Staying in a Surf Camp in Lombok, Indonesia – Complete Guide!
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Staying in a surf camp in Lombok, Bali, or Mentawai is the best way to learn how to surf in Indonesia.
I took dozens of private lessons as a beginner surfer in Siargao to learn how to surf, with little to no improvement.
After moving back to Indonesia, I decided to really give surfing another go and dedicate two weeks to taking a surf camp in Lombok to improve a bit more, because I still didn’t feel confident in my abilities.
I chose Kuta Lombok over Bali as a destination in Indonesia to take a surf camp because it’s smaller and less crowded, and also has a reputation for being more laid back and cheaper – Always a plus!
✔️ Surf Camps in Indonesia Quick Guide
🏄♀️ The Best Surf Camps in Lombok: I recommend Tiu Oasis Boutique Resort for those seeing a more comfortable experience, and Surf Camp Lombok for those on a budget. I stayed at Surf Camp Lombok for two weeks.
💪 Fitness: You do need to be reasonably fit to surf, but not experienced. Most established surf camps have different instructors to work with complete beginners and advanced students.
👉 Tip! The number one tip I have is to only book a place with online reviews. There are a ton of surf camps to choose from, but not all of them are legitimate.
📆 How Long to Spend: You can do a 3-day surf camp, or a 3-month one, depending on how much time you can commit. Most surf camps are booked in 1-2 week increments.
Why I Chose a Surf Camp
✔️ Teaches Surf Theory
I took at least 40 private lessons while learning to surf in Siargao, a tiny island in the Philippines famous for surfing that I visited before Lombok. At the end of 40 private lessons, I still couldn’t really surf.
That’s where the surf camp camp came in clutch. In just one week I learned more about surfing than I did in almost two months of surfing with random private instructors recommended through friends of friends. All that is due to the fact that the camp extensively covered Surf Theory, not just practice.
We learned the physics of pushing ourselves up into the wave, and how to gain momentum, as well as proper line-up etiquette, in a classroom setting with graphs and visuals.
I’m sure it’s possible, even easy, for a lot of people to learn by doing if they have an aptitude for the sport, but having a technical classroom element, personally, helped me out a lot.
✔️ Safety Guidance
Surfing is dangerous! And if you’re booking classes with surf guides off the street or by word of mouth they almost never go through any safety protocol.
I had taken over 40 private lessons in the Philippines and in Indonesia by the time I attended a surf camp in Lombok, and the first thing they showed us was how to properly cover your head and how to hold your board when a wave comes so it doesn’t hit anyone – Definitely, both things I should have learned before I had gone out surfing 40-odd times!
✔️ For Female Travelers: Harassment-Free
I don’t know if this is just general surf culture or not, but while learning how to surf in the Philippines and Indonesia I found most surf instructors to be a bit… creepy.
One even smacked my bum while I was surfing in Siargao!
Going with a surf camp or instructor that has online reviews at stake helps if you want to mitigate this type of treatment as a female traveler.
✔️ Community
It was great for morale to hang out as a group during the surf classes, meals, and on free days. Also, going out as a group meant there were
It’s also just more fun to have some people around to chat with while you’re waiting for the waves, or taking the boats out!
✔️ All Gear Included
You don’t need a ton of gear to be able to surf, but it helps to have all the gear included if you’re just starting because you won’t know what you need.
When I was learning to surf I started on a foam board, then moved to a long board, and then as I progressed they gradually got smaller. Right now I’m on a 7.6.
They have all these boards available on-site, as well as the leashes, wax, etc.
✔️ No Language Barriers
I was mostly “learning by doing” when I was learning to surf in the Philippines and Lombok before I joined a surf camp since I didn’t speak the local language.
With some of the private instructors I had hired, our convos pretty much were “Go! Paddle! Up! Down! Stop!”.
It’s on me to learn the local languages if I’m going to be traveling somewhere long-term, but let me just say it’s far more helpful to take in the advice of your instructor if there’s less of a language barrier.
The surf camp I used hired mostly local guys from the Gerupuk Bay region of Kuta Lombok, but their English was pretty great, and the feedback I received was well thought out.
✔️ Transport Included
If you’re learning how to surf independently, you will have to work out what gear you need as well as rent a scooter
I learned how to drive a scooter in SE Asia over a year, and had a pretty bad accident driving scooters in Bali.
There’s no Grab in Kuta Lombok, and a lot of the surfing spots are 20-40 minutes drive from each other, so not having to worry about transport is a great bonus to taking a surf camp.
✔️ It’s Not That Expensive
You can take a month-long surfing camp where all of your meals, transport, accommodation, lessons, and gear are included for as little as $2,000 per month.
Considering you’re getting 2 lessons per day, this is even cheaper than if you were to arrange for all of that on your own – Plus, you basically don’t even have to put in any mental effort for arranging these things, and that alone is amazing.
I didn’t have to cook, clean, prepare my own meals, or wash a dish for the two weeks I was living at a surf camp in Lombok. All I had to think about was surfing, socializing, and writing this article.
Taking off the mental load alone is a reason I recommend taking a surf camp over arranging it independently.
✔️ Surf Photos
If you go out surfing at any of the popular spots, you’ll probably run into a drone guy or a guy with a massive camera taking shots of the surfers.
The reason for this is two-fold, 1: people want cool photos of themselves surfing, and 2: seeing your form while you surf in a video or photo is one of the best ways to identify issues with your surfing posture.
Usually, these guys charge crazy fees, like 150K IDR ($10) per photo/video. But, if you attend a surf camp, this service is included.
Twice a week we had “photo review” sessions where we got to see photos of our surf sessions, which the instructors would critique in a group session.
✔️ Yoga
Yoga isn’t my favorite thing in the world, but it’s important for surfing to stay stretched and flexible – That’s why you’ll usually see surf and yoga retreats coupled together.
Surfing also has a lot in common with yoga. The standards Vinyasa Flow is startlingly similar to the pop-up movement for surfing.
The surf camp I took included a Yoga Shala where classes were held a few times per week.
How to Choose the Best Surf Camp: 5 Things to Consider
1. Cost
Cost is the number one thing to consider because the price not only has to match your budget but also the quality of the camp you expect.
While the surf camp I attended was relatively cheap, it was held in a Lombok-style Long House which neither had AC nor hot water – It also notably only had 3 bathrooms for some 20-30 people.
The camp had more luxurious rooms available, but since it was also kinda an active construction site.
It was perfect for me, but I wouldn’t recommend it for people who aren’t looking for a “Backpacker-Style” time.
If you want something less rough, and more comfortable, there are plenty of other surf camps for you to consider.
2. Reviews
I wouldn’t stay somewhere long-term like a camp unless they had across-the-board 5-star reviews from tons of different travelers.
While I was living in Kuta Lombok for a few months before I attended the surf camp, I discovered that there are a ton of different camps in town – Some not very legit at all.
So, I would recommend only choosing a surf camp with a good amount of 5-star reviews from different travelers.
3. On-Site or Off-Site
Some of the surf camps include room and board on an on-site location, and some are just meeting to surf every day.
I recommend choosing the all-inclusive option because surfing is exhausting. If you’re going out twice a day it was great to just get back to the camp and be able to relax, eat a meal that was prepared at a set time, and get to socialize with others at the camp.
My camp was great because there were around 30 other people, so in addition to surfing I had the opportunity to meet other travelers that were all doing the same thing for the two weeks I was there.
4. For Beginners or Advanced
The surf camp I attended had 4 groups – Group 1 was for people who had never surfed before, Group 2 was for people who had surfed but had trouble catching their own waves, Group 3 was for proficient surfers, and Group 4 was for advanced.
If you improved while at the camp you would get promoted up a level – I was in Group 2.
I think this was a great system, I talked to some people who had attended smaller surf camps where everyone went out together at the same time.
If everyone goes out at the same time, then you need to find a surf spot that suits absolute beginners and advanced surfers alike, and that doesn’t really make sense.
So, I preferred going with a larger camp that had enough people attending for different levels.
5. Vibe & Comfort
Honestly, the vibe might be the most important thing for me when choosing a long-term stay – To the point where I usually go for a maybe less comfortable option if it means a more fun and social vibe.
I’ve written about taking the “Backpackers Komodo Boat” from Lombok to the Komodo Islands vs. taking a luxury Komodo Cruise – I just usually prefer a more social, casual, and a bit more grungy time traveling in Indonesia.
I enjoyed the surf camp I chose, but I’ll admit it wouldn’t be for everyone.
The house we stayed in was a traditional Lombok Long-House style, basically a treehouse. It had no AC, but great ventilation as the doors didn’t close 😂.
I’m writing this in the Surf Camp common area right now and a monkey just casually entered the room! I love this kind of stuff, but I know it wouldn’t be for everyone.
If you want something more clean, or even luxurious, there are hundreds of options on Lombok and Indonesia for you.
For a more upscale surf camp in Lombok, you can opt for Tiu Oasis Boutique Resort, it has a great reputation.
If you’re on a budget but want a more luxurious time, I recommend attending a surf camp in Bali instead of Lombok, as the standards there are a bit higher since it’s more developed. My friend went to Kima Surf Camp in Bali and said it was high-end and still social.
My Experience Attending a Surf Camp in Lombok
I honestly loved my experience staying at a surf camp in Lombok, and I’m considering doing it again for one month just because it was great for my mental health.
If you stay at a living surf camp you get community, a safe and clean environment, all your meals prepared, and two surf lessons per day – I can’t really think of anything better than that.
How Much I Improved
I mentioned it earlier in this post, but it was actually crazy how I improved more in one week of attending a surf camp than I did spending two months in Siargao surfing every day with a 1:1 instructor.
The combination of technical classes with 2x a day surf sessions helps you implement what you’re learning, as well as helps your muscle memory and balance.
Could I surf like a pro by the time I left? No, but I was way better than when I started two weeks prior.
The Living Standards
I loved the surf camp I attended, but it was very much “Hostel Life”. We slept in a dorm with fans and mosquito nets, ate buffet Indonesian food 3X a day, and showered in cold water.
The good news is if you don’t want to live this roughly, there are a ton of surf camps in Indonesia with much higher standards of living.
💡 Tip! More up-scale surfing camps are usually called “Retreats” rather than “Camps”
Food
The food at my surf camp was great – I would come again just for that reason! The kitchen staff made sure we had fresh fruit, veg, and proteins like fish and Beef Rendang at every meal.
It was all Indonesian Food; Sambal, white rice (Nasi Putih), some deep-fried treats (Gorengs), and then for dessert, cut fruit.
For coffee, they had a professional espresso maker where you could order lattes and iced long-blacks for an extra fee.
If you’re not keen on Indonesian food and only like Western Fare, I would recommend attending one of the more up-scale surf camps, but I love Indonesian food so it was perfect for me!
What to Pack for a Surf Camp
Most of the gear was included at our surf camp, but not personal items – Here are a few things I recommend bringing.
Sunscreen
This is a big one, the surf camps provide most of what you need but you’re on your own for bringing sunscreen – And sunscreen in Indonesia is outrageously expensive!
The same bottle of Nivea Sunscreen which would be like $5 back home costs $25 in Indonesia, and it’s not very good. One of my top Indonesia travel tips is to bring home high-quality waterproof sunscreen from home, I use Nivea Beach Defense.
Zinc Surfer’s Sunscreen
Zinc sunscreen, also known as “surfer’s sunscreen”, is the go-to sun protection for your face because chemical sunscreen alone just doesn’t cut it when it comes to the Indonesian sun.
You can find Zinc in Kuta Lombok at any of the surf shops, but not all of them are created equal. The grittier zincs, which tend to be white or colorful, aren’t as great as staying on in my experience compared with the ones that have a texture more similar to clay.
A Surfing Hat
Tip! Don’t just get a bucket hat with a string, you need a proper surfing hat – I learned this the hard way when the first big wave knocked my bucket hat clean off my head.
Leggings + Rashguard
Not just for sun protection, it’s good to wear full coverage while surfing to also have some buffer against the reef.
Also, you’ll want to have your front covered (for guys too!) because your chest will scrape against the wax on your board during the pop-up movements. I saw a few guys with bleeding nipples due to surfing shirtless.
Surfing Helmet
If you’re going out during more crowded times or surfing spots you’ll want to have a helmet. It’s becoming more and more normalized. I bought a helmet that’s just for surfing and it has a lip like a baseball hat to provide sun protection as well.
Reef Booties
Even if you’re not surfing low tide, there’s always a risk of cutting your foot on the reef. Another person at my surf camp sliced our feet open on the reef while we were trying to push the boat out on the low tide.
Surfing Sunglasses
There’s a condition called “Surfer’s Eye” which is a fleshy growth in the inner corner of your eye that comes from staring into the reflections of the sun on the water for too long.
If you have light eyes, you’re more prone to get it. You can’t wear normal sunglasses surfing, because they’ll just fly off your face, but I bought special “surfing sunglasses” that are more like goggles.
Ear Plugs
Another common condition is “Surfer’s Ear”, an ear infection from your inner ear constantly getting wet. If you surf in cold water over long periods, you can also get a bony growth in your inner ear that can cause hearing loss.
I got an ear infection during my surf camp, as did my instructor and a handful of other people at the camp. You can wear special earplugs made for surfing that still allow you to hear your surroundings to prevent this.
💡 Tip! Lombok is more remote than Bali, and things here are very expensive. A tiny bottle of sunscreen can easily cost $20+ and you go through it so fast. I recommend bringing these types of things from home.
Staying in a Surf Camp in Lombok: Conclusion
Thank you for reading until the end of my article, I hope it answered any and every question regarding attending a surf camp in Indonesia.
Just to recap, I enjoyed attending a surf camp in Indonesia so much that I am planning on taking another one – for a longer period, maybe a month – in the near future.
Not only is attending a surf camp great for those who want to improve their technical ability, but it’s also a great way to meet like-minded people and stay in a fun community while learning to surf.
I did two months of private 1:1 lessons, both in Siargao in the Philippines and in Kuta Lombok in Indonesia, and I can confidently say I learned more during the 2-week surf camp than I did with 40-or-so private lessons.
If you’re keen to rough it a little bit and have more laid-back vibes, I recommend the camp I took which is Surf Camp Lombok. Located on Gerupuk Bay, about 20 minutes outside of Kuta Lombok, the camp hosts around 30 surfers at any given time.
As I mentioned earlier in this post, this camp won’t be for everyone, as the living accommodations were pretty rough.
If you’re looking for something a bit more comfortable, I recommend attending a “Surfing Retreat” rather than a surf camp. The Best Surfing Retreat in Lombok is Tiu Oasis Boutique Resort.
If you’re an absolute surfing beginner, I recommend attending at least a 2-week surf camp because there is so much you need to learn. If you want to improve a lot, I would even recommend spending a month! That’s what I’m planning on doing next year.
Hope you have a great time surfing!
-Katie
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