27 Mar 2027 18 Weeks All Levels Split Payment Options Trips from £10995

Overview

Warm water. Wild places. World-class waves. Your tropical adventure starts here.

Over 18 weeks, you’ll travel through three countries and two continents, surf some of the world’s best waves, gain internationally recognised surf instructor and lifesaving qualifications, build real-world coaching experience, and live and travel with a group of like-minded people from around the world.

This itinerary is all about the tropics. From the vibrant coastlines of Sri Lanka, to the turquoise waters of the Maldives and the world-class waves of Indonesia, you’ll spend 18 weeks chasing waves, discovering new places and building skills that stay with you long after the trip ends. You’ll experience three incredible destinations, each with its own unique culture, landscapes and surf.

What to Expect

Part 1: Sri Lanka Surf Academy

The adventure begins in Sri Lanka, where you'll spend 10 weeks surfing, exploring the island, and immersing yourself in Sri Lankan culture. While working towards your International Surfing Association (ISA) Level 1 Surf Instructor Award and Lifesaving Certificate, you'll get intensive coaching, video analysis, ocean theory, fitness and water safety training. You'll leave Sri Lanka with more than just a tan and a collection of epic memories. You'll have globally recognised qualifications that can open doors to working, travelling and chasing waves around the world.

Sri Lanka is the perfect place to build confidence in all the fundamentals of surfing. If you are joining us at a higher level, the quality and consistency of the waves give you the time and space to work on your manoeuvres and really focus on your technique.

Highlights:

Train at our Sri Lanka Surf Academy

Professional surf coaching and video analysis

Ocean theory, fitness and water safety

Explore Sri Lanka's beaches, temples, tea plantations and wildlife

Experience life at the Ticket to Ride Surf House

Earn your ISA Level 1 Surf Instructor qualification

Complete your lifesaving qualification

Complete coaching shadowing hours 


Part 2: Maldives

From Sri Lanka you will take a short flight to Male, the capital of the Maldives. From here your will get a speedboat transfer to the island of Thulusdhoo, which will be your tropical island home for the next week. Here the agenda is really simple, surf, eat, sleep, repeat.

The coaching will continue, but this is also a great opportunity to enjoy a well earned rest after the intensity of the 10 week Sri Lanka Academy, and soak in the paradise of the Maldives and the world class surf. You will be well looked after on the island with delicious, healthy Maldivian food to fuel your surfs. In addition to an included snorkelling trip to see the beautiful reefs and turtles, the resort offer optional add-on activities such as fishing trips or swimming with sharks you can get involved with. 

Highlights:

Enjoy 1 week on a Maldivian Island

Surf a variety of world-class waves

Snorkelling trip

Ticket to Ride coaching

Surf guiding from local experts


Part 3: Indonesia 

Just when you think the adventure is over, we take it to the next level. After three months of travelling and surfing, you'll head to Indonesia. Six weeks. Three islands. Endless waves.

Starting in Bali, you'll surf the famous (and not so famous) breaks on the West Coast before heading to Lombok, where you'll explore the waves around Gerupuk by boat.From there it's on to Nusa Lembongan to surf Playgrounds, Shipwrecks and Lacerations, before returning to Bali for a final two weeks travelling up the West Coast through Canggu, Balian and Medewi.

And by this point in your journey, you'll have the skills and confidence to make the most of it.

With professional surf coaching throughout the trip, you'll continue to work on your technique, confidence and wave selection, with photo and video analysis helping you take your surfing further.

Highlights:

Six weeks of Indonesian surf adventure

Explore Bali, Lombok, Nusa Lembongan, Balian and Medewi

Surf a huge variety of world-class waves

Volcano hike

White water rafting

Uluwatu temple tour

Snorkelling and manta rays

What's Included


  • Airport Transfers

  • Breakfast

  • Surf Camp Accommodation

  • Trip Leaders For Duration

  • Video Surf Analysis

  • All Surf Lessons

  • Surf Guiding To The Best Beaches

  • All Surf Transport

  • Involvement In Community Projects

  • Photos Of Your Surfing

  • Additional Excursions And Activities

  • Shared Accommodation

  • Surf Instructor Course

  • Free WiFi

Trip Timeline

Here you'll find a day by day breakdown of your course.

  • Sri Lanka

    • Start your journey in Sri Lanka and get stuck straight into surfing!
    • Travel through some of the country's best surf destinations while developing your surfing, learning about the ocean and preparing for your surf instructor and lifesaving qualifications. 
    • We will also break up the surfing with a week away from the coast, exploring Sri Lanka's beautiful hill country. 
    • In your last week you will also have the opportunity to start ticking off your 20 hours shadowing, which is part of qualifying to be a surf instructor. 
    • You'll finish this stage as a qualified surf instructor, ready to put your new skills into practice.

  • Maldives

    • On Saturday you will be taken to the airport in time for your flight to the Maldives. After a quick hour in the sky, you will be greeted at Male International Airport and whisked off via speedboat to the local Island of Thulusdoo and check into Paradise.
    • The team at Akiri Surf will look after you through the week along with your TTR coaches, with a mixture of boat trips to the waves and on land coaching classes. The pace in Thulusdoo is a lot slower than Sri Lanka, so it will be the perfect week balancing adventure and relaxation.

  • Indonesia Adventure

    • Arrive in Canggu, Bali, where you'll meet your Trip Leader, settle into your accommodation, enjoy a welcome meal. 

    • Spend the next two weeks exploring Bali's world-class surf breaks while enjoying unforgettable adventures including volcano hiking, white-water rafting, a visit to the Uluwatu Monkey Temple. 

    • Fly to Lombok and stay in the fishing village of Gerupuk, surfing a variety of boat-accessed breaks. 

    • Take the ferry to Nusa Lembongan, where you'll build on everything you've learnt while surfing some of the world's most beautiful waves, with time to snorkel in the crystal-clear lagoon.

    • Finish with an epic Bali road trip along the west coast of Bali, stopping in Balian and Medewi, surfing legendary long waves of up to 500m before returning to Canggu for a farewell dinner and celebrations ahead of your journey home.

Qualifications

International Surfing Association (ISA) Level 1 Surf Instructor / Coaching qualification

This will be run in Sri Lanka and is a two day course. It has several different components, including beach safety, teaching methods, health and safety, teaching surf lessons and of course, the practical surfing test. 

The Lifesaving Course

Designed specifically for surf coaches, it covers everything from first aid, spinal board rescue and board rescue. There is also a timed swim where you're required to swim 400m in a pool in under 9 minutes. The test will take place during the final week of the trip, and you are allowed to wear goggles. We recommend that you practise this swim in advance to ensure you feel confident and prepared.

The whole Ticket to Ride Trip prepares and trains you for surf instructor success, so get ready to pass and live the dream. Life's Good. 

What past riders say


FAQs

Got a question about this course? Here's the best place to start. If you don't find your answer here, you can request a callback or get in touch using our contact page.

You don't need to be an amazing surfer to join the Tropical Gap Year. You don’t even need to have surfed before!

The trip is designed to take you from your current level, whatever that is and develop your surfing throughout the course. Each new location provides opportunities for you to keep pushing your surfing to the next level!

What matters most is that you are committed to improving, and willing to get stuck in.

Nope! You can join the Tropical Gap Year as a complete beginner. It is ideal if you have tried surfing at least a few times, just to be sure it is something you enjoy and would like to do a lot more of! 

You'll work towards an ISA Level 1 Surf Instructor / Coaching qualification and a lifesaving qualification during the Sri Lanka Surf Academy.

You'll also finish the year with significant practical experience assisting professional surf instructors during your apprenticeship.

You'll travel through Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia! 

Your Tropical Gap Year includes the accommodation, meals, surf coaching, qualified Trip Leaders, surf transport, activities, internal travel and support included across the individual stages of the programme.

The exact inclusions vary between Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia. You can download the brochure to get more info.

You will need a flight into Colombo Bandaranayake International Airport (CMB) on or before the trip start date of 27th March 2027. 

You will need a flight from CMB to Male (Velana International Airport (VIA) on 12th June 2027.

You will need a flight to Denpasar Airport Bali (Ngurah Rai International Airport) on the 19th June 2027.

You will need a flight out of Denpasar Airport Bali on 31st July 2027. 

We'll give you full guidance on the flights you need to book before departure so you don't have to figure it all out yourself.

Food arrangements vary throughout the year.

You'll have breakfast and 5 evening meals included during parts of the Sri Lanka programme, while breakfast and dinners are included in the Maldives, and breakfast during Indonesian section. You'll also have plenty of opportunities to eat locally and experience the food in each destination.

Absolutely.

You'll be travelling as part of a group and supported by experienced Ticket to Ride Trip Leaders throughout the programme. You'll gradually become more independent as the trip goes on, but you'll never be expected to figure everything out alone.

For Sri Lanka you must have Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) you can get this here: www.eta.gov.lk. You will want to get a 30 day tourist visa, this can be extended when in the country.

For the Maldives you can gain a visa on arrival, but must complete a traveller declaration form 96 hours before travel https://imuga.immigration.gov.mv/traveller

For Indonesia, for many nationalities they are doing a Visa on Arrival system. The free Visa on Arrival (VOA) cannot be extended, but you can pay for the extendable version at the airport. This can be extended for a further 30 days, so you can remain in Indonesia for 60 days total.

Important: Please check with your own country’s embassy/advice to confirm your travel requirements as this varies from country to country.

During your first 2 weeks in Cape Town Surf Hire is included. Following this, your coaches will assist you in purchasing the best board for your progression. South Africa has some of the cheapest and best boards in the world as so many are manufactured there!

Straight from the surf