Aqia Surf

Aqia Surf is a small, locally run surf school on the sand at Selong Belanak, the wide, sheltered bay on Lombok's south coast that is one of the island's best places to learn. It is run by Ono and Ning with a crew of local instructors who speak English and Indonesian, and it sits about 30 minutes from Lombok International Airport and 30 minutes west of Kuta Lombok. A beachfront café serves food and drinks between sessions.

All lessons last two hours in the water and include surf clothing, a water break and free use of a board for two hours afterwards to practise. Group beginner lessons cost IDR 250,000 per person with up to three students per instructor, semi-private lessons for two are IDR 300,000 each and a private adult lesson is IDR 350,000. A kids' package for ages 4 to 13 runs as two 45-minute sessions for IDR 300,000. Intermediate surfers can book a 2.5-hour coached session (IDR 650,000, maximum two per instructor) that includes car and private boat transfers to breaks such as Mawi, Gerupuk and Ekas.

Board hire starts at IDR 50,000 an hour, with soft-tops, funboards and performance boards, and the team also arranges custom surf trips along the south coast, as well as snorkelling and fishing. Bookings are taken by WhatsApp and paid on arrival, and the school is open every day from 7am to 7pm. It suits first-timers, families with children and improvers who want local guiding to Lombok's better-known reefs.