool nature. There are waves a few times a year during monsoon season.
Qatar– Little to no surf here, but cool architecture and vibe. Comparable prices to USA.
SOUTH AMERICA
Ecuador– Waves everywhere. Montanita was the home base and there are waves all up and down the coast. Montanita is crowded but everywhere else is basically empty. All skill levels. Cheap to stay. Corrupt cops. Lots of wave discovery left. Warm water. Points and beach breaks. Good nightlife. Favorite wave: Montanita
Colombia– Nov-March on the Atlantic/Caribbean and May-Oct on the pacific. Tropical water. Uncrowded waves on both sides with better waves on the Pacific, but it is a mission trying to find and get to them. East coast is mainly wind swell with a budding surf scene. Cool locals. All skill levels. Water is kind of brown from the wind. Mainly beach breaks, some tubes. Usually windy. Cheap to stay and really good night life.
Chile- Waves everywhere. Goofy footers’ paradise. Freezing cold water year round. Big waves, crazy currents and really long lefts. Typically intermediate to experts, especially on big days.
Argentina- Mar Del Plata is the surfing epicenter. A vibrant surf scene. There are waves up and down the coast, but the coast is sparsely populated. Mainly beach breaks, but points here and there. Warm water in the summer and freezing water in the winter. A very unique culture, good food and ripple waves.
Uruguay- Brown water and fun waves. Warm water in the summer and cold water with harsh winds in the winter. La Paloma and Punta Del Este are the two main surf hubs. Not too many surfers in the water. Lots of capes where it is offshore on one of the sides. Lots of beach breaks and point breaks too. Wild and rugged.
Brazil- Warm water, beautiful people and really good waves. High level of surfing and fun beach breaks. A few point breaks as well. A frames everywhere and the locals surprisingly were not as aggressive in their own country as we have found them to be all over the world.
NORTH AMERICA
Mexico– Waves everywhere. Good, consistent. North Baja is cold water, the rest of the country is warm water. Parts are safe, others are sketchy. Very reliable and close drive/flight from USA. All skill levels depending where you go. Some world class waves, some beginner waves. All types of set ups. Tacos! Cheap to stay.
Canada- Ucluelet/Tofino was home base. Cold water. Winter has better swell. Consistent surf. Not too crowded and really friendly locals. Mainly beach break. Beginner to advanced skill level. Good board and wetsuit rentals rentals, lots of surf shops. Really expensive to stay.
Guatemala– Fair amount of waves. Zero crowds. Cool locals. All beach breaks. Sand bottom. Best time of year is May-Oct. Similar to San Diego beach breaks but in warm water and no crowds. Cheap to stay. Intermediate/Advanced skill.
El Salvador– Land of the right hand point breaks. Good and consistent waves. May-Sept best seasons. Cheap to stay. All skill levels. Crowded. Cool locals. Warm water. Pupusas. Favorite wave: Punta Roca
Honduras– Not much coastline, but there are a couple waves. April-October is the best. Beach breaks. Zero crowds. Baleadas galore! Cool locals. We promised them we wouldn’t talk too much about it, so that’s the summary.
Nicaragua– Waves everywhere of every kind of variety. All skill levels. Warm water. Offshore winds enable you to surf all day. Cheap to stay. Best swell season May-Oct. Most locals are cool, some are dicks. Lots of really good waves. Very crowded in most areas. Favorite wave: Playgrounds
Costa Rica– Wave magnet. Good year round. Every kind of wave imaginable. The good spots are really crowded. American prices, but some cheap places to stay. Warm water. Every skill level. Lots of beginner waves. We’ve had home bases at Playa Negra, Playa Grande, Playa Hermosa. Pura vida! Favorite wave: Playa Negra
Panama– Best in May-Oct on the Pacific side, Nov-March on the Caribbean. Pacific side is reef and sand and Caribbean is coral reef which is sharp and shallow. Bocas Del Toro is fast, hard, heavy and was our home base. Warm water. Barrels galore and long rides. Crowded on good days. Fairly cheap to stay. Very romantic for surfers looking to score more than just waves. Favorite wave: Punta Carnero
Puerto Rico– Best Nov-Mar and hurricane season. Really good waves. Hollow and big over sharp and shallow reef. Very crowded. High level of surfing. Intermediate/Experienced skills. Barrels everywhere. Fairly cheap to stay. Good board rental selection. RIncon was our home base. Warm water. Favorite wave: Maria’s/Dunes
Barbados– Best Nov-March. Incredibly windy. Bathsheba was home base. Its a small island, so its always offshore on half of the island. Easy to get around. Very expensive to stay and eat. Food not very good in general. Crowds not too bad. Friendly locals. Favorite wave: Brandons
Cuba– Nov-March best season. Awesome locals. No surf shops, bring all your own gear and more to donate to the locals. No crowds. La Habana was home base. Time travel. Amazing food. Favorite wave: Playas Del Este
Jamaica– Nov-March and hurricane season. Can be fickle. Reef bottom. Lots of different waves, especially considering its location. Very few crowds. Warm water. Gorgeous beaches. Intermediate/Experienced skills. Locals are super cool. Terrible roads. Cheapish to moderate prices. Runaway Bay was home base.
Haiti– Nov-March best season. Fickle but also waves in Summer. Cheap to stay. All skill levels. Sandy and reef bottoms. Jacmel was home base. South shore has some waves. Some of the beaches are pristine and gorgeous, others are littered knee deep in trash. The only place we have paddled out with our sandals on. Get your hep A shot. Great locals. Surf Haiti is who to connect with if you come to surf. They will take care of you and they’re great guys. Favorite wave: Pistons
USA– Year round surf. Crowded in Southern California, super localized and less crowded in Northern California and north. East Coast gets hurricane swell that can be very good. In our expert opinion, everyone should surf as far away from Oceanside, CA as possible. We hear its a lot better in Florida!
Belize– Beautiful country that doesn’t really get much surf. Great food, beaches and cool caves and ruins.
Dominican Republic– Best surf is between Dec-Feb. Very windy, so typically a morning session, but there are a lot of really cool things to do close to the good surf breaks during afternoon wind. Home base in Cabarete. The Search DR will take you to some isolated and empty spots that you will never find on your own. Warm water year round.
