Surfing Waves

Hello All,

I have been reading the forums for sometime and looking for advice to arrange my next trip.
In the topic you can find pretty much all the info I'm seeking for. Briefly, we will travel as two couples and the other couple is not interested in surfing at all. Our plan is to go to a tropical place to enjoy sun and sea. However, I just cant do that the whole week, I need some action. Therefore I want to combine it with surfing. I am plannign a trip around end August and beginning of September.

What I am looking for;
- Surfing for an intermediate. I'm looking for chest to head high waves,generally surfing at Biarritz, Peniche, California, so all I'm looking for is to have fun with my shortboard.
- Sandy beaches with coconut trees, crystal clean water and some civilization around the beach.
- Not looking for a deserted island, dont want to stuck in a Hotel (like Maldives) either. A city to drive to, our a village where we can eat and drink would be nice.
- I have to skip Pacific Islands and Australia, rest should be in my reach.
- Sharks are everywhere but I still like to skip places with bad reputation such as Madagascar, Bahamas etc.
- I'm not a budget traveler nor a Four Seasons customer. I can pay 100-200 USD/EUR per day for accommodation.
- I definitely want to skip heavy crowds.

I have checked,
- Costa Rica, Panama but its wet season there,
- Carribbean Islands, only place that came close was Barbados but I'm not sure if it make other couple happy.
- Bali to crowded, Lombok might be alternative.
- Siargao, I couldnt get much info.
- Mentawais, loved it but maybe the surf is too big and also its deserted. I still would consider it but there is not many Hotels there also.

Probably I'm looking for impossible, or I am overthinking. But it would be nice to hear some experiences.

Thank you very much in advance.
HB.

Bursalio, help me figure your needs out. You currently have had surf experience in Biarritz, Peniche and California. After all the advice what board did you end up with? You asked about Zanzibar and Tanzania, did you go there?
When you say non surfers are you taking your own or hoping that there are facilities/ entertainment after surf.
September is a swell month in the Indian Ocean surf destinations, so crowds. Mentawais not all breaks are big just exceptional quality but you will,either be camped or on a boat to get around. Coastal Indonesia is fairly hard to get around and Lombok requires a driver or a stay in surf resort, you can get a car of your own but it will eat cost and you need weird driving skill and the knowledge of where to go often taking long distance detours to get there. A driver guide does the job. Crowds will exist.

Your best bet I would suggest is Sri Lanka, same swell season mellowed down and cheap drivers available for the stretch of coast.

Just reread your post , difficult call pleasing a non surfing couple or partner on a surfing trip, but there is enough culture in Lanka to satisfy.

Check out Surfing Waves Surf map in the header of the page for a good over view.

jaffa1949 wrote:...you can get a car of your own .....you need weird driving skill......

That's one way to describe it....

jaffa1949 wrote:Bursalio, help me figure your needs out. You currently have had surf experience in Biarritz, Peniche and California. After all the advice what board did you end up with? You asked about Zanzibar and Tanzania, did you go there?
When you say non surfers are you taking your own or hoping that there are facilities/ entertainment after surf.
September is a swell month in the Indian Ocean surf destinations, so crowds. Mentawais not all breaks are big just exceptional quality but you will,either be camped or on a boat to get around. Coastal Indonesia is fairly hard to get around and Lombok requires a driver or a stay in surf resort, you can get a car of your own but it will eat cost and you need weird driving skill and the knowledge of where to go often taking long distance detours to get there. A driver guide does the job. Crowds will exist.

Your best bet I would suggest is Sri Lanka, same swell season mellowed down and cheap drivers available for the stretch of coast.

Just reread your post , difficult call pleasing a non surfing couple or partner on a surfing trip, but there is enough culture in Lanka to satisfy.

Check out Surfing Waves Surf map in the header of the page for a good over view.

Thank you very much for the answer. Let me reply your questions,
I'm riding a 6'2 Hellfire and a 6'4 Dominator, also have a 7'3 minimal. 80 kgs, 34 yrs old.
No I havent go to Zanzibar, it didnt suit me well.
When I say non surfers, I'm talking about my friends to enjoy their time while I'm surfing in facilities, hiking, beach whatever.
I would rent a car, I already have that weird driving skills since I live in a city with a population of 18 millions ppl. So I can leave them somewhere and drive half an hour to get to a spot for surfing while they have fun.

Thanks a lot for the help.

bursalio wrote:I would rent a car, I already have that weird driving skills since I live in a city with a population of 18 millions ppl. So I can leave them somewhere and drive half an hour to get to a spot for surfing while they have fun.

Thanks a lot for the help.

yeah, unless that city is in SE Asia/India then forget about it. SE Asian driving is like nothing in the rest of the world. Even African drivers look good.

What about Hawaii / its islands? That would seem to suit (ok, its a Pacific Island, but if you are seriously considering Bali then Hawaii couldnt be much harder to get to).

Other perhaps slightly left field options: Hainan Island, Okinawa

dtc wrote:yeah, unless that city is in SE Asia/India then forget about it. SE Asian driving is like nothing in the rest of the world. Even African drivers look good.
What about Hawaii / its islands? That would seem to suit (ok, its a Pacific Island, but if you are seriously considering Bali then Hawaii couldnt be much harder to get to).

On the other hand, driving around in Balinese traffic, builds the inhumane awareness you'll need for surfing safely inside the crowds.

Tudeo wrote:On the other hand, driving around in Balinese traffic, builds the inhumane awareness you'll need for surfing safely inside the crowds.

Huh, good point. The traffic has a rhythm, you get used to it after a while, I guess a bit like a crowded surf spot.

Have to say, India and China were far more terrifying than Bali. At least in Bali people generally drive the right way down the road. In India, in particular, if its quicker to drive the wrong way then people just do it. Particularly truck drivers on the divided highways - instead of driving (say) 5km south to get a turn off to go back north, they just drive north against the traffic until they hit the turnoff. Often with no lights. And with random lumps of concrete and other things all over the road

August and September has fun beginner / intermediate surf on the north coast of the Dominican Republic.

Besides the surfing there's a ton of other stuff to do: visit cigar and rum factories. Cayoning, MTB trips, snorkelling, nightlife.

Contact me if you need more info on the DR via our website
https://www.swellsurfcamp.com