Is Newquay Cornwall good for surfing?

Whether you're new to the sport or consider yourself a wave warrior, arguably Cornwall's best surfing beaches are found in Newquay. A hotspot famed for its surfing credentials, whether you're looking for surf shops in Newquay, surf schools or surf lessons you're spoilt for choice here.



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Often these beaches are too exposed to the swell and high winds hailing form the West. Newquay's popular bay is sheltered from these winds and can often produce fun, surfable waves when many other beaches in the area offer no protection.

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Cornwall Top 10 surfing beaches
  • Fistral Beach, Newquay. Perhaps the best known surfing beach in the UK, and consequently in summer perhaps the most crowded! ...
  • Gwithian Beach, near Hayle. ...
  • Perranporth Beach, Perranporth. ...
  • Polzeath Beach, Padstow. ...
  • Porthmeor Beach, St Ives. ...
  • Porthtowan Beach. ...
  • Praa Sands Beach, Helston. ...
  • Sennen Beach.


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Newquay is the surf capital of Great Britain with Fistral and Towan beaches being some of the best surfing beaches you'll find in Cornwall. This is also the best place for beginners to take surf lessons in Cornwall as there are lots of great surf schools close by.

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Named after the reef it rolls over, The Cribbar is Newquay's own big wave. It only makes an appearance a few times each year, because the weather and swell conditions need to be just right. When they are, they create the famous wall of water, rising up to 30ft high just off the ocean-facing side of The Headland.

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The water temperature in Cornwall can reach up to 18-20°C, so a 3/2mm wetsuit will prevent you melting.

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Winter brings massive almost continuous swells from the North Atlantic, whilst spring and summer has smaller waves but much much better weather. The best times though can be split into two. September and October benefit from the water being still warm, and some early winter swells.

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For anybody interested in surfing in the UK, Cornwall offers the best bet for scoring good waves thanks to it's range of breaks along two coasts, and large North Atlantic swell window.

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But when it comes to epic waves, there's only one place on earth known as the “surf capital of the world.” The epic beach we're talking about is Pichilemu. Pichilemu is located in the center of Chile, right by the coast. It is a rough three-hour drive from Chile's capital, Santiago, to Pichilemu.

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For those into surfing, it is a well-known fact that Newquay in Cornwall is widely known as the surfing capital of the UK, but our data puts Croyde in Devon at the top. Read on to discover the other most sought-after surfing destinations throughout the country.

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Newquay is on the South West Coast Path overlooking seven sandy beaches with spectacular sea view walks all along the coastline. The coastal path follows the cliffs which border most of our beaches so in many cases you can choose to either walk the paths or on the beach.

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Praia do Norte, Nazaré, Portugal — 80 Feet It's also where the most enormous wave ever surfed was recorded, securing its place in the Guinness World Records. Swells here can tower up to an astonishing 75 feet and more.

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South Cornwall is less well known for its surfing conditions than the more exposed North coast. However, on its day it can produce some of the best waves in the UK. Surfing the south coast requires completely different weather conditions than those that light up the famous surfing beaches of North Cornwall.

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1. Nazaré, the surfing capital of Europe. Nazaré, on the west coast of Portugal, is probably the most famous surfing spot in Europe. The town owes its reputation as the surfing capital of Europe to the Nazaré Canyon, an underwater ravine that reaches a staggering depth of 5,000 metres.

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