Aussie Surf Camp

Why choose our Surf Camp?

There are so many reasons to choose us for your surf experience. Here are just some of them:

1. We’re the original and the best, helping you learn to surf since 1999.
2. We’re the full package. You pay one price and everything is included once you’re here.
3. We’ve got the best location on the East Coast. We don’t have the crowds of Byron and the Gold Coast, and the surf conditions are optimal for beginners. (Plus once you’ve picked up the basics, you can put your new skills into practice as you travel up the coast!)
4. We’re a Surf Camp not a hostel, and we live like a surf family. Our staff socialise with our guests and you’ll be with the same people for the whole of your stay so you’ll really bond with the other surfers.

About the location

Surf Camp is based on 7-Mile Beach in a stunning national park. As the name suggests, the beach is around 7 miles long, making it one of the longer beaches in the region, and is known for its natural beauty with pristine white sand, lush vegetation, and spectacular sunsets over the Tasman Sea.

The beach offers ideal surf conditions for learning to surf, with a gradual incline that allows us to walk out into white wash waves for the first few lessons, before spending time in the ‘green waves’ later in the week.

The National Park is the perfect place to escape into nature with dense forest and tons of wildlife, from kookaburras to kangaroos.

Surf lessons

This programme includes 8 x 2 hour surf lessons across the 5 days. Lessons are progressive and designed for everybody from total beginners to more intermediate surfers.

Our fully qualified coaches use high-performance coaching techniques to help you to learn to surf fast. If you’re an intermediate surfer, you’ll have your technique analysed and corrected to improve your surfing in all conditions

Every day starts with a bit of theory before we head into the water. We cover all the basics upfront as well as more progressive techniques as we move through the week, including:

• Standing on a board
• Paddling
• Dropping into waves & riding across them
• Turning and speeding up
• Rip speed and currents
• Wave selection
• Left and right breaking waves
• Surf etiquette
• Surfing conditions

There are 2 – 6 instructors on each lesson, including a head coach. We split into groups of maximum 16 with 2 instructors per group, so there’s an 8:1 ratio of surfers to instructors. The head coach usually takes the intermediate group.

Typical itinerary (Tues to Thurs)

• Wake up to the sound of the waves
• Breakfast outside (1 hour)
• Put on wetsuits and have a 2-hour surf lesson
• Rinse off and have buffet style lunch
• Time to chill
• Another 2-hour surf lesson
• Rinse off and rest
• Buffet style dinner
• Activities and chill time

Monday is arrival day so there are no lessons until after lunch. Friday itinerary is breakfast followed by a 2-hour surf lesson, lunch, then back to Sydney in the afternoon, arriving about 5 - 6pm.

Our instructors

Our instructors are all passionate, experienced surfers. They are qualified lifeguards with a minimum Level 1 Foundation Surf Coaching, and are trained in first aid and CPR. You’ll find a mix of local, Aussie coaches (who tend to go home in the evening), and international staff (who stay on camp). 

Arrivals are always on a Monday. We’ll pick you up outside Wake Up hostel in Sydney at 9am (arrive at 8.45am for sign in) and transfer you to the Surf Camp. During quieter times of year when there are groups of 30 or less, we travel to camp by train (train into Kiama then minibus). At busier times of year when groups are bigger you can choose whether you’d prefer to travel by private bus or train (ticket included). The camp is around 2 hours south of Sydney, half an hour from Wollongong.

We travel back to Sydney after lunch on Friday, arriving back in the city between 5 and 6pm.

You must be 18 years old to take part in this trip. If you’re planning to work in Australia, you’ll need to be aged between 18 and 35.

British citizens can usually get an eVisitor visa or an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA), which allows you to visit Australia as often as you wish within a 12-month period, and to stay up to 3 months each time.

If you plan to work while you’re in Australia you’ll need to apply for a Working Holiday Visa. To be eligible for a visa, you’ll need to meet the following requirements:

• Hold a passport issued by an eligible country or region
• Be aged 18-35 (inclusive) at the time of applying
• Not be accompanied by dependent children at any time during your stay in Australia
• Meet health, character and financial requirements
• Have not previously entered Australia on a Working Holiday visa (unless applying for
• a second visa)
• Be outside Australia when you apply and when visa is granted
• Apply within 12 months of intended travel to Australia.
• Have sufficient funds to cover your expected living/trip costs during your stay
• Have funds for a return or onward ticket to depart Australia (or an actual ticket)
• Have health insurance

You’ll need to apply for Medicare once you are in Australia and in order to do this, please ensure that you can provide TWO forms of ID (e.g. passport, driving licence, birth certificate.)

Your passport should be valid for the proposed duration of your stay.

Please note: Visa rules are subject to change. You should check with the relevant embassies before travelling.

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