Surfing Vibes

My favourite places in the world to surf

1. Peniche - Estremadura, Portugal

   Peniche is the home of the famours Supertubos wave, a hollow, fast barrel. That's not the reason I like Peniche though, and its not beacuse if the town, which is ordinary, and stinks of fish. I like Peniche beacuse of the beaches and bays. There are many beaches around Peniche, including Praia de Baleal, a massive cresent shaped bay that has a working section in almost all wind directions. There is also Praia de Lagide, exactly next to Baleal. The beach is almost always protected from the wind, making it clean. There is also a reef at Lagide where the swell is maximised. When everything is onshore or blown-out, you can count on Lagide still being surfable. There are loads of places to free camp, mainly Baleal car park. There is also a campsite that costs €3 for a van and person per night, out of season.

2. Gwithian/Godrevy - Hayle, Cornwall, England

   The 4.5 miles of sand at Gwithian and Godrevy are only broken by the occasional cluster of rocks. When the weather is good and the surf clean there is no other beach I would rather be at. The water is clear and it often feels like being on another continent. A good option in summer when its crowded. I spent a lot of time here when learning to surf in 2005.

3. Lacanau-Ocean - Gironde, France

   Gironde has hundreds of miles of un spoilt endless sandy beaches. There are countless breaks and waves. The northern beach (Plage Nord) is my favourite, with less people and more room. Watch out for the nasty sand bars though. Lacanau-Ocean is a growing town that embraces the surfing culture. The campsite 'Les Pins' at the northern beach is so surfer friendly, you look out of place if you don't surf. Visit in Autumn for warm water, good weather, no crows and massive waves. I spent several days here in September 2006.

4. Crantock - Newquay, Cornwall, England

   The village of Crantock is 2 miles (3 km) from Newquay and has an excellent beach. The river mouth on the northern side deposits sand creating a sandbar that produces nice rights . Needs a good swell to get going though. Always less crowded than Fistral. When the swell is good there is a left on the southern side. I used to live in the village of Cubert, just 1 mile (2 km) away, and pretty much learnt to surf here.

5. Playa de Meron - San Vincente de la Barquera, Cantabria, Spain

   A massive sandy beach set in a national park. There are many peaks on this beach which is sheltered from the west from the breakwater. The tidal range is massive and the peaks move a lot. There are 2 other beaches in the national park, one of which is a continuation of this one. I spent many days camping for free in the car park just outside the pretty little town of San Vincente de la Barquera.

6. Newquay bay - Cornwall, England

   The bay in Newquay town has 4 beaches. At low tide Towan beach (southernmost), Great Western and Tolcarne all become one big beach. Lusty Glaze (northernmost) is privately owned and is enclosed in its own bay. During the summer the lifeguards make the surfing area very small, coupled with the number of people its not really an option during the day. But in early mornings and evenings, and outside of the summer the bay offers great sheltered waves. The large curve of the bay gives lots of options. The bay is sometimes the only surfable place in strong winds or swell. Towan beach has the harbour to its southern side, and offers the most shelter.

7. Perranporth - Cornwall, England

   The sleepy village of Perranporth explodes in Summer. Despite which it always remains a nice place to be. The beach is so big, especially at low tide, that there is always somewhere to surf. During the summer the lifeguards have the customary black and white flagged 'surfing' area. but its is acceptable to surf at the un-patrolled area of the beach, which you often cant do on other beaches in Cornwall in summer. There is also The Watering Hole bar on the beach and the Sunset bar by the car park to enjoy a sunset beer afterward. I spend many hours in the sea here with Rich Mulryne during the summer of 2006.

My favourite surf locations I have been to but not surfed

1. Rodiles, Cantabria, Spain

   Rodiles has probably the worst possible reputation for localism, with the local surfers being hostile to visitors. However, Rodiles beach is beautiful. Set in a bay, backed by dunes and a pine forest. The beach is very popular with swimmers. The town of Rodiles is a small quiet town on the north coast of Spain. The non-surfer residents probably have no idea about the waves high profile. When I visited in October 2006 the swell was big and the wave was going off. There where about a dozen surfers at the very end of the beach, where the wave is. Every wave was ridden. There was only 1 other person on the beach, despite the glorious weather. I certainly didn't ask the locals if I could have a wave!

2. Hossegor / Capbreton - Hossegor, France

   Some German guys I met in September 2006 said there was a Quicksilver surf competition on at Hossegor and that I should go to watch. When I got to the village it was chaos. I drove to the beach and parked a mile away as everywhere it was possible to park a car, one was parked. The waves were massive and the competition went really well. The surfers where trying to get deeper into the barrel and several had nasty wipeouts.
   That evening I stayed at Capbreton. I took a walk to the beach and 2 guys were surfing overhead barrels. I sat and watched as a storm approached with the lighting striking the ground in the background.

3. Playa del Sardinero, Santander - Cantabria, Spain

   Playa del Sardinero is considered one of the best city beaches in the world. It is big and beautiful. When I was there in September 2006 there was a nice 3 foot swell and lots of people enjoying being on the beach. I was enjoying watching everyone in the shade. I had been to the emergency department of Santander hospital the day before as an infection on my shoulder had swelled to the size of an egg. No surfing for a whole week after ;-(

4. Biarritz Grand Plage - Biarritz, South West France

   The weather was gray and the waves all blown out when I go to Biarritz in September 2006. I surfed at Bidart a few days later, it was still a bit messy.

5. Mundaka - Euskadi, Spain

   After winding through miles of mountain roads I go to the town of Mundaka. I drive through and found the famous river mouth, that deposits sand and causes a massive barrelling wave. On the day I arrived in September 2006 it was barely a ripple. I rolled up my shorts and waded out into the sea. Not much of a surf.