Surfing Waves

Can anyone reccomend me a good beginner surf camp? I'm happy catching broken waves, I'm happy standing most times and I'm happy doing basic turrns. I now want to learn and practise what I think is called 'level 2': paddling out, catching green waves, etiquette etc, so I guess I'm after nice mellow waves and nothing too big. I'm in the south of the UK and don't mind travelling. I have a middling budget (up to £1000 for a week). For water temperature I'm ok with most places, 11/12 deg C is about my minimum. The only catch is I'm not keen on communal living with shared kitchens and to a lesser extent bedrooms; no offence, it's just my personal taste; I cook every night at home, so on holiday I want to chill with a beer and get a nice big meal made for me. Every camp I find seems to centre around shared living, and/or boast of their huge waves, neither of which I really want.

Any ideas gratefully received! Thanks

Use this search technique.... go to the surf map within surfing waves , read up, pick an area, note the surf school and camps, contact one that seems likely to fit your criteria and ask questions.

Most teaching camps or resorts don’t have monster waves at their teaching locations, nobody would go out!
Many have single room rates and catering, they are often tied with travel companies so packages are available.

Spain and Portugal come to mind, look at the Sagres area in Portugal or Andalusia in Spain. I know a number of forumites go there, I am looking for Atlantic resorts too, but a young communal camping thing would deadened by surfing grandfather

Lots on offer in Porutgal, France and Spain, potentially Marocco, too. I have not joined one myself, but Friends were in in Seignosse and Peniche and quite happy.

I would defitely look for one that either specialises on people your age or at least has focussed groups. Most Surf beginners are teenagers, and it's nice to have people with a similar age as you have differnet things to talk about and different challenges to overcome.

What do you expect to get for 1000GPB - Flight and Room, Breakfast, Dinner, Daily Surf Courses? That will be difficult.

jaffa1949 wrote:Use this search technique.... go to the surf map within surfing waves , read up, pick an area, note the surf school and camps, contact one that seems likely to fit your criteria and ask questions.

Most teaching camps or resorts don’t have monster waves at their teaching locations, nobody would go out!
Many have single room rates and catering, they are often tied with travel companies so packages are available.

Spain and Portugal come to mind, look at the Sagres area in Portugal or Andalusia in Spain. I know a number of forumites go there, I am looking for Atlantic resorts too, but a young communal camping thing would deadened by surfing grandfather

Thanks for the tips.

With regard to the wave height, I may be wrong here as I'm not very experienced, but as a complete beginner I caught broken waves, so even though the waves were head height to double head height out back when I did my 3 day beginner's course, by the time they got to me they'd fallen over to something manageable. I'm presuming that to learn the next stage to paddle out I'm looking for waist to chest height green waves? Obviously you can't predict the weather, but I've noticed on surf reports that different locations show a pattern and some are out straight away.

Oldie wrote:Lots on offer in Porutgal, France and Spain, potentially Marocco, too. I have not joined one myself, but Friends were in in Seignosse and Peniche and quite happy.

I would defitely look for one that either specialises on people your age or at least has focussed groups. Most Surf beginners are teenagers, and it's nice to have people with a similar age as you have differnet things to talk about and different challenges to overcome.

What do you expect to get for 1000GPB - Flight and Room, Breakfast, Dinner, Daily Surf Courses? That will be difficult.

Thanks. I've been looking at both those locations. You guessed right that I'm old (40 - my username gives that away!), but it's hard to judge that side of things looking at websites for surf schools. I don't mind learning with any age though to be honest (I get on well with most people), it's just the whole communal living thing I'm not cut out for.

Regarding budget, I'd hope so, yes, or at least in that ballpark. A couple of places in Peniche that I've found have accommodation, surf equipment and lessons for a week for 450 euros (e.g. Baleal surf school), so add £35 a day for food and £300 for a flight and that's £1000. I don't mind spending a bit more (e.g. £1300), but I just wanted to explain that I'm not super rich looking for something fancy, and equally I'm not strapped for cash looking to camp etc.

I'm in exactly the same situation.
Did you eventually find something good?

Hello,

I highly recommend he'e nalu surf camp surf camping located in Morocco at the world famous taghazout beach.
It offers an exceptional surf experience at very attractive prices and for all levels including beginners

mowers wrote:I'm in exactly the same situation.
Did you eventually find something good?

Not yet, I'm still looking at options. It'll either be for a holiday for my wife and me next year, or a holiday for me on my own when my wife goes away on her own for a week or two. Either way our requirements will be the same. Let me know if you find anywhere good. The Peniche area looks excellent, I love the idea of Morocco (my wife went there before we met and keeps telling me that I'd really like it there), plus there's good old Devon and Cornwall, where we found the best surf school we've been to (we've done beginner courses at three schools).