Malaysia

Where to surf in Malaysia

Peninsula

Abutting the South China Sea on the east and fringed by the Straits of Malacca on the west coast is Peninsular Malaysia. The east coast comprises of mainly sandy beaches (91%) exposed to South China swells from the N and E. These exposed beachbreaks seemingly work best in the early monsoon season, when the sand bars have built up during flat summers. Thanks to its protrusion into the NE swell chain, mainland Malaysia counts itself lucky to get four months rideable surf. Offshore islands filter the swell too much further south towards Singapore.

Borneo

The Malaysian states on Borneo island, which the Indonesians now call Kalimantan, have a more favourable swell exposure, especially in the far north at beach and reefbreaks on the tip of Sabah Province at Tanjung Simpang Mengayau. More below-average waves at any number of beaches down the coast through Belud, and onto the Nexus resort sands around Kota Kinabalu.

Check the numerous T-groynes at Penanjong in Brunei which may hold the sand in storms, otherwise it’s deadly straight sand all the way to Kuala Belait and the rivermouth jetty. Sarawak Province continues with minuscule mush on featureless beaches down to the many river deltas where the Benak river bore guarantees waves on 6m+ tides. West of Kuching picks up any N windswell at Pandan and Sematan.