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#11. North Island, New Zealand: New Zealand is as user-friendly as it gets, with good roads, friendly locals and lots of waves in both the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Many a surf traveler has fallen in love with the relaxed lifestyle, uncrowded surf and rolling green hills, comparing it favorably with the vanished ambiance of California of the 1950's. While the North Island may not be quite that idyllic, it's hard to beat the combination of consistent swell on three coasts and easy access to some of the planet's best uncrowded surf. Image: Callahan/surfEXPLORE
Surf is everywhere. It rolls past our coastlines, whipped up by storms off shore, held up by offshore winds, and can go from playful to terrifying the blink of an eye. Sometimes it’s blue, sometimes green, sometimes gray. Whatever it looks like, it’s always beautiful. Islands have some of the best waves, and this gallery shows twenty of the world’s best surfing islands. From India to Indonesia, there’s a wave for everyone.