An American travel agency has announced an eight-day surf camp in the virgin waves of North Korea.
Uri Tours, a company founded by Korean-American Andrea Lee, is taking a group of surfers to the eastern coast of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
"The pristine beaches and rocky outcrops of the Hamhung and Sijung area receive a decent amount of swells from a 90 degrees easterly window," explains Nik Zanella, expedition leader, ISA representative, and Chinese National Surf Team coach.
"The DPRK has all of the ingredients for an excellent surf adventure, great surf bathymetry, good exposure, and pristine beaches. But virtually nothing is known about these areas except for satellite images. Our goal is to cast some light on this coastline, search for the waves, map them and, of course, surf them."
Andrea Lee believes that "with the support of the local tourism authorities, we aim to create a local surf community that both visitors and locals can enjoy. As part of this vision, we received permission to have local North Koreans participate in the surf camp."
The first part of the surf expedition will include mapping and analyzing wave patterns along the coast. The second part will be an intensive surf camp with a world-class instructor for surfers of all levels.
The inaugural surf trip to North Korea is worth $2,400, and it is scheduled to run between September 13th-20th. Surfers will visit spots in Sijung and Hamhung.
Discover the hidden surfing paradise of North Korea.