Surfers live for the oceanic power of leviathan waves, the briny spray of saltwater and the smooth glide of a surfboard across the sea.
- Surf the Most Wicked Wavesvituh / Beach Photos / CC BY-NC
The world’s oceans are full of surf refuge waiting for your boards to dip in—transfer your surfboard in safety to the following locales around the globe.
Surfboard Travels
Transporting your precious board safely from one locale to another won’t happen if you fail to take proper precautions. Seal your board in a heavy-duty bag that fits its unique shape. Remove the fins if possible. Extract the wax from your board so it doesn’t make a melted mess once it arrives in hot, tropical climates. Protect the integrity of your board with foam pipe insulation or bubble wrap. These precautions should prevent broken boards at the hands of rough and tumble baggage handlers.
[tabs] [tab title=”The World Stormrider Guide”][simpleazon-image align=”left” asin=”0953984001″ locale=”us” height=”500″ src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xdWptmbmL.jpg” width=”393″].[/tab] [tab title=”Review”]”This and all the Stormrider Guides are truely great sources of information about surf travel. Cleverly put together, have beautiful illustrations, and are packed with all the necessary information you need to start planning your surf adventure and travel. Every surfer (young or old) should have all of them on the shelves of their personal library. Go ahead and invest. You’ll be stoked, dude!”
“If you need to prepare a surf trip, you want to go at the best (known) spot, or you’re just curious to see how it looks like 10 000 miles away, go for it !
This book is really well made, nice text, all the details you need to know, beautiful pictures. You can feel it was made by surfers for surfers. The first pages will give a bit about wave creating system, weather forecasting and wind satelite map reading. Really Nice book. But don’t fool yourself, the best secret spots won’t be in there !”[/tab] [/tabs]
After settling into your room in a subtropical hotel, computer savvy surfers need to protect their laptops. Don’t allow your surfing travels to be ruined by identify theft or stolen information—theft services such as Lifelock and others can safeguard personal data from dubious Wi-Fi networks and misplaced laptops.
Surf’s Up!
1.) Pipeline – Oahu, Hawaii
Located at the origin of all surfing, the three-reef Pipeline is home to one of the most massive waves on earth—towering over six meters on a bed of table reef, this liquid force of nature beckons only serious pro surfers and foolhardy amateurs. Shifting, high-powered waves and the right at Pipe “Backdoor” section are especially dangerous as it flows across the center of abrasive reef. Oahu, Hawaii’s Pipeline—the king of all waves and every surfer’s dream—is the perfect locale to immerse yourself in the surfer milieu.
2.) Gold Coast, Australia
The Australian Gold Coast is 70 kilometers of sandy beaches and grandiose right hand point breaks at Palm Beach, Narrowneck, Mermaid Beach, Main Beach and the Spit. The coast is stricken by four foot waves courtesy of offshore cyclones ever few months, summoning leagues of intrepid surfers. Snapper Rocks Superbank lies further down the coastline boasting some truly awe-inspiring wavelengths. Known to many as the “surfer’s paradise” the Gold Coast more than lives up to its nickname.
3.) Cloud Nine – Siargao Island, Philippines
Cloud Nine is solely for the death-defying, adrenaline-junkie surfers. Siargao Island is located in the Philippine Sea hundreds of kilometers from Philippines’ capital, Manila. Surfers congregate to this tear drop shaped island from August to November when the offshore winds rush over the ocean. Cloud Nine—or “Crowd Nine” as local surfers are apt to call it due to overcrowding—owes its reputation to bulky, hollow tubes ideal for smooth surfing. The elation felt from surfing Cloud Nine is not without danger, however. The perilous reef break rolls over a shallow surface of jagged blades of coral adding motivation to keep both feet planted on your board.
4.) Mentawai Islands, Indonesia
This stretch of 70 islands and islets off the western coast of Sumatra is surrounded by a deluge of sublime waves. The four primary islands of Siberut, Sipora, North Pagai and South Pagai compose most of the Mentawais. CNNGo.com suggests starting at the northern and southern points of Pagai and Siberut. A multitude of breaks are scattered along the coasts. One called “Rifles” is one of the best and awards surfers with up to 100 yard rides. Another, the “Macaronis,” is a wave of utter perfection ending the barrel ride in an unrivaled rippable wall. The fact that the islands are accessible only by boat or ferry adds a charming exclusivity to these surfing spots.
