Where Should I Go for an Surf Vacation in December?
November 8, 2011 6:29 AM   Subscribe

Where Should I Go for an Surf Vacation in December?

I've only been one time (Santa Cruz last summer) and I think managed to stand up maybe for 15 seconds during my entire 4 hours there, but I found that to be probably the best 15 seconds of my life.

Where should I think about going in December? Things that are important to me are:
  • Good for beginners
  • Good instructor or class availability
  • Easy to access (i.e., lots of places to stay near the beach, I'd really like to avoid renting a car if possible)
  • Price is not really an issue other than I'd like to get the best bang for my buck
  • Bonus points if there is good biking nearby
Thanks for your help folks!
posted by riz1 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (15 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Baja Surf Adventures have great packages. But how about Australia? You can get an awesome all around adventure there!

Have fun!
posted by Yellow at 6:38 AM on November 8, 2011


Have a friend who went to Morocco last year for surfing and loved it. They had lessons and instructors. I'll see if I can find the name of the specific place.
posted by Nothing at 6:48 AM on November 8, 2011


Santa Cruz in summer is completely different from Santa Cruz in winter. There will more surf. The mix of people in the water will be different. You can rent rooms walking distance to one of the best beginners' break in California. You might not want to make a trip to Santa Cruz your main vacation but I think you'd find that another trip to Santa Cruz wouldl be very enjoyable.
posted by rdr at 7:03 AM on November 8, 2011


Response by poster: Which break is this and do you have any more details about places to stay?
posted by riz1 at 7:18 AM on November 8, 2011


I would say that Santa Cruz would not be a very forgiving place for someone who is as inexperienced as you are. The culture is not very accommodating to beginners, and the water, due to the Japanese Current, is pretty cold. Add in the odd Great White shark here and there.

I would look at Baja, or some place warmer. Costa Rica (I have no experience there but I hear that the Pacific side has some surf.

But Santa Cruz, no.

(I had surfed in So Cal most of my childhood, and, went I surfed there in my late 20's got my ass handed to me at Steamers in winter.)
posted by Danf at 7:34 AM on November 8, 2011


Sayulita, Mexico. (Not sure if this part of Mexico is considered safe for travel right now though; check first.)
posted by fingersandtoes at 7:42 AM on November 8, 2011


Seconding the Pacific side of Costa Rica.
Also consider good old Waikiki. Even though winter is big wave season on the North Shore, there will certainly be surfable waves for a beginner at Waikiki. Biking/lack of need for a car/plenty of hotels/and a ton of surf schools all are plentiful.
posted by blaneyphoto at 7:46 AM on November 8, 2011


Response by poster: Any suggestions for how to figure out where to stay / take classes in Waikiki?
posted by riz1 at 8:21 AM on November 8, 2011


Yes - I was just there a couple months ago. This time, I stayed at Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort at 2552 Kalakaua Avenue. Very affordable, and quite nice. Directly across the street from the beach and its on the end of Kalakaua closer to Diamond Head so although you've got easy access to everything, you aren't getting constantly trampled by the crowds. Hans Hedemann Surf School is on the same block and although I've never taken surf lessons (there or anywhere - I've surfed for 35 years though) I understand they're a good place to go. Or, you can go to the guys right on the beach by the statue of Duke - or any of the other zillion surf schools... it'll be hard to go wrong with that and you'd have no problem getting a recommendation from the hotel!
posted by blaneyphoto at 8:35 AM on November 8, 2011


I have to agree with Danf about the Lane not being a place for beginners. Cowells, which is the beginner's break I was recommending, is part of the same break as the Lane but it's a world apart in terms of the power of the wave and the attitude of the people. It's a point break with a sandy bottom that sheltered by a cove. On a lower tide you get long, slow, predictable waves which are perfect for beginners. The water is cold. There are sharks. There have been sighting but no attacks in my memory. If you're just coming from the bay area for a weekend, then the Dream Inn is right on the Cowell's beach.When I lived in Santa Cruz a decade ago several of my friends lived long term in motels within walking distance of Cowell's. The tourist trade shut down in winter so they could get a cheap monthly rate. That's probably changed because UCSC keeps metastasizing. If this a long vacation, I might go somewhere else. If it's a quick weekend or week and you live the Bay area, I'd definitely consider Santa Cruz.
posted by rdr at 9:21 AM on November 8, 2011


Sayulita, Mexico, Cabo San Lucas, or Tamarindo, Costa Rica. These are all popular beginner to intermediate destinations that will be fun vacation destinations even if the surf is flat or otherwise doesn't work out in your favor. They're also warm and sunny.

Don't come to Santa Cruz in the winter looking for a good beginner spot. It's cold here, so you'll need a wetsuit, which you'll want to buy, cause a rental one won't fit right and therefore will be even colder (and also, rental wetsuit -- eww), most of our best surf spots are in front of rocks, so if you lose your board it will almost certainly get damaged. And the waves can be big and scary and exhausting.

The list of stupid things that I've had happen to me surfing here in the wintertime over the last couple years includes breaking my leg at a beachbreak south of town, getting swept off the rocks and the Lane, getting slammed into the rocks at Swift St., getting caught out past dusk at the Hook at high tide and paddling down to 38th to come in, getting in a yelling match with some idiot at 4-mile, getting run over by a longboarder at pleasure point. Probably more things. I can't remember. And I've been surfing here for almost 20 years.

Unless you just want to stay at Cowell's the whole time, which would be fine, but will be cold and crowded, Santa Cruz is going to be a lousy beginner spot in the winter. You might as well go somewhere warm and less crowded.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 9:24 AM on November 8, 2011


I learned how to surf in Waikiki a couple months ago. I just walked up to the little stand in front of the beach and signed up for a class. I think it was about $40 for a group lesson on foam longboards. The instructors were good. I also found that it helped to do some body boarding there the day before, just to get used to the waves, crowds, and the sharp coral. They let you keep the board for the rest of the day. We stayed at the Aqua Waikiki Wave a few blocks away from the beach. It was affordable and pleasant. They give you beach towels, too, which was helpful.
posted by millions of peaches at 9:47 AM on November 8, 2011


Barbados. World-class surfing in one of the cheapest Caribbean destinations.
posted by coolguymichael at 12:42 PM on November 8, 2011 [1 favorite]


Maybe this movie has some good ideas?
posted by gjc at 5:28 PM on November 8, 2011


Another vote for Sayulita, Mexico. We were there ten years ago, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but we had two beginner surfers in our group and they both had fun. And then one of them cut her leg and had to stop surfing because she's diabetic and then I got stung by a sting ray which was the most painful experience of my life -- and I've had two kids -- but other than that it was good.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:24 PM on November 9, 2011


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