Nose ride Bat Yam — *Image credit: Tal Arbarbanel*

If you’re thinking about a trip to the Holy Land, make sure to check the forecast first!

With 170 miles of coastline located at the far end of the Mediterranean, Israel receives swell throughout the year - waves mostly formed from the leftovers of weather systems rolling across southern Europe.

While winter definitely sees the most consistent wave activity, there’s plenty of swell year-round if you’re ready to go in on an alternative craft or longboard with the occasional flat spell from time to time.

Best part of surfing in Israel (aside from the falafel)? You only need a wetsuit from November - March and the rest of the year you can just throw on a pair of board shorts or a bathing suit and hit the waves.

If you’re thinking about a trip to Israel and want to surf, or live here and are looking for some instruction, make sure to check out Chargers and contact us here.

Interested in learning more about surfing in Israel? We’ll dig into:

Popular surf spots along the Israeli coast
Getting to know the Mediterranean: climate, water conditions, and common hazards
Where to check conditions, forecasts, and surf cams
How surfing started in Israel (and where it’s going)
Shapers, surfer-owned businesses, and events

Getting barreled in Israel — *Image credit: Tal Arbarbanel*

Popular surf spots along the Israeli coast

The Med provides ample opportunities for surfers of all levels, to surf spots ranging from urban settings - like the city’s of Tel Aviv, Herzliya, Netanya, Ashdod, Ashqelon, Haifa, and Nahariya - to more rural, less easily accessible parts of the coast that you won’t find on Magic Seaweed or any surf spot round up..

Here’s a look at some of the top surf spots in Israel.

Tel Aviv:

Known for its vibrant nightlife, bustling food scene, and outstanding Bauhaus architecture, this urban oasis also boasts some pretty good reef and beach breaks up and down the boardwalk (aka “tie-yelet”) steps away from the hustle and bustle of the White City.

Check out Maaravi Beach for a nice easy beach break or Hilton for a hollower wave that breaks over a surprisingly sharp reef with a marina to the south and jetty to the north. On the other side of the jetty is Topsea, named after one of Israeli surfing’s forefathers, which has a similar set up.

For any break in Israel, but especially Tel Aviv, make sure to respect the locals and watch out for beginners as those are both hazards that tend to crop up at these spots.

If you’re just getting into surfing, there are a variety of surf schools offering lessons and Gordon beach is a great place to get started.

Pro tip: when the lifeguards aren’t on duty in the winter, you can pretty much surf at any beach in Tel Aviv, but surfing at these beaches at other times of the year will at the least get you yelled at and at the most send you packing with a small fine.

Herzliya:

Tel Aviv’s neighbor to the North, Herzliya is a 15 - 40 minute drive depending on traffic. The more suburban, slightly yuppier city boasts a bunch of breaks for all skill levels, from fun jetty breaks to beginner-friendly marina breaks and punchy beach breaks.

Dromi Beach, translated into South Beach in English, is one of the city’s premiere breaks (with the crowds to prove it) and one of the only breaks that can hold bigger, longer-period swells. If you’re looking to get away from the crowd you can walk south of South Beach - not accessible by car - and you’ll find a bunch of great spots, or travel up along Herzliya’s coast for some more variety.

Sidni Ali beach is a pretty cool spot too if you’re looking for something with distinctly more Middle Eastern vibes. Just watch out for pollution after it rains… don’t go in if the water smells or looks funky as a rule of thumb.

Netanya:

The site of both the WSL’s SeatPro - a Qualifying Series 3,000 event - for the last three years in a row and the Maccabiah Games surfing competition this past summer, Netanya is known as a city of surfing, maybe more so than even Tel Aviv.

The variety of breaks for a relatively low-key city in the center is surprising and while in the Med, tides don’t really affect what’s happening too much, some very fun breaks appear along the Netanya coast only on low tide.

Kontiki Beach, home of the SeatPro, is a beach break bordered to the south by a series of jetties. While it used to be one of the premiere breaks in Israel, urbanization and the rise of new jetties to the south have stolen the sand and some of the glory of this still pumping break.

Poleg Beach, which hosted the Maccabiah Games event, is situated at the opening of the Poleg river lined by striking bluffs to the north and south. Here you can find a wide-open beach break and if you’re patient, you might just find some super fun reef breaks nearby, depending on the tide.

Haifa:

Although Haifa has a reputation as a windsurf and kitesurf mecca in the country, it also has some extremely interesting coastline (and population - with Jews, Muslims, Christians, and Bahai all living in close proximity).

Haifa features one of Israel’s only true North-facing strips of land while the rest points mostly West. “The Peak” is one of those West-facing beaches featuring a ton of longboarders and SUPs.

North-facing surf spots in the coastal city have better waves for more experienced surfers. Bat Galim is an open, rocky reef break while BackDoor - kind of like how it sounds - is protected by two jetties producing hollow barrels in the right conditions.

Nahariya:

While there isn’t big wave surfing in Israel, Sokolov certainly packs a punch. In the winter it gets big and hollow.

Near the border with Lebanon, quaint Nahariya is the northernmost city in Israel and a not-to-be-missed destination for the barrel chasers out there.

While most swells arriving in Israel gradually move from deep to shallow water, Sokolov’s bathymetry (topography, but for bodies of water) goes from deep water to a shallow sand/rock mixed bottom in a very short span creating power, size, and hollowness. A trifecta for certain surfers.

Ashdod:

Down South as locals will call it, but really only a 35-45 minute drive from Tel Aviv, is the up-and-coming surfing spot of Ashdod.

Ashdod contains the largest port providing Israelis with 60% of its imported goods and Israeli surfers a fun geographic feature to catch some waves to the south.

But this isn’t the only break the city has to offer - it also has a ton of beach breaks, a marina break, and a river mouth break in the winter.

Getting to know the Mediterranean: conditions, climate, and common hazards

While the Mediterranean offers less power and consistency than other regions and certainly oceans, we do get wind swells and every so often a ground swell in our bathtub of a sea.

A big determinant of what you’re walking into though is season. But Israel doesn’t really have your typical four seasons - it’s more like a long hot summer and short chilly winter with a short period of adjustment between each.

Summer:

Typically lasting from April - October, Israeli summer is characterized by partying, watermelon, and matkot (a game with two paddles and a rubber ball - you’ll hear it before you see it).

The water temperature tops out around 29 degrees Celsius (84 Fahrenheit) and the air temp can get much higher. And in terms of waves, swells are typically 1-2 or 2-3 feet with an occasional summer swell of 3-4 feet.

All in all, it’s balmy - all you need is a bathing suit or board shorts, some sun protection, some warm water wax, and a board with some volume and you can be on your way.

The only thing you have to look out for is jellyfish that reach the end of the Med after their journey across the sea around July or August.

Winter:

From November - March (but sometimes only February and March) the water temp bottoms out at 17 degrees Celsius (62 Fahrenheit) and the air temp outside can go as low as 8 degrees Celsius (46 Fahrenheit).

In some parts of the county it even snows and you can catch some runs on the slopes up at Mt. Hermon in the North if there’s a flat spell.

If you’re surfing in Israel in the winter, you’ll want to opt for a 3/2 or even a 3/4 depending on the air temp and weather conditions. Waves generally range from 2-3 feet but can reach 7-10 feet during winter storms, but make sure it’s okay to go in because water pollution is a real issue after it rains.

Where to check conditions, forecasts, and surf cams

There aren’t too many options for checking forecasts and conditions that are super accurate.

That said, most surfers in Israel crack open Magic Seaweed or Wind Guru for their source of truth for all things waves, swell, and wind.

For surf cams, you try any of the above and some other sites like Beach Cam Israel, Israel 4k, and Galim surf.

How surfing started in Israel (and where it’s going)

Surfing is relatively new to Israel but thriving with thousands of surfers along our tiny coastline. Let’s take a moment to examine its roots and what’s happening in the surf scene today.

Then

The history of surfing in Israel dates back to 1956 when American-born Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz volunteered for the Israeli army during the Suez crisis, but was rejected.

A medical doctor that wanted to spend more time surfing, Doc turned a challenge into an opportunity - he discovered great waves in Israel and gifted his love of the sport and boards to Israel's first surfers, Shaul Zinner and Shamai "Topsi" Kansapolski.

Soon after, Israelis were not only shaping boards, but competing on the international stage and the Israeli surf team even went on to finish third in the 1987 Eurosurf comp.

Now

Today, Israel’s professional surf scene is heating up with a bunch of local chargers. Israel has placed well in both the QS and ISA world games.

In terms of surfers, one of Israel’s crowning achievements was Anat Lelior qualifying to represent Israel in the 2020 Olympics - the first time surfing was a part of the games. Yoni Klein is another well-known name regularly featured in surf magazines for his antics in big waves abroad.

And a new, up-and-coming crew of young guns - like Uri Uziel, John John Rabinovitch, Ido Hajaj, and Anat’s sister Noa Lelior - are competing in Qualifying Series events to try and work their way on tour.

The future of surfing is bright.

You cannot go to a beach (or lake or river) in Israel without seeing people cruising around or doing yoga on stand up paddle boards, no trip to the Sea of Galilee is complete without a tow surfing session, and once the wind starts blowing, you can find wing foil enthusiasts up and down the Mediterranean cost.

Shapers and local surfer-owned businesses

Israel’s surf culture is thriving. And vibing.

There are so many local shapers and surfer establishments that we won’t be able to fit them all in here but there are a few standouts:

Shapers:

Hani
Ultrawave
Intersurf
Ding king
Seadny
Daddy’z

Local businesses:

Klinika surf shop
Gorilla surf shop
Yamit
Piko
Beach house
Kookint

So, you wanna surf in Israel?

Now’s the time. With year-round surf, fun vibes, good food, interesting attractions, what’s not to like?

And if there’s a flat spell you can always do some site-seeing or explore other bodies of water - float in the Dead Sea, snorkel in the Red Sea, or just enjoy the view on the Sea of Galilee.

If you’d like to discuss surfing in Israel, or are looking to book an experience, contact us or give us a call at +(972) 52-647-4876.

Your 2023 guide to surfing in Israel