Kima Surf Canggu : A Review

This review was written in the summer of 2019 following our stay at Kima in June 2019. It stayed unpublished until now but I have decided, despite pandemic restrictions for travelling to Bali that it may be useful to those starting to think about travelling a little further afield. Since writing this Kima Surf opened…

An Irish Surf Story

a month spent Surfing the west coast of ireland; fireplaces, cold water and precious moments It had always been on the cards really, even if we hadn’t admitted to ourselves yet. We had always known that some part of our surf journey was going to bring us to Ireland. The west coast of Ireland is…

Surfing in Ericeira – Intermediate

With its rugged coast and rocky sea bed, Ericeira is not the easiest place to figure out where to surf. Previously I wrote about where to learn to surf in Ericeira and which spots are the best for beginners. After a lot of work, it is now time to share some of the best intermediate…

Beach Break Surfing

Beach breaks and reef breaks and what I have learned from surfing the sandy bottoms after months of hiatus. When I started surfing, the thought of surfing reef breaks terrified me. The first time I went to a reef break it was exactly like when I go skating – all I could see was the…

The Azores – São Miguel

Despite spending the longest amount of time on São Miguel, it is ironically the island I saw the least of. The largest of the Azorean islands, with the largest population, it is also the most popular island for tourists to visit. If I am completely honest, I do not think I gave São Miguel enough…

The Azores – São Jorge

The plane sways and lurches ominously as we prepare the decent. There is only sea visible through my window and my palms have started to sweat. I consciously try to relax my body, thinking of what the waves have taught me about futility of fighting the uncontrollable. My breathing is deliberately slow and deep, my…

Ericeira Secret Spots

I am not a fan of this notion of ‘secret spots’. To me, all a secret spot means is that it is harder for a casual visitor to find. If you tell a local that you went to a ‘secret spot’, they are likely to laugh at the concept (and probably, in your face). There…

Surf lessons when you can already surf

A friend of mine recently asked me why I take surf classes when I can already surf (his words, not mine). This is a question that I get so often, I thought I would write about it and unpick some of the reasons… Standing up isn’t surfing I have taken many many surf classes over…

Catching my First Green Wave

Before Christmas I finally surfed my first Green Wave. It was one of the scariest and most amazing things I have ever done. I hope I never stop being amazed by how it feels to go down the face of a wave “I think the ocean is winning.” I say to no one in particular,…

Making Friends – the Ultimate Game Changer

When I set out on this sabbatical, my biggest apprehension was that I would not make any friends. This is not because I am particularly unsocial or painfully shy. I can talk to people and natter away, but I do not know how to take it to the next level after. How do you ask…