Surf Camps in Khao Lak

Khao Lak is one of Thailand's premier surfing destinations, featuring gentle beach breaks for beginners and reef breaks for more experienced surfers. The surf season runs from late April to mid-November.

The Khao Lak Surfing Scene

The heart of the surf scene in Khao Lak is at Memories Beach Bar at the northern end of Khuk Khak Beach. The bar and restaurant itself offers good food and drinks at reasonable prices, and the connected Pakarang Surf Shop has all the boards and gear you need.

The other breaks almost never have surfers on them, although locals do rip them occasionally.

Localism is not strong here and locals and visitors hang together at the beach, and after-hours. It’s a very laid-back scene here and people want to keep it that way.

Types of Waves/Breaks

Khuk Khak is a gently sloping sandy beach. Waves here break out at the back, then roll in a long way as gentle white waves perfect for beginners trying to learn the popup, or at least to clamber up long enough to get that surfing photo for the ‘Gram.

Out at the back the waves vary by day but can be quite good at times. Some days are small, others can be windy, and sometimes the swell throws nothing but closeouts, but there’s almost always something to catch at least with a longboard.

Fairly often you can get great conditions with occasional overhead waves. It’s definitely not Bali, but Khao Lak does get some “Indo days”. The wave is normally very good for longboards, but often has nice fast sections to provide good fun for shortboard riders.

Best Time to Surf

The Khao Lak surfing season coincides with the monsoons of late-April through mid-November. During this time, the winds and swells create consistent and fun conditions for surfing.

Skill Levels

Despite the occasional overhead waves, Khuk Khak is definitely a beginner’s beach. The waves break all over the place so there is not real queue in the lineup; expect a fair amount of drop-ins. People here are very forgiving of these newbie mistakes, so follow their lead and don’t try starting any fights.

What Makes It Unique

Khao Lak offers a unique combination of a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, with a surf scene that is welcoming to beginners. The lack of localism and the forgiving nature of the waves make it an ideal place to learn to surf or to simply enjoy a laid-back surfing holiday.