Learn to Surf in Sydney

How can anyone be in Australia and not try their hands at surfing? We are a continent country that is surrounded by water and we love being in the water all the time. With many amazing surf beaches, it is a perfect place to surf (no surprises there!).

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What is surfing?

Surfing is an outdoor and adventurous water sport which involves the act of riding waves, using a board, in an upright or prone position. Usually, the waves needed for surfing are found in the ocean but sometimes they can also be found in rivers or lakes.

Scuba diving and snorkeling are other two outdoor water activities that you will enjoy if you love the ocean. Refer the section of scuba diving and snorkeling for the places in Australia.

Even though the exact origin of surfing is not known, it is believed that surfing was first enjoyed by Polynesians in Tahiti and Hawaii. Surfing was initially known as wave sliding.

Equipment required for surfing

Surfing does not require too many equipment. It just needs a very basic (even though not a cheap) equipment.

• Surf board – Surfing is an act of riding the waves on a board. So the number one equipment required for surfing is a surf board. A surf board is a light weighted but strong plank of board to support a person while riding the waves. Initially known as papa he’e nalu in Hawaiian language, it was invented in Hawaii. The size and the quality of surf board determines the cost of the surf board.
• Wet suit – Even though this is not a mandatory equipment, wet suit is required for Australian waters as it can get really cold. And it also protects the skin from sun burns, jelly fishes and blue bottoms.

Also, do not forget to protect your exposed skin with the best sunscreen while surfing. It is one of the essential things to apply as it protects the skin from any damages caused by the sun.

Where to learn to surf in Sydney?

Sydney is a coastal city and Sydneysiders (mostly) love to spend their warm days in the ocean. And hence there are plenty of surf schools in the city that are very good at teaching people to surf. These schools have access to private beaches and the lessons are conducted at these beaches so it does not disrupt the experienced surfers.

I took my lessons from Waves Surf school. The surf school is based out of Bondi in Sydney. They were really brilliant and the lessons and the day was a lot of fun. The day was even better because of my instructors Deano and one more guy (I don’t remember his name unfortunately), who were amazing. Deano is funny and he was such a good instructor. And the other guy was brilliant who helped me in facing my fear against the huge waves. Yes, I was scared of the waves and it was mostly because of the incident that happened when I visited Figure 8 pool a few years ago.

Best surfing beaches in Sydney

Sydney has been blessed with such amazing coastline and there are many beaches that are really cool and best for surfing.

If you are a beginner, then definitely venture out for surfing only with the surf schools.

• Bondi beach – The Bondi beach is only for the experienced surfers and is the perfect beach to get high waves.

Bondi beach also has a famous walk, Bondi to Coogee coastal walk.

• Manly beach – Manly beach was the first place where World’s first surfing contest was conducted, in the year 1964.

As Sydney is a coastal city, Manly to Spit Bridge coastal walk or vice versa is also a famous walk among the locals.

• Maroubra beach – Maroubra beach is Australia’s first national surfing reserve and is very famous among the surfers as the waves are consistent.
• North Cronulla beach – Said to be the birthplace of modern surfing, the Cronulla beach is a great spot for surfers.
• Long Reef beach – The Long Reef beach is very popular during the winter season as it has the best surfs because of an exposed reef break.

Manly to Mona Vale beach via Long Reef is also a popular coastal walk in Sydney.

• Palm beach – Palm beach has beautiful and consistent waves that surfers can ride and it makes it popular throughout the year.

Once done with surfing, take a detour to go see the Barrenjoey lighthouse while visiting Palm beach.

Closing Notes

It was a lot of fun, an entire day of facing the waves, some of them taller than me. I was bruised and pushed and hit by my own board a couple of times (okay, a lot more than a couple of times). But I was so happy, I gave it a chance. I will ensure I take more surf lessons so I can understand if this sport is for me or not.

Have you tried surfing? Do you love it? Let me know in the comments below.

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