Planning dossier
Boards, Flights and Insurance
Good waves forgive a lot, but a snapped board in transit, an uncovered reef injury or a week of flat spell won't. Plan in this order: window, boards, rubber, cover.
- Book window
- 2–4 months ahead
- Forecast trust
- 3–5 days
- Boards
- 2 for reef trips
- Cover
- Surfing + evacuation
1. Pick the Window Before the Place
Use the swell calendar to shortlist coasts that are in season during your available dates, then cut by water temperature and skill level. Booking two to four months ahead usually balances fare prices and seasonal certainty. If you are chasing one specific swell, keep flexible or refundable fares and watch forecasts for long-period swell (14 seconds or more) seven to ten days out; trust them within three to five.
2. The Travel Quiver
Beach-break and point trips: one everyday shortboard or mid-length plus a spare. Reef trips (Indo, Fiji, Peru): your everyday board and a step-up two to four inches longer for bigger days. Fins break, so carry a spare set and a fin key. Board rental is easy in Bali, Portugal, Costa Rica and Taghazout; not in the Mentawai or G-Land.
Pack boards in a padded travel bag, remove fins, wrap rails and noses with pipe insulation or bubble wrap and tape a business card inside with your contact details. Wetsuits and towels make excellent padding.
3. Flying With Boards
Airlines treat surfboards as sports equipment, each with its own fees, length limits and weight caps. Some include boards in the checked allowance, others charge per direction or per segment, and small regional aircraft may refuse long bags altogether. Add the board to the booking when you buy the ticket, keep confirmation in writing, and check the policy of every carrier on a multi-leg trip. Domestic Indonesian and Pacific island flights deserve special attention.
Wetsuit by Water Temperature
| Water | Suit | Typical where/when |
|---|---|---|
| Above 24 °C | Boardshorts / bikini, rash vest | Bali, Mentawai, Mexico, Costa Rica |
| 21–24 °C | Rash vest or 1 mm top | Scorpion Bay summer, SW France August |
| 18–21 °C | Springsuit or 2 mm | Hossegor early autumn, Morocco Oct |
| 15–18 °C | 3/2 mm full suit | Taghazout winter, Chicama, Portugal summer |
| 12–15 °C | 4/3 mm, boots optional | Portugal winter, SW France winter |
| Below 12 °C | 5/4 mm, boots, hood | Northern Europe winter |
4. Insurance That Actually Pays
Read the activity exclusions. You want surfing named explicitly, emergency medical cover with a realistic limit for the destination, and medical evacuation — essential for boat-access trips such as the Mentawai, where some operators require proof before boarding. Check whether boards are covered and what the single-item limit is; many policies cap it well below a new board's price. EU and UK travellers should know that an EHIC or GHIC is not travel insurance and does not cover repatriation.
5. Health and Paperwork
Check passport validity rules for each destination, visa-on-arrival terms, any tourist levies, and vaccination advice from your national travel health service. Carry a compact first-aid kit: antiseptic, sterile dressings, waterproof tape, ear drops for surfer's ear and oral rehydration salts. In the tropics, clean coral cuts the same day.
6. On the Ground
Hire a car where coasts are long and spots spread out (France, Portugal, Baja, Costa Rica). Use transfers or camps where roads are poor (G-Land, Sumbawa). Learn the local rules of priority, respect the regulars and remember that in many lineups you are a guest.
Quick checklist: 48 hours before departure
Forecast checked · board bag weighed · fins, wax, leash, spare leash · wetsuit dry · reef booties · insurance PDF saved offline · passport and visa printouts · local cash · eSIM installed.