17 May 2025 Mid Level,Shredder Split Payment Options Trips from £1795

Overview

Staying at a private villa with a pool, spend one week of surf training with Ticket to Ride, followed a 1-week ISA Surf Instructor Course and you've got a cracker of a Sri Lanka Surf Trip with a Qualification at the end!

For competent surfers looking to start a career in surf coaching and wanting to qualify somewhere tropical, then this is the course for you. The qualifications included are the ISA Level 1 Surf Instructor award and the ILS Water Safety award, which combined together enables you to work as an instructor around the world.

What to Expect

The first week will be spent brushing up on your surfing skills ensuring you're at the right level to pass the course, the second week will be the course and the whole time will be spent training and hanging at the Ticket to Ride Surf House whilst sleeping and chilling at the bougie 'Secret Spot Villa'

What's Included


  • Breakfast

  • Surf Camp Accommodation

  • Trip Leaders For Duration

  • Video Surf Analysis

  • All Surf Lessons

  • Surf Guiding To The Best Beaches

  • All Surf Transport

  • Surf Hire

  • Welcome Meal

  • Photos Of Your Surfing

  • Additional Excursions And Activities

  • Shared Accommodation

  • Five Nights Supper

  • Surf Instructor Course

  • Free WiFi

Qualifications

In order to work as a surf instructor, you require both an ISA Surf Instructor qualification, as well as an International Life Saving Water Safety Award. We have combined the ISA Level 1 course with the ILS Water Safety Course in order to create a 5-day course that will allow you to work around the world as a surf instructor.

In order to take this course, you must have the skill level and fitness level required to gain the qualification during the course week. 

Prior to attending a course, participants must have completed a timed swim of 200m completed in less than 5 minutes in a pool no shorter than 25m.

ISA Level 1 Surf Instructor Course: The International Surfing Association (ISA) Level 1 is the most internationally recognized Surfing Instructor award. This award is the foundation of your future surf teaching so we approach each module of the course in a way that motivates and inspires you to be the best.

  • Module 1: The role of the coach
  • Module 2: The safety of the surfer in your care
  • Module 3: The equipment for the beginner surfer
  • Module 4: Coaching methods
  • Module 5: Skill development
  • Module 6:Program planning

This qualification is internationally recognised and allows you to teach surf lessons anywhere in the world. This section of the course takes 2.5 days to complete.

Once you have completed (and passed) the course you must gain 20-hours surf coach shadowing experience, before you can deliver surf lessons single-handedly. We can help you to find these hours in Sri Lanka after the course, or offer hours at our school in Cornwall (Mar-Oct), or you can book hours elsewhere.

To complete this course you need to be able to paddle out back, duck dive when required. You must be able to read the water and paddle into waves, catching unbroken green waves consistently and performing basic maneuvers, trimming both left and right. We are lucky in Sri Lanka to have good small to average wave conditions to carry out the surfing assessment. Most surfing tests last ½ to ¾ of an hour depending on conditions. To reassure you this test it’s pretty basic, but don’t forget those you coach will be watching you demonstrate and you are their role model. 

ILS Water Safety Course: The International Lifesaving Federation (ILS) is the world authority for Life Saving this course is devised to perfectly fit the surfing instructor’s needs.

In the ISA / ILS Water Safety Course we deal with the incidents, conditions, and techniques you will normally come across when teaching and coaching. The course format has an open discussion and dialog between trainers and candidates, with practical hands-on learning. 

  • Module 1: Basic surf safety awareness
  • Module 2: Hazards
  • Module 3: Basic ocean safety and awareness
  • Module 4: Instructors duty of care
  • Module 5: Basic First Aid
  • Module 6: Basic immediate emergency care and CPR
  • Module 7: Board rescue
  • Module 8: Signals

All your course material will be provided to you on arrival in Sri Lanka, you're not required to bring any other kit apart from your surfboard. This section of the course takes 2.5 days to complete.

 

Course Video

What past riders say


FAQs

Got a question about this course? Here's the best place to start. If you don't find your answer here, you can request a callback or get in touch using our contact page.

A lot of your food is included (daily breakfast and 5 evening meals when based at the surf house and breakfast only when 'touring'). however a meal in Sri Lanka can range from as little as £1 for a simple rice or curry, while a fresh tuna steak and a large Lion beer will set you back about £7.

Yes you will need to arrange a visa for this course. You can obtain an electronic 'ETA' Visa by visiting the official website here: www.eta.gov.lk. This will need to be extended at a cost by yourself, we can help arrange this. Or you can consult your embassy to arrange a 3 month tourist visa. This usually entails having an interview in person.

There are currerntly no COVID restrictions on entering Sri Lanka

For the latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office including security and local laws, plus passport and visa information, check http://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.

None! Sri Lanka is a tropical paradise where wetsuits aren't required, just don’t forget your swim wear and plenty of sun cream! You're required to bring your own surfboard for the course. We can help arrange hire if required.

In order to jump straight into the Surf Instructor course, you need the essential surf skills and fitness levels to gain the qualification.

Prior to attending a course, participants must have completed a timed swim of 200m completed in less than 5 minutes in a pool no shorter than 25m in order to prove your water fitness is strong enough.

For your surfing, you must be able to paddle out back and duck dive when needed, pop-up consistently on green waves and perform basic maneuvers, turning both left and right.

Your first year's ISA (International Surfing Association) Membership is included in the course fee. You must ensure you pay your membership annually (directly to ISA via their website) in order to hold a valid qualification and membership with ISA. If you miss this deadline, you may be required to take the course again.

After you pass the course, you have the qualification for 2 years. After this time you will need to take a 'refresher' course. This is shorter and cheaper than the full course and is designed to refresh your skills and update you on new methods and techniques. After this, you're required to take a Refresher course every 2-years. Should you miss any of these deadlines then you will be requied to take the full course again.

They are widely recognised and respected, allowing you to work all around the world as long as both your ISA and Lifesaving qualifications are in date.

After your course you are required to gain 20 hours surf coach shadowing experience with a surf school. We can help arrange these hours in Sri Lanka immediately after your course week, or you're welcome to arrange this yourself somewhere else.

Straight from the surf