I love everything about surfing, it somehow can grasp my short attention span and keep me entertained for hours. I think it’s the fact that no wave is ever the same, conditions can change in an instant and every surf spot is different.
I’ve been lucky enough to adventure all around the world on various surfing adventures. There wasn’t one place where my surfing progressed dramatically but more a series of places and variety of locations where something would just click and things would fall into place with my surfing. I’d get better at one thing or another, whether it was getting more confidence, riding bigger, faster waves or just having a better understanding of the ocean.
There were spots all over the world including Indonesia and Costa Rica, where my surfing was really challenged and I had to step up my game.
So for those of you looking to push your surfing to the next level, here are my top picks of intermediate waves.
Kitchen Windows | Jeffrey’s Bays | South Africa
Jeffrey’s Bay is famous for Supertubes, arguably one of the best right-hand point breaks in the world and I get the impression that other spots along this stretch are often overlooked, but there’s a bunch of world class waves here not just the one. Outside Island Vibe Backpackers, stop number 3 on our South African Road Trip is Kitchen Windows. An a-frame point break where I scored an amazing ride, an overhead wave that was quite fast and went on and on and on, the first time I’d ridden anything so critical.
Definitely check it out before hitting the backpackers for some rounds of beer pong. But be sure to mix it up and check out other spots in the area such as The Point, who is Supertubes friendly neighbour.
Wave of the day.
Coffee Bay | South Africa
Get your paddling arms ready for Stop 5 of the South Africa Road Trip. Coffee Bay will deceive you too with its inviting wide channel making the paddle out easy. But once you’re out there it’s a lesson in paddling, positioning and timing as the currents sweep you down the beach. Surfing is not just all fitness and balls of steel though. Coffee Bay, taught me a lot about being ‘in the zone’ and really watching and reading the waves before jumping in the water all guns blazing. If you get your timing wrong you get stuck in a rip and have to do a run around on the beach. But when you get it right, get the right spot and take off on a jammy left hander, you’ll be feeling as wild as the wild coast where it sits.
Kabalana | Midigama | Sri Lanka
“Tsunami Waves, Tsunami Waves” I remember my instructor Ashan chuckling as I gunned it over the set waves, safe to say they were not Tsunami waves. Apart from getting dunked a lot at Kabalana, this super fast A-Frame is a lot of fun and the best place to go along the stretch of the south coast of Sri Lanka if you want to really push your surfing. It picks up the most swell in the area so gives you a chance to step it up if you’re feeling fiesty. Actually, to be honest, the South Coast of Sri Lanka I reckon is one of the best surfing destinations of anywhere going, purely due to the large variety of breaks, which I was encouraged to explore by my instructors.
Not me, one of my friends Aiden smashing it at Kabalana. Look at the shape of that wave with NOBODY out!
Main Point | Arugam Bay | Sri Lanka
The regular footers paradise, Main Point sits on the east coast of Sri Lanka and fires from April through to late September. This is the spot where you’re likely to catch the longest ride of your life, with only one fast section to negotiate and mellow walls for the rest of the ride. I learnt a lot about how to generate speed on this wave and how to negotiate a locals packed lineup. Definitely not to be missed and one of my favourite rides ever.
Not me but my life coach Max at Arugam Bay 🙂
Medewi Point | Bali | Indonesia
Of course, Bali makes it onto the list as a lot of people consider it some sort of surfing mecca. Whilst I’ve not had the pleasure of surfing Medewi Point in Bali, I’ve listened to Max rave on and on about it. It’s a long thigh burning left hander, will a mellow face that’s perfect for practicing manoeuvres on.
Max’s friend Sara learning to cross-step at Medewi.
Gerupuk | Lombok | Indonesia
So, there’s inside rights, outside rights, inside lefts, outside left and don don’s, which is somewhere in the middle. But despite the unimaginative names, Lombok fired up my imagination and made me think that I was a pretty decent surfer, fantasizing about cut backs and deep bottom turns. The waves are perfect everyday and we spent the days jumping between spots on our boats and just surfing surfing surfing. The most important thing in progressing your surfing is to get out there as much as possible and Lombok made it easy to do this, with the boats literally dropping us in on the waves and Gerupuk boasting the most beautiful surfing backdrop.
Indonesia Trip Leader Chris Bond killing it at Don Dons.
Playa Santa Teresa | Costa Rica
This place is great because when I was there it was a 100m walk from my bed which made dawnies very manageable. Costa Rica is the perfect introduction to beach breaks and Playa Santa Teresa can become fast and hollow wave challenging you to execute the perfect pop up and generate speed down the line. Muy bien! Dawnies are the best time to surf, then watch the locals tear it up at sundown.
Our instructor, Juan Diego, stalling for the barrel.
So there you have it, a little introduction to some places worth checking out. There’s no one place that’s the best place to surf because variety, practice and confidence are the things that will push you. So don’t get comfortable and stick to your favourite break, go explore and challenge yourself!