Kovalam Surf – India’s Southernmost Surf Town
Kovalam is really the only place on the Keralan coast that can match the upcoming surf haven of Varkala. Still not quite receiving the same attention as its brother to the north, this one is largely the province of local surf schools playing their trade with holidaying Indians out of the big city.
The surf is very fickle, as it always is in India. You get mainly beach breaks that froth one day and die to nan bread flatness the next. But there are some points mixed in here that can show quality, offering up some of the hollower rides on the subcontinent, working nicely when SW swells pulse in.
What’s undeniably beguiling is the vibe. Kovalam is chilled and charming. Its beaches slope down from steep cliffs threaded by big palms onto crescent bays. There are lovely hotels and some particularly welcoming surf outfitters that are fantastic for showing total learners the ropes.
We’d sum it up like this: Don’t come here specifically for the surfing. Come for the sun, the coconuts, the yoga, and the hotels. Do some surfing on the side if you get blessed with waves.
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>>This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in India
Kovalam surf at a glance
The good…
The bad…
Where is Kovalam?
Kovalam has risen to become the main beach resort for the city of Thiruvananthapuram (usually called just Trivandrum – you can see why, right?).
That’s just 25 minutes’ drive up the coast road to the north and it supplies a steady stream of domestic travelers and would-be surfers to the beaches.
More generally, Kovalam is situated in the far south of the state of Kerala, not far from the border with Tamil Nadu.
To get here, aim for Trivandrum first. It has a major train station and you can search for long-distance links from Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai using 12Go to book overnight rides in. There’s also an international airport there with flights coming in from Abu Dhabi, KL, Delhi and others.
A guide to the Kovalam surf spots
Grove Beach
This sandy little stretch is one of the most central in the town. It’s not much for surfers and is often clogged up with fishing skiffs that get left there all day after the morning session.
There is a small shorebreak that can be okay if you’ve bought the foamy and just want to body ride. The south end of the bay can also give a left hander on bigger swell but it’s not really that frequently ridden and the consistency is dire.
Kovalam Beach
Kovalam Beach is the jewel in the crown of the whole resort area. It’s backed by big hotels that halo the main street just behind and has glinting sands.
The main wave is the south end point break that forms on the outside of the Edakkallu Rock Garden. It plays much like a Sri Lankan point but doesn’t have the reef on the inside to help hold its shape and needs bigger SW monsoon swells to get working properly.
There’s also a small breaker in the middle of the bay that’s sometimes used by the local surf schools.
Hawa Beach (also called Light House Beach)
Welcome to the main spot in town. Hawa Beach benefits from an ever-so-slight southwesterly orientation. That means it can hoover up more of the dominant SW swells that thunder up from the depths of the Indian Ocean when its winter in the roaring 40s.
When the periods lengthen enough, the headland on the far southern end of Hawa Beach will offer long and peeling walls of lefts that can even hollow out. They begin to break right below the red-and-white lighthouse and can be real good on thier day.
There’s a similar mirror break at the northern end of the bay that works better on dry season swells and for regular riders.
Basically, this is the main spot.
Poovar
There can be little whitecaps and mush for the beginner surfers out there down the long run of sand that stretches all the way from Kovalam to Poovar. It’s notoriously unreliable, pretty soft, and remote, though. You probably don’t need to stray this far from Hawa.
Varkala
Varkala is the only other place in Kerala that could possibly rival Kovalam when it comes to waves. And it’s probably – at least in our humble opinion – the superior one.
The beaches of Kappil and Edava are the highlights. They can offer up nice point breaks that come off the seawalls and do well with big-period swells.
It’s a genuine mecca for longboarders looking for uncrowded line ups. We think it’s worth mentioninig here just because it’s about 1.5 hours to the north, so it’s likely to either be a toss up between the two towns, or a chance you could fit both in the same trip.
>>We’ve got a complete guide to surfing in Varkala – check it out now
When to surf in Kovalam?
The best time to surf in Kovalam is towards the beginning and end of the dry season, in shoulder season months like April or September.
It’s tempting to say you should wait for the monsoon to hit the Kovalam surf. It’s no secret that it brings the stronger swells and the most consistent conditions.
However, remembering that this is a beach resort and we said come here for the chill factor with surf on the side, it might be better to time a visit for the shoulder seasons of April and September.
The rains are winding down then so there’s a chance you’ll be able to sunbathe and swim. However, there are still decent SW pulses that can break up the skunking and offer those neat peelers off the Hawa point.
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Where to stay when surfing in Kovalam?
Kovalam is now one of the go-to beach escapes of the south Keralan coast. The upshot? There’s not going to be a shortage of places to stay, no matter if you’re after a budget homestay or a lux resort overlooking the Indian Ocean.
What you won’t find is too many hotels specifically aimed at surfers. The swell consistency just isn’t there to make this another Kuta.
On the flip side, you get some lovely coastal hotels, good local B&Bs, and one particularly nice clifftop resort that I have a soft spot for…
- The Leela Kovalam, A Raviz Hotel – In lieu of a proper surf camp, why not have lux? It’s a five-star hotel (and those don’t carry the same price tag in India as in Europe, you know?) with a pool that juts out across the northern beaches, so you can check the surf conditions while you swim. Rooms are modern and spacious and the breakfast spread is top quality.
- Ayur Villa – Large and spacious, the pad oozes local character, with its steep-gabled monsoon roofs and wood-rimmed interiors. It’s grand, with a pool in the garden and balconies that survey the spreading scythe of sand on Hawa Beach. There’s free Wi-Fi, a shared lounge, and even on-site massage services.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
