Cherating, The Best Place to Surf in Malaysia

Malaysia may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think about surfing, but it has had an emerging surf scene since the 1990s, especially in Cherating The local tourism and culture ministry has been placing efforts to further develop it by organising regional and international surfing competitions on the regular. This has helped propel Cherating as a home to surfers from far and near.

Other less well-known surfing spots around Malaysia can be found along Terengganu, in Johor, and in Sabah. Before we talk about where you can get your surf on in this gorgeous place, you need to know how to get to Cherating first.

Cherating is a small town in the state of Pahang on the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia. Coming from Kuala Lumpur? Then getting to Cherating is merely a four-hour drive away (with minimal stops and when it's not high season). Waze or Google Maps would be of great assistance to you when you drive here. If you are coming from an international destination, you may want to take a flight to Kuala Lumpur and then a domestic flight to Kuantan, Pahang, after which you can take a taxi, rented car, or bus to Cherating.

While there are waves along the stretch of Cherating Beach to surf on, the best place to jump on a board is Cheratingpoint. Cherating Point is just less than a 10 minute drive away from Club Med, with a cape separating them. In fact, Club Med is located just on the other side of the surf point break making it a convenient place to stay at.

For those new to surfing, a point break is a point or location where a current coming in from the sea hits a jutting formation on the seafloor and becomes a surfable wave. Point breaks create a really long wave as the wave wraps around the point and runs along the coastline, like in Cheratingpoint.

The best time to surf in Cherating is during the North-East Monsoon season from October to March. Even though the monsoon season usually drives away other visitors, you'll find a good crowd of surfers both local and international during this season.

With the swells coming in at over four feet, Cherating's waves can satisfy even seasoned surfers. Plus, the waves can run for up to 500 metres from the point break. If you visit during this season, you'll get to watch and take part in the Cherating International Surfing Competition organised each year. If you're new and just want to learn surfing on small waves, Cherating is a good place to visit year-round.