What 4 Years of Tracking Taught Me
Google "calories burned surfing" and you'll find wildly different numbers: 200 per hour, 400 per hour, sometimes 600 or more. After four years of tracking with a Whoop and various other trackers, comparing data against my actual weight and food intake, I finally have numbers I trust.
The Short Answer
For a 145-pound surfer with above-average fitness, here's what different types of surfing actually burn:
| Intensity | Cal/Hour | What It Looks Like |
|---|---|---|
| Low | ~325 | Lots of sitting, lower wave count, easy paddle, mellow longboard sessions |
| Moderate | ~450 | Decent wave count, some exertion, midlength in fun conditions |
| High | ~650 | High wave count, hard paddle, challenging conditions, shortboarding in pumping surf |
A hard shortboard session in pumping conditions burns approximately 600 calories per hour. A mellow longboard cruise? Closer to 300. The type of surfing matters enormously.
how i know these numbers are accurate
Four years of heart rate tracker data (Garmin, Fitbit, Whoop), daily weigh-ins, and meticulous food tracking. The key was learning to read the data intelligently—identifying outlier sessions and understanding what the tracker measures well versus where it struggles.
The proof: during a 10-day surf trip to Barbados, my Whoop showed I averaged 2,678 calories burned per day. I was eating 2,700-3,500 calories daily and maintained my weight at 142 pounds the entire trip. The numbers matched reality.
Fitness trackers work on heart rate, and surfing is fundamentally cardiovascular. Once you accumulate enough data and learn to spot the outliers, the patterns become reliable.
calculate your weekly surf burn
Beginner: 2–3 hrs • Weekend warrior: 4–6 hrs • Regular: 6–10 hrs • Dedicated: 10+ hrs
*Based on a 145 lb surfer. Larger bodies burn more, smaller bodies burn less. These are estimates—real accuracy comes from tracking over time or working with a coach.
What Affects Your Calorie Burn
Body weight. Larger bodies burn more calories doing the same activity. A 180-pound surfer will burn more than a 145-pound surfer in identical conditions.
Session intensity. This is the biggest variable. A mellow longboard session in waist-high waves burns far less than a shortboard session in overhead surf with strong current. Be honest about what kind of surfing you're actually doing.
Water temperature. Counterintuitively, warm water sessions burn more. In cold water, your heart rate down-regulates to keep you alive—your body goes into conservation mode. You're still burning calories in that 5mm, just not as many as you might think for all that work. Warm water? Everything runs hotter, you're more active, and the calorie burn reflects it.
Wave count and active time. A two-hour session where you catch 15 waves burns more than a two-hour session where you catch 5. Time spent actively paddling and riding matters more than clock time.
Currents. Strong currents mean more paddling to maintain position—significantly more calorie burn than a session where you're sitting in a calm channel.
Calculate Your surf-specific TDEE
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)—what your body burns at rest—plus your daily activity burn from surfing. Plug in the daily average from the calculator above.
Non-binary or trans? Choose based on your current dominant hormone profile.
From the surf burn calculator (weekly ÷ 7)
A Reality Check on These Numbers
These calculators give you estimates—starting points, not gospel. The BMR formulas are based on population averages, and your actual metabolism could be significantly different.
And body weight alone tells you almost nothing. 180 lbs at 40% body fat and 180 lbs at 15% body fat are completely different bodies. 180 lbs on a 6-foot frame versus a 5-foot frame is a completely different weight distribution. The scale is a crude tool.
The only way to know your real numbers is to do what I did: track food intake and weight consistently over weeks and months, identify the patterns, and let the data tell you the truth. Or work with a coach who can help you dial it in faster. The calculators get you in the ballpark. Consistent tracking—or expert guidance—gets you the actual answer.
Beyond the Numbers
Once you know your calorie target, the application is simple: eat a little less to lose weight, eat a little more to gain weight. Whether your goal is to cut, bulk, or maintain, adding mobility and resistance exercises helps keep your muscles intact and healthy through the process.
And while CICO is king at the end of the day, not all calories are created equal. A diet built predominantly from whole food sources—especially plant sources high in fiber—is proven time and again to support healthy gut function. The healthier your gut functions, the better you surf. Energy levels, recovery, inflammation, mental clarity—it all connects back to what you're actually eating, not just how much.
Want to dial in your surf-specific nutrition? My SR365 program includes personalized TDEE calculations, meal plans built on whole food principles, and the mobility and HIIT routines that'll actually improve your surfing. Set up a call and let’s get you in the best surf shape of your life!