Kitesurfing in a Hurricane: Leslie Delivers

Mark Moore    kiteboardingholidays     Hurricane Leslie, kitesurf, north america, Nova Scotia, Surf, Tropical Storm

Summer on the east coast of North America is a fantastic season in many regards. Unfortunately for surfers, the warmest weather of the year coincides with the smallest and the most inconsistent waves.

Tropical storms provide some ideal conditions for kitesurfers. Image: Flickr/ archer10 (Dennis)

Eventually fall rolls around and the Atlantic Ocean tropical season wakes up. East coast surfers live for the fall, when the water is still warm and the surf starts to pump.

This year there was another factor at play: Hurricane Leslie. And if there’s one sport that welcomes tough conditions, it’s kitesurfing.

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Want to surf great waves in remote UK locations? Get a caravan!

Tom Sykes    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, surfingholidays     camping, caravan, caravaning, scotland, Surf, Surfing, UK, united kingdom, Wales

Some of the best surf available is located in remote places: in hidden coves, on the shores of mountain ranges, amid the ruins of ancient castles and on the fringes of dense forests.

Flickr Image by Jo Munday

If you travel to one of these destinations in a caravan then you’ll be truly self-sufficient; you won’t be held back by lack of catering or accommodation options. You can throw your Firewire Dominator shortboard in the back and go pretty much anywhere for the big surf. It’s a fun and adventurous way to practise your favourite sport.

So which are the best surf spots in the UK for caravan owners? read more

Extreme sports fashion on the high street

Luke    ash     adventure holidays, AlpineStars jeans, BMX, Burton, Burton jacket, DC trainers, Extreme Sports Fashion, Fox, Fox Jeans, Foxhead, Foxhead Logo, FreestyleXtreme, FreestyleXtreme site, Fro Systems t-shirt, GT, High Street, Mountain Bike, mountain biking, Mountain biking holidays, MTB, snowboard, Snowboarding, snowboarding holidays, Surf, Surfing, surfing holidays, Wake, Wakeboarding holidays

All extreme sports enthusiasts can instantly name favourite brands for their sport. These brands become much-loved not because they look cool but by doing a good job when doing the sport.

Extreme sports fashion on every high street.

We all have our favourites mine are GT for mountain biking and Burton for snowboarding as neither have ever let me down.

But many of these brands have become popular outside of their sports and you see extreme sports fashion on every high street. Not everyone wearing a Quicksilver t-shirt can surf. Same goes for people sporting Fox jeans – it’s unlikely they ride motocross, and you don’t have to be a snowboarder to keep warm in a Burton jacket.

So why have extreme sport brands become fashionable?

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Surfing in South Africa: Top 10 breaks

Jeff    surfingholidays, Top 10s     Africa, south africa, Surf, Surfing, surfing holidays, Surfing in South Africa, Surfing spots

Acting as the heel of the African continent, South Africa slices the southerly swells of the Antarctic Ocean in two. Surfing in South Africa you’ll enjoy bays and jagged coves which transform ocean pulses into perfect peeling waves.

South Africa, warm water and peeling waves. Image: TTRide

Shark bumps and chilly water temperatures aren’t enough to overlook the amazing surfing potential here.

And out of the water there’s much to be discovered, in a country that’s vibrating with enthusiasm for its own future.

Back with the waves, a South African surfing holiday would not be complete without visiting one, or more of the following top 10 breaks:

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Beginner surfing tips: How to catch a wave

Jeff    How To's, surfingholidays     how to surf, Surf, Surfing, surfing holidays

So you want to stop watching and get out there and learn how to catch a wave? Good. With another of our beginner surfing tips you’ll be surfing before you know it!

Learn how to surf today! Image: Flickr/ Rick McCharles

Now it’s time to tackle the moderately difficult portion of your task: popping up.

If you watch good surfers, the transition they make from paddling to standing is fluid and nearly instantaneous.

It’s this essential pop up that continuously eludes all beginner wave-sliders.

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Beginner surfers: How to buy and use wax for surfboards

Jeff    How To's, surfingholidays     Surf, surf wax, surfboard wax, Surfing, surfing gear, surfing holidays

One of the basics beginner surfers need to pick up is which wax for surfboards works best – and how to use it based on the conditions. Without surf wax, riding any surfboard is an impossibility – the deck will simply be too slick to lay on, let alone stand up on.

Wax on and you'll surf with confidence. Image: Flickr/ Alaskan Dude

Thankfully, wax is the least cost prohibitive of all surfing essentials. Costing about £2 per bar, be sure to stock up on Sticky Bumps, Mrs. Palmers, Sex Wax, Wave Equation, or any preferred brand.

While the name on the label won’t matter, the temperature gradient will. Surf wax comes in several hardness variations all corresponding to the water temperature you’ll be surfing.

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Spanish Surfing: The best surf spots in Europe?

Jeff    surfingholidays, Top 10s     Spain, Surf, Surf holidays, Surfing, surfing holidays, surfing in Spain

Europeans love Spanish surfing because settled on the western flank of the European continent, mainland Spain juts rights into the path of fall, winter, and spring North Atlantic swells.

Tom Whitaker during the Billabong Pro Mundaka in the Basque Region. Image: Flickr/ surfglassy

The collision of powerful ocean energy and unmovable landmass creates countless waves up and down the coastline. As a result, northern Spain is especially noted for its booming breaks and world-class waves.

There’s rideable surf on the Mediterranean and southern coasts of Spain, but swell is inconsistent at these locations and the waves pale in comparison to their northern counterparts.

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