Amy Lambert, editor of the Mellow Waves blog, shares some tips on finding waves to suit your ability level.

I consider myself to be an ok surfer, I’ve been surfing for eight years, but I never get enough time in the water to be really good, having to have a job usually sees to that.

For years I was convinced I was a rubbish surfer, but one day, after a run of particularly frustrating surfs, I came to the realisation that I was just trying to surf the wrong types of waves for my ability.

I discovered that I am simply not interested in surfing big, gnarly waves and I have way more fun when I’m on the smaller waves.

“I discovered I have more fun when I’m on the smaller waves.”

I learnt that picking the waves you’re surfing is just as important as your ability and having the right kit. If I go out in massive, messy waves, I won’t catch much and I just won’t enjoy it.

Now it’s not so much of a problem if you live by the sea and can go again the next day, but what if you only get two weeks each year to surf… finding those mellow waves is even more important.

Why getting it right is important

Looking back, this probably explains why my first few surf trips weren’t quite the Endless Summer dream I’d imagined, more flailing around in the whitewater and getting frustrated.

With hindsight (and having gone on a lot more surf trips since) I can see why. At the time I was picking my destinations straight out of the Stormrider guide (as if the name hadn’t given it away that these were aimed at surfers who actually knew what they were doing!) and the people I was travelling with were much better surfers than me. They were always searching for bigger (and scarier) waves.

So I thought, if surfing the right waves can make a the difference between an ok surf trip and an epic surf trip, I needed to work out how to find them. Here are my top seven tips so you can find your perfect waves too: