Oregon is a hot spot in the Northwest United States for surfers. The beautiful beaches and surroundings of the area are popular among visitors and locals alike. Whether you are an avid surfer or just starting out, you will find plenty of surf spots in Oregon to enjoy.

If you are visiting the Oregon area for vacation and want to learn to surf, the best place to get started is Oregon Surf Adventures. This well-known surf academy offers daily surf lessons for adults and children of all ages and skill levels. They also hold surf camps as well.

Oregon Surf Adventures is certified by Surfing America and a great opportunity for kids, teens and adults to begin surfing. They provide daily group lessons, private lessons and custom group lessons (which are popular among business travelers) from 9:00am to 12:00 noon and 2:00pm to 5:00pm.

They also offers 1- and 2-day surf camps which are particularly fun for kids and teens. If you are visiting Oregon and want to allow your children to enjoy the surf in a safe, nurturing environment, these surf camps are definitely the way to go.

On the day of the camp, one-hour of beach training is provided before even hitting the water. The Oregon Surf Adventures instructors are CPR and First Aid certified and have a minimum of five years surfing experience. The price of the camp includes use of the surf equipment (surfboard, wetsuit, gloves and booties) beach yoga, gourmet lunch, snack and a goodie bag. Surfers should bring a towel, sunscreen, hat, swim suit, yoga clothes, camera, backpack and any extra snacks or drinks.

If you are interested in surfing in Costa Rica, Oregon Surf Adventures also organizes surf trips to Santa Teresa on the Nicoya Peninsula. To learn all about surfing in Oregon, taking surfing lessons, or joining the Costa Rica surf trip, visit oregonsurfadventures.com.

If you are an avid surfer, without a doubt you are looking for the big waves. Here are some of the top places to find the biggest waves in the world. Of course, these waves are more than just big, they are also very dangerous.

Ghost Tree - Monterey Bay, California
Located near Monterey Bay just off the 18th hole at Pebble Beach, the wave faces at Ghost Tree can reach heights of 70 feet. Waves here at Ghost Tree are consider some of the most dangerous in the world. This place definitely isn’t for the faint of heart.

Mavericks - Half Moon Bay, California
Located off the northern tip of Half Moon Bay and about 40 minutes south of San Francisco you will find Mavericks. This wave breaks over a punishing rock bottom, the currents shift heavily, and the area is home to Great White sharks.

Pipeline - Oahu, Hawaii
Located on Oahu’s North Shore, everyone has heard of, or at least seen pictures of, the giant tube wave of Pipeline. This super heavy wave dangerously breaks over shallow water onto a lava reef. Several surfers and photographers have died at Pipeline over the years.

Waimea - Oahu, Hawaii
Pipeline isn’t the only big wave at the North Shore. Waimea is the original big wave. It was considered taboo to even try it until Greg Noll did it back in November 1957.

The biggest, best, most dangerous waves in the world are always up for debate among surfers. Other big waves include: Cribbar (Fistral Beach, United Kingdom), Cyclops (Western Australia), Peahi (Maui, Hawaii), Teahupoo (SW Tahiti), Punta de Lobos (Pichilemu, Chile) and Todos Santos (Ensanada, Mexico). Of course, there are dozens of others. Everyone has their own personal choices, but the aforementioned waves are some of the biggest around the world.

California and beach life go hand in hand, the mere mention of the state’s name creating images of peaceful afternoons lounging on the beach, keeping an eye on the water in case some waves should appear. Monterey, California features plenty of beaches that tend to loom under the radar, ones that offer very consistent surf for all experience levels.

Monterey is known for attracting famous artists to live in the city, as well as for its fishery. Even the cheese known as Monterey Jack originated in the city. For those with surfboards in their hands, though, they would be most excited to hear about the very consistent waves, the easy access to public beaches, and the manageable crowds that will give respect where respect is due. While the water and the locals may both be too cold to handle, you should be able to look past it to see the gorgeous waves.

The city is nestled right on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, offering a lot of beach and a lot of surf-related businesses within reach. If you need wax for your surfboard, you should not have to go far. As long as you follow proper surf etiquette, you should have few problems with the locals, who rightly feel that tourists should not come in and sweep up all the waves without first paying the proper respect to those that have been there for longer. Due to its location, the weather in Monterey is generally amenable, and you should not have too many problems with rain or excessive heat depending on when you visit Monterey.

White, sandy beaches offer the perfect place to relax before and after hitting up the waves, and the city itself happens to be culturally important. If you have ever read a John Steinbeck novel, you may be interested to know that he lived in Monterey for about a year before moving to New York, as well is in the surrounding area for a while. A robust arts community is something to enjoy, and there are plenty of other things to do in the area, making for an all-around fun vacation, even if surfing is your primary goal.

Hilton Head Island is a popular tourist destination because of the large variety of entertainment options, ranging from Broadway-quality plays to PGA golf. Not the least of these options, though, is surfing on the twelve miles of beachfront with the Atlantic Ocean that Hilton Head Island features.

Located off the coast of South Carolina and part of Beaufort County, Hilton Head Island has long been a summer vacation destination for millions of tourists. Regardless of this fact, though, there are still plenty of waves to go around, so do not worry about having to share waves with pushy tourists and angry locals all the time. While the waves do not get much higher than eight feet, the quality of the waves combined with the rich atmosphere that Hilton Head provides makes the island the perfect destination for a surfing vacation.

A popular beach that is open for public access is Burke’s Beach, an ideal destination for Hilton Head surfers of all experience levels. Depending on the season, you can get plenty of waves that are over your head for your surfing pleasure. Especially during the springtime, make sure to watch out for currents that can pull you into the rocks, but if you are careful, you should not have a problem. During a swell, the beach may get a bit crowded, but surfing etiquette tends to be well represented here and you should not have problems dealing with an overzealous wave hog. The best time to come is during the spring because of the hurricane swells, as long as you are mindful of the currents that can be dangerous if unprepared.

As far as things to do when you are not surfing, many of the surfers tend to enjoy the great restaurants on and around the beaches, featuring the laidback beach atmosphere that surfers have come to cultivate. There are plenty of surf shops at which you can hang out and trade tales. The island features many other diversions, so you just have to keep your eyes open in order to enjoy everything that Hilton Head has to offer. But when surfing is what you want to do, hope that luck is on your side and head out to the coast, especially during springtime. Although you will not always be lucky, there are plenty of great waves, and you just have to be persistent.

It used to be the surfing in the United States was thought to be all about California and Hawaii. However, eight-time world champion surfer Kelly Slater put Florida surfing on the map. If you are on vacation in Florida and looking for some of the top surf spots, you will have many wonderful destinations to choose from. Here are some of top surf areas that you should visit.

When you ask anyone in the know about surfing in Florida, the first thing that comes out of their mouth will be “The Inlet.”

Sebastian Inlet, or just “The Inlet” as it is known, is located south of Cocoa Beach, Florida. This area has the state’s most consistent surf and is very popular (and crowded!). This is highly regarded as the best place to surf in the state. Cocoa Beach is home to surfer Kelly Slater and Ron Jons, the world’s most famous surf shop.

North from The Inlet is Satellite Beach, where surfing is good as well. Canaveral Pier (Cocoa Beach Pier) is a popular destination among surfers of all skill levels and home to many local surfing contests. Another top surf spot in Florida is Ponce Inlet, which rivals Sebastian Inlet in popularity and surf quality.

Florida has dozens of good surf breaks which are located south of Sebastian Inlet. The most famous of these is without question Palm Beach’s Reef Road. Though many of the surf spots in Florida truly don’t have the “big” waves, Reef Road is an exception. Here you may find waves up to 15 feet.

There are many other good surf locations throughout Florida from Daytona Beach to St. Augustine to Penascola. Many of the Florida tourism sites offer detailed information about the surf spots in Florida, check out visitflorida.com and floridasurfing.com for more recommendations.

If you are just starting out surfing, obviously you aren’t ready to surf the big waves yet. However, you probably want to know about the best surf spots in the world, including those with the biggest and most dangerous waves. Banzai Pipeline, otherwise known as “Pipeline” or just “Pipe,” is highly regarded as one of the best (and most difficult) surf spots in the world.

Banzai Pipeline is a surf reef break located off Oahu, Hawaii’s North Shore. Specifically, it’s located off Ehukai Beach Park in Pupukea.

If you don’t know what a reef break is, it’s an area in the ocean where the waves break/crash once they hit the shallows of a reef. Pipeline is known for its enormous waves that break in the shallow waters just above its sharp reef. These form huge, hollow tubes of water that surfs can surf inside. Though obviously very dangerous, the best surfers in the world come to Pipeline for the challenge. It’s truly amazing even to watch.

Many surfers and photographers have died at Banzai Pipeline, which is why it has earned the reputation as the deadliest surf spot in the world. Several top surfing competitions are held at the Pipe each year, including the Pipe Masters, IBA Pipeline Pro and the Pipeline Bodysurfing Classic.

Deaths in the last few years at Banzai Pipeline include Joshua Nakata (bodyboarder), Joaquin Velilla (surfer), Malik Joyeux (charger) and Jon Mozo (photographer).

Many big name surfers have earned their reputation by surfing the Pipe. However, the dangers here like the waves are very big and very real. Head to the Pipeline to watch some of the thrilling competitions, where you will be able to see some of the top surfers in the world compete.