One of the questions we get from people who have never stayed at a surf camp before is what a normal day actually looks like. You know you are coming to Fuerteventura to surf, but what happens during the rest of the day? When do we wake up? When do we surf? Is everything planned, or do you still have time to do your own thing?
At Kyuka, there is no strict timetable that we repeat every day. Surfing depends on the ocean, so our schedule has to move with the conditions. We check the swell, wind and tide, decide when and where we are going to surf, and build the day around that.
There is still a rhythm to the week, though. You surf, eat, recover, spend time around the villa and usually end up doing something with people from the group. After a couple of days, it starts to feel surprisingly normal.
So, instead of giving you another list of what is included in our surf camp in Fuerteventura, we thought we would show you what an actual day at Kyuka can look like.
The Day Starts With Breakfast
Mornings at Kyuka are pretty relaxed. People slowly make their way out of their rooms, coffee becomes a priority and everyone starts figuring out how their body feels after yesterday’s surf session. If you are new to surfing, there is a good chance you will discover a few shoulder muscles you did not know existed.
Breakfast is also when everyone starts coming together. Some people are already fully awake and talking about the surf. Others need food and at least one coffee before they are ready for any kind of conversation. After a few days, everyone tends to fall into their own little morning routine.
This is also when we know more about what the surf session will look like. The conditions around Fuerteventura change all the time, so we do not simply drive to the same beach at the same hour every day. Our instructors check what the ocean is doing and choose the spot that makes the most sense for the group.
That means some days move a little earlier and others are more relaxed. The ocean gets a fairly big vote in how we organise our mornings.
Then We Get Ready to Surf
Once we know where we are going, it is time to get everything together. Boards, wetsuits, water, sunscreen and whatever else we need go into the vans before we head towards the coast.
Where we surf depends on the day. Fuerteventura has lots of different breaks, and the best option changes with the swell, wind, tide and level of the group. Our surf school is built around that flexibility rather than taking everyone to one beach simply because it is nearby.
The drive is part of the experience too. You get to see more of the north of Fuerteventura, and after a few days you start recognising the roads and landscapes. The conversations in the van also tend to change throughout the week. Day one can be fairly quiet when everyone is still getting to know each other. A few days later, it is a completely different story.
Eventually we reach the spot, unload the boards and get changed. Then it is time for the main reason most people came here in the first place.
Time to Get in the Water
The surf session looks different for everyone. If it is your first time surfing, we start with the basics and make sure you feel comfortable before getting into the water. If you have surfed before, the instructors look at your level and work from there.
Beginners might spend their first sessions learning how to paddle, pop up and catch whitewater. As the week continues, the focus can move towards better positioning, catching waves more independently and eventually trying smaller green waves when the conditions are right.
If you are already more experienced, the session is naturally different. Fuerteventura has a wide range of waves, which means we can choose spots based on both the conditions and what you are trying to improve. We have covered some of those options in our guide to the best surf spots in Fuerteventura for different levels.
One of the nice things about surfing several days in a row is that the instructors actually get to know how you surf. Instead of every session being a fresh introduction, we can look at what happened yesterday and continue from there. Sometimes that means working on something new, and sometimes it means hearing the same advice again because apparently looking down at your feet for the fifteenth time still did not help.
Back to the Villa
After surfing, everyone is usually ready for food, a shower and a bit of doing absolutely nothing. We load everything back into the vans and return to the Kyuka surf villa, where the pace of the day slows down again.
This is probably one of our favourite parts of the day. Everyone comes back with a story from the session. Someone caught their best wave so far, someone finally stood up and someone else had a wipeout that becomes much more dramatic every time they retell it.
Then people spread out around the villa. Some head straight to the pool, others find somewhere to relax and a few somehow still have enough energy to use the gym. After several days of surfing, taking an hour to do nothing starts feeling like a very good idea.
There is no pressure to constantly be doing something. You are still on holiday, and the downtime between surf sessions is part of the week.
Food Becomes Very Important, Very Quickly
You realise pretty quickly that surfing makes you hungry. Even if you are still learning and spending plenty of time falling off the board, paddling and getting back onto it over and over again uses a lot of energy.
That is one reason food at Kyuka is such an important part of the camp. Meals are not just something squeezed between activities. They are moments where everyone comes back together, sits down and actually has time to talk.
It is often around the table where people start making plans for the rest of the day. Maybe someone wants to head into Corralejo, someone else wants coffee in Lajares and another group has decided that moving more than ten metres from the pool is completely unnecessary.
Nobody is forcing everyone into the same afternoon plan. Usually things happen quite naturally depending on what people feel like doing.
Afternoons Can Go in Pretty Much Any Direction
There is no single Kyuka afternoon. Sometimes people stay around the villa and relax after surfing. Other days, everyone still has energy and wants to get out and explore.
Being based in Lajares gives you plenty of options. You can grab a coffee, walk around the village or head towards El Cotillo or Corralejo. There are also plenty of places around the north of the island worth exploring if you have more time. We put together a guide to Lajares if you want to see what is around us.
We also organise different group activities during the week. Some people join everything, while others choose a few things and spend the rest of their free time doing their own thing.
That balance is important to us. Kyuka is social, but you do not need to spend every second with the group. If you want an afternoon to yourself, take it. If you want to round up half the camp and go exploring, that usually works too.
By the Evening, Everyone Somehow Ends Up Together Again
Even if people split up during the afternoon, evenings tend to bring everyone back together. By this point, there is always plenty to talk about because everyone has shared the same surf session earlier in the day.
This is where staying at a surf camp feels very different from staying at a normal hotel. You keep seeing the same people at breakfast, in the vans, at the beach, around the villa and over dinner. You do not really have to force conversations because there is always something happening around you.
It is also why coming to a surf camp alone is usually much less intimidating than people expect. A lot of guests arrive without knowing anyone. After a few surf sessions and meals together, that starts changing pretty quickly.
Some evenings stay relaxed at the villa, while others turn into plans somewhere around Lajares. Not every night needs to become a big night out either. After surfing for several days, going to bed early can suddenly become very appealing.
Do You Have to Join Everything?
Definitely not. We want Kyuka to feel social, but we also want it to feel like your holiday.
The surf sessions give the week some structure, and there are plenty of opportunities to do things with the group. At the same time, you are free to decide how involved you want to be outside the water. Some guests are with the group almost all day, while others like having a few hours to themselves.
This is especially useful if you are travelling alone. You have people around when you want company, but you do not need to organise every part of your trip around somebody else.
The result is somewhere between travelling independently and having everything planned for you. There is enough structure that you are never wondering what is happening, but enough freedom that the week still feels like your own.
And Then We Do It Again
The next day follows a similar rhythm, but it is never exactly the same. The surf spot might change, the conditions will be different and you might be working on something completely new in the water.
That is part of what makes a surf holiday in Fuerteventura so much fun. There is enough routine that you settle into it quickly, but the ocean makes sure the days never become completely predictable.
By the middle of the week, things that felt unfamiliar on the first day become normal. You know where everything is, you know everyone’s names and you probably have a favourite place to sit around the villa. You also start noticing your progress in the water, even if that progress is not always as fast as you hoped.
And somewhere along the way, it stops feeling like you are following a surf camp schedule. It just becomes your week.
A Day at Kyuka Is More Than the Surf Session
Surfing is obviously a big part of why people come to Kyuka, but a day here is not only about the hours you spend in the ocean. The time around the surf matters just as much.
It is breakfast when everyone is still waking up, the drive to the beach, the post-surf hunger, the afternoons around the villa and the plans that appear without anyone really organising them. Those are often the parts people talk about when they look back at the week.
You come here to surf, but you also get a few days where life becomes pretty simple. Wake up, eat well, get in the ocean, spend time outside and hang out with good people.
Tomorrow, we check the waves and do it all over again.
