Best Surf Destinations in the World: 30 Spots by Season and Level (2026)

The best surf destinations in the world are Indonesia, Portugal, Costa Rica, Morocco, Hawaii, Sri Lanka, Australia, France, the Canary Islands and Mexico. Between them they cover every month of the year, every skill level and every water temperature, which is why the same ten names keep coming up. The right one for you is whichever has good waves in the month you can actually travel, at a size you can comfortably surf.

This guide ranks 30 destinations three ways at once: by season, by skill level and by water temperature. Use the season table if your dates are fixed, the skill table if you are still building confidence, and the temperature table if you are deciding whether to pack a wetsuit or boardshorts.

• 1. The 10 best surf destinations in the world
• 2. Best surf destinations by season, month by month
• 3. Best surf destinations by skill level
• 4. Best surf destinations by region
• 5. Best surf destinations by water temperature
• 6. How much does a surf trip cost?
• 7. How do I choose my first surf destination?
• 8. Surf travel: locals and the environment
• 9. What to pack for a surf trip
• 10. Summary
• 11. Frequently asked questions

 

The 10 best surf destinations in the world

These ten destinations earn their place on consistency rather than on one famous wave. Each has a long season, enough spots nearby to move when the wind turns, and a spread of waves rather than one expert-only slab. That combination is what turns a week off work into a week of surfing.

Destination	Best season	Water temp (°C)	Best for
Indonesia (Bali)	Apr to Oct, east coast Nov to Mar	27 to 29	Warm reef waves at every level
Portugal	Sep to Apr	15 to 20	Beach breaks, points and short flights from Europe
Costa Rica	Dec to Apr	27 to 29	Offshore mornings and reliable weather
Morocco	Nov to Apr	17 to 20	World class right hand points near Europe
Hawaii	Nov to Feb north, Apr to Sep south	24 to 26	Peak power for experienced surfers
Sri Lanka	Nov to Apr south, May to Sep east	27 to 29	The friendliest warm water progression
Australia	Mar to Sep east, Apr to Oct west	18 to 24	Variety and long, uncrowded coastline
France	Jun to Oct	14 to 21	Powerful beach breaks and easy access
Canary Islands	Oct to Mar	19 to 23	Europe's warmest winter waves
Mexico	Apr to Oct Pacific	25 to 29	Long point breaks and heavy beach breaks

 

Nine of these ten have a full guide on this blog. Start with Bali, Portugal, Costa Rica, Morocco or Mexico.

Best surf destinations by season, month by month

There is no off season in surfing, only the wrong hemisphere. Somewhere is always in its prime, and the trick is matching the month you can travel to a coast that is switched on. This table gives the strongest pick for each month, plus a warm water alternative if you would rather not wear rubber.

Month	Top pick	Warm water alternative	Full guide
January	Hawaii, North Shore	Sri Lanka, south coast	January guide
February	Morocco	Costa Rica	February guide
March	Morocco	Nicaragua	March guide
April	Indonesia	Sri Lanka, south coast	April guide
May	Indonesia	Mexico, Pacific coast	May guide
June	Indonesia	Sri Lanka, east coast	June guide
July	Indonesia	Peru	July guide
August	France and Spain	Indonesia	August guide
September	Portugal	Mexico, Pacific coast	September guide
October	Portugal	Morocco	October guide
November	Morocco	Sri Lanka, south coast	November guide
December	Sri Lanka	Costa Rica	December guide

 

If you are travelling from Europe between October and March, the shortlist narrows quickly. We pulled the nine best options into a single comparison in where to surf in winter: warm water escapes from Europe.

Best surf destinations by skill level

The single biggest mistake in surf travel is booking a destination one level above where you actually are. A wave you can surf comfortably teaches you far more in a week than a wave you survive. Be honest about the level below, then book the destination that matches it.

Where should a beginner surf?

You want warm water, a sandy bottom, waves under a metre and a surf school within walking distance. Sri Lanka's south coast is the standout: Weligama Bay is forgiving, the water sits near 28 degrees and the next step up is a five minute tuk tuk away.

Costa Rica, Fuerteventura, Bali's Kuta Beach and Morocco's Imsouane all work for the same reasons. Travelling with kids? We covered that separately in surf destinations for families with children.

Beginner destination	Best months	Water temp (°C)	Why it works
Weligama, Sri Lanka	Nov to Apr	27 to 29	Sandy bottom, gentle inside, cheap lessons
Playa Guiones, Costa Rica	Year round	27 to 29	Consistent, long beach, plenty of schools
Corralejo, Fuerteventura	Oct to Mar	19 to 22	Sheltered beach breaks, four hours from Amsterdam
Imsouane, Morocco	Year round	17 to 20	Long, slow right hander built for first green waves
Canggu, Bali	Apr to Oct	27 to 29	Beach breaks, warm water, very low costs

Where should an intermediate surfer go?

At this level you are looking for a wave with a shoulder that runs, and a lineup that will not punish you for a bad wave choice. Portugal's Peniche peninsula, Santa Teresa in Costa Rica, Taghazout's Killer Point and Bali's Medewi all fit.

The useful skill to build here is spot selection: on any given day, picking the friendlier of two options usually means more waves and faster progress.

Where should an advanced surfer go?

Now the destination list opens up. Indonesia's Mentawais, Hawaii's North Shore, Anchor Point in Morocco, Puerto Escondido in Mexico and Jeffreys Bay in South Africa are the classics.

All of them carry real consequence, so watch a few sets before paddling out, know where the channel sits and where the clean exit is.

Best surf destinations by region

Every populated coastline in the world has surf, but seven regions carry the bulk of the travel. Each has its own season, its own price level and its own character.

Region	Standout destinations	Peak season	Full guide
Europe	Portugal, France, Spain, Canary Islands	Sep to Apr	Europe guide
Africa	Morocco, South Africa, Senegal	Nov to Apr	Africa guide
Asia	Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Maldives	Varies by coast	Asia guide
Central America	Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador	Dec to Apr	Central America guide
South America	Peru, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador	Apr to Oct	South America guide
North America	Mexico, California, Hawaii	Varies by coast	Mexico guide
Oceania	Australia, Fiji, Tahiti, New Zealand	Mar to Oct	Coming soon

 

Within Europe, the country guides go deeper: France, Portugal, Spain, the UK and the Canary Islands.

Best surf destinations by water temperature

Water temperature decides how long you can stay in, which decides how much you improve. A two hour session in boardshorts beats a shivering forty minutes in a 4/3 almost every time. This table is the quick answer to what to pack.

Water temp (°C)	What you need	Destinations	Session length
26 and above	Boardshorts or a swimsuit	Sri Lanka, Bali, Costa Rica, Maldives, Mexico	As long as you like
22 to 25	Boardshorts, thin top for rash	Canary Islands in autumn, Hawaii, Australia in summer	Two hours plus
18 to 21	Shorty or a 3/2	Morocco, Canary Islands in winter, Portugal in summer	Two hours
14 to 17	3/2 or 4/3, boots on cold days	Portugal in winter, France in spring, Spain	Ninety minutes
13 and below	4/3 with boots, gloves and a hood	UK, Ireland, Norway, France in winter	An hour

 

If you would rather never own a wetsuit at all, we listed the coastlines where you genuinely do not need one in the best places to surf without a wetsuit.

How do I choose my first surf destination?

Work through it in this order and the answer usually picks itself.

1. Start with your dates. Fixed holiday in February rules out Indonesia and rules in Morocco, Sri Lanka and Costa Rica. The month decides more than anything else.
2. Then your level. If you have surfed fewer than ten times, you want a sandy bottom and waves under a metre. That is a short list, and it is a good list.
3. Then your budget and flight tolerance. Under four hours from Europe means Portugal, France, Spain, Morocco or the Canaries. Beyond that, commit to two weeks so the flight is worth it.
4. Then the water temperature. If the idea of a cold wetsuit will stop you paddling out on day four, book warm water.
5. Finally, check there is a plan B nearby. The best destinations have several spots within half an hour, so an onshore wind does not cost you a day.

Surf travel: locals and the environment

Respect the locals

Every lineup on this list has a pecking order, and it is not personal. Ease in on the shoulder, watch how waves are shared for twenty minutes before you go looking for the peak, and do not drop in.

In Morocco, Hawaii, Bali and Portugal especially, sitting patiently earns you far more waves than paddling deep ever will. Learning to say hello in the local language costs nothing and changes the session.

Respect the environment

Surf travel concentrates a lot of people on a small number of beaches. Pack out your rubbish, keep wax scrapings and tape out of the sand, stick to the marked paths across dunes and reef, and use reef safe sun protection where you can. If a beach clean is running while you are there, an hour is a fair trade for a week of waves.

Your wash kit is part of it. A shower gel bottle in a board bag is bulky, leaks over everything and ends up as one more piece of plastic in a place that already has enough. That is why I started Rinsed™: a pocket sized bar that covers hair, body and face, with nothing to spill and nothing to throw away.

What to pack for a surf trip

The short version: boardshorts or the right wetsuit, reef booties if you are going anywhere with coral, a quick dry towel, more sun protection than you think, and a solid wash bar instead of bottles. Board bag weight limits are the real constraint on a surf trip, and liquids are the easiest place to save a kilo.

The full checklist, including what to deliberately leave at home, is in our surf trip packing list.

Summary

Indonesia has the most world class waves, Portugal is the most accessible from Europe, Costa Rica is the most reliable warm water holiday, Morocco is the best value short haul trip and Sri Lanka is the friendliest place to learn. Pick the month first, then your level, then the flight. Everything else is detail you can sort out when you get there.

Ready to go deeper? The Bali, Morocco and Sri Lanka guides are the three most popular starting points on this blog.

Frequently asked questions