Surfing Waves

Ok What do you reckon to this for my gap year:
September - Christmas, Ireland
January - April, Gran Canaria
May - August Australia and New Zealand.

I know its a bit earlt to be planning my gap year at 15 but what do you think?

I can't say I know what a gap year is but... the plan sounds great, you get to see so much and have time to enjoy what each place has to offer.... I'm a little biased but you should try swinging by New York or California some time there.

Trust me it is always good to plan well in advanced so you will be as prepared as possible.

Good Luck

If you are planning a big trip I reckon you should leave Gran Canaria and Ireland off the menu. Both of these places are very accessible from home and you can go there whenever you have some free time. If you are going to head over to Australia / New Zealand then why not consider somewhere on the way. A round the world ticket could see you go to California as per vitopilots suggestion, Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia then home. Or maybe Nwe Zealand, AUstralia, Indonesia.
IMHO Save Ireland and the Canaries for shorter holidays.

Mate

Remember that NZ and Aus are in the Southern Hemisphere, so you might prefer to go kickin around there in British Winter time, or in the Jan-april slot. That way to get the good [well its all good compared to GB] weather!

Just an idea,...u might prefer winter in NZ

I agree with surf -patrol. Hit some inaccessible areas on your GAP year, because its the best opportunity to do it! I mean, i did Greenland this year [not for surfing - lol] where i went ice-climbing and mountaineering on an Expedition.

That was pretty rad, we climbed some virgin peaks to! Not many peeps can say they have trekked 300km through East Greenland [in the Arctic], and not many people will be able to say they have surfed Indonesia, Aus, NZ, Fiji etc....

yeah i guess that would be a good idea. I couldnt really go on a years surf trip and not wing by Hawaii. When im ther i reckon i'll go see Pipeline n see how the pros do it.

You should take a camera with you,...

It'd be awesome to make this documentary of all the places you went to,..take the highlights from it and make a short/long video of your surf trip!!

Wel i think i would do that, if i was going on such a LONG surf trip...It's easy enough to edit footage now on your home pc.

I'd love to get into Surf films/documentaries like you see on Xtreme Channel on Sky. I wonder if you need to be a good surfer - or if its your camera skills people are after?!

if you plan to go to Australia you should go to South Port in South Australia, Bells Beach in Victoria and Gold Coast in Queensland.
In my gap year i plan to do the same as you only i am 15 aswell (cant wait!)

wow, surferdude... your trip sounds immense!!! make sure you post pics for us all to see!!!

i like the idea of filming my trip, that would be really cool. The problem is that it would be hard to get someone to come and film me in the water. hmmm i think investigations are in order.

You mean investigations into a surfing buddy for the trip?

I recommend that if you did do this trip, you go with a mate. At least one mate, to pick you up in any lows, and to enjoy the highs with! I think people who travel alone aer very brave, or just a bit stupid.

Then you could take turns filming in the water!

yeah i was plannin to take someone with me. Its a bit of a problem tho coz theres not many people that i know that would want to come.

i'm looking to do something the same for my gap year (next year). What kind of money do you see yourself spending on this trip? I reckon i need some kind of guidlines for myself.

it sounds amazing!!! can i join u! im only 15 and planning my gap yr 2! where bouts u from? write bak clare xxx

I would DEFINITELY take Surf Patrol's advice and get as many of the far away places seen as possible. I would actually think about seeing some more places even if it means you don't get to surf there.

I am now married with a baby girl so it'll be a long time before I can go anywhere Long-haul. Take the opportunity while it's there. As soon as you get a job, you're limited to 2 weeks holiday at a time, so you pretty much won't get this chance again.

Then come back and find a Uni with a good surf club.

Make the most of every opportunity you get to go surfing. You can get cheap flights to Ireland and the Canaries for long weekends or short breaks, so be adventurous and see some amazing places!

Sinista

dude, that sounds like a hell of a gap year, and in fact v similar to mine.
im doing: Sep - Dec Feurteventura
Jan - March South East Asia including 6 weeks in Bali
April - June Australia inc. the Byron Bay Blues Festival
June - Aug New Zeland watching the Lions tour, plus a bit of snowboarding.

I am a similar level of surfing, ie v.basic, but intend to become tremendous (?) over the course of the year.

Fancy hooking up?