Surfyy Beach Yangyang Review 2026: Beginner Surfing Guide

The Traveling Football Fan

⚽ I'm Chook Ji-yoon :)

:: Activity ::

🏄‍♀️ My First Surfing Experience at Yangyang Surfyy Beach 🏄‍♀️

​

While living in Gangneung for half a year,

there was one thing I absolutely wanted to try...

and that was surfing!🏄‍♀️

Just so you know, I'm actually terrified of swimming and deep water,

but I absolutely love the ocean...🫶

So I always have a huge bucket list of water activities I want to try lol

When I first moved to Gangneung earlier this year,

I made a promise with my coworkers

that we would go surfing in Yangyang!

This time, I decided not to procrastinate anymore,

so we went on a day trip to Yangyang to surf!

After all, for your very first surf,

you just *have* to do it in Yangyang, right?😎

I was a bit nervous at first,

but the result was pure happiness!♥

01 Why I Chose Yangyang Surfyy Beach

As South Korea's ultimate surfing capital,

Yangyang has so many beaches perfect for surfing,

and there are tons of surf shops to choose from!

The most famous ones are Naksan Beach,

Hajodae Beach, and Jukdo Beach.

Each beach and shop has its own unique vibe,

so you can choose the one that fits your style best.

​

▼▼ Quick Tips for Choosing a Yangyang Surf Shop ▼▼

There were places offering sponsored experiences,

places with private individual showers,

and shops that only did ultra-small group lessons...

But in the end, we decided to go with Yangyang Surfyy Beach!

Here's why I chose Surfyy Beach:

✔ Whenever I mentioned going to Yangyang, my friends

all immediately recommended Surfyy Beach.

✔ The iconic SURFYY BEACH photo zone and

the adjacent Surfyy Beach Sunset Bar looked incredibly hip and trendy.

✔ If you book an early bird lesson,

it's ~$6 cheaper!

I booked directly via Naver Booking,

but prices and package inclusions can vary slightly depending on the booking platform, so make sure to compare.

※ Prices may vary depending on dates and promotions

02 My First Surfing Challenge: Is It Even Possible?

Anyway, booked and paid for with my own money,

and here I am...

Will I really be able to do this...?

I was so worried I wouldn't even stand up once

and just end up swallowing seawater the whole time ㅠㅠ

Squeezing into a wetsuit for the first time in my life,

and carrying a board twice my size

was just the beginning.

For about 30 minutes on the sand,

we listened to the instructor's explanations

and learned the basic steps one by one.

If there's any building nearby,

try to snag a spot in the building's shadow...

Also, bringing a hat or sunglasses

to wear is highly recommended..

Since the lessons are usually held directly under the blazing sun,

it's seriously hard to even keep your eyes open! 😖

I really didn't want to find this out the hard way...

​

There were about 10 people in our session,

and with two instructors guiding us,

even a complete beginner could easily keep up!

Now that the land lesson is complete,

it's time to head into the ocean! 🏄‍♀️

​

​

03 Surfyy Beach Vibes & Showers

​

Since it wasn't the absolute peak season

on the day we visited,

there was a nice mix of families,

friends, and couples.

The Surfyy Beach Sunset Bar,

which you can enjoy right on the beach,

had such a great vibe... 😭

I bet the atmosphere is even more incredible

at night! 😍

After finishing the intro lesson,

we were free to surf as much as we wanted,

but we were so hungry we had to grab some food first... haha

The Surfyy Beach Sunset Bar is great because

you can enter while wearing your wetsuit,

making it perfect for going back and forth between playing and eating!

(Just note that they don't sell alcohol to people in wetsuits 🙅‍♀️)

I'll share my honest review of the Surfyy Beach Sunset Bar

in my next post! =)

As for the Yangyang Surfyy Beach shower rooms,

they were actually cleaner than I expected.

​

The mirrors are double-sided,

so there was plenty of space for everyone

from our session to use them at once.

Plus, there were baskets to keep your clothes in.

​

The changing room had air conditioning running,

so it didn't feel stuffy at all.

The restrooms are located separately.

I didn't use them myself,

but it seemed like they didn't have toilet paper inside.

04 Review: Early Bird Beginner Surf Lesson

​

Finally, the real deal!!

As expected, it wasn't easy at first.

The movements that went so well (?) on the sand

just didn't work at all

once I was actually on the waves.

The first time I wiped out,

I definitely swallowed some seawater ㅠㅠ haha.

But humans really are quick learners!

After repeating it a few times,

I slowly started to get the hang of it.

On the day we went,

The waves weren't too strong,

and they weren't too calm either—they were just perfect!

By my third try,

I was thinking, "Oh? I can actually do this!"

I couldn't stand up properly,

I kept falling off the board,

and splashing into the water,

but it was SO much fun~~~~~~!!

After about 10 attempts,

even someone as uncoordinated as me...!

stood up on the surfboard!!✌✌✌

Of course, the waves were so tiny you could barely even call them waves, lol

but still! ㅋㅋㅋ

The instructors at Surfy Beach

are absolute miracle workers for guiding someone with zero athletic skills like me..👍

Oh, and during our lesson that day,

actress Kim Jae-hwa was in our class,

which was such a surprise! 🤩

I looked it up later and found out

she's currently living in Yangyang.

No wonder she was so incredibly good at it! 💙

If it wasn't too rude,

I wanted to ask for a photo afterward,

but we were already completely exhausted...🫠

05 What to Pack for Surfing

Since it was my first time surfing, I searched up a lot of things.

But having gone and paid for this experience myself,

here is a list of essential items

I highly recommend bringing! 🤗

Some surf shops provide towels and toiletries,

while others don't,

so it's a good idea

to check in advance.

Just so you know, Surfy Beach does NOT provide them! 😖😖

Another thing I was curious about:

Do you really need a swimsuit?

When you're wearing a wetsuit during the lesson,

it can get quite hot.

To unzip the suit a bit to cool off,

they say it's best to wear a swimsuit underneath.

However, since we didn't

have swimsuits with us,

wearing regular underwear was also fine,

and even a sports bra/bra top

worked perfectly!

At first, we just went to "give it a try,"

but once it was over,

it was so much fun that I wanted to do it all over again!

Next stop, Jeju?!

The weather was just the right amount of hot when we went,

the water was perfectly cool,

and just being in the ocean

made me so incredibly happy... ㅠㅠ☀☀

And above all,

standing up on the board

even once on my own was the most rewarding feeling! ☺

Even if you're a complete beginner, you can definitely do it at Surfy Beach,

so there's absolutely no need

to worry!

However, depending on whether you have a rental car

or the availability of each shop,

your options might vary.

So I highly recommend comparing a few different surf shops

before booking!

※ Prices may vary depending on the date and promotions.

+ If you're coming by rental car,

you can just type "Surfy Beach" into your GPS.

The parking lot is super spacious, too!

Have an amazing surfing trip to Yangyang! ❤