🏄‍♀️ Cheap surf tricks: the affordability issue 😜

👋 Happy National Memo Day! And the memo is: we can surf cheaply, but we may need to work a bit harder. Welcome to the affordability issue. It’s a giant one. Scroll to what rocks your boat, skip what doesn’t.

🏄‍♀️ Let’s surf:

• How to surf when you’re broke 😜

• 11 countries to surf on a budget 💰

• Under an arctic sky 🌌

• Solo in Mexico & a steamer in QLD 🌮

• Bumper surf news roundup 📰

• Cheap as chips, but they do the job 🧑‍🚒

• Calling all surf non-profits! 🎗️

^SURFODRAMA

😱 How to surf when you’re broke 😜

Surfing has a branding problem. Scroll through Instagram for ten minutes and you'd think the sport belonged exclusively to people with $1,700 longboards (yes, some cost as much, and more), a van conversion, and a passport stamped in Sri Lanka, Bali, Fiji…

But that's not us. Well, not all of the lucky us.

We know that the actual barrier to entry is much lower than that. You just have to stop shopping the way the industry wants you to shop, and start treating surfing like a treasure hunt.

If you're lighter on the funds, but have some time to spare, you'll be surprised what you can find.

📚 Borrow before you buy
Before you spend a dollar on a board (wetsuits are trickier, for obvious reasons), find out if you can get one for free. Library of Things branches (where you can borrow non-traditional items like home tools, musical instruments, and camping gear) have started stocking surfboards.

If there's no library option nearby, your local surf school is the next stop. Most will rent a foamie by the hour for less than the price of two large lattes, and some run "try before you buy" deals where the rental cost gets credited toward a used board if you decide you're hooked.

♻️ Freecycle, Buy Nothing, and the warehouse circuit
Once you know you want your own board, the worst place to start is a brand-new shop. The best places are:

Freecycle and Buy Nothing groups. People give away surfboards. They give away wetsuits with one small tear. They give away surf wax. Yes, it may take a bit of work, and daily due diligence, plus joining a few cities around you, but it can be done.

Secondhand surf warehouses. Most surf towns have at least one. Even inland, eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Gumtree are full of boards that have been ridden twice by someone who decided surfing wasn't for them. One of the Girls Who Can't Surf Good members reports: "My first (secondhand) wetsuit ended up with a huge hole, so I got another one. $40 nearly brand new, someone's teenager outgrew it."

We have a guide on how to buy used surfboards.

End-of-season rental fleets. Surf schools sell off their used rental boards every fall. These are usually beat-up but bulletproof foamies, exactly what a beginner should be learning anyway. Ask around. A small ding is not a deal-breaker if you know how to fix it. And we have a guide for that too.

🙋‍♀️ Wacky idea: ask and you shall receive
You'd be surprised how many surfers who have been at this for a while keep spare gear lying around.

These could be an extra wetsuit that they don't fit into any more, a duplicate leash, some cold water gear that they will never use again. I pick up old foamies my neighbors are getting rid of. You know, just in case.

In short: there's plenty of unused surf stuff knocking about. The problem is that these surfers are not actively trying to part with them unless they do a big spring cleanup. Some of them are not great at setting prices or asking for money.

But you can always ask. It's something I would definitely like to encourage in surf groups and communities: support your fellow surfers. What goes around, comes around.

🏠 Surf where you live
Finally, this is the angle nobody wants to admit, because it's not aspirational. But it's the single biggest cost-saver in the sport: the cheapest surf trip is the one where you sleep in your own bed.

You don't need warm water to learn. And you don't need a tropical spot to keep you surfing. Cold-water surfing is having a moment specifically because the lineups are emptier and the locals are nicer. A used 4/3 wetsuit costs less than a flight to anywhere, and you may just love it.

We asked this question of a surf community recently (what's the least expensive place to go on a surf trip?) and buried in a thread full of exotic destinations, two answers cut through the rest. One person said "local beach." Another just said, "In one's mind."

They weren't being cute.

^{SURF SPOT SPOTLIGHT}

🌏 11 countries to surf when you're on a budget

Broke, but not quite broke, and still want to travel? That’s okay, too.

This shortlist of the cheapest places to surf is based on a thread in Girls Who Can't Surf Good, the world’s largest community of surfer girls where members shared the destinations where their money actually goes furthest.

We've counted mentions, weighed the consensus picks, fact-checked typical camp prices, and cross-referenced with our existing top 25 beginner surf spots. ✅ marks the countries that also made that list.
Here are the 11 countries that came up most often, roughly in order of how loudly the community advocated for them.

🇲🇦 Morocco: the consensus pick for European surfers ✅
Mostly Taghazout. Cheap flights from Europe, cheap accommodation, surf camps in the £500-a-week range (that’s $670) including food and lessons. Already on our beginner spots list at Taghazout and Imsouane.

🇳🇮 Nicaragua: the repeat favorite for North Americans ✅
Popoyo and San Juan del Sur are the named spots. Reliable offshore winds, beginner-friendly waves, and prices that haven't caught up to Costa Rica's. Already on our beginner spots list at San Juan del Sur and Popoyo.

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka: famously cheap once you arrive ✅
Riptide Surfhouse came up specifically: €75 a night with two meals, four hours of daily surf lessons, yoga, and analysis included. Caveat: the flight from the US is brutal. Already on our beginner spots list at Weligama.

🇲🇽 Mexico: cheap, but spot-dependent ✅
Big spread of named spots: Sayulita, Puerto Escondido, Baja's Los Cerritos, Ensenada, Cabo. Multiple people warned about Sayulita's water quality ("Google Sayulita norovirus" was a memorable contribution), so do your homework. Already on our beginner spots list at La Saladita and Sayulita.

🇸🇻 El Salvador: budget surf with everything included
One surfer reported a $1,350 week including lodging, lessons, gear, airport transfer, most meals, and yoga. Surf City is the area to know.

🇵🇷 Puerto Rico: no passport needed (if you're American)
Aguadilla and Rincón got the most mentions. The hidden value: no passport, USD, no language barrier, and a 4-hour flight from most of the East Coast.

🇮🇩 Indonesia: cheap on the ground, expensive to reach ✅
Bali especially. Beach-front rooms and surf lessons for prices that don't exist in California. The flight is the cost. Already on our beginner spots list at Batu Bolong and Kuta Beach.

🇵🇭 Philippines / Siargao: 90-minute lessons for C$25 ✅
Once you arrive, lessons are basically pocket change. Cloud 9 is the famous (heavy) spot; beginners should aim elsewhere on the island. Already on our beginner spots list at Jacking Horse.

🇪🇨 Ecuador: USD in South America
Ayampe, Canoa, and Montañita named. One commenter living in Canoa noted Ecuador uses USD and is closer than Sri Lanka for North Americans, which is a fair point.

🇵🇹 Portugal: cheap-ish Europe ✅
Ericeira specifically came up. Easy entry point for European surfers without the flight cost of Morocco. Already on our beginner spots list at Baleal Beach.

🇵🇪 Peru: the long-wave budget pick
Chicama in particular came up, often paired with coach Tessa Timmons. Long left-handers, off-the-beaten-path.

⚠️ A note on Costa Rica
Costa Rica got several enthusiastic mentions in the thread and several outright "why is anyone suggesting this, it's as expensive as San Francisco" rebuttals. It seems to have shifted in the last few years from budget destination to mid-range one. We have plenty of beginner-friendly spots listed there (Dominicalito, Santa Teresa, Samara, Nosara, Tamarindo) but it's no longer the budget option.

👀 Also worth mentioning
Panama and Vietnam got nods in the thread without specific spot details. Worth investigating if you're heading those ways.

🧭 The cheapest trip is geometry
The most-repeated insight in the entire thread wasn't a destination, but the math involved: the cheapest trip is the closest cheap-once-you-arrive country to where you already live.

For Europeans, that's Morocco or Portugal. For North Americans, that's Mexico, Central America, or Puerto Rico. One person summed it up: her flight cost more than her whole week of accommodation. That math runs the trip.

So: pick your home base, find your closest cheap-once-you-arrive country, and go.

^{PIC OF THE WEEK}

🌌 Under an arctic sky

I came across these shots on Reddit recently. Absolutely spectacular, so obviously I needed to know more.

As it turns out, these are not actual photographs, but the stills from a documentary titled "Under an Arctic Sky," directed by photographer Chris Burkard and co-written with filmmaker Ben Weiland. "Under An Arctic Sky" is a film project documenting the journey of six surfers to the most remote corner of Iceland in the middle of winter in search of perfect surf.

A few days in, the worst storm in twenty-five years blows through and shuts down the country, turning the search for waves into a life-threatening prospect. But you know, surfers, so they continue.

The film is available to purchase on Apple TV ($9.99), and it looks like it will sooner or later arrive on Netflix (you can set a reminder).

Chris seems like a nice guy. He responded to my DM asking if it was OK to share the stills. Bonus fact: 4M followers on Instagram.

I'm going to watch it over the weekend.

^{LATEST FROM GIRLS WHO CAN’T SURF GOOD}

💬 3 things we’re figuring out this week

🥶 Looking for a steamer with long arms but legs only to the knees, for QLD winter. Spring suits aren't warm enough; full steamers kill the pop-up. Community top picks: Rip Curl Dawn Patrol with half-length legs, Mystic 2/3 with half-leg, Patagonia, Manera, Need Essentials (VIC-based). DIY route: cut the legs off an old 4/3. Also flagged: a 2/2 layered with a vest gets you to 3/2 warmth.

🌮 Solo surf vacation in Mexico or Central America, Oct-Nov, boutique feel, no shared rooms or hostels. Community top picks: Coco Loco Eco-Resort, Casa Kura Kura in Baja, Rancho AguaSal near Cabo, Puro Surf and Walk Along Wellness in El Salvador, Sardina Surf Camp in Popoyo (Nicaragua), Santa Catalina (Panama), Rise Up Surf, Jaco (Costa Rica), Chicama (Peru) with Tessa Timmons.

🦘 Australia east coast surf retreat in June, Bali-style vibe, beginner-friendly, ideally up north for warmer water. Community top picks: Black Dog Surf School in Byron Bay, plus the "consider Lombok instead" camp (Xanadu Surf & Yoga and Lombok Surf Camp in Gerupuk both came up, plus Rapture Padang Padang).

👉 Join us for more recs, chatter, and support

^{THE WIPEOUT WEEKLY SURF NEWS ROUNDUP}

🗞️ Cold water Scotland. Cowboy boot surfboards. Jack Johnson. Desert wave pools. Adaptive surfing.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland’s cold-water surf scene keeps growing
Scotland’s Hi-Land Fling surf event drew international competitors and growing crowds to the country’s expanding cold-water surf community.

🎨 Surfboards or sculptures?
French surfer and designer Lucas Lecacheur is creating functional surfboards shaped like crab claws, cowboy boots, stingrays and brutalist sculptures as part of his experimental art-meets-surfing project.

🎸 Jack Johnson’s surf documentary heads to theaters
SURFILMUSIC, a new documentary about Jack Johnson, revisits his Pipeline injury, lifelong friendships and the death of Tamayo Perry.

🎶 U.S. Open adds beach concerts
The U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach announced concerts from Local Natives, Real Estate, G. Love & Special Sauce, Matt Costa and Arcy Drive during this year’s event.

🌊 Utah wave pool moves closer to opening
Zion Shores says its surf lagoon development in Washington, Utah, is halfway built and expected to open in about 16 months.

🛟 Surfer who survived rip current launches safety push
British surfer Euan Gray is fronting the RNLI’s Float to Live campaign after surviving a dangerous rip current using floating techniques instead of fighting the water.

🎥 40-hour surf film tackles men’s mental health
In Pieces Together follows Australian surfer Blake Johnson surfing for 40 hours straight to honor his father and encourage conversations around suicide and mental health.

🏄‍♀️ Adaptive surfing returns to Folly Beach
The annual Wheel to Surf event in South Carolina brought adaptive surfers, nonprofits and volunteers together to help more people experience the ocean.

👯‍♀️ Women’s surf festival secures major support
Australia’s Seas The Day surf festival received backing from Surfing Australia and the New South Wales government as women-focused surf events continue to grow.

👉 Read the full news roundup

^{THIS WEEK’S WEE SURF SHOPPE FIND}

💸 Surf stuffs that don’t get cheaper than this

Only a bar of surf wax (around $2.50 on a good day) can rival this week’s finds in their inexpensiveness or cheapness, if you like.

Cheap-as-beach-dirt heavy duty wetsuit hanger
This hanger is so heavy duty it can handle all your surfing and all your diving gear. Simple design, strong as an ox or a great white. $11.99, and it comes in yellow. 

Possibly better than a surf comb
We love surfboard combs. But we really love how this flexible scraper just glides on our surfboards taking off all the gunk. Comparable price-wise, and doubles as a dough scraper. $5 for three.

“No more surfer’s ear” seals
Surfer’s ear is no joke. Probably the cheapest method of avoiding it. Around $4 per pair.

👉 Check them out

^{ALL THINGS SURF DIRECTORY}

💛 Know a surf non-profit? Send it our way.

The Wipeout Weekly All Things Surf Directory is growing a new section: surf non-profits. The orgs out there doing the actual work of getting people in the water who otherwise wouldn't be there. Kids who can't afford lessons. Adults who never learned to swim. Survivors. Adaptive surfers. Veterans. Communities surf culture has historically left out. But no more!

The Black Surfing Association (East Coast/Rockaway) is already on the list. Lou Harris provides free surf lessons to kids in New York. You can hear him speak about his mission on our pod.

Every week we're reaching out to more organizations, bringing them into the directory. We just need a little bit of help from you.

Adding a listing to our directory is absolutely (and will forever remain) free. Each org manages their own entry, because they know their work better than we do.

Know a surf non-profit doing good work? Hit reply and tell us about them. We'll feature the best ones, and they'll all go in the directory.

If you run one yourself, especially yes. Submit your listing today.

^{ALL THINGS THE WIPEOUT WEEKLY}

_{The Wipeout Weekly—our home and digital magazine.
The Wee Surf Shoppe—explore useful, cute, and sometimes simply outrageous surf “stuffs”.
The Wipeout Weekly podcast—daily surf stories and weekly* guests.
All Things Surf Directory—surf retreats, learn to surf, classifieds, surf-side lodging, you name it.
Girls Who Can’t Surf Good—an 86k-member-strong private group on Facebook.}
Feedback—we do want to hear from you! Whatever is on your mind, drop us a line.

⬆️ Aaaaaaand that was the last wave of the week!
If a friend forwarded this and you liked it, hit subscribe & join us! We will see you all next week! 🌊