[Roosh]

This year I don't think I want to tough out the European winter. January and February are just too depressing, and there's usually not much going on with the girls. Do you have recommendations for a surfing town during this time? Here is what I'm looking for:

-Waves for a beginner (I surfed a bit a decade ago, but I'll have to start from scratch and so will need a surfing school for lessons and rentals)
-Warm water (I don't want to wear a wet suit)
-Good town vibes (I don't need hot girls but some kind of scene would be nice)

In the Americas, I've seen surfing in a couple cities:

-Huanchaco, Peru (Trujillo) - seemed like a nice town, but I didn't stay long

-Punte del Diablo, Uruguay - tiny town that was a joy to spend time in, but waves weren't great

-Punte del Este, Uruguay - better waves but during January/February, it turns into a somewhat lame see-and-be-seen destination for rich Brazilians and Argentines.

-Praia de Pipa, Brazil - excellent summer spots with surfing, though I didn't try it. Decent amount of girls travel through here.

Any other recommendations? I'm open to anywhere in the world.

[Laner]

Bali hits most of these points. Its also a good jumping off point for other islands in the region. Some easy beach breaks and then some consistent reef as well if you are up for it. It can be crowded and very scenester, but plenty of places to get away.

Mazatlan area in Mexico is cool as well. Mazatlan as a city is fun with lots of hot chicas. Fishermen will take you out to a break and you can get long rides all the way back in.

[Nowak]

(09-17-2017 02:40 PM)Roosh Wrote:  

This year I don't think I want to tough out the European winter. January and February are just too depressing, and there's usually not much going on with the girls. Do you have recommendations for a surfing town during this time? Here is what I'm looking for:

-Waves for a beginner (I surfed a bit a decade ago, but I'll have to start from scratch and so will need a surfing school for lessons and rentals)
-Warm water (I don't want to wear a wet suit)
-Good town vibes (I don't need hot girls but some kind of scene would be nice)

In the Americas, I've seen surfing in a couple cities:

-Huanchaco, Peru (Trujillo) - seemed like a nice town, but I didn't stay long

-Punte del Diablo, Uruguay - tiny town that was a joy to spend time in, but waves weren't great

-Punte del Este, Uruguay - better waves but during January/February, it turns into a somewhat lame see-and-be-seen destination for rich Brazilians and Argentines.

-Praia de Pipa, Brazil - excellent summer spots with surfing, though I didn't try it. Decent amount of girls travel through here.

Any other recommendations? I'm open to anywhere in the world.

I was in Malpais Costa Rica a long long time ago. Lots of eurosluts and good vibes. Really chill cool place

[Vaun]

(09-17-2017 03:35 PM)Laner Wrote:  

Mazatlan area in Mexico is cool as well. Mazatlan as a city is fun with lots of hot chicas. Fishermen will take you out to a break and you can get long rides all the way back in.

Mazatlan is my favorite city in Mexico, one of the oldest Spanish cities in Mexico, the home of the fish(octopus) taco, cool Spanish architecture, and they used to make VW Beetles there. But isn't it off limits now with the cartels and violence? I haven't been there in almost 15 years.

[SeanBateman]

The irony of traveling for surf in the vein of Endless Summer is that waves are generated by winter storms, which means they are limited to roughly October through April in the Northern Hemisphere and May through September in the Southern Hemisphere. The surf is good in Europe in the fall and winter, but it is cold. Another factor is that waves are generally better on the west coast of continents due to the way weather patterns are affected by the rotational direct of the earth. So in the European winter this limits the geographic regions with good surf to areas on the west coast of continents with exposure to swells from the north, and if temperature is a factor then the search is limited even more to lower latitudes where the water is warmer. These factors result in a fairly limited number of areas that fit the criteria. As if that weren't enough, wind direction and wet/dry seasons are factors as well. All that being said, if the goal is to learn to surf in a nice climate during the months of European winter, I would recommend these places:

Peru - http://magicseaweed.com/Peru-North-Surf-Forecast/31/ - If you are a goofy footer or a regular footer who doesn't mind surfing backside then this area offers some of the longest waves in the world.

Ecuador - http://magicseaweed.com/Ecuador-Surf-Forecast/30/ - I can't vouch for Ecuador personally but all the right conditions are in place.

Costa Rica - http://magicseaweed.com/Guanacaste-Surfing/125/ - Warm water, consistent and beginner friendly waves with enough tourist activity to stay busy socially, Costa Rica works if you don't mind spending your time on the Central American backpacker and eco tourist trail.

A note on learning to surf - It is quite difficult, especially starting at a point in life that is anytime past your teenage years. I only know one guy who starting surfing in his adulthood and went on to become a competent surfer, and was already an accomplished athlete. I know many guys who tried surfing a few times because they thought it was cool and then gave up because it was too hard. Trying to do it casually typically doesn't work because you won't adapt physically to become a good paddler and you won't have enough reps to build the muscle memory required to smoothly drop into a wave while popping up to your feet. But if you take a full season of 3 to 4 months and commit to getting in the water everyday, you'll make some headway. It won't be pretty while learning, and there will be many frustrating moments, but once you can confidently paddle out to catch some waves and surf them competently there are few feelings that are more satisfying. As William Finnegan wrote in his fantastic book Barbarian Days, it's "a consuming, physically exhausting, joy-drenched reason to live."

[YoungBlade]

Paging Kona

[Yeti]

Mazatlan, Mexico is a good place to learn for a beginner. There are lots of schools/instructors. The food is great. I didn't find it to be dangerous. The cartels seem to operate more inland. San Agustinillo/Zipolite/Mazunte are also good for beginners.

In Costa Rica, Mal Pais, Nosara, and Tamarindo should all be pretty good options, depending on the time of year.

You might also consider Encuentro (Dominican Republic) from around October and on, Rincon in Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe and Barbados (said to be the most consistent for surfing of the Caribbean islands), and Lobitos (Peru).

Bali sounds good and I think that Indonesia as a whole is a surfer's paradise, especially if you rent an offroad vehicle and explore the more unknown lands - places that you won't hear much about, but with great waves.

In general I would check out the Surfline app. You can add locations to your favorites (particular towns/beaches) and you'll get info on how big the waves are that day.

[SeanBateman]

There's almost no surf in Mazatlan in the winter months...

   

[Dasm]

In Europe I would say Las Palmas in Gran C

[Dasm]

In Europe I would say Las Palmas in Gran Canaria or Playa de las Americas in Tenerife.

Both have a plenty options of things to do, a great town vibe and consistent waves in the winter. The water has the best temperatrure you'll get in Europe but you still need a thin wetsuit if you stay a long time in the water.

Las Palmas is a Capital and has more local people, Playa de las Americas is more touristy, but also has areas with only local people.

Both Islands are really good. Have been living on both.

[Kona]

Haleiwa on Oahu is the end all be all of surf towns from now until about March.

Wave wise you get the best and biggest in the world, but you don't have to go to those breaks. There's plenty of other places. People that say "beginner" waves don't quite get that its actually a little easier to learn on a wave with more power to it. So the point is, everywhere you go the waters moving strong, you just don't go to the spot with the 30 foots.

The thing I like is because the surf contests run on the days with the strongest waves, the not so famous beaches are cleared out those days. Everyone's watching the show. You can go 100 yards south of Pipeline on world championship day, and its empty. And these are the days with the best waves.



Right in the middle of that map is the town, Haleiwa. There's enough of a scene there that you can get into some trouble. At peak season the bars are loaded with groupies. There is not one female on the planet that surfs just because she likes surfing. Mostly they want to have sex with guys who do surf.

If ever there was a town with a good surfing vibe and culture its Haleiwa. Its what the place is about.

Accommodation wise you have two big hotels, but they are too far unless you got a vehicle and expensive. However, there is a bustling illegal vacation rental and Airbnb situation. Everyone up here, except me, has bedrooms and mother-in-law units or their whole damn house on airbnb during the winter.

Edit: I forgot to mention, everyone in Haleiwa becomes a surf instructor during the winter. Just google "Haleiwa surf schools" to get the big, and most reputable ones. And everyone rents boards. The damn gas stations will rent you one. But its easy to borrow. Some people just leave little stands where you gotta promise to bring them back. Those are usually a little beat though.

I say check it out.

Aloha!

[Roosh]

(09-17-2017 06:27 PM)SeanBateman Wrote:  

All that being said, if the goal is to learn to surf in a nice climate during the months of European winter, I would recommend these places:

Peru - http://magicseaweed.com/Peru-North-Surf-Forecast/31/ - If you are a goofy footer or a regular footer who doesn't mind surfing backside then this area offers some of the longest waves in the world.

Ecuador - http://magicseaweed.com/Ecuador-Surf-Forecast/30/ - I can't vouch for Ecuador personally but all the right conditions are in place.

Costa Rica - http://magicseaweed.com/Guanacaste-Surfing/125/ - Warm water, consistent and beginner friendly waves with enough tourist activity to stay busy socially, Costa Rica works if you don't mind spending your time on the Central American backpacker and eco tourist trail.

A note on learning to surf - It is quite difficult, especially starting at a point in life that is anytime past your teenage years. I only know one guy who starting surfing in his adulthood and went on to become a competent surfer, and was already an accomplished athlete.

My only issue with places like Peru/Ecuador is that I have bad memories of getting multiple foodborne illnesses when I was last there. At my age, I don't think I can recover as quickly.

With surfing, I don't have a goal to become a surfer. It's still fun as a beginner, moreso than sitting in an Eastern European apartment when it's dark and cold outside.

(09-17-2017 10:27 PM)Kona Wrote:  

Accommodation wise you have two big hotels, but they are too far unless you got a vehicle and expensive. However, there is a bustling illegal vacation rental and Airbnb situation. Everyone up here, except me, has bedrooms and mother-in-law units or their whole damn house on airbnb during the winter.

Edit: I forgot to mention, everyone in Haleiwa becomes a surf instructor during the winter. Just google "Haleiwa surf schools" to get the big, and most reputable ones. And everyone rents boards. The damn gas stations will rent you one. But its easy to borrow. Some people just leave little stands where you gotta promise to bring them back. Those are usually a little beat though.

I say check it out.

Aloha!

How much is a private apartment rental? I'm guessing at least $1,000 a month.

[PUA_Rachacha]

Florianopolis, Brazil. It's where I've been wanting to go since 2009. There's something for everyone: over two dozen surf breaks, great weather, big party city, hot girls, tropical climate, and hiking.

If you don't want to deal with third-world antics, then I would suggest Maui. I was just there, and the place is beautiful, clean, no vagrancy, and great surfing. However the nightlife will probably get old real quick to you. I guess you could hit up the resorts in Wailea if you're looking for fresh meat, but almost all hot girls there were with their husbands when I was there.

Bali and Australia (Sydney, Perth) are also great alternatives. But since you've been to Brazil, I would suggest Florianopolis.

[Kona]

(09-18-2017 07:47 AM)Roosh Wrote:  

(09-17-2017 10:27 PM)Kona Wrote:  

Accommodation wise you have two big hotels, but they are too far unless you got a vehicle and expensive. However, there is a bustling illegal vacation rental and Airbnb situation. Everyone up here, except me, has bedrooms and mother-in-law units or their whole damn house on airbnb during the winter.

Edit: I forgot to mention, everyone in Haleiwa becomes a surf instructor during the winter. Just google "Haleiwa surf schools" to get the big, and most reputable ones. And everyone rents boards. The damn gas stations will rent you one. But its easy to borrow. Some people just leave little stands where you gotta promise to bring them back. Those are usually a little beat though.

I say check it out.

Aloha!

How much is a private apartment rental? I'm guessing at least $1,000 a month.

https://www.airbnb.com/s/Haleiwa--HI--Un...n_offset=1

There's a few people I know that would take around 2k a month. But take a look at the airbnb. There's a ton. I see rooms with a bathroom for around a grand, but not the whole apartment.

Aloha!

[kurti]

(09-17-2017 10:25 PM)Dasm Wrote:  

In Europe I would say Las Palmas in Gran Canaria or Playa de las Americas in Tenerife.

Both have a plenty options of things to do, a great town vibe and consistent waves in the winter. The water has the best temperatrure you'll get in Europe but you still need a thin wetsuit if you stay a long time in the water.

Las Palmas is a Capital and has more local people, Playa de las Americas is more touristy, but also has areas with only local people.

Both Islands are really good. Have been living on both.

If you come from Europe the Canary Islands are actually a very good choice as flights are cheap and only take about 4-5 hours. Furteventura is another good option, much more deserted than Gran Canaria and Tenerife but with beautiful beaches.

[The Beast1]

(09-18-2017 07:47 AM)Roosh Wrote:  

(09-17-2017 10:27 PM)Kona Wrote:  

Accommodation wise you have two big hotels, but they are too far unless you got a vehicle and expensive. However, there is a bustling illegal vacation rental and Airbnb situation. Everyone up here, except me, has bedrooms and mother-in-law units or their whole damn house on airbnb during the winter.

Edit: I forgot to mention, everyone in Haleiwa becomes a surf instructor during the winter. Just google "Haleiwa surf schools" to get the big, and most reputable ones. And everyone rents boards. The damn gas stations will rent you one. But its easy to borrow. Some people just leave little stands where you gotta promise to bring them back. Those are usually a little beat though.

I say check it out.

Aloha!

How much is a private apartment rental? I'm guessing at least $1,000 a month.

Free

(just have to marry Kona's sister!)

[Jungle]

Surf destinations...

I recommend:
- Bingin Beach, Bali
- Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka
- Byron Bay, Australia

I haven't been but I've heard it's great:
- Montanita, Ecuador

I do not recommend / I thought the culture was super lame:
- Floripa, Brazil
- Oahu Island, Hawaii

[LatinoHeat]

(09-17-2017 09:45 PM)SeanBateman Wrote:  

There's almost no surf in Mazatlan in the winter months...

Maybe consider Sayulita, just farther south of Mazatlan, in Nayarit has some decent waves for beginners in the winter. Easily accessible with direct flights from Europe via Puerto Vallarta airport (30km away). Its my favorite beach city in Mexico mainly because you don't need a car and its not all spread out like Puerto Escondido. Its also quite cheap, you can get a decent 1br airbnb for $1k a month or so in high season if you book in advance. The food is great too and its a nice mix of locals and foreigners. Since the main break is for beginners you won't have to deal with juiced out aussies screaming and yelling at you at the break like you might in Bali.

The problem with Mazatlan or farther north, is the closer you get to the sea of cortes there is less and less swell (unless there is a freak storm rolling through). My friends have told me the party in Mazatlan is epic though.

Sayuilta has Water temps in the upper 70s and temps in the low 80s in the winter its very nice weather. Friendly laid back locals. Hardcore surfers would consider the winter swells too small and would go to nearby breaks with more power but its perfect for beginners, its actually where I learned to surf.

The local girls are of the hippy type and any local girl above a 6 in Sayulita has a 7 foot nordic/aussie surfer boyfriend and they all think they're hot shit because they live in a town where they can date above their ranking since outside of the weekend, like most surf towns, its 65/35 ratio with tons of foreigners.

During the week the party in Sayulita is pretty dead, but on the weekend its a favorite getaway for girls from Guadlajara/Puerto Vallarta as well as Mexico City and its pretty easy to pull a ONS on the weekend (though you are competing with a lot of surfer bros). The logistics are great because the town is just a 1km x 1km grid so wherever you are you are never more then 5 minute walk from your house.

I have been to Pipa as well. The swells there are fucking huge, I almost drowned there. If you're an experienced surfer its really nice though. Of all the surf towns Pipa has the hottest girls running through hands down, its all the super elists chicks from Argentine and Brazil. They all have snobby attitude but there are tons of hotties in Pipa if you can crack them. if girls is your main focus and surfing secondary, go to Pipa. You will only be able to surf on days with smaller swells. There are tons of surf instructors, they are all pretty good. Also if you go to Pipa and are bored with the girls there, Natal is a really pleasent Brazilian city very close by where you can find girls more easily (taking a psycho ride through the dessert sand dunes in Natal in a dune buggy with no seatbelt with a drunk brazilian driver is a once in a lifetime experience if you survive it)

For a less pretensious vibe you may want to head to Itacaré in Bahia, which is basically the same as Sayulita Mexico but in Brazil. Not the best for women, but some girls from Sao Paulo and stuff head up on the weekend. The scenery surrouding Itacare is breathtaking. There some more beginner breaks near town. If you go to Itacaré or Pipa or any northern Brazilian city in Jan/Feb expect scoring hot temps like 35C but feels like 45C with humidity.

I never heard of Punta Del Este as a surf destination, I imagine it would be way too windy there for good surf, maybe someone else can comment. Also coming from Argentine heritage I can tell you the prices for Punta Del Este in January are going to be through the roof (same with Floripa)

I 2nd Floripa sucks, and there is no surf there in the Austral summer anyways. That city is all a bunch of hype, though the girls are as equally gorgeous as they are inaccessible. I've never heard of non-Brazilian guys doing well there.

Bali is great too, if you are planning on surfing i'd recommend staying in Canggu, though the classier girls are mainly in Seminyak. Roosh, if you've never done the trip from Jakarta to Bali by motorbike it is a ton of fun and there is tons of cool temples and really cool stuff along the way including a volcano where you can walk all the way up to the Caldera. Fly into Jakarta and work your way east, could take you maybe 5-15 days depending on how fast you go.

[Robert Plant]

Surfing is awesome, but most surf destinations are sausage fests. The average guy will be young, good looking and in shape to ripped. The women will mostly be slutty travelers (think the kind of girls you meet in hostels). In my experience, surfer guys are usually so surf obsessed they don't bother approaching. The traveler girls usually flock to the best looking surfers so these guys don't need to do anything. You can sometimes find cute local girls that all the other guys don't even consider because they are too surf obsessed, and too prejudice/afraid to approach a local.

I live in a place with excellent surf and have mostly given up purely surf trips because I get annoyed with the atmosphere. If I were not an advanced surfer however I would probably hit up either Baler in Luzon, Philippines or Batukaras in Java, Indonesia. Both are known for good, mellow, beginner friendly waves and are places locals go to vacation. Therefore they should have a better ratio of locals to Euro/ Australian/ American surf trash. Also, because they are beginner friendly, they probably attract more women.

[worldtraveler3]

Why are they too prejudice/afraid to approach a local?
In my experience the real surfer dudes all wake up at 5am and already done Surfing's by 10am. That eliminates them from going out at night. However at a lot of these surf places there are a lot of wannabe surfers carrying their short boards and they don't surf in the mornings.

There aren't many night clubs in many of these surf places either. The atmosphere at some of the places is about backpackerish especially canggu in bali.

[Robert Plant]

Why are they too prejudice/afraid to approach a local?

That's just a hypothesis because I have rarely seen traveling surfers approach locals and have mostly only seen them hook up with locals when they fall into the surfer's laps. Also, most (but not all) of the hardcore surfers I know in Southern California are a bit close minded.

[worldtraveler3]

Yep.
Closed minded they are.
I would think for a sport like surfing where it's popular and it's for freedom living/loving people that people would be more open minded. But apparently a lot of them are not.

Beginner surfers think of surfing as cool and chill sport and often associate that with the environment. But a lot of these "famous" places are just packed with all kind of people.

I do find long boarders (experienced) to be more friendly to outsiders

[Travel Museums]

Ubatuba on the border of Sao Paulo and Rio States has good surf and over 100 beaches. There's only one party hostel so most girls are going to filter through there. Honestly I can't imagine being there in Brazil summer since it's over 40C. If you like to surf early and not party it's doable.

Otherwise I'd recommend LA's beach cities in winter. It's perfect weather. I lived in a van out there for 3 winters and used the 24 hour gym. Easy if you pick up a cheap van or RV. Used wetsuits can be found on craigslist for cheap. Otherwise anywhere in US like HI is too expensive, I'd go third world if you want four walls and a roof with good surf.

[LatinoHeat]

(09-18-2017 09:40 PM)Robert Plant Wrote:  

Surfing is awesome, but most surf destinations are sausage fests. The average guy will be young, good looking and in shape to ripped. The women will mostly be slutty travelers (think the kind of girls you meet in hostels). In my experience, surfer guys are usually so surf obsessed they don't bother approaching. The traveler girls usually flock to the best looking surfers so these guys don't need to do anything. You can sometimes find cute local girls that all the other guys don't even consider because they are too surf obsessed, and too prejudice/afraid to approach a local.

I live in a place with excellent surf and have mostly given up purely surf trips because I get annoyed with the atmosphere. If I were not an advanced surfer however I would probably hit up either Baler in Luzon, Philippines or Batukaras in Java, Indonesia. Both are known for good, mellow, beginner friendly waves and are places locals go to vacation. Therefore they should have a better ratio of locals to Euro/ Australian/ American surf trash. Also, because they are beginner friendly, they probably attract more women.

If you say you're already a good surfer, you're willing to approach, and the only thing left to do is get ripped, then you'd be 2/3rds of the way there and could hold your own against these bros. I think oftentimes we shorter, asian, older guys assume we don't have a chance against the ripped bro but you gotta remember those guys are oftentimes are as boring as rocks with bad game to boot. Don't overestimate the competition.

Wow, I had no idea there was surf in Luzon, I'm actually spending a couple weeks in Manila (with sidetrips) this November. The last time I went to Phillipines I was told the only place with surf is in Mindanao in a small island called Siargao and man that place sucked, no internet, no girls, barely any electricity and very unreliable surf, and the main famous break there is packed with some of the meanest and most aggressive surfers you'll ever meet.

I agree with worldtraveler3, you would think surfing is this cool chill open minded sport and you get out on the waves and people are very aggressive and extremely territorial. On one hand they "justify" it by saying that if you don't know what you're doing and not clearly following the line-up you can hurt not just yourself and others and blabebdy bla bla, but the truth is most of those hardcore surfers can easily avoid you and really just looking for a fight. Here in Mexico the locals are usually a little more relaxed, but you never know.

The worst part is once you learn the basics and can consistently catch waves, you enter a long phase in the sport where you are too good for the really beginner area, but one step up is the real break where people don't fuck around; there is no middle ground so you gotta prepare to deal with shit. Its the jungle out there in the waves, its no joke.

[WashedUPVet]

If Roosh finds poosy paradise with good waves he will be my hero. I would stay out of Hawaii as a beginner unless on the South Shores. The unfortunate thing about the South shores are that they are summer waves. Also, good luck competing with the pros and industry guys for chicks in prime surf season in Haleiwa. Better rip brah.

Robert Plant hit it spot on. Surf destinations are sausage fests. All the So Cal bros couldn't understand why I took a year off and went to Russia instead of Hawaii or indo. When I started sending pics of chicks, they got it. I think he has some good Ideas but you have to really watch the seasons. I'm not sure the Phils or Indo are good in Europe's winter months. I think certain parts of Central America or Mexico that can still get exposure to North Pacific storms would be your best bet. LatinoHeat may be onto something.

Then again, Kelly Slater just built a wave pool in Central California. Hook up with Kelly in Lemoore, who will show you how to rip. When he says you are ready, fly to Oahu and head to Pipeline. Make sure to wear black boardshorts and paddle straight out toward the peak so it pushes you to the deep water channel... Trust me. Watch the movie "North Shore" eight times before you go, you'll be pumped.