Surfing the World: The Journey of My Childhood Dreams

SurfingJourneys
Written By Amber Dunlap

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While surfing El Transito, Nicaragua, I got to play model for my friend’s surf tee brand Always Wet Surf.

In 2023, I finally dusted off my long-lost childhood dream of learning to surf. In this post, I share that journey as it continues to evolve, from my first pop-up in the whitewash of Costa Rica to braving the risky reef breaks of Sri Lanka and all the surf still to come.

From as far back as I can remember, I’ve wanted to learn how to surf. I grew up in landlocked towns hours from the beach. Movies like Blue Crush, Johnny Tsunami, and even the live surf cam at the Hollister store at my local mall kept the dream alive. The theme continued to my childhood bedroom, with its splashes of tropical pink hibiscus against an allover Hawaiian surf aesthetic, foam surfboard, fake palm tree, and all.

By the end of 2022, I had spent nearly a decade wandering around the world, occasionally stumbling across surf scenes like Lobitos in Peru, Puerto Escondido in Mexico, and Santa Teresa in Costa Rica. Each time I did, I couldn’t take my eyes off what I was seeing - the surfers shredding offshore, the salty wetsuits hanging on the line, the laid-back atmosphere it all seemed to invite. I wanted to be a part of it all so badly, but it never felt like the right time.

Until it was, and undeniably so. It took a serendipitously timed November swell observed from the sands and cliffsides of Nazaré, Portugal, a spot I had only visited because I’d recently become obsessed with the HBO series 100 Foot Wave. It was there, watching surfers being towed into massive waves, that I finally felt the pull to not just watch, but start the process of participating. Not right then and there, of course, but soon I told myself.

The new year passed and I stayed true to my late 2022 Nazaré promise by signing up for and attending a surf camp in Costa Rica for January 2023 and I’ve never looked back since. It’s now August of 2024 as I write this intro and surf has taken me places - literally sure, but mentally too. It’s begun to influence where I go in the world and it’s even seeped into my career as a writer, qualifying me for gigs with surf-focused publications. It’s forced me to face fear and insecurity, pick myself back up after a bad session, and be a beginner at something again.

On this page, you’ll find each place on the planet surf has brought me so far, along with some of the stories, stays, and surf community I’ve come to experience along the way. As I’ve been known to do on this blog, this is once again a post that’s both a story still being written and a guide for those who wish to follow in my foottracks or borrow a few steps for their journey, surf or otherwise. If you’re interested in a specific destination, click the name of the country in the Table of Contents below to be brought straight to it in the post.

 

Table of Contents

 

Costa Rica

Jacó

Surfed: January 2023

I attended School of the World in Jacó. My week-long stay there marked the beginning of my surf journey. It was the very first time I learned to stand up on a board. I didn’t even make it out of the white water, but did learn how to get out of my own way mentally by singing a song at the takeoff. My song? Don’t Stop Believing.

Surf + Stay Tips in Jacó:

Uvita

Surfed: January 2023

After surf camp in Jacó, I moved over to Uvita and took more lessons with two different instructors. The first was with Uvita Surf + Tour and the second was with Bodhi Surf + Yoga. Both instructors brought me out to the green waves for a taste of what it’s like out in the lineup. Can’t say I caught a single wave in either session, but I did certainly get to practice my turtle roll.

Surf + Stay Tips in Uvita:

 

Further Reading on Costa Rica & Its Surf:

 

Nicaragua

Popoyo

Surfed: March 2023, June 2023

Popoyo’s Beginner Bay is a dream for anyone looking to begin their surf journey on green waves. Due to the bay’s shape and the waves that result, there isn’t really any white water to practice on, so it’s straight to the green no matter your experience. I took lessons with Big Surf House and Luli of Sardina Surf. To date, Luli is one of my favorite instructors I’ve ever had. Popoyo left me feeling extremely confident not only on green waves, but on a smaller board.

Surf + Stay Tips in Popoyo:

El Transito

Surfed: March 2023

One thing I learned about surfing thanks to El Transito is that no two beach breaks are alike. While I’d gained my confidence in Popoyo, El Transito shattered it. I left my first lesson on the brink of tears and feeling very humbled. El Transito’s a nice spot to learn or improve your surfing, because nearly every lodging has its own certified surf instructor that will take you out, plus there’s plenty of white water to practice with on your own. I stayed at both Nimbu Surfhouse and Solid Surf Camp & Hostel. Both had great instructors and there are a variety of beginner-friendly spots to surf all up and down El Transito’s beach.

Surf + Stay Tips in El Transito:

Playa Maderas (San Juan del Sur)

Surfed: June 2023

Playa Maderas is located just outside San Juan del Sur. Its waves are a mixed bag and can sometimes get so big they break boards and traumatize beginners like me. I decided to join Dreamsea’s week-long surf camp there. Their style was to put us out in conditions that definitely stretched me beyond my comfort zone. If I’m being perfectly honest, it’s not a camp I would recommend to beginners who want to get out into the green waves, but if you’re content with sticking to the white water, you’ll be just fine. After camp, I moved over to Selina Maderas and woke up daily to take lessons privately with a great local surf instructor named Alvaro. I highly recommend him. You can reach out to Alvaro directly at +505 7547 8235 and tell him I say hi!

Surf + Stay Tips in Playa Maderas:

 
 

Mexico

San Pancho (a.k.a. San Francisco)

Surfed: April 2023

This magical town was my salve from the Spring Break crowds of Sayulita next door. I stayed at a gem of a surf hostel called Shaka Surf House, with the surf just a few minutes walk away down main street. It was in San Pancho that I surfed on my own for the first time, thanks to the nudge of a fellow guest and seasoned surfer from Canada named Logan. This is one of the places on the planet where all of the right ingredients came together for me (people, place, timing) and forevermore little San Pancho will have a special place in my surf journey.

Surf + Stay Tips in San Pancho:

Punta de Mita

Surfed: April 2023

I wound up surfing Punta de Mita while I was in Sayulita. My hostel, La Redonda, offered daily surf trips there, lessons and rentals included. It’s a reef break with a sandbar option too and the beach is a nice spot to park it for the day, though have your return ride pre-booked if you plan to stay past sunset and traveling on your own. Catching the bus and/or flagging down a taxi back to Sayulita or San Pancho late in the day is not a guarantee. Speaking from experience…

Surf + Stay Tips for Punta de Mita:

  • Surf Stays: La Redonda in Sayulita does daily trips that can include lessons and rentals, or just the transport, for a pretty great rate.

 

Further Reading on Mexico & Its Surf:

 

The UK

Dunbar, Scotland

Surfed: August 2023

Dunbar is one of my favorite places I visited in 2023, a real charmer with its historic fishing village vibes and ocean-hugging trail systems. The surf at Belhaven Bay wasn’t prime when I visited in late August, but I didn’t mind. It was good enough to practice a few pop-ups and see what surfing in a full wetsuit and booties feels like. Not bad with some adjustment. Coast to Coast Surf School is who I went with for lessons and I’d surf with them again anytime.

Surf + Stay Tips in Dunbar:

Newquay, Cornwall

Surfed: September 2023

Still riding high from my icy North Sea surf sesh in Dunbar, I tried again a few weeks later in England’s famous surf town of Newquay in Cornwall. I managed to go out twice for a group lesson with Quicksilver Surf School before the weather and waves turned into a mushy mess.

Surf + Stay Tips for Newquay:

 

Sri Lanka

Galle

Surfed: March 2024

I still remember innocently booking a room at Anusha Apartment, mostly due to its good reviews, great price for a private room, and easy access to Galle’s famous walled city. Little did I know, I was also a 10-minute walk from a surf beach called Dewata. I ended up surfing both mornings I was there, first with a lesson and then just renting a board the next day. While only a two-day-old routine, it felt like one I could do forever and put Galle as another spot in my memories as a quintessential part of my surf journey and one of my favorite places on Sri Lanka’s south coast.

Surf + Stay Tips for Galle:

Weligama

Surfed: March & April 2024

When I think back on my extended time in Weligama, I feel like I lived a whole life there in a grand total of two weeks. My days took on such a rhythm and before I knew it I had a little community to enjoy it all with. We’d surf either right there in Weligama or hop on a scooter, travel to the town over called Midigama for a paddle out at Lazy Right. At the start of my stay in Weligama, I took lessons with Freedom Surf School and then started regularly renting boards from Beach Break Surf Camp. The ocean is infamously crowded in Weligama, but the waves are exceptionally perfect for beginners, a great confidence boost for those looking to get out of the whitewater and into the lineup for the first time.

Surf + Stay Tips for Weligama:

Hiriketiya

Surfed: March & April 2024

When I heard a big swell was due to hit the south coast, too big for my comfort, I headed to the sheltered bay of Hiriketiya. A new local friend who happens to be the founder of Surf & Yoga Retreats said the waves there would be more approachable for a beginner like me. He was right. I not only surfed daily in Hiriketiya, but I loved the town so much that I almost let it consume whatever time I had left on my tourist visa - which was about a month at that point. It’s a magical little town, laced with jungle, perfect waves, and a nice assortment of eateries and places to practice yoga.

Surf + Stay Tips for Hiriketiya:

Ahangama

Surfed: April 2024

Ahangama grew on me the longer I stayed, but the surf spots within it didn’t quite work in my favor while I was there. I stayed a few nights at each of its extreme ends, at Temple Hill Rooms by the Marshmallow surf spot and then Mellow Hostel right across from the supposedly beginner-friendly breaks of Kabalana Beach. Very solo at this point, Marshmallow intimidated me with its strange entry and reef break, so I never paddled out, while Kabalana had extreme current and only closeouts when I was nearby. Evenso, what Ahangama has going for it are its plethora of quality surf camps, oceanfront shops, cafes, and restaurants, and an abundance of coworking spaces if you, like me, are working and traveling.

Surf + Stay Tips for Ahangama:

Midigama

Surfed: April 2024

Midigama is a gem. I wound up surfing its Lazy Right reef break regularly after linking up with a fellow female surfer named Mary from Russia at my hostel in Weligama. We’d scooter over every morning, until one bad day when she got caught in the impact zone and stepped on a sea urchin. That put it all on pause for a bit, until I built up the courage to get back out there on my own. I’m glad I did because then I met Ruben, a surfer from Belgium, who became a good friend of mine for the rest of my Sri Lanka stay. He introduced me to all the best eateries and sunset spots up and down the south coast (guide coming soon, don’t you worry!)

Surf + Stay Tips for Midigama:

 

Further Reading on Sri Lanka & Its Surf:

 

Indonesia

Canggu, Bali

Surfed: May 2024

Canggu itself is a congested mess and not at all my cup of tea, but its quieter outskirts over by Kedungu Beach are serene. I was invited by my new friend Lisa, a surf psychologist, to stay at her gorgeous Coconut Corner Boutique Hotel, even getting to spend one night in the property’s treehouse. She linked me up with a local instructor there named Sila of Coastline Surf and I got to work on my turns and takeoffs under his wise guidance every morning. I loved my walk along the sand at sunrise for my lesson and the outdoor shower and delicious breakfast and coffee that waited for me back at the hotel. It was idyllic and I can’t wait to pay Coconut Corner and Coastline Surf another visit in the future.

Surf + Stay Tips for Canggu:

Kuta, Lombok

Surfed: May 2024

Located on the southern coast of the island of Lombok, Kuta is the center of the Lombok surf scene, with all sorts of breaks from Tanjung Aan’s longboard-friendly waves to Gerupuk Bay’s assortment of six different spots to choose from. I had timed my visit for the grand opening of Surf & Yoga Retreats Lombok, a miraculous sequence of events that traces all the way back to my time in Sri Lanka when I met the founder. For five straight days, I got to live my surf dreams with daily lessons, yoga classes, and chef-prepared food that still makes my mouth water when I think about it. You can read about that experience in full in this post I wrote just after I left the retreat.

Surf + Stay Tips for Kuta:

 

Further Reading on Indonesia & Its Surf:

 

The United States

Charleston, South Carolina

Surfed: July & August 2024

Freshly returned from a confidence-boosting surf tour through Asia, I decided to try out my local breaks at Folly Beach and Isle of Palms. I started with a lesson with Shaka Surf School in Folly. I’m always a bit intimidated to go out on my own in a new spot, no matter how much time in the ocean I’ve had. One taste of that feeling of catching a wave had me hooked and I soon after went about the business of borrowing a board for the rest of my Charleston stay - thanks Josh! It felt amazing to dip into this part of my life while at home and, just like how easy it is when I’m out in the world, suddenly I started making friends in the water too, within days already finding my way inside of Charleston’s surf community. By the end of the week, and with the realization that Charleston’s got waves, I was putting in an order for my first-ever surfboard - a foamie from a family-run company out of California called Aventuras Surf Co.

Surf Tips for Charleston-area:

 

Morocco

Tamraght

Surfed: October 2024

Tamraght was where I got my first taste of Moroccan surf. A part of me loved that I was surfing the same ocean as back home, just from the opposite side of it. I stayed at Chill Surfer Hostel and was so glad I did because within hours of arriving, I already had a crew to go surfing with at sunrise the next day. What I hadn’t expected was how cold the water would be, even with a wetsuit on. Fortunately, that was just a fluke due to some extremely windy weather the day prior that blew in some extra frigid water. My go-to spot to surf was Devil’s Rock, but I had heard Banana Point is another great spot in the area.

Surf + Stay Tips for Tamraght:

Imsouane

Surfed: November 2024

After spending about five days in Imsouane, I fully understand its allure. It’s a longboard-friendly spot known for delivering the longest ride of your life. It’s also where I had a mini-traumatic experience when I went out by myself while the tide was shifting and almost got swept out to sea by a powerful rip. Instead, I managed to find my way to the sharp rocks by the shore and walked away safe, with just a few scrapes on my hands and feet. Lesson learned! When the swell is big, be careful, otherwise it’s nothing but an abundance of beginner-friendly peelers in perfect lines.

Surf + Stay Tips for Imsouane:

 

This and other surf-focused content can all be found on my Journeys page dedicated to the journey of “Learning to Surf Around the World.” There, you’ll find more in-depth surf guides I’ve written, surf gear I recommend, travelogue-style posts like this one, and interviews I’ve done with surfers from around the world all in one place.

 

Travel Resources

If you found this post inspiring or helpful, one of the best ways to say thanks is by booking your hotels, transport, tours, and trip insurance through the links on my Travel Resources page or by clicking any of the trip-relevant links below. This sends a bit back my way at no additional cost to you and helps to keep this blog up and running. Thank you for your support!

Accommodations: Booking.com, HostelWorld, Trivago

Tours & Experiences: Viator, GetYourGuide, EatWith, TripAdvisor

Flights: Hopper, WayAway

Trains, Boats, Buses, & Transfers: Bookaway, 12Go, BusBud

Car Rentals: DiscoverCars.com

Trip Insurance: Squaremouth, World Nomads, WorldTrips

SIM Cards & eSIMs: Airalo, Drimsim

Learn the Local Language: Rosetta Stone, Babbel, Pimsleur

 

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