Garie Beach

What kind of beaches and swells are best for learning to surf?

I want to learn to surf, and am unsure which beach to go to. There are many surf schools on different beaches, and I want to choose one which is suitable for beginners. I like Manly Beach in Sydney, but its swell heights are typically more than 2ft. What would be the highest swell that a beginner could still comfortably learn on?

Public Comments

1. try a beach break with crumbling waves
2. exactly
3. You want to know which surf school is suitable for beginners? *rolls eyes* As said before, any beach break with small, crumbly waves is your best bet. As a beginner you shouldn't go out in anything bigger than 3 foot, but your surf instructor should be teaching you in a safe place to surf. All the beaches around Sydney are relatively safe and the surf schools are high quality, so all you need to do is suss out the best prices/availability and get on it! When you think you're starting to grab the major concepts of surfing and don't want any more lessons, you might want to buy your own board (look through resolved answers to find some good information on buying your first board). Before you venture out on your own however, make sure you're gaining some skill at reading the surf (identifying rips etc) and don't go out over your limits. Sydney swell isn't "typically more than 2ft", don't know where you heard that from. It's always variable with different locations around Sydney coping differently with different swell directions/winds. Keep up to date by looking at swellnet. www.swellnet.com.au Hope I helped!
4. A nice mushy beach-break
5. try a beach with little waves dude :-)