Finally. Fall is here. And with it, the kick-start of the northern hemisphere swell season. Although we’re already seeing a hyper-active Pacific, the Atlantic is having a sleepy moment, the quietest hurricane season in 120-odd years.
But there are so many other spots across the globe that have the potential to switch on as fall plays out. Pop your finger anywhere on the globe in the northern hemisphere, next to an open body of water, and odds are, you can surf there. All the usual spots will switch on, especially as this incredibly strong El Nino plays out across the 2026 season. But what about the spots away from the spotlight? Here’s a few to flag up.
Isle of Lewis, Scotland
The Outer Hebrides are a remote and stunning chain of more than 100 islands, stretching around 130 miles right off the northwest coast of mainland Scotland. One the largest of these islands is the Isle of Lewis, which has standing stones dating back more than 5,000-years. The main town is called Stornaway, a name that would be right at home in Game of Thrones. Located in the storm track for the North Atlantic, Lewis picks up swells and organises it into some pristine surf. If accessibility was a bit better, the Outer Hebrides might have been one of the best surf zones in Europe. However, there are only two-to-three sailings per day and if it’s during one of those storm-ridden October days, you’re not getting on, or off, the island by boat. You can fly, but in recent years, flight paths have been cut down to the mainland. There’s also the fact it can be incredibly hard to score right. But when you do, expect reef breaks galore.
Finnmark, Norway
A few years ago, Swedish surfer Tim Latte revealed Finnmark to the world, an area of Norway yet to be properly surf explored. More recently, Tim teamed up with Dylan Graves to have a deeper look at the most northerly part of mainland Europe and, for the most part, scored. Now, Tim’s committed to going deeper into the region and documenting everything as he goes. What we’ve seen; pointbreaks, beachbreaks and a whole load of cold. This is not one for the feint-hearted. And not one you should go and explore on your own, a few wrong turns and you could find yourself thigh deep in snow and sleeping in a tunnel while a giant Arctic storm rages through. When all the stars align though, there is some cold gold up there.
Sicily, Italy
A small island off the tip of Italy’s boot-shaped landmass, Sicily is a lesser-known surf zone. But when the Med starts to power up, it sends swell around the region. There’s a mix of beachbreaks and left hand pointbreaks to get into, especially if the wind blows south or from the southwest. If you’re looking for more forgiving surf, head north. For pointbreaks, go south. Look out for powerful Medicanes that can set the sea into overdrive – these are the sessions that can wake up the most sheltered of spots on the small nation – which houses a tiny but dedicated surf scene.
East and South Coasts of Taiwan
October is a great time to surf Taiwan. This month serves as a transitional phase for the country, overlapping monsoon swells and what’s left of the typhoon season – which could create a lot of different swell windows out in Taiwan. But from October through to March, it’s the northeast Monsoon season where cool high pressure systems over mainland Asia push northeast wind across the East China Sea and Pacific, creating clean conditions along Taiwan’s north coast. This is the most reliable season given the swells remain fairly consistent. And if you’ve seen Taiwan working, you know there’s more than a few prim-o spots that can switch on when Monsoon’s get cooking.
Bulgaria, Black Sea
By now, it’s no secret Bulgaria gets waves. In fact, we wrote about exactly that, here. The country’s not hit the international circuit because it’s notoriously fickle. But on the coast, there’s a die hard surf community who – as opposed to some surf zones – actually want people to come and visit, to show them around. There’s the novelty factor of surfing in the Black Sea, which laps the shores of Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia and Georgia – each of them having their own surf culture. October is a great month to visit – all swell in the Black Sea is wind swell, so you want to go there knowing there’s going to be a storm rolling through. Swells frequently come from westerly and west-northwesterly directions, with fall and winter storms producing the largest waves, so you’ve got from now until March(ish) to score a few novelty waves.
Related: 5 Underrated Surf Destinations You’ll Wish You Found Sooner