exotic places to learn to surf

themacman

hi folks

ive been blessed with some time off work and have some money saved. so next year (probably february) im thinking of jetting off somewhere to learn to surf. for about 2 or 3 months i'd imagine.

would anyone have any suggestions of where? im looking for sun, a small bit of nightlife and somewhere interesting to explore i suppose. a low cost of living would be great too. (the price of actually getting there doesnt really matter)

im new to surfing so all suggestions welcome. places im aware of are Bali, and also someone mentioned a place in Mexico to me, the name escapes me? im not interested in Oz or New Zealand as ive been there before.

thanks!

Burgerman55

Hawaii - big surf out there according to my sources.

themacman

Cheers man Hawaii had crossed my mind, but the cost of living would probably be the highest of any of these places.

Keep em coming thanks folks

kodute

Teahupoo, Tahiti?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHL_sVLRHII

Burgerman55

Trinidad?

Malaysia?

both also have good surf i hear

themacman

wow trinidad and a few other of those islands look great.

as does teahupoo but bear in mind im only just standing up on the board

kodute

themacman wrote: »

as does teahupoo but bear in mind im only just standing up on the board

Mightn't be a good idea so! Its like Darwinian surfing, you either surf or die!

You could look at South Africa or SoCal. I'm getting really jealous now because the world is your oyster.

Gone West

exotic places that I like to be in with consistent surf: indo, northwest africa(**** nightlife), pacific coast of south america or central america (thats me, best nightlife), canaries(good nightlife if you like hanging out with tatoo'd british and irish "geezers").
But really before relocating yourself, you should be a surfer and have at least an idea of what sort of surf you want before leaving. For example, southern america's pacific coast generally has very warm, but small water moving. If you're happy to surf 3 foot clean left hand pointbreaks every morning its perfect, but most would prefer something like indo with variety and every sort of wave you can imagine.

themacman

El judio - that is some great info, thankyou. i dont think im near the level where the type of wave would be a factor. if i can achieve standing up (for more than a second or two like im currently able) that would be thrill enough for me i reckon. i assume i wont progress very quickly, even surfing every day for a month or two - ive always assumed surfing has a slow learning curve - correct me if im wrong!

some warm water would be fantastic though - i think all the afformentioned places would be warm?

kodute, does SoCal = southern california? i was in san diego before, loved it, but i think cost of living would be too high.

thanks very much for the replies.

gally74

bali, cheap to live and great weather, you ll really build up your stamina and get your take off

tuff1

Montanita, Ecuador. this is a deadly little place. cant recommend it enough.

Nanoman

Yo themacman. You should think of Central America, like Costa Rica - and maybe learn spanish while your there, very chilled out place, not as developed as Bali. Bali is also a great spot obviously, full of Aussies - will be much busier and have nightlife and every surf shop in the world has a store here - its a great place to learn and when you get a bit better you can explore Lombok and some of the other places that have easy waves and crazy waves. Sign up for a few weeks of lessons in either place and then take it from there

Gone West

tuff1 wrote: »

Montanita, Ecuador. this is a deadly little place. cant recommend it enough.

Very crowded right hander that is always way too jammed, and a fairly standard beachie, often very small, the beach break works only on high tide, and when it does all the peaks are crowded.
Plus the town itself is 2x the price of most other places on the coast.
Northern Ecuador up around Esmereldas had some great surf for me. Wouldn't recommend Montanita to anybody unless they were passing through and wanted to try out surfing or learn.

Although.... that said, that right hander pointbreak when it got head high or over with a powerful N swell was such a sweet wave, really sectiony, and the water is warm.

welish

I'd definitely skip off to Indo for the few months if I were you. Never been myself but it's the dream! Hope you have a great time anyway, lucky b**tard!

southsiderosie

I spent a summer in Nicaragua and wanted to learn how to surf, so I used to jet down to San Juan del Sur/Majagual on the weekends. There are different breaks along the coast; the more experienced guys get dropped off in the middle of nowhere, while beginners can stick to the beaches. The water is warm, and the cost of living is CHEAP. I went in 2003, and paid $4/night for my room, $1 for the rum & coke, and had the best seafood meal of my life for $3.50. I know it's become more popular in the last few years, but it is still way cheaper than Costa Rica.

That said, SJDS is pretty small, so it's not THAT exciting (although there are some cool bars). If you have some time and want to finish out your time in Central America with a bang, go down to Panama City for a few days...best nightlife in CA, and the most beautiful people I've ever seen. It's like Miami, but 1/4 of the cost.