newwave runs small surf & yoga trips in some of the more beautiful and secluded corners of the world.
Small groups, expert local coaches, comfortable stays and exceptional local food. We choose locations with uncrowded waves and beautiful natural surroundings. Open to complete beginners through to intermediates. Meet people who love the ocean and the outdoors.
info@newwave.com
+44 7498 629770 · WhatsApp
Galicia sits in the north-western corner of Spain where the Atlantic hits hard. Quiet, rugged, and genuinely beautiful. In September the weather is still good, the water temperature comfortable, surf is consistent and the summer crowds have gone.
Casa Prior is a restored stone farmhouse set in private gardens, a fifteen-minute walk from the beaches at Santa Comba and Esmelle. The house belongs to Camilla, who lives on site and looks after guests personally. Stone walls, wooden beams, a terrace for morning coffee and evening meals.
The house sits on a peninsula with walking and running paths in every direction, some crossing to other parts of the coastline, others leading to neighbouring villages. Good country for running, cycling, or simply wandering. There are several bars, restaurants, and two small grocery stores within easy reach. Ferrol is fifteen minutes by car; A Coruna forty-five minutes; Santiago de Compostela an hour.
Breakfast is eggs, bread, yoghurt, fresh fruit, coffee and tea. Lunch is light: tortilla, fresh salads, bread with local cheese and cured meats, either on the terrace or taken to the beach. Dinner is served at a shared table each evening: locally sourced fish, clams, vegetables from the garden. Wine is served with dinner and beer is available throughout. All dietary requirements can be accommodated with advance notice.
Coaching is led by Luis Rodriguez, one of Galicia's most experienced surf coaches and a former ISA World Championship finalist. Sessions run each morning, with groups split by ability where needed. The trip is suitable for beginner to intermediate surfers. Some prior experience in the water is helpful, though not essential.
Surf Coach, Galicia
Daily yoga sessions are led by Camilla in the courtyard of Casa Prior, open to the garden. Sessions can be held inside. The focus is yin yoga: slow, restorative, and designed around what surfing does to the body.
Host and Yoga Lead, Casa Prior
| Thu 10th | Arrivals from 3pm. Beach walk, welcome dinner. Do not worry if you get there late. |
| Fri 11th | Breakfast, morning surf, lunch, afternoon yoga, free time, dinner, footage review and theory session. |
| Sat 12th | Morning surf, lunch, afternoon yoga, coastal walk and swim, BBQ dinner, footage review and theory session. |
| Sun 13th | Sunrise surf, farewell breakfast, depart by midday. |
Fly into Santiago de Compostela. Two good options from London:
LGW, departs 09:40, arrives 12:50. Vueling/Iberia, non-stop.
LHR, departs 18:50, arrives 22:00. Vueling/Iberia, non-stop.
We will arrange two airport transfers on Thursday. If you are arriving outside those times please make your own way to the property. One return transfer on Sunday 13th September for the 16:50 from Santiago.
Casa Prior has four rooms sleeping up to ten guests in total.
| Room 1 | One double bed, one single bed. Private bathroom. |
| Room 2 | Two single beds. Shared bathroom. |
| Room 3 | Two to three single beds. Shared bathroom. |
| Room 4 | One double bed, two single beds. Private bathroom. |
Rooms are allocated by newwave prior to arrival. We do our best to arrange by gender but cannot guarantee this in every case. Most guests find that sharing is part of what makes the trip, but if it is a concern, please get in touch before booking.
If you would like to guarantee a double bed and private bathroom, this is available at a supplement. Couples and guests travelling together will be prioritised for Rooms 1 and 4. Please indicate your preference at the time of booking.
| Surf level | Complete beginner to intermediate. No prior experience needed. |
| Equipment | All boards and wetsuits provided. Water temperature in September is around 17-18C, so a 3/2 wetsuit is recommended. Bring your own board if you like, but it is not necessary. |
| Yoga | One session per day. Yin yoga, focused on recovery and mobility. |
| Transport | Airport transfer provided if you arrive at the allotted time. All transport to and from the surf is organised. |
| Free time | It is a busy schedule, but anything outside the allotted activities is your own time. |
| Food | Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided. Please get in touch for any dietary requirements. |
| Alcohol | Available at the property and served with dinner. |
| WiFi | Available at the property, along with a good mobile signal. |
| Photography | The trip will be documented for marketing purposes. Please let us know in advance if you would prefer not to be photographed. |
Oualidia sits on Morocco's Atlantic coast, roughly halfway between Casablanca and Essaouira, where the ocean cliffs give way to a five-mile tidal lagoon. A place of outstanding natural beauty, where Moroccans themselves come on holiday, with uncrowded waves and a charm entirely its own. Wide open beaches and waves that are as forgiving and enjoyable as any you will find.
Villa La Diouana has been the place to stay in Oualidia for over fifteen years. Perched on a clifftop with a large garden, pool, and views straight out over the lagoon and ocean. Your hosts are James von Leyden and his wife. James is a novelist whose two crime thrillers set in Morocco, A Death in the Medina and Last Boat from Tangier, are published by Hachette. They know the area intimately and during the week James will share some of his insights with guests.
Tom runs newwave and will be on the ground throughout the week, making sure everything runs smoothly and the trip comes together. A qualified ISA surf coach and RNLI lifeguard, he will also be in the water assisting Abdou with coaching, filming sessions, and running the evening theory and footage review sessions with guests.
James von Leyden first came to Morocco in 1985 and has been returning ever since. He spent 30 years as an advertising copywriter before turning to fiction, and has used the villa as a base to write his two crime novels set in Morocco. He knows the area intimately and has kindly offered to give a talk one evening to guests.
Oualidia's lagoon is a remarkable place to learn to surf. Swell filters through the inlet and reforms over shifting sandbanks into soft, rolling waves with almost no rip current. When solid Atlantic swells hammer the coast, the lagoon stays manageable. Instructors can focus on technique rather than safety.
For those ready to step it up, there are breaks just outside the lagoon mouth with proper Atlantic punch. Further afield, a short drive opens up more beaches with peaks of all shapes and sizes. Depending on ability levels in the group, we may split into two groups to make sure everyone is surfing the right wave.
Abdou runs Oualidia Vibes Surf School and knows these waters inside out. A natural coach with years of experience teaching surfers of all levels in the lagoon and beyond.
Meals at La Diouana are communal and unhurried. Breakfasts are laid out together each morning fresh bread, eggs, yoghurt, fruit, pancakes, orange juice, coffee and tea. Dinners are shared at the long table, and are the social highlight of the day.
The cooking is in the hands of Fatima, who has been at La Diouana for fifteen years. She cooks Moroccan and Mediterranean fish tagine, harira, kofta, paella, fresh salads using produce sourced locally and in season. Fish and shellfish are landed daily and oysters are farmed right in the lagoon. Vegetarian and vegan options throughout.
Fatima has been cooking at La Diouana for fifteen years. She works with whatever is freshest that day: fish tagine, harira, kofta, paella, fresh salads. Her kofta tagine alone is worth the trip. Abdillah, her husband and barbecuer in chief, handles the grill: fresh sea bream, sardines, chicken kebabs, lamb cutlets, all cooked over charcoal. Between them, they make sure guests are very well looked after.
Oualidia is special beyond the surf. The lagoon is a protected nature reserve, home to oyster farms, flamingos, storks, and rare migratory birds. Boat trips across the lagoon, birdwatching at sunrise, and oysters straight from the water are all part of the week. The nearby town of Safi is worth a day trip for its medina, ancient ramparts, and the chance to watch one of Morocco's most famous waves from the cliff.
At the villa there is table tennis and boules in the garden, a competitive thread running through the week. In the evenings, board games, presentations, and the occasional language session. Morocco is a fascinating meeting point of Amazigh, Arabic and French, and picking up a few words of each is part of the experience. This is a good week to untether from the internet, though there is wifi if you need it.
The week is unstructured by design. Further details of the schedule will be shared closer to the trip. This is a rough sense of what a day looks like.
| Morning | Wake up at your own pace. Communal breakfast, then down to the lagoon for a surf session. Sessions are filmed for review later. |
| Midday | Return to the villa for a light lunch. Free time to swim, read, or sleep by the pool. |
| Afternoon | Yoga session in the garden. Then a walk, a boat trip, birdwatching, or just watching the sun drop over the lagoon. |
| Evening | Dinner at the villa. Followed by evening games, a presentation, or surf theory and footage review. |
| Price | £500 per person, all in. |
| Included | Accommodation, surf sessions, yoga sessions, breakfast every day, dinner on five nights. Equipment, coaching, and local transport during the trip included. |
| Not included | Flights and airport transfers. |
| Flights | Flights to Marrakech are very reasonable, often well under £150 return. Oualidia is 2.5 hours by road. We can organise shared transfers from the airport for the group. |
| Surf level | Complete beginner to intermediate. The lagoon is perfect for first-timers. More advanced surfers will have options outside the lagoon and nearby beaches. Safi available for those who want it. |
| Yoga | All levels welcome. Sessions are held in the garden of the villa. |
| Group size | Up to 12 guests. |
| Safety | Oualidia is a relaxed, family-friendly town where visitors are treated with warmth and respect. |
| Rooms | Seven rooms in total, sleeping up to 12 guests, with some rooms configured as doubles and triples. Contact us to discuss allocation. |
