Blue sky, huge waves, white pristine beaches are what all surfers dream about. Surfing is more than just a sport; it’s an attitude, a state of mind. The best surfing spots are where the waves are high, the beaches are golden and the atmosphere is right. We scour the globe for the best places offering a lasting impression.

What used to be just a recreational activity of the Polynesians in the 1700’s has now become a full-fledged competitive sport in the 21st century. It was back in the 1970's when a gang of young pretenders challenged local traditions in Hawaii. In few years, these guys with their cocky attitude and dare-devil behavior conquered the meanest waves and defined new standards for the century-old sport. Surfing has become an attitude, entailing its own culture, language, products and representing anything that is untraditional. According to Alan Atkin (Head of Surfing Australia), Australian surfers each year spend nearly $30 million on accessories, $38 million on surfboards and $32 million on wetsuits along side with $230 million being spent on surf clothing.  Last year surfing industry hit its highest with an 11 billion dollars sales figure.

Surfing represents a lot more than just a simple sport; it's all about the look, the feel and the behavior. Surfers carry an image of bad boys, living their life out of the box and on the edges. For some, surfing is an act of faith such as the Ministers who Surf and Surfers of Faith. While others think of surfing as a form of brotherhood, like the Lunada Bay in Palos Verdes, California, they simply won’t allow outsiders to ride their swells. Novelty is what fuels the sport that requires so little:  surf board, stamina, and a dose of faith.

We went out to search for the best places to surf, where waves are high, beaches are golden and nature is still at it best.

Asia and Australia

The Cloud Nine surf break in Siargao, Philippines has seen lots of surfers descend on its shores in the last 10 years. As part of the international surfing circuit, it has served as venues to competitions. Its bare beauty is what makes it attractive; sadly, over-development is changing that. Surfers who want to have a diversion check out its sprawling mango swamps, exhilarating waterfalls and surprising rock pools. Indonesia in Southeast Asia offers fantastic surfing opportunity is in Lombok, located at Nusa Tenggara. On its eastern part, specifically Sumbawa, surf breaks swell, beckoning the most intrepid surfers to wrestle them. On the south coast the set of big breaks are not for the faint-hearted. Activities abound at Lombok such as island-hopping, trekking and otherwise relaxed mode of sight-seeing.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand takes pride with Ahangama, known the world over for its powerful left break. The breaks near the 139 km marker are known for their challenging appeal. Surfers flock to the site for its cheap accommodations. Apart from the surfing activity, not much can be experienced at Ahangama except to wear the tourist’s hat and explore around. In Japan the best surfing happens in Miyakazi, particularly in Kizaki-hama all the way to Hyuga up north. The warmth of its offshore currents and atmosphere makes it an ideal spring place where tourists can shrug off the coldness of winter.

Australia's Gold Coast is known of consistent waves, 70-km beaches, and four epic point breaks (Palm Beach, The Spit, Narrowneck, Main Beach, and Mermaid Beach) that have earned the moniker “The Surfers’ Paradise.” The main attraction here is the weather—lots of Australian sunshine.  Surfers proceed to the surf breaks such as Snapper Rocks, Superbank, Kirra, Burleigh Heads, and “Straddie” or South Stradbroke Island.

Europe

England, with its seeming round-the-clock gray English weather, may not seem to offer fabulous surfing sites but the land of monarchy has a couple of destinations up its sleeve. Devon and Pondalowie Bay serve as a venue for surfing competitions, but treacherous swells and bad weather condition should be avoided at all cost. France's Biarritz, a favorite place of Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Eugénie has gained the reputation as a luxurious destination, therefore expensive. Accommodations in the nearby Bayonne are accessible while the youth hostels in Biarritz are a favorite of surfers.

Considered as Europe’s premiere surf zone, North Spain caters to both the novice and the professional through its combination of the lefts in Mundaka and the curls of Somo. The beaches are framed of mountain range of Pico's de Europe where the green carpet rolls down from the hills to meet the platinum blond shores. Peniche in Portugal offers consistent swell and wind direction for a year-long surfing. Its 15 kilometers of coastline offers various levels of surfing proficiency.  It’s proximity to the capital Lisbon makes it all the more appealing.

Central and South America

Costa Rica prides itself for its Bahía de Pavón where surfers ride its long left-hand break.,  enjoy rustic and laidback feel, indigo waters and white sandy beaches. Framed by lush forested hills the tall waves are crashing across the gulf. Although crimes are a threat in El Salvador, surfers are still coming here to ride waves that can reach up to 10 feet high especially on swell season, March to October. An off-the-beaten surfing track, El Salvador has a tropical climate that nurses consistent waves throughout the year. The  surfing Nirvanas of La Libertad, El Zonte, and Sunzal are particularly a favorite among surfing aficionados.

 Near the Peruvian border is Arica, Chile's  northernmost city. Its year-round sunshine weather and temperate sea currents make for the perfect ingredients for a wild surfing experience. Arica’s surfing breaks are phenomenal, while its proximity to Parque Nacional Lauca makes it more tempting. Brazil’s surfing capital, Saquarema is located 100 km east of Rio de Janeiro and known for its teeming marine life and virtually untouched shores. Surfers flock to Praia Itaúna, about 3 km from the town proper, considered to be the most exquisite of the Saquarema’s beaches. Its reputation as one of Brazil’s best surf spots makes it all the more attractive. Not one to be left behind is Puerto Rico, where monstrous waves, measuring from 2 to 25 feet, wake up the thrill-seeking spirit . The waves’ names (Domes, Indicators, Spanish Wall and Dogman’s) are enough to send a chill on the spines. Considered as the most dangerous among them, Tres Palmas epitomizes what a Caribbean wave is all about.

United States and Mexico

California’s Pacific Coast Highway is where surfing legends made and broke world records. Beginners discover the wonders of surfing in Malibu and Manhattan Beach, while professionals hunt for big waves in Mavericks outside San Francisco. Florida’s Cocoa Beach is one of the finest, where natural beauty mixes harmoniously with modern lifestyle. 2 to 4-feet consistent swells tempt the beginning surfer.

With its monster waves and wipe-outs, Hawaii—the birth place of surfing—still holds the majesty of being America’s premier destination for the sport. North Shore, Sunset Beach, and the famous Banzai pipeline are the realm of daredevils, while Waikiki’s calm waves are the hatching stations of would-be great surfers. Mexico, on the other hand, has Oaxaca's Pacific coast inviting every possible water activity.  Surfers flock to these places for its seeming isolation: resorts flank it only at both sides, leaving an eight kilometer shore untouched. Its gentle waves make it ideal for those who are just about to start.

The rest of the world

The sport is not confined to Australia and the US, certainly, as other parts of the world offer die-hard surfers wave upon wave of thrills. Jeffreys Bay in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa is an unspoiled surfing paradise from June to August, when the waves are at their best in the beaches of Super Tubes, Kitchen Windows, Boneyards, Magna Tubes, Point and Albatross. Jeffreys Bay also a favorite site for major surfing competitions. Sitting on the same latitude as the top surfing destinations of Mexico and Florida are Fuerteventura and Lanzarote in Canary Islands. Fuerteventura with its more than 150 sandy beaches and temperatures from 18 to 24 degrees offering all-year-round surfing for wave-riders of different levels, considered to be a surfing Mecca. October to March spells a peak season as surfers from all over the world arrive to ride the most consistent and popular waves such as Rocky Point, Generosa, Harbour Wall, Shooting Gallery, and Suicides. 

Not to be outshone by its northern cousin, Lanzarote at the easternmost of the Canary offers both great waves and a variety of surfing resorts for all budget ranges. Located off the Moroccan coast, Lanzarote has a 213-km coastline that is dotted with extravagant rock formations attracting a privy of visitors.