Hi All,

Can anybody suggest a destination mid point between Australia and the UK that is warm between the months of June and August, caters for intermediates and absolute beginners, and isn't going to require me to remortgage the house.

Has to be kids and wife friendly.

Thanks in advance.

Sri Lanka is a great spot. Beautiful and cheap. Fun waves. Something diff - fly with Air Mauritius to London return and stop off on route in Mauritius.

Dubai, Wadi adventure wave pool. Maybe not an ocean wave but ticks all your boxes.

****ushima. Great waves! No one around!!

Bloody nanny state website... I said ??

Nup. Don't like that either huh?
How about this??
www.google.com.au/maps/place/****ushima+Prefecture,+Japan/@37.4483241,141.0363996,668m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x602004816ddcd52f:0x341fa6c1d0d6465c

Plutonium Point. It gets glowing reviews.
www.google.com.au/maps/place/****ushima+Prefecture,+Japan/@37.4283505,141.0372035,676m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x602004816ddcd52f:0x341fa6c1d0d6465c

Haha thanks for persevering Busterfin. Never thought of Japan! Is there nobody around as your likely to glow afterwards as its next to a nuclear power plant ??????

Really like the idea of Sri Lanka too.

I'm not headed to the UK, I'm trying to meet my brother somewhere half way as he's there, hence the beginner requirement.

It's tried and tested and probably been over done but what about Indonesia? Side note; Hainan Island (or something off mainland China?) might be worth a look? It's where they host those womans world longboard competitions I believe but swell will probably depend on the typhoon season etc.

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Buster fin said..
****ushima. Great waves! No one around!!

Bloody nanny state website... I said ??

Nup. Don't like that either huh?
How about this??
www.google.com.au/maps/place/****ushima+Prefecture,+Japan/@37.4483241,141.0363996,668m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x602004816ddcd52f:0x341fa6c1d0d6465c

Plutonium Point. It gets glowing reviews.
www.google.com.au/maps/place/****ushima+Prefecture,+Japan/@37.4283505,141.0372035,676m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x602004816ddcd52f:0x341fa6c1d0d6465c

Well at least we know that get large waves

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Salty Sea Dog said..
I'm not headed to the UK, I'm trying to meet my brother somewhere half way as he's there, hence the beginner requirement.

Well that opens up a truckload more options. Surprised JB has suggested Hawaii Lots of good beginner to advanced waves there. Big plate sizes so you only need to eat once a day !

Japan gets great waves as does the Philippines, Taiwan etc South Africa is a cheap place to holiday and lots of great things to do. Just expensive for you to get to. Not so much for yr brother. South America is just a magical place - I have had a great time in most places there. But to avoid having to take a lot of wetsuits with ya head to somewhere like Ecuador - not the greatest waves (compared to Chile & Indo etc) going around - but its warm and the waves are good fun. Not too busy and a really nice culture shock Lots of great things to do apart from surf as well. Cheap too. Central America is another great spot - but if you going make sure you avoid the main Yank holiday zones - prices for flights and accom will be at peak rates. Avoid at all costs. Loads of great non-surf activities here as well - you can Country hop very easily.

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Buster fin said..
****ushima. Great waves! No one around!!

Bloody nanny state website... I said ??

Nup. Don't like that either huh?
How about this??
www.google.com.au/maps/place/****ushima+Prefecture,+Japan/@37.4483241,141.0363996,668m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x602004816ddcd52f:0x341fa6c1d0d6465c

Plutonium Point. It gets glowing reviews.
www.google.com.au/maps/place/****ushima+Prefecture,+Japan/@37.4283505,141.0372035,676m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x602004816ddcd52f:0x341fa6c1d0d6465c

LOL

I'll try Fu-kushima minus the "-" was once a popular Japanese holiday spot up by Japan's main island of Honshu's main energy source (nuclear reactors) which were damaged by the big tsunami in 2011. Only I wouldn't say there's no one around. There is a lot less people now, but it still has quite a few die hards who not only surf there, they also call it home.

Japan is a pretty good recommendation really. You will be lucky to get epic waves, but you will easily have an epic time. You can get a JR Pass (Japan Rail) that allows you to zip around the main island as much as you like on the shinkansen bullet trains. They're great fun to kick back with a beer, watching the scenery fly by & at times it can be really trippy. The Japanese love tunneling through mountains & something like 75% of Japan is mountains. You can like pass through a city, enter a tunnel, come out at a snowy mountain valley, go through another tunnel and be in a little cultural town in the space of a few minutes.

Just gotta watch out though, beer is available everywhere. You can find beer vending machines in the most random of places & 500ml can options are available in pretty much all of them. The beer tastes pretty good, quite enjoyable times can be had in the evening. But morning hangovers can be particularly troublesome & often difficult to avoid.

You can get a train right down to the bottom of the Izu Peninsular & then rent a car & drive round from Shimoda to check out lots of sandy bays. Really beautiful scenery, Mt Fuji'san can be seen from many of the coastal mountains. Some great views from guesthouse onsens (hot baths) looking over the ocean & back to Mt Fuji. That would be my recommendation for a first trip to Japan if you want to include surfing. There's also ferry's taking you to outa islands off Izu that have good surf. You can get there in a few hours just South of Tokyo & the Izu trainline runs along the coast. Its like Japan's great ocean road.

Otherwise around Chrissy time for snowboarding or Sept/Oct for typhoon swells in boardshort weather. I'll be down around the corner of Shimoda from the start of April which is probably the crappest time to go for swell & warmth. But those onsens & beers do warm ya up again pretty quick

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Hawaii and Mexico were the ones that were on my radar....... any suggestions where in Hawaii. North Shore immediately springs to mind, and maybe Waikiki???

Japan sounds great Mick - you should work for the Japanese tourist board with a sales pitch like that. I've always had it on my snowboarding bucket list, so keen to explore the surfing option some more.

Thanks again guys, really appreciate it.

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Salty Sea Dog said..
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Hawaii and Mexico were the ones that were on my radar....... any suggestions where in Hawaii. North Shore immediately springs to mind, and maybe Waikiki???

Japan sounds great Mick - you should work for the Japanese tourist board with a sales pitch like that. I've always had it on my snowboarding bucket list, so keen to explore the surfing option some more.

Thanks again guys, really appreciate it.

NP mate, yeah Japan has heaps of great snowboarding spots. I've been to Yuzawa 90 mins West of Tokyo 3 times & it was pretty good for my beginner/intermediate snowboarding.

A mate just got back from Hawaii & his favourite spot was the South side of Kauai. Much quieter with heaps of peaks to choose from. Missus & I might be going in September if I can get time off work. We're probably gonna base ourselves in Wikiki & head out from there. Missus has been twice before & that's her favourite spot, but she doesn't surf. So hoping to spend some time in Kauai also, but everything I have seen so far has been very expensive per night.

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Salty Sea Dog said..
Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Hawaii and Mexico were the ones that were on my radar....... any suggestions where in Hawaii. North Shore immediately springs to mind, and maybe Waikiki???

Japan sounds great Mick - you should work for the Japanese tourist board with a sales pitch like that. I've always had it on my snowboarding bucket list, so keen to explore the surfing option some more.

Thanks again guys, really appreciate it.

I can help with hawaii, but TBH its not a cheap option, (especially with the exchange) but then again you didn't ask about that part.

Waikiki was great, but for me it was too busy and its not cheap. The North Shore is great. Its a lot cheaper and so amazing. We had a house on the water front and it was a dream. I wouldn't call to many waves on the Northshore beginner friendly. Not that they all are not barreling Pipe, but the softer options are still not close to shore. SO as long as they are comfortable in the water, then you should find spots. The other islands as was mentioned would be great to travel too also. You will find that time of year though it may not even be breaking. I had many different reports from people on the out of season surf so i can't comment on that, but many other members on line have travelled all different times of the year so maybe they can answer.

If you like the Northshore, look at renting a house. It would be ideal with a couple of family. The house we had had two bedrooms a queen and another with two singles, but to also had a separate cottage that catered for two more with their won bathroom. I think it was around $270 US a night.. Having a cheap base it made it very comfortable to spread out from their.