I’m planning on taking a short holiday to somewhere warm before I move to London to start a new job in mid-October. I thought it might be fun to learn to surf so does anyone have any tips as to where to go at this time of year and which companies might be good to go with?

I’m a total beginner to surfing so tuition would be a must. Morocco looks appealing.

Failing that, does anyone know of the surfing equivalent of Singletrackworld that I could ask around on?

not much surf on the thames!

try magicseaweed.com for a forum.

for surfing lessons, just type 'surfing course' and then your destination.

also look at portugal (algarve) and the canaries.

And do kitesurfing, it's a million times better, and do-able properly in the UK 😀

Portugal is apparently very good, although the water can be a bit chilly. not sure if the weather is particularly warm at this time of year.

Or Cornwall – best time of year for surfing there.

Only me!

Dont "surf" as such unfortunately.

Thats actually a slightly trickier question than you might think.

The problem with October is that in all the 'tourist' type destinations you'll find a lot of surf schools, etc have shut down for the season and if you try to avoid this issue by heading to a more hardcore surf area (Lacannau, Hossegor, etc) then the surf may be too big for you to learn on.

I surf in the UK afair bit (last night infact!) but travel to France about twice a year for some surfing too. I always head over in October before heading down to race at the Roc D'Azur and so far in four years of doing it I've never had swell under head high along the West Coast.

The Canaries would be a fairly good bet but it can be bast#rd rocky so again maybe not ideal learner terrority? I've never surfed in Morroco but I know its a cheap holiday!

Good luck!

Or Cornwall – best time of year for surfing there.

Not if you're looking for a warm break somewhere, trust me. 🙂

The water temp will be at almost its warmest for the year but the air temp down here drops like a stone.

Richie

Lots of surf schools near me (Bilbao) that operate all year round. The only problem being language really but I guess it's more of a copy the instructor type thing anyway. Plenty of ex-pats here who would probably be happy to help. Lots of good biking too, so you could combine the two things

Ask Doug at Basque biking, he surfs a bit I think.

Lanzarote – Famara is supposed to be quite good.

Vietnam is supposed to have good surf if Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore is to be belived 😆

I did Morocco @ xmas with Rapture Surf Camps
Tuly recommended.
I spent two weeks in Morocco, one with a well know BIG company (£900ish), one with Rapture (£350 ish), Rapture was better organised and MUCH better food.

*Accom was basic (but fine) shared a dorm with 7 others, honesty fridge, video/music lounge, outings, good surfing, amazingly good and varied food. Only thing you might want to check is camp language – when I was there it was English as most people who were there spoke it, the next week it became German as that was the common one.

http://www.rapturecamps.com/morocco/surfcamp

sorry, forgot to add do a lessons check as most were experienced surfers.

Also been to France (Biarritz) with Surf South West. Alos a very good bunch. Ditto lessons.

http://www.surfsouthwest.com/surfing-holidays.asp.

For tuition Surf South West might be better (language) and setup.

A friend went to Costa Rica this time last year. Really enjoyed it, not sure how cheap. But warm sea and nice sandy beach breaks. A good surf school should take you to breaks which are suitable for your abilities.

Anyone who says you can't surf properly in the UK is talking out of their arse. And Autumn is always good here as you get a nice warm sea and decent swells. Plus you can avoid the crowds if you hunt around. Who cares if the air's a bit cool. It's all about the wettie!

Thanks for the magicseaweed link. Clearly, I'm not the only person that wants to go surfing in October. Some promising options mentioned there and above so thanks for the tips.

I don't mind having my hand held on a fully managed week while I'm learning and still keen on Morocco so will look into companies like Surf South-West, Rapture, Africa Extrem(?), Morocsurf and others. Also considering Lanzarote, but not quite so appealing (if only for bragging rights at the new job!).

I have actually attempted to surf in the North Sea off Tynemouth in January and appreciate that the good waves don't always come with the warmer temps (in this country at least).

I think mangoridebike is having a bit of fun in suggesting I go to Cornwall. Probably been a long time since he's seen the sun up in Fort William so anywhere would be warm for him.

you can do morocco far cheaper than that – a bunch of us go down every jan – fly out, hire a car, get one of those lush places right on the point of anchors. Total cost for the week, inc flights, car, food, accom is under £300.

regarding learning – I'd say do a weekend in newquay first – its just set up right. I'm not sure of places for real beginner lessons in morocco, but there probably are some.

H

I 2nd Lanzarote. Famara is a nice spot good weather and nice waves. There is rental and tuition there. You can do a surfari around the island also..

'small hijack' sorry
5lab – any info hols to morocco for less than £300 gratefully received ie how/where?