Surfing Lawrencetown beach, nova scotia

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Can you surf in Halifax? Yes, surfing Lawrencetown Beach, just thirty minutes from downtown Halifax, is close by. In any other city thirty minutes would scarcely be time to change buses, but in Halifax thirty minutes gets you well out of the city to Lawrencetown Beach by car, a puck shot away from Cole Harbour, the Nova Scotia coastal town where hockey great Sidney Crosby was born and raised.

A cold water flex

Surfing Lawrencetown Beach year round is possible. But it’s a serious Canadian cold water flex to surf it in the winter, as I discovered arriving in December. In the winter most Canadians ski or play hockey, dawning parkas or lacing up skates, rather than squeezing into skin tight neoprene. But if you’re from Vancouver, and in town with an agenda to check out how east coast surfing at Lawrencetown Beach Nova Scotia stacks up to west coast surfing in Tofino BC, the calendar doesn’t matter .

I arrived in Halifax for a conference a day early with the plan to rent a car and drive to Lawrencetown Beach. I was curious to learn about east coast surfing in Canada, and cold water surfing Nova Scotia in particular. Prior to booking the extra day to explore, I had innocently Googled, “Surfing near Halifax, Nova Scotia.” The result intrigued me. I needed to experience it.

Gearing up

On route I picked up a surfboard and a 5mm wetsuit, hood, gloves and booties from Lawrencetown Surf Company. There, I chatted up Isla, who was working that morning, to get local knowledge about where to surf that day, the tides and expected conditions. She recommended Lawrencetown main Beach, rather than The Cove, The Reef or The Break. The Break – to the right of Lawrencetown main beach, I would later learn is where the really good surfers go, and I was not one of them.

Tides are important to consider when surfing, and hitting a high tide at Lawrencetown Beach is essential for a sandy bottom entry and exit, rather than a rocky shore – certainly preferable unless you’re a pro. Getting the run down on tide swings and known currents is important too, and Isla knew her stuff. But she noted, “the change rooms are now locked for the season.” However, I was assured that an open car door would work just fine as a protective shield at this time of year. I chuckled at the visual, then packed the board in my SUV, along with enough neoprene to pad me up proper.

Surfing in Nova Scotia – in the winter!

That morning in Halfax, I woke to flurries. There was a small accumulation of snow in downtown, but the forecast was for a mix of sun and cloud with freezing temperatures. The photos of Lawerencetown Beach online looked beautiful. But I was reminded why summer might be a better time to learn about surfing on Canada’s east coast. Once out on the coast, the sun did came out though, taking the initial chill of the day with it, along with the snow and ice that had accumulated on shoreline rocks.

Just as Isla had assured me, there was nobody in the parking lot. Nobody to witness the attempt to pour myself into a tight fitting, 5mm neoprene, front zipper wetsuit, while clinging to a car door. The show I put on that morning was not pretty. But after a 15 minute wrestling match with the wetsuit and hood, I finally zipped up. Just as another car pulled into the lot with a surfboard on top.

In that car was Briana. A young girl easily half my age from Halifax, and a local regular. In a sport that favours surfing with others for safety, we became fast friends, both having arrived solo. Briana would also prove invaluable later, once we finished surfing – to assist during the wetsuit extraction phase. While my wetsuit was like a full body bubble wrap for warmth, protection and floatation, it was like a strait jacket to get out of – especially solo. Exhausted from paddling out repeatedly, adjusting for currents, and pulling up for surf attempts, I was grateful for the assistance. I likely would have faced the embarrassment of returning to the surf rental shop fully clothed in 5mm of neoprene, had it not been for Briana helping me escape!

Preconceived ideas about east coast surfing

Before coming to Lawrencetown Beach, I had preconceived notions about east coast surfing. Namely, it would be frigging freezing. And in the winter, why would anyone surf after a snowstorm? I figured it couldn’t possibly be as good as the west coast of Canada in Tofino, BC. Plus, based on warmth alone, and I suspected conditions, the east coast could never compete with warm weather locations like Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Nicaragua, or Australia where I had also surfed.

But surfing Lawrencetown Beach pleasantly surprised me. And as I would later learn, the way waves break down the side of points on Nova Scotia’s shoreline make it a surfers paradise. “When it’s good, it’s world class,” says to Nico Manos, pro surfer, and co-owner of Lawrencetown Surf Co.

While the waves that day weren’t as plentiful as during my visits to Tofino, both Isla and Breana assured me that this was a gentle day. The waves were predictable and satisfying when we caught them. And despite it being early December, and having snowed that morning, the air and ocean, while cold, didn’t bother us much.

I expected east coast surfing in the winter to be substantially colder than on the west coast. Did my face freeze? Yes, it certainly did as the only exposed part of my body – an oval around the face of my thickly insulated hood. But the cold was no worse than coming off a ski lift at the top of Whistler in a stiff wind, experiencing brain freeze after sipping a Slurpee. Now there’s a visual. The rest of my body was toasty warm. Seriously, surfing in December felt warm with a full body 5mm wetsuit, hood, botties and gloves.

Respect the North Atlantic

But winter surfing can bring on hypothermia after prolonged exposure – even when wearing a wetsuit, hood, booties and gloves. For hard core surfers chasing big waves after winter storms, sea temperatures can range from -1°C to 2°C (30°F to 36°F) in February. The water was a balmy 3°C the day I visited!

The North Atlantic can be a fierce and dark foe in these parts though. These waters are known to have claimed fisherman, friends and neighbours. Nearly every local has a story of a boat that never returned, including my new found surfing buddy Briana. Or Mike, the guy I met doing the park steps at the beach for fitness.

“Yah, five times each, then I do that set down there,” he told me, pointing to another set of stairs to the beach. Mike then launched into stories of local fisherman at Fisherman’s Cove and other hard core local surfers at Cow Beach, including pro surfer Dean Petty. “He lives there now you know,” Mike said, appearing proud to call Dean a local.

Back in Vancouver, my hair stylist who grew up just outside Coal Harbour, had also warned me of wild North Atlantic tales when I mentioned a planned surf trip to Lawrencetown in December. Seems these waters are to be respected.

While Briana and I chased waves, a lone photographer on shore, appeared to be capturing our efforts with his massive lens. Dave Morash, we learned later, was trying out his new Nikon 200/500 AFS that day, and posted photos to the Lawrencetown Surfing Association Facebook page. It seemed Dave did this regularly, in scrolling the Facebook page later from home. It was all part of belonging to the community he had noted, supporting surf culture in Lawrencetown.

Surf Culture at Lawrencetown Beach

Surf culture on the east coast is well rooted. Early surf pioneers arrived back in the 1960s, but the eastern shore is now one of the hottest destinations for cold water surfing in the world. The likes of Nico Manos, a pro surfer who travels the world six months of the year, but makes his home in Lawrencetown attests to that. I chatted up several folks walking their dogs on the beach that day, and most every local noted several older surfers, many in their 60s/70s who have been surfing their whole life here. When you do the math on a surf culture that began 40 to 50 years ago in the area, that seems about right. It would appear many who came for the waves, stayed.

Lesley Choyce was one of the seasoned surfers mentioned, and Isla later confirmed, “Yah, he’s a legend, a pioneer in Canadian cold water surfing.” Researching more on Choyce later, I learned he was one of those guys who arrived 30 years ago and stayed, now making Lawrencetown his home. Choyce is also a well known author and poet, and a university professor in Halifax.

“Pretty much daily, year round, and weather permitting, there is always someone out there chasing waves,” Bob told me, while walking his dog on the beach that day.

Back at Lawrencetown Surf Company, dropping off my rental gear, Isla backed up this observation, noting there were several older surfers who stop by regularly. She also told me that the kids in Lawrencetown had a surf group they go out with, and that the town sees tons of Dalhousie University students come to surf, and often remain part of the surf scene after graduation. If nearby Cole Harbour nurtured Sidney Crosby’s hockey career, Lawrencetown it would seem has nurtured the surf passions of many residents and visitors.

East coast surf competitions

Lawrencetown Beach also hosts surf competitions annually, in addition to other summer events. The LOGfest, longboard competition, hosted by Surfing Association of Nova Scotia, takes place in August at Martinique Beach. The shortboard Fall Classic is held at Lawrencetown Beach in October. And the Reef Rumble is a competitive surf event for kids, hosted by Surfing Association of Nova Scotia, in the area.

Surf shops & lessons

Nico Manos and his wife Jill own Lawrencetown Surf Co, the main surf shop in town. Founded in 2020, the shop is run by Nico, a former pro surfer, and coach of the Canadian Junior Surf Team. Their East Coast Surf School began in 2018. The shop has a cute pastel blue and white old classic VW van out front, and vibes surf culture to the core. Lawrencetown attracts a lot of visitors from Ontario and Quebec who come to surf in the summer and get lessons. Shops like Lawrencetown Surf Co recognized the opportunity in servicing this demand.

One Life Surf School is eastern Canada’s first women’s surf school. It’s a great example of another entrepreneurial venture in the area based in a growing surf culture. One Life Surf School is run exclusively by women for women – providing surf lessons lead by female instructors for women seeking to learn under less intimidating conditions. The female surf focus reminded me of Surf Sister in Tofino, BC.

As a regular year round, Breanna told me that that the water at Lawrencetown Beach is much warming in the summer. “I surf in the summer and up to October in a bathing suit, summer weight wetsuit or shorty” she reported. What I now realize about east coast surfing in Canada, and surfing Nova Scotia in general, is that the warmth of the weather doesn’t really matter when you are dressed properly for it. It was kind of like skiing that way. What mattered was the community, surf culture, and on the water conditions. On that day, Lawrencetown Beach, and east coast surfing had delivered.

Getting there

How to get to Lawrencetown Beach from Halifax? Take Highway 107 East to Exit 5 for Porter’s Lake, then follow signs for Lawrencetown Beach on Route 207. The main beach is well signed, and the town is not big, so you can’t miss it. Lawrencetown Beach is a Provincial Park. Parking is free. Lawrencetown Surf Co is located at 3733 Lawrencetown Road.

Best time to visit

You can surf Lawrencetown Beach year round. But think summer for warmth, fall for competitions, and winter for the brave!

East coast versus west coast surfing

Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world. So in some respects, we should own this surfing thing. So what was my verdict on east coast versus west coast surfing? What really struck me as a defining difference between Lawrencetown in the east, and Tofino in the west, was not the conditions (at least not the day I visited!), but location and proximity. While both places are known to draw a surf crowd as a destination, in the case of Lawrencetown, proximity to Halifax and other small coastal towns and hamlets, was its real beauty. Lawrencetown made surfing easily accessible to so many.

Lawrencetown surprised me in a positive way. That said, surfing Tofino in British Columbia is spectacular. I wrote about Tofino extensively in this article: Girl Power Riding the Waves in Tofino, Canada There’s also a pretty solid female empowerment angle to this story, since it features a Mom & daughter surfing trip to Tofino, and also watching Queen of the Peak – an annual surf competition for women only, in the area.

Lawrencetown Beach vs. Tofino: Side-by-side comparison

Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia	Tofino, British Columbia
30-minute drive from Halifax	4-hour drive and ferry from Vancouver
Small coastal town	Isolated coastal village
Sand break with sand/large pebble shore	Sand break with expansive sandy beach
Year round surfing	Year round surfing
Breaks for advanced and gentle for beginners	Gentle waves for beginners and advanced breaks
Cold water/warming in the summer	Cold water/warming in summer
Winter water temperatures of -1°C to 2°C (30°F to 36°F)	Winter water temperatures of 8°C to 9°C (46°F to 49°F)
Summer water temperatures of 15°C to 18°C (59°F to 64°F)	Summer water temperatures of 13°C to 17°C (55°F to 63°F)
Harsher winter with snow	Temperate year round, rain
One single large beach at Lawrencetown, but multiple point breaks, headlands and beaches on Nova Scotia shoreline	Huge, multiple large beaches
Lawrencetown Beach is a Provincial Park	Some of Tofino’s beaches are in a National Park

 

FAQs  

Surf Clubs

Dalhousie University in Halifax has a local surf club and there are numerous other community groups, the Lawrencetown Beach Surfing Association and their active community Facebook Page, being the most prominent.

Lawrencetown Surf Company

I paid $57 to rent a surfboard, and full gear for the day in December 2026. Check out their website for seasonal rental rates and lesson options. Link here to learn more: https://www.lawrencetownsurfco.com

East Coast Surf School

Link here to learn more: https://ecsurfschool.com

Lawrencetown Surfing Association Facebook Group

Check out the active Facebook group for Lawrencetown Surfing Association. This is where the community posts all things surf related. The group is actively engaged. https://www.facebook.com/groups/710834579485222

Lawrencetown daily Surf Report

There are a couple different sites to access the surf report for Lawrencetown Beach

https://www.surfline.com/surf-report/lawrencetown-beach/584204204e65fad6a77094cf

https://www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/Lawrencetown-Reef

Where to stay in the area

CBC documentary on Nova Scotia surfing

If you want to dive deeper into east coast surfing, be sure to check out CBC’s Land & Sea: Welcome to Nova Scotia’s Surfing Paradise. This doc takes you into the lives of people who have helped shape east coast surfing, like Lesley Choyce and Nico Manos. It’s also a crazy eye opening dive into the conditions that winter storms bring to Lawerencetown Beach, and the passionate surfers that brave the elements through snow and ice.

Warm water surfing options

Looking to get some more surfing inspiration, but of the warm weather kind? Check out these posts for other surf holiday destinations! (I’ve included Tofino, BC since it qualifies as warm weather surfing in the summer – sort of!)

Costa Rica: Things to do in Guanacaste Region https://carryonqueen.com/things-to-do-in-costa-rica-guanacaste-region/

Dominican Republic: Surfing Cabarete Dominican Republic: young at heart https://carryonqueen.com/surfing-cabarete-dominican-republic-young-at-heart/

Australia: A surf trip to the Wedge in Western Australia https://carryonqueen.com/a-surf-trip-to-the-wedge-in-western-australia/

Nicaragua: Surfing Nicaragua https://carryonqueen.com/surfing-in-nicaragua-community-service-and-a-tsunami/

Tofino, British Columbia, Canada: Girl Power Riding the Waves in Tofino, BC