The best surf spots in Israel
Israel has 190 kilometres of Mediterranean coast and almost every beach on it has been surfed.The waves are wind swell: short-period, built by the winter storms that cross from the west, gone a day or two after the wind drops. That makes the daily question different from an ocean coast - not which spot is best, but whether there is anything at all, and where the sand and the breakwaters are holding it together. Below, the spots worth knowing from north to south, what each one is, who it suits and when it works - and where to go if you are learning.
Haifa's wave: a rock-bottom break at the foot of the Carmel that holds the biggest winter swells on the coast. Experienced surfers, and the locals who know it.
The heavier section next to Bat Galim, shallow over rock and hollow when a north-west swell lines it up. Expert territory on its day.
The sandy peak south along the Haifa shore - the city's forgiving option when Bat Galim is too much, with room for intermediates.
The bay beaches north of Haifa harbour: smaller and softer than the open coast, and still surfable when the wind has wrecked everything else.
Beach peaks beside the Roman harbour and the aqueduct, with the ancient breakwater shaping the sand. Uncrowded by Tel Aviv standards.
An open beach with a stream mouth north of Netanya that gets every swell. The most consistent sand on the Sharon coast.
Netanya's town beach under the cliff, lined with surf schools on a small day. Where much of the Sharon learns to stand up.
A long beach break in the nature reserve south of Netanya, with a stream mouth and shifting banks. Intermediates' wave, with a webcam on it.
The breakwater at Herzliya marina shapes a wedge on its north side that holds more size than the beaches around it. Crowded on every swell.
Tel Aviv's main spot, beside the marina breakwater over a rock and sand bottom. Holds the biggest swells in the city, and gets the biggest crowd.
The beach break just north of Hilton, known locally as Hilton B. Softer and more spread out than its neighbour, with a WaveHub camera on it.
The central Tel Aviv beach south of the marina, with surf schools on the sand. The city's learning wave on a small clean day.
The sandy beach at the south end of the Tel Aviv promenade, sheltered a little by the Jaffa headland. A soft, busy, beginner-friendly wave.
An open national-park beach south of Rishon with a long stretch of peaks and no city behind it. Mellow, sandy, and quiet on weekdays.
Ashdod's best-known peak, between breakwaters that hold the sand in place. One of the south's most reliable waves when the swell is from the west.
The southern coast's open beach, picking up south-west swell before anywhere further north. Uncrowded, with long sandy stretches to spread along.
Today's forecast by area
Where should a beginner surf in Israel?
Three places. Kontiki and Sironit at Netanya, the town beaches under the cliff where the surf schools line up on a small day. Gordon and the Dolphinarium in Tel Aviv, both soft and sandy and reachable on foot from the city. And Palmachim to the south, a long national-park beach with gentle peaks and far fewer boards in the water.
Stay off Bat Galim, Backdoor and the Hilton breakwater while you are learning, whatever the forecast says: they break over rock, hold the biggest swells on the coast, and are crowded with people who know them. On the Mediterranean the day after a storm is the one to learn on, when the swell has dropped to waist high and the wind has turned.
Israel by month
Common questions
Is there surf in Israel?
Yes, from about October to April. The Mediterranean has no groundswell, so the waves are wind swell from winter storms: short-period, often waist to head high, occasionally well overhead at the reefs and breakwaters. Summer is flat.
What is the best surf spot in Israel?
Hilton in Tel Aviv for consistency and size in the city, Bat Galim and Backdoor in Haifa for the heaviest rock-bottom waves on the coast, Beit Yanai and Poleg near Netanya for open beach break. The ranking above weighs them from today's forecast.
Where should a beginner surf in Israel?
Netanya's Kontiki and Sironit, Tel Aviv's Gordon and Dolphinarium, or Palmachim - sandy, soft, with surf schools on the first two. Avoid the Haifa reefs and the Hilton breakwater while learning.
When is the best time to surf Israel?
December to February for the most swell, October and November for the best feel - warm water, light wind behind the first storms. May to September is essentially flat.
Do I need a wetsuit to surf in Israel?
In winter, yes: a 3/2 from December to March, when the water sits around 17 to 18°C. October, November and April are spring-suit months. Summer is boardshorts, if there is anything to surf.
Why do Israeli waves disappear so fast?
They are wind swell with a period of six to nine seconds, made by a storm a few hundred kilometres away, so they arrive with the wind and fade a day or two after it drops. The best window is usually the day after the front passes, when the sea is still up and the wind has turned east.