Best place to live and learn the surfing life?

[mwayler]

I'm 21 and from Ireland. I live in Spain at the moment studying and have one year left of college. Basically I would love to work for the next year to save up money and then move somewhere else in the world (hot) and live by the sea and surf everyday. I just want to do something different before starting a career.

I'm looking for suggestions for where to go, for beginners but also for general living. I want to be immersed in the culture of it. I would preferably like to try America (Hawaii/California) but I am open to anywhere really. I know Spain has some great spots some even very close to where I live know but I want a new adventure after this.

[tony g]

Hello mwayler,
I just got back from southern California and there are some great areas for beginners there. It is usually user friendly and not to big. You will want to avoid the more popular spots if you want to get your share of waves though. I think the only negative thing about California is it is so crowded because their weather is good year round. With a little searching you can discover some uncrowded spots.

[mwayler]

Cool thanks, I think the main things I will need to take into cost will also be living costs and accomodation, although I am very willing to slum it if it lets me stay as long as possible. I also wouldn't mind being somewhere remote and not too built up

[dtc]

Australia is great (although I'm biased, I guess), but expensive. Easy to find somewhere to surf out of the main cities with few others on the waves, often no one. And you can work - working holiday visa - you will certainly not be the first person from Ireland working in a bar or as a waiter or whatever (in fact, you know those people who hold stop signs at road repair sites - now something like 60% of all sign holders in Sydney are Irish females). The unemployment rate is a bit under 6%, so there is work around particularly 'unskilled' work like in the hospitality industry. Whether there is a 'culture' to be immersed in is a question often asked...

Bali is cheap but can be crowded and isnt really for beginners.

NZ is cold but uncrowded.

[billie_morini]

mwayler,
Santa Cruz, CA, is the place to go for what you want. It has consistent surf. Lots of breaks for all skill levels. Great surfing vibe with surfing community. Good climate. Really mellow.

Read this book Caught Inside: A Surfer's Year on the California Coast by Daniel Duane and you'll hardly be able to wait!

[mwayler]

Cool thanks lads, I have been looking at New Zealand and Australia too, I have relatives there (who doesn't), I'd definitely stay out of the big cities. I'm just looking for something with almost an island vibe where everything is minimalistic before I head back to the ridiculous city of Dublin. I'll check Billie Morini, I'll have to start looking up visas too most likely

[jaffa1949]

Australia fits the bill on a lot of counts,but it is at the moment horribly expensive, the strip of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland is warm and surf friendly but is seriously overrun by visiting (but more like an invasion ) of overseas learner surfers. Chaos and crowds ensue!. But there is work there, the more you go to country soul comfort areas the less work there is!
Western Australia has booming surf and depending on your qualifications and visa the mines up north have interesting work flexibility and great money.
Sydney is the surf city of Australia and work can be found, hard core crews at almost every beach and if you live at one of the beaches at the edge of the city hard commute too.
New Zealand has the island vibe but is colder and Kiwis come to Australia if they are serious about work, there is some great surf in New Zealand, both countries have Irish pubs so accent wise you are a shoo in for a job!

Couch surfing at the relatives might help but check where they are living!
Western Sydney could mean being as close to the surf a full day trip after getting through the traffic jams.

[Wave4Surf]

Hi mwayler,

You should check out Hendaye Plage in the very south-west of France. It's a great spot for beginners, pretty good weather all year long and Biarritz and Ilbarritz (<-- awesome spot) are several kilometers up north. A negative point though is that it can get very crowded (a lot of Spaniards visit this spot).

Good luck on your quest!

Greets,

[mwayler]

Thank's guys I have well over a year to research so I should be able to find a good spot, I think I'd rather stay wherever I go for as long as possible to see if I would enjoy the life so that may mean going somewhere cheaper and possibly not as good as the more popular choices

[nottyR6]

Portugal have you discovered it yet? Come on over, good surf in winter and the ladies make up for the lack of surf in summer

[mwayler]

No but Portugal is only a few hours drive away from me at the moment, there's a pretty cheap surf course in Cadiz, Spain that I will probably do in the next few months

[Paulg]

As a fellow country man to the next, I recommend you get a working holiday visa for Australia. Pick yourself up an old reliable hi-ace in Melbourne and start traveling up the east coast staying in hostels or beach car parks and surfing the many famous beaches along the way. You will meet a heap of great people and find bits of work here there and everywhere to pay for fuel, food and hostels, that is as long as you are willing to roll your sleeves up and do anything! There is place called surfers Paradise way up the east coast from Melbs with a pretty big Irish population and a fair bit of work available. FWIW I'm not much of a surfer at present but I'm trying!

[oldenglish]

I am also interested in this subject. Surfing on the gulf coast of Texas has been a pretty great experience for a beginner but waiting weeks between "swell" (if you can call it that), long drives, and poor conditions has left me wanting more. I am a nurse and even though its a great career I can't but help feeling bound to the states and even more so to places that have great healthcare centers as well as schools since I don't want to stay a floor nurse forever.

[frreako104]

The east coast USA has some nice places to lern as well.

[Rickyroughneck]

I am also interested in this subject. Surfing on the gulf coast of Texas has been a pretty great experience for a beginner but waiting weeks between "swell" (if you can call it that), long drives, and poor conditions has left me wanting more. I am a nurse and even though its a great career I can't but help feeling bound to the states and even more so to places that have great healthcare centers as well as schools since I don't want to stay a floor nurse forever.

Would it be possible to transfer to California?

[wellsn]

....I am a nurse and even though its a great career I can't but help feeling bound to the states and even more so to places that have great healthcare centers as well as schools since I don't want to stay a floor nurse forever.

Have you looked into Panama City, Panama? My Ex is a nurse, and she and I looked into cities which had great surf and business infrastructure as well as good hospitals for nurses and Panama City topped our list because it has all of that as well as two new modern hospitals, one being the brand new Johns Hopkins owned.

Cheers. I found your article/reply as I daydream myself in search of the perfect town to live, work and surf, but I can't currently leave my twin daughters with their mom & just take off.

[IB_Surfer]

On TV, everything you see is real!

[Ged]

Some south pacific island, obviously. French Polynesis, Pitcairn or somewhere like that. Or the Azores.

[Oda]

Why not check out Vancouver Island Victoria BC Canada? That's where I'm from. We have beautiful lush rain forest, its a large Island (27,000km sqr) but only around 800,000 people at the most. Tofino, Jordan River, and Sombrio Beach all have very nice waves year around. You could find waves almost every day. Sure its a little cold, but the culture makes up for it, plus your from Ireland. In fact I'd say were in the top for best weather in Canada. I mean are winters are never to cold, and our summers never go up past 32 degrees. Also ... we have some very well known Universities, job opportunities, etc. In fact Victoria was voted the most beautiful city in the world in 2004 and multiple times Vancouver (city close by on the mainland) has been voted the most livable city. Its always battling it out with Melbourne Australia.

I lived and surfed in Australia Sunshine Coast for almost two years. I'm currently living in Phuket Thailand and have traveled all over Thailand for the last 7 months plus visited Hong Kong, Laos, and Burma. In the past I've been to Mexico and a few other places ... I think you should check out west coast Canada ^_^ .

Quinn ~