Southern Nicaragua
350 days of offshore winds in a year and loads of different beach breaks, makes Southern Nicaragua a great destination for mellow waves. I went there for a few weeks and ended up staying a year and half… the waves are that good!
Maderas is the main surfing beach and is pretty open so picks up a lot of swell. Playa Hermosa is slightly more sheltered and a little smaller than Madera. Although a bit of a trek in the car it’s worth it to see miles of gorgeous, sandy beach with peaks lined up the whole way along.
“I went there for a few weeks and ended up staying a year and half… the waves are that good!”
Remanso is a gorgeous horseshoe shaped bay that’s smaller again, and on really big days you can even surf in the bay in San Juan del Sur.
Morocco
You really are spoilt for choice around Tamraght and Taghazout. There are six different beaches perfect for beginners and more than a dozen other point and reef breaks for intermediates and advanced surfers.
The sheer number of options here means that you can pretty much always find a wave that’s doing what you want. Beach breaks like Banana Beach, Crocodiles, Camel Point and Panoramas (next to Taghazout) are perfect for learning, but also ideal for progressing.
We found that going with the beginners was a great shout because whilst they were all practicing in the white water, we often had the waves out back to ourselves!
Andalucia, Southern Spain
Not many people even think there are waves down there, I certainly didn’t. But word is slowly starting to spread that there are awesome waves in and around Conil all year round.
The main surf season on the Andalucian coast runs from October to April, when you’ll find fairly consistent 3-4 ft waves on huge sandy beaches, with a lot less people than you’ll see in the better known surf spots in the Basque region in the north of Spain.
“The area doesn’t tend to attract advanced surfers at all, but if you ask me that can only be a good thing.”
The long, sandy bottomed beaches and slow rolling waves make the area perfect for catching lots of waves and really working on the areas of surfing you want to improve. And even in the winter swell season it’s rarely really big for days on end and the winding nature of the coast means there are lots of options depending on the wind or swell directions.
The area doesn’t tend to attract advanced surfers at all, but if you ask me that can only be a good thing.
Cornwall
Ah Cornwall, not the bikini/boardshort heaven we all dream about, but actually a great option for a surf trip. There are 30 surf beaches listed on Magic Seaweed and loads more that aren’t.
And there are beaches facing every direction, so as long as you’ve got a car and don’t mind exploring it’s rare that there’s absolutely nowhere with a rideable wave. When it’s big, look for shelter.
“It’s rare that there’s absolutely nowhere with a rideable wave.”
Big swells wrap right around the coastline, so even some of the east facing beaches will work when it’s big enough. When it’s small, go to an open beach facing the direction of the swell.
If you want to read more of Amy’s work, check out the excellent Mellow Waves blog. It’s full of useful stuff!.