9 Secret (and Awesome) Surfing Spots

Summer is winding down, and maybe you didn’t have time to hit as many waves as you would have liked. But that doesn’t mean you have to put the surfboard away yet. Surfing isn’t just for the warm months in California and Hawaii anymore. With more people getting on a board, there are a growing number of weird and unique spots to paddle out to. Here are a few to try anytime.

Munich: River surfing the Eisbach

Photo: Martin Falbisoner via Wikimedia Commons

One of the most famous urban surf spots, the Eisbach is a man-made river in Munich, Germany, that creates a standing wave past the bridge near the Haus der Kunst art museum as the river enters the English Garden. Because it’s a standing wave, making a kind of continuous break, surfers have to jump right in from the bank and can stay up for as long as their balance holds. That, plus the cold and shallow water, mean it’s for experienced surfers only — many of whom you’ll find standing in line for a turn. Cut your teeth first on one of the easier river spots around town before heading to the wave known by locals as the Eisbachwelle.

Related: The Best Surf Towns in the World

North Wales: Surf Snowdonia

Photo: Courtesy of Surf Snowdonia

Opened last month, Surf Snowdonia is the newest artificial surfing spot and, in many ways, the most realistically surfable. It’s not so much a waterpark as a lake with a wave that’s generated every 90 seconds, with heights for beginner, intermediate, and advanced surfers. Closer to the pier, which generates the parallel waves on both its sides, the wave is 2 meters high. Toward the edges of the 300-meter pool, Surf Snowdonia has areas for beginners and a surfing academy to learn the basics. Set in the Snowdonia mountains in Wales, the surfing lake is on the spot of a cleaned-up aluminum factory and includes a splash lagoon and camping spots. Surfing in these mountains costs $30-$45 per hour.

Abu Dhabi: Surfing the desert wave pool

Photo: Courtesy Wadi Adventure

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about surfing at the Wadi Adventure Park is its location right in the desert, where you can surf amid the sand. The whole water park includes a massive pool, ropes course, and whitewater kayaking and rafting runs. What you’re really here for, though, is the surf pool, which can generate waves up to 10 feet high and has attracted top pros trying out big tricks. Entrance costs about $13.50, while riding the surf pool is another $27 per hour. (Or rent out the whole facility if you don’t want to share the waves.) The only downside is that the surfing pool is currently open for swimmers only while the wave generation machine gets fixed and revamped.

Texas: Tanker surfing

Photo: Courtesy Tanker Surf Charters

Since the surf movie Step Into Liquid came out in 2003 and widely publicized what was a local secret, riding the waves created by tanker ships in Galveston Bay has been one of the most famous unique surfing experiences out there. The large ships coming through the channel create waves, depending on the boat’s size and speed. While there are ways to catch those waves from shore, most visitors charter a boat and hire an experienced captain to take them out into the bay. Try Tanker Surf Charters for about $175 per person. Though the popular summer season is wrapping up, there is still surfing in the fall and spring.

Related: That One Time I Learned How to Surf on Oahu’s North Shore

Lake Michigan: Malibu of the Midwest

Photo: Purcell Pictures, Inc. / Alamy

It used to be that surfing on the Great Lakes was more myth than reality, but no longer. For over 20 years, the Dairyland Surf Classic was held in Sheboygan, Wis., (known as the Malibu of the Midwest) until it ended in 2013. High winds in late fall, winter, and even early spring create choppy conditions and waves that are very different from the ocean — but no less fun. Because Great Lakes surfing is very dependent on the weather, you may have to wait before you can jump in. Try a lesson or pick up some tips at Wisconsin’s only surf shop, EOS Surf Shop. There are also popular spots on the east side of the lake by St. Joseph or Grand Haven or even as far north as Empire, Mich., where Sleeping Bear Surf and Kayak can point you in the right direction for freshwater waves. Just remember: You’re definitely going to want a warm wetsuit.

Alaska: The far north shore

Photo: Scott Dickerson/Design Pics/Corbis

Yes, surfing in Alaska is cold. Let’s just get that out of the way up front. But if you’re willing to brave the weather, it’s also breathtaking. The most popular and famous spot is probably the bore tide on Turnagain Arm near Anchorage. Bore tides are created when a tide coming in collides with a channel pushing water out, and Alaska’s is one of the best. That’s not the only spot, though, to surf with snowy mountains and ice floes in the background. Try the beautiful Kachemak Bay or Kenai Fjords, or charter a trip to Kodiak Island for some of the best (and most untouched) surfing in the north. Ocean Swell Ventures runs charter trips if you don’t want to go it alone — or don’t know where to go. Or just rent some equipment out of Blue Nose Surf and start paddling.

England: Ride the Severn Bore

Photo: Courtesy Severn Bore

One of the most famous bores to surf in the world (along with Brazil’s Pororoca), the Severn Bore is unique because of its length and surrounding landscape. If you catch the wave just right as it comes down the river, you could ride for miles from Gloucester through the English countryside. In 2006, a local surfer set a record by riding the bore for 1 hour, 17 minutes. The largest the wave has ever been recorded was just over 9 feet, but it’s typically only a few feet high. Catch the bore around an equinox and just after a new or full moon, when the tide is best. You’ll be able to find all the information you need about conditions before you go: The Severn Bore is so popular that it has its own website and Facebook page.

Related: “Surfing DPRK?” — North Korea Tries to Lure American Surfers

Iceland: The last European frontier

Photo: Courtesy Arctic Surfers

There aren’t many places left that are truly unexplored. That’s exactly what has people excited about surfing in Iceland: The endless untouched coastline offers a chance to explore without crowds, and stunning scenery even if you don’t find a wave. Most people stick to the Reykjanes Peninsula, but there’s also Baffin Bay or Thorli. Part of the reason it’s so untouched, though, is because this isn’t your grandfather’s surfing. It’s cold (like, really cold) and can be stormy and unpredictable. While there’s surfing year-round, you might need local help to find it. Arctic Surfers is one of the only surf tour operators in the country, with a number of adventure surf trips. Plus, it guarantees to provide wetsuits specifically tested for Icelandic conditions.

India: Soul and surf

Photo: Courtesy Shaka Surf Club

The upside to surfing in India is pretty obvious: warm weather, no one else trying to take your wave, and plenty of other things to do when the water is flat. The downside: The waves are mostly smaller, and you may need to embrace a more laid-back attitude about all the details. Surfing is catching on in India, with a handful of surf schools opening up and the country recently hosting its first surfing competition. Some of the most popular spots are in Kerala, such as Varkala (home to the Soul & Surf’s yoga and surfing retreats) and the newly popular Kovalam (where you can try the Kovalam Surf Club). India’s first professional surfer founded the Shaka Surf Club on the peninsula’s west coast. This is surfing as it was intended: laid-back and unpretentious.

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