One of the questions we get asked most often is:
“How many times a day do we surf?”
It’s understandable. When you’re looking at surf camps, surf coaching retreats or a surf and yoga retreat in Lombok, it’s one of the easiest things to compare. One surf. Two surfs. Three surfs. Unlimited surf.
And on the surface, more seems better.
More waves. More water time. More progression.
But after years of coaching surfers, we’ve noticed something interesting.
The people who improve the most aren’t always the people who surf the most.
More Surf Doesn’t Automatically Mean More Progress
If you’ve been surfing for a while, you’ve probably had one of those sessions where everything clicked.
You caught more waves than usual. Your turns felt smoother. Things just made sense.
Then you’ve probably also had sessions where you spent two hours in the water and somehow came in feeling like you learned absolutely nothing.
Same sport. Same amount of time. Completely different outcome.
That’s because progression isn’t just about time in the water.
It’s about what you’re doing with that time.
We often meet surfers who have been stuck at the same level for years. Not because they aren’t surfing enough, but because they’re repeating the same habits over and over again without realising it.
The surfer who always sits slightly too far inside.
The surfer who stands up looking at their feet.
The surfer who paddles hard but misses half the waves they should be catching.
The surfer who automatically blames the conditions and their board when the real issue is positioning.
More surf doesn’t necessarily fix those things.
Sometimes it just gives you more opportunities to repeat them.
The Difference Coaching Makes
A good coach isn’t there to tell you everything you’re doing wrong.
They’re there to help you see what you can’t see yourself.
Sometimes the breakthrough is surprisingly small.
A tiny adjustment to where you sit in the lineup.
A different way of looking down the line.
A subtle change in timing.
We’ve seen surfers spend months struggling with something that clicked after a single coaching session – not because they suddenly became more talented but because they finally understood what they needed to focus on.
That’s why we place such a strong emphasis on coaching, video analysis, workshops and surf theory. They’re not just placeholders and gimmicky extras. They’re an important part of the learning process.
For many beginner and intermediate surfers, these moments of understanding are what create lasting progress. It’s one of the reasons why a surf coaching retreat can often accelerate learning far more effectively than simply adding more hours in the water.
The Goal Isn’t to Wear You Out
There seems to be an idea in surf travel that if you aren’t completely exhausted by the end of the day, you haven’t got your money’s worth.
Three surfs a day. Sunrise to sunset. Shoulders destroyed. Asleep before dinner. And sure, there can be something fun about that from time to time.
But being tired and progressing aren’t the same thing.
At Xanadu, we’re not trying to see how many surf sessions we can squeeze into your day.
We’re trying to create a week that gives you the best chance of improving.
That means:
- Surfing when conditions are suitable
- Having time to review footage
- Having conversations about what happened in the water
- Giving your body enough recovery to absorb what you’ve learned.
- Creating enough space for things to actually sink in.
Because sometimes the biggest breakthroughs happen after the surf, not during it.
Why We Structure Our Weeks This Way
One of the reasons our surf coaching retreat in Lombok is built around one coached surf per day is that we want every session to have purpose. (Fun fact: we used to do two surf sessions a day and after a couple of years of doing that, we decided against it. We see more progress the way we do it now).
We want you paddling out with clear goals.
We want you to understand what you’re working on.
We want you to have the opportunity to review, reflect and make adjustments before the next session.
We’ve found that this creates a more effective learning environment than simply chasing volume.
Of course, if the waves are firing and you want an extra surf, we’re surfers too – we understand the temptation. You always have the option of going for an extra indepenent surf. But we don’t want you to put pressure on yourself to surf more just because “you paid for it and it’s included in your package”
The purpose of a surf progression retreat isn’t to see how exhausted you can become by Friday.
The purpose is to help you become a better surfer.
We Want You to Leave With More Than Good Memories
Of course, we want you to have an amazing week in Lombok.
We want you to score waves, make friends and leave with great memories.
But if that’s all you take home, we’ve missed an opportunity.
What we really want is for you to leave with tools you can use long after your retreat is over:
- The ability to look at your own surfing objectively.
- A better understanding of wave selection.
- More confidence reading conditions.
- A clearer idea of what is holding you back.
- The awareness to recognise when you’re slipping into old habits.
In many ways, our goal is to help you become your own coach.
Because eventually you’ll go home.
You’ll paddle out at your local break without us.
And if we’ve done our job properly, you’ll still be learning.
Mindful Progression Over Mindless Repetition
Could we take you surfing multiple times a day and tick a box?
Of course.
But that’s never really been what we’re about.
We’re more interested in helping you understand why a wave worked.
Why another one didn’t.
Why you’re progressing.
Why you’re stuck.
And what to focus on next.
Surfing is one of those sports where awareness changes everything.
The more aware you become, the faster you improve.
That’s why we believe in mindful progression rather than simply accumulating water time.
Whether you’re joining us for a surf and yoga retreat in Lombok, an advanced surf progression program or simply looking for a more thoughtful approach to learning, our philosophy remains the same.
Quality over quantity.
Awareness over exhaustion.
Learning over simply logging hours in the water.
Because in the end, it’s not about how tired you are when the week finishes.
It’s about whether you’re a better surfer than when you arrived.
And often, one coached surf can do more for that than three free surfs ever will.
If this resonates with you, join one of our structured surf coaching weeks in Kuta Lombok.
