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Surfing is Australia’s de facto national sport, and if you’re looking to give it a go, these are the best surf camps in Australia. With a huge coastline and some of the best waves on the planet, Australia has no shortage of waves. This guide will cover the best beginner-friendly surf camp, where to go if you simply want a great home base, and the perfect pick for solo travelers.
The Best Surf Camps in Australia: At a Glance
| Surf Camp | Location | Price | Book |
| Soul Surf School | Byron Bay, NSW | $$ | Book |
| Surf Connect Watersports Centre | Brisbane, QLD | $$ | Book |
| Surf Camp Australia | Gerroa, NSW | $$$ | Book |
| Pirates Backpackers | Fremantle, WA | $ | Book |
| Mojosurf Australia | Byron Bay, NSW | $$ | Book |
| Samadhi Flow Yoga | Stradbroke Island, QLD | $ | Book |
The 6 Best Surf Camps in Australia: In-Depth
Soul Surf School – Our Top Pick
Location: Byron Bay, Australia
Best surf camp in Australia overall
Soul Surf School is our top overall pick as one of the best surf camps in Australia, offering courses all year long in beautiful Byron Bay. The camps tend to run from three to seven days, mostly tailored to beginners though there is an intermediate option with more advanced coaching. Camps include daily surf lessons, gear rental, discounts on food and drinks, accommodation, and breakfast. Every day, Soul Surf School puts guests into smaller groups with other surfers who have a similar ability level. Yoga classes are offered in the mornings.
At South Surf School, you’ll be staying in a hostel within walking distance from Main Beach. It’s a bright and airy spot, and much of the building has been recently renovated. If you’re looking for a traditional surf camp (highly social, beginner-friendly, walking distance to waves), then Soul Surf Camp is a great pick. If you’re an experienced surfer and just want to socialize, consider checking into the hostel only and using it as a home base.
Surf Camp Australia
Location: Gerroa, NSW
Best surf camp in Australia for beginners
Sally Fitzgibbons got her start in Gerroa, a seven-mile beach just two hours away from Sydney. Surf Camp Australia is the premier surf camp in the region, highly tailored to surfers. Each surf camp is inclusive of airport transportation, gear rental, meals, accommodation, video analysis, and surf coaching. Camps range from two- to seven-days long.
All campers stay in clean and basic dorm style accommodation within walking distance to the beach. After a surf, everyone gathers at a hangout spot where the camp plays surf movies. Meals and drinks are served at the onsite cafe, near a swimming pool. For surfers who prefer a bit more of a boutique surf camp experience, there’s an upgrade option with private rooms available–and it comes with a private instructor.
Surf Connect Watersports Centre
Location: Sandgate, Brisbane, QLD
Best surf camp in Australia for multi-sports
Surf Connect Watersports Centre has been making a splash in Australia’s watersports community since 2005. Surf Connect Watersports Centre is one of the best value-for-money ocean sports camps schools and specializes in kitesurfing lessons, windsurfing, stand-up paddling, and kayaking. Kite foiling, kite buggying, and sail buggying are also on offer here! Based in Brisbane, Surf Connect Watersports Centre surf camps span from three to seven days. While not a traditional surf camp (they essentially offer every other sport under the sun), it’s a great place if you want to spend 24/7 in the water. Each stay includes four hours of multi-sports lessons per day.
Th surf camp also includes accommodations within walking distance of the rental area at a local hotel or B&B. In this sense, the ‘camp’ element is quite impersonal as the accommodation is not owned or managed by the camp itself, but it’s still one of the best surf camps in Australia if you truly want to be active all day long and try sports you likely won’t be able to do elsewhere — like sail buggying!
Pirates Backpackers
Location: Fremantle, WA
Best surf camp in Australia for beginners
Situated right in the heart of vibrant Fremantle, Pirates Backpackers is a play-all-day style surf camp where you can learn how to surf alongside other activities like beach volleyball, sunset yoga, SUP, kitesurfing, snorkeling, and sightseeing around Fremantle’s historic center. The camp includes surf lessons, gear hire, accommodation, and transport to the surf spots.
Pirates Backpackers offers surf camps that span from four to seven days, ideal for beginners or intermediate surfers. The camp includes a hostel accommodation with an outdoor courtyard, movie/reading room, pool table, BBQ, free WiFi in all areas, and a small crew of friendly staff.
Mojosurf Australia
Location: Byron Bay, NSW
Best surf camp in Australia for solo travelers and aspiring instructors
Mojosurf Australia celebrates everything about surfing whether you are looking for a surf lesson, surf holiday, or life-changing surf academy experience. Offering three-day surf camps to three-month instructor courses, Mojosurf surf camps provide the an amalgamation of Australia’s bohemian lifestyle and culture with the sport of surfing. Surf camps include lessons, yoga classes, gear hire, bike hire, accommodation, and breakfast. Their instructor camp includes video analysis, fitness sessions, theory classes, breakfast, and accommodation.
The camp itself it nearby stunning beaches, shops, cafes, bars, and clubs for the party animal within you. Mojosurf offers dorm style accommodations that nod to the 70s. It’s the type of surf camp where you might pick up a bongo or learn what reiki actually is.
Samadhi Flow Yoga
Location: North Stradbroke Island, QLD
Best camp in Australia for yogis
Samadhi Flow Yoga camp does not offer surf lessons, but rather time in its program to escape for a surf. But, if you’re an experienced surfer already, you could use this camp as a base and surf at the nearby waves in your free time. If you want to practice yoga, meditate, relax, recharge or just hang out with a load of like-minded folk from around the world while surfing the beautiful coastlines and stunning waves of Queensland, Australia, Samadhi Flow Yoga camp is the perfect place for you.
The main aim of Samadhi Flow Yoga is to give their guests a dose of health, inspiration, and good times. Each stay includes regular yoga sessions, plant-based meals, snacks, and smoothies, and accommodation. There are also workshops on breathwork, meditation, and a somatic movement session.
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