There is nothing better for a surfer than travelling the globe and finding great waves to ride.  If you’re wondering where your next surfing holiday should be then prepare for some amazing cultures and get yourself on a plane to Europe’s finest surf spots.

To help you know where to start check out our top 5 spots, the best thing about all 5 is that each spot can suit beginner to expert surfers.

Ericeira, Portugal

You can be spoilt for choice in Ericeira.  The town is close to more than 40 amazing surf break along it’s coast.   So it is simply a matter of choosing the type of wave you are looking for and getting out there.

Peniche, Portugal

This Portuguese town hit headlines in 2009 when it became the location of Rip Curl’s The Search Pro contest.  It’s barreling waves not only wowed spectators but convinced the pro surfers, and now it is returning in October 2010 as a permanent fixture on the world tour.

Hossegor, France

Home to Quiksilver’s Pro France each September, Hossegor is famous for its gnarly beach break “La Graviere”, its small town atmosphere and big party scene.  Whether you enjoy taste testing all the French pastries or carving the waves, Hossegor is the destination of choice for the European surf crowd.

Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain

The Spanish Canarian Island of Fuerteventura has become Europe’s equivalent to Hawaii.  Although Spanish, Fuerteventura lies off the coast of Africa, and benefits from consistently warm weather and great waves created by the Atlantic Ocean.  Fuerteventura offers a the perfect location to learn to surf.

Zarautz, Basque Country, Spain

Heard of powerhouse basque surfer Aritz Aranburu?  If not, then you should have.  Aranburu learnt to surf at his hometown of Zarautz.  The Basque town’s beach break is one of the top spots for Basque surfers, and offers consistent swell especially during the Autumn to Spring months.

One of the precepts of Gold Coast Surfboards is that there are other people who love to travel and surf,  just as I do.  To that end, I have created a discussion thread on our network FaceBook page, asking what your favorite surf break is, when you are not at home.  Here is the link to the thread:

Your Favorite Surf Break:

Let me know what you think

I tend to surf at Mermaid Beach most of the time.  The waves are certainly not the best the Gold Coast has to offer, by a long shot.  The main reason I surf here though is to avoid the crowds.  Its a funny thing, surfing and crowds.  There is not a surfer in the world who professes to enjoying surfing in an overly packed line up.  Yet as an observation, we often needlessly exacerbate crowding through sheepish behaviour (Ie. Following the pack). 

On any given day at Mermaid, there will be at least 3 or 4 peaks.  Typically only 1 is being surfed, and by many surfers.  I’ll always have a look before jumping in, and pick a different one to surf on.  The quality of wave and the number of people on each peak will all play into my calculations.  I’ll typically trade some degree of quality for a smaller crowd, but thats just me.  I’ll also often walk up to a kilometer in either direction to find the wave I’d like to surf.  As soon as I catch a wave though, someone from the pack surfing the other wave will invariably paddle over to join me.  Heaven knows why they were not there already, the wave had been breaking there all day.  Obviously they just didn’t have the imagination or intelligence to realise the wave was there, before I caught one.

I’m contantly amazed also by the number of surfers who arrive at the beach and do not look for a wave. Rather they just paddle out to the closest group of surfers assuming that will be where the best waves are.  I’ve had days when I was the only person in the water, with peaks forming all up and down the beach, yet an additional surfer will come and sit on my shoulder.  On these occasions, I just paddle to the next wave and continued my session there, wondering at the other person’s intelligence all the way.

But witnessing this kind of behaviour day in day out begs the question;  What happened to the spirit of exploration in surfing?  Where did it go?  When was it replaced by such sheepish behaviour where we just follow the crowd?  Perhaps I am just a little different to most surfers and enjoy an uninterrupted surf.  Perhaps most of us actually enjoy the hussle of a crowd.  I don’t know.  I do think this pattern of behaviour is weird though.

Here is a thought too, for a 2009 New Years Resolution.  Everytime you go to the beach for a surf, spend some time on the beach observing the waves before you paddle out.  You may find a better wave if you look, you’ll definitely catch more waves if you find a less crowded one.