Surf Lesson in Tenerife – A Great Surf Vacation

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A Surf Lesson on reef doesn’t sound appealing except when the water is of tropical proportions and there is almost no offshore winds. Couple this with gentle rolling breaks and you have a fantastic combination in which to learn on.

Having said this its not for the feint hearted.

Surf Lesson on Reef not for the Feint Hearted

You have to be committed. The entry and exit of the water is the most dangerous with slippery uneven rocks to walk over, not to mention balance and carry your longboard surfboard through all this.

I traveled all the way around the island of Tenerife for good surf conditions for both a surf lesson and larger waves. The early November conditions brought with them a NE/NW swell which meant that the best conditions were in the SW of the island, namely Playa de Las Americas.

Surf Lesson at Playa de Las Americas

The Surf Lessons are taken usually in the wash at Las Americas. You can get surf lessons from half a dozen places in the town and even from the beach kiosk, they also do a pretty mean Mohito but i’ll save that story for another day.

Wherever you do decide to go you can expect to have wetsuit, surf shoes, a rash shirt and longboard surfboard included in the price. To be honest, in November, the water is so warm that you really don’t need anything else other than your shoes so you don’t slice up your feet.

Hiring Surf Equipment

Many places offer free surf lessons as long as you hire the equipment from them. Longboard surf hire (with everything above included) is approximately 15 – 20 Euro per day and this is reduced the longer you hire.

I hired for 3 days and it cost me 12 Euro per day.

For the best surf lesson experience i thoroughly recommend you go and speak to one of the surf shops and ask them how the swell is and what the conditions are like for a surf lesson. If the weather is not good they will tell you and usually give you a good estimate of how many days until the conditions improve.

You cant beat local knowledge so don’t be afraid to ask for advice.

El Medano not for Longboard Surfing

Of note, not every person on the island can distinguish good surf lesson conditions and good windsurfing conditions. The reason i mention this is that some will say to head to El Medano for great surf conditions but the only thing you’ll find there 99% of the time is 20-30kt offshore winds and dozens of kite and wind surfers. I’ll save you the drive and time right now.

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