Quick Answer
The best places to learn to surf have warm water, sandy bottoms and slow-breaking waves: Nosara and Santa Teresa in Costa Rica, Canggu in Bali, Weligama in Sri Lanka, Taghazout in Morocco and Byron Bay in Australia. Here are 10, with the right season for each.
Learning to surf is far easier somewhere forgiving — warm water, a sand bottom and waves that break slowly rather than dumping. These 10 destinations all offer that, along with established schools and board hire.
10 Best Places to Learn to Surf
1. Nosara & Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Best months: Jan–Mar · 16–26°C days · dry (ERA5 climate data)
Warm water year-round, sandy-bottomed beach breaks and a huge choice of schools — the most forgiving place in the Americas to learn.
2. Canggu & Kuta, Bali
Best months: May–Jul · 24–28°C days · rainy (ERA5 climate data)
Bali’s beginner beaches have gentle sand-bottom waves, cheap board hire and instructors on every corner. Learn here, not at Uluwatu.
3. Siargao, Philippines
Best months: Jan–Mar · 23–30°C days · some rain (ERA5 climate data)
Cloud 9 is for experts, but the island has mellow reef and beach breaks nearby, plus a laid-back learning scene.
4. Taghazout, Morocco
Best months: Nov–Jan · 7–21°C days · dry (ERA5 climate data)
Long right-hand points that break slowly, cheap surf camps and reliable winter swell an hour from Agadir.
5. Ericeira, Portugal
Best months: Jun–Aug · 18–28°C days · dry (ERA5 climate data)
Europe’s only World Surfing Reserve has beginner beaches alongside its serious reefs, with summer the gentlest season.
6. Byron Bay, Australia
The Pass is a long, slow-breaking point that lets beginners ride for hundreds of metres in warm water.
7. Weligama, Sri Lanka
Best months: Dec–Feb · 23–30°C days · rainy (ERA5 climate data)
A wide, shallow bay with soft waves and very cheap lessons — the classic first-timer spot in Asia.
8. Lagos & the Algarve, Portugal
Best months: Jun–Aug · 18–28°C days · dry (ERA5 climate data)
Sheltered west-coast beaches with schools that shuttle you to whichever bay is working that day.
9. Hikkaduwa & Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka
Best months: Dec–Feb · 23–30°C days · rainy (ERA5 climate data)
Two coasts with opposite seasons, so beginner-friendly conditions exist somewhere on the island year-round.
10. Waikiki, Hawaii
Best months: Jun–Aug · 23–29°C days · some rain (ERA5 climate data)
Where surfing was popularised — long, slow rollers and a gentle reef make it a genuine beginner classic.
Learning safely
Choose sand-bottomed beach breaks over reef while you are learning — reef cuts are the most common serious surf injury, and Bali’s Uluwatu or Siargao’s Cloud 9 are genuinely dangerous for beginners regardless of how they look in photos. Take at least a few lessons rather than teaching yourself: instructors teach you to read rips, which matters more than standing up. Learn the basic priority rules before paddling into a crowded line-up, and check whether your travel insurance covers surfing — some policies exclude it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best place to learn to surf?
Costa Rica and Bali for warm water and dense school options; Weligama in Sri Lanka for the cheapest lessons.
How long does it take to learn?
Most people stand up within a few lessons; riding along the face of a wave takes considerably longer.
Is it safe?
On sandy beginner beaches with an instructor, yes. Rips are the main hazard — learn to identify them before surfing alone.
