Coasts
Breaks Worth the Long Flight
A long-haul flight is a big bet. These are the coasts that pay it back, as long as you show up in season. Each region lists when to go, what the water feels like, and who it actually suits.
Atlantic: Europe and North Africa
The Atlantic is the cheapest long-weekend surf trip in the world if you live in Europe, and the most frustrating if you go in July. Summer high pressure parks itself over the ocean and the swell machine goes quiet. From September, low-pressure systems start marching across from Newfoundland and the whole coast switches on.
Ericeira and Peniche, Portugal
- Season
- Sep – Mar
- Water
- 14 – 19 °C
- Level
- All levels
Ericeira, about 45 minutes from Lisbon airport, is a designated World Surfing Reserve with reefs like Ribeira d'Ilhas and Coxos. Peniche, an hour further north, is the backup plan: the peninsula faces both ways, so something is nearly always offshore. Supertubos hosts a Championship Tour stop and is not a beginner wave. Baleal's sheltered side is.
Hossegor and Seignosse, France
- Season
- Sep – Nov
- Water
- 15 – 21 °C
- Level
- Intermediate +
Powerful beach break over shifting sandbanks. Autumn is the classic window: warm-ish water, fewer holidaymakers, and the first proper swells. It can close out hard on big days, so have a sheltered option like Capbreton's jetties in mind.
Taghazout, Morocco
- Season
- Oct – Mar
- Water
- 17 – 20 °C
- Level
- All levels
Right-hand points such as Anchor Point need the bigger winter swells, while Banana Point and Imsouane's long bay suit learners. Winter here means a 3/2 wetsuit and sun on your back, which is why half of northern Europe turns up in January.
Bundoran, Ireland
- Season
- Sep – Mar
- Water
- 10 – 14 °C
- Level
- Intermediate +
Cold, raw and spectacular. A 5/4 hooded suit, gloves and boots from November. The famous reef at The Peak is for experienced surfers; Tullan Strand is the friendlier beach.
Pacific: warm water, long travel days
The Pacific is enormous, so it doesn't run on one calendar. The eastern side, Mexico down to Peru, lights up with south swells generated near New Zealand and Antarctica from roughly April to October. The western side, from the Philippines to New Zealand, follows typhoon and trade-wind patterns.
Santa Teresa and Nosara, Costa Rica
- Season
- Year-round, peak May – Nov
- Water
- 27 – 29 °C
- Level
- All levels
Boardshort water and friendly beach breaks. The dry season (December to April) brings smaller, cleaner waves and higher prices; the green season brings rain, mud on the roads and better swell. Budget time for bumpy transfers from Liberia airport.
Puerto Escondido, Mexico
- Season
- May – Sep
- Water
- 27 – 29 °C
- Level
- Expert (Zicatela)
Zicatela is one of the heaviest beach breaks on earth and it breaks boards and people. Go if you belong there; otherwise La Punta and Carrizalillo offer the town's energy without the hold-downs.
Raglan, New Zealand
- Season
- Mar – Oct
- Water
- 14 – 20 °C
- Level
- Intermediate +
Long left-hand points over boulders, a 3/2 or 4/3 suit, and a relaxed small town. Ngarunui Beach handles the learners.
Cloud 9, Siargao
- Season
- Aug – Nov
- Water
- 28 – 30 °C
- Level
- Intermediate +
A punchy right over shallow reef. The season overlaps typhoon risk, so flexible tickets and good insurance matter more here than almost anywhere.
Indian Ocean: reef country
From April to October, the roaring forties send long-period groundswell north. The result is the most consistent surf belt on the planet, mostly over coral reef. Brilliant for intermediates and up; less so for first-timers, who should pick their beach carefully.
Uluwatu and the Bukit, Bali
- Season
- Apr – Oct
- Water
- 26 – 28 °C
- Level
- Intermediate +
Uluwatu, Padang Padang, Bingin and Impossibles sit along a few kilometres of limestone cliffs. Crowds are real. Surf dawn or mid-tide lulls, and learn to enter and exit through the cave at Uluwatu before the tide moves.
Mentawai Islands, Indonesia
- Season
- Apr – Oct
- Water
- 28 – 30 °C
- Level
- Advanced
Boat trips from Padang reach world-class reefs with few people. Expensive, remote and malaria-aware: speak to a travel clinic before booking.
Arugam Bay and the south, Sri Lanka
- Season
- East May – Oct · South Nov – Apr
- Water
- 27 – 29 °C
- Level
- All levels
Sri Lanka is the rare island that flips coasts with the monsoon. Arugam Bay's main point works in summer; Weligama and Hiriketiya take over in winter. Great value and gentle options for beginners.
Jeffreys Bay, South Africa
- Season
- Jun – Aug
- Water
- 16 – 20 °C
- Level
- Advanced
Supertubes is a long, fast right-hand point. Winter means cold mornings and a 4/3. Be aware of shark-spotting programmes along the Eastern Cape and respect local advice.
Before you commit to a flight
Cross-check your shortlist against the month table, then line up a flat-day plan from our coastal trips. If you're torn between two coasts, send us your dates through the contact page.
Check the seasons