Surfing, sport of riding breaking waves towards the shore, particularly by means of a board. Surfing’s roots dwell pre-modern Hawaii and Polynesia, where the game was practiced by both men and women from all social strata from royalty to commoners. Organized competitions helped to counter this negative image and to win surfing some social respectability. Here is everything you need to know about surfing in India.
India’s 7500 kilometre coastline provides several spots for surfboarding. The largest waves are typically seen between May and September, the pre-monsoon and monsoon season.
Waters of India are already well-liked for hosting a range of adventure sports like rafting, kayaking, sailing, stream crossing, and plenty of others. One such upcoming sport is Surfing in India.
The western coast is great for beginners to get acquainted with a surfboard, whereas eastern shores have stronger currents and harder wave breakpoints.
Surfing in India is growing in quality, and there are some great spots along the country’s vast coastline where you can catch a wave and also learn to surf. The only issue is that the waves are not consistent and also the surf will flop sometimes. You just need to be at the correct place at the correct time!
Surf-worthy waves hit Indian shores all year round, averaging between three to five feet, however the season for large waves is from May to September. This is the pre-monsoon and monsoon season. At this point, the swells vary from eight to fifteen feet, with the largest waves rolling in almost always on the West Coast.
Though there is a chance of storms and rain accompanying the swells, surfers often find the best breakers during these months.
From October to April, the waters become gentler and also the waves retreat to normal. Occasionally, bigger swells are created on both the coasts by small storm systems. This is the small swell season (also the peak traveller season) and it’s the most effective time for beginners learn to surfing in India.
Ten thousand peaks beach is located in Maravanthe that is a tiny beach city close to Kundapur, Karnataka. Mangalore airport is the closest airport while Kundapur is the closest railway station. The beach is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches of Karnataka. It spreads over six kilometres that creates a clear stage for all kinds of waves for water sport. Surfing has not been really prominent here. Therefore, one cannot find water sport contests and clubs here.
This place is famous for being home to the world’s second tallest statue of Lord Shiva. However, what many people don’t know is that this place in India is also a surfer’s paradise. There are secure bays on either side of the beach. Also the place breaks from one foot to ten feet, depending on the time of the year. Shiva statue is close to Murdeshwar railway station. This is one of the best spot for surfing in India.
A perfect tropical climate and an abundance of bananas and coconut trees, could surf riding get any better?
Those who have always regarded Varkala as a close-out beach break not worth bothering about should think again. While this might be true for the most beach, it’s still fine for beginners and it does pick up the swell. Besides, there are plenty of other better breaks in the vicinity — some of which very few people know about.
Soul and Surf are providing surf riding lessons in Varkala since 2010. What makes them distinctive is that they additionally specialise in yoga, therefore you’ll be able to mix the two! Surfing lessons take place seven days a week, at the best spots that they scout out early in the mornings. They’re open from the beginning of October until mid-May. Accommodations are also available.
India’s most well-known surf spot is probably going to be Kovalam Beach in Kerala. Although it does not have the most effective surf, it is a hot tourist destination with many hotels and places to hold out. And, the waves around lighthouse point are good enough most of the time. They break both left and right.
Kovalam Surf Club, supported in 2005, is a component of a bigger organization known as the Sebastian Indian Social Project. It aims to empower native youngsters and keep them at college by getting them involved in surf riding. Surfing lessons are priced cheaper than alternative surf colleges in India as Kovalam Surf Club is not a commercially-driven organization. One-on-one individual classes are given and surf tours are offered and one of the best places to learn surfing in India.
The one surfing spot in India which should not be missed is Auroville. This yesteryear French colony is currently home to several surfers each from India also as Europe. It is a perfect beach break location to surf. A learner’s paradise, Pondicherry additionally has surf riding colleges. Kallialay Surf faculty being the foremost outstanding one.
The surf riding season at eclectic Auroville and Pondicherry is long, with waves of up to twelve feet from June to January.
Kallialay Surf School is situated at Serenity Beach. It was started by two young Spanish brothers. They form their own boards and conjointly designed India’s 1st skate park in Auroville. Various surf riding packages are offered, from single lessons to comprehensive 15-day courses. Surfboard rentals are also possible.
Its placid beach breaks create it a decent place for beginners to learn to surf from October to May. The best waves may be found on Main Beach close to Mahabaleshwar Temple.
Cocopelli Surf college on city (just north of Main Beach) includes a basic guesthouse, with the beach solely a minute’s walk from the door. Various courses are offered, from beginner to advanced.
A little more down the Tamil Nadu coast, around sixty kilometres from Chennai, Mahabalipuram (also referred to as Mamallapuram) has right-hand purpose breaks close to the enduring Shore Temple. They’re created by the pile of boulders, placed round the temple and jutting into the Bay of Bengal, to keep it from falling into the ocean.
Do note that the waves rely upon the positioning of the sand and that they sometimes miscarry in October and November. There’s no purpose break until may once most of the sand gets washed aloof from the beach and forms a bank. June and July turn out good waves, and that they last quite well till the end of September.
Mumu Surf faculty, headed by the mellow and friendly Mumu, provides wonderful (yet fun) lessons, skilled coaching, and includes a surf shop. There’s conjointly a board shaping workshop, Temple Surfboards, in Mahabalipuram.
Vizag (Vishakhapatnam), the second largest town in Andhra Pradesh, stands out for its wide beaches and variety of aquatics spots. There are nearly twenty point breaks, together with 5 with good surf, within the locality. Many are known only to locals. However, the most popular spots are Rushikonda Beach and Ramakrishna Beach. The waves are well suited to beginners. They’re quite powerful but not too steep.
Lonely Surfers Surf School on Rushikonda Beach was founded in 2009 by local Andy (Anudeep), who used to sail yachts but became passionate about surfing.
Mulki, a small village around thirty kilometres north of Mangalore, is home to India’s 1st surf college. The beach is comparatively unknown and uncrowded, with waves suited to beginners for most of the year.
Mantra Surf Club was started in 2004 by 2 American surfing specialists, who collectively pioneered surfing on the East Coast of the United States of America.
The Club has India’s largest inventory of surfboards, therefore you are guaranteed to get one that is good for your size and talent level.
Numerous alternative adventure water sports are offered additionally. Surfing memberships are available.
10. Little Andaman, Andaman Islands:
If you really want to get away from it all and are an intermediate or advanced surfer, head to the pristine Andaman Islands. Most of the surfboarding spots can solely be accessed by boat.
There are reef breaks, therefore do bring reef shoes to avoid cuts.
Surfing little Andaman includes a camp at Hut Bay. They rent outboards, conduct lessons, and have tons of information concerning the surf.
There are many other surfing places in India, where one can experience surfing to its best. Surfing surely requires a properly crafted surf board, stealthy waves, and most importantly the passion for adventure in aquatic sports.
You can contact us Adventuresome to experience fun filled water sports and activities.
Also checkout our previous blog on Skydiving in India – Everything you need to know.
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Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Many thanks, However
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It was so exciting to get involved! The group members less than 5 per coaching staff and they are so kind. You could participate in whether you are a beginner or not! Enjoy!
This is a great post on learning to surf!! Great advice 👌...if you love surfing, I can take you to Australia.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us ... I learnt surfing in Goa from Surf wala.
Surfing is just the best experience of my life! I did it in Weligama( Sri Lanka ). All the teachers are real professionals. 100% that you will catch the wave even if you didn’t try it before. Totally recommend. Hugo is the best!
Highly recommended to try Surfing! It was my first time surfing experience and all of the instructors were very professional and friendly. I will definitely try again surfing in India with some good school.
It was our first surfing experience and we thought it will be really hard and yes, it is not an easy sport but with the help of the trainers, we managed to actually stand on the board. We learned so much and had such a great first experience, that we surfed again in Varkala. Thanks to the team to introduce us to this hard, but cool and exciting sport.
Great experience for beginners! It was our first time surfing, and the instructor made sure we had the best experience. We were a small group so it was perfect! Will try it again for sure!
Una experiencia increíble! Nuestro monitor nos encantó, hizo que las 3h pasaran MUY rápido y muy divertidas!!! Si volvemos a Lisboa, repetiremos seguro! MUY RECOMENDABLE
Me and my group had a great experience - all instructors were super friendly and knowledgable, full of great tips not only to improve our surfing but also of places around the area where we could continue our day. Would highly recommend it!