Medical Disclaimer: This calculator provides a general estimate based on established research and is for educational purposes only, not a substitute for medical advice. Individual results can vary based on health conditions, so consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
How Calories Burned Surfing Are Calculated
Calories burned surfing is the energy your body uses to paddle out, sit and wait in the lineup, stand up on the board, and ride waves. It depends mostly on your weight, how long you are in the water, and how much of that time you spend paddling.
What Surfing Calorie Estimates Measure
It is a gross figure: the total energy you use in the water, with your resting burn included. It does not read your heart rate, your oxygen use, or the waves you surfed.
The Formula
Calories (kcal) = MET x body weight (kg) x time (hours)
1 MET = about 1 kcal per kg of body weight per hour
A MET is a way to compare an activity with sitting at rest. The surfing values are drawn from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, which brings together energy costs for adults aged 19 to 59¹.
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
Tell the tool your age group, your weight in pounds or kilograms and the type of surfing, then enter your time in the water in hours and minutes. Pounds are converted to kilograms, the MET for your surfing choice is looked up, and the tool multiplies. To keep it simple, calories are rounded to the nearest 5 kcal and the MET to one decimal.
Type of surfing | Compendium code | MET |
Recreational surfing (also bodyboarding and bodysurfing) | 18220 | 3.0 |
Competitive surfing (contest heat) | 18222 | 5.0 |
Paddling a surfboard (steady paddling) | 18221 | 6.8 |
The compendium has no separate entry for bodyboarding. Its surfing rows read "body or board", so bodyboarders should use the recreational option¹. The recreational and competitive values are estimates, while the paddling value was measured¹.
Surfers see total calories, calories per hour in the water and per 30 minutes, and a table of all three options at their weight. For surfers under 18 the tool gives no result, since young people use energy differently. At 60 and over you see a note, because older adult values do not cover water sports.
Split my session (optional). This helper takes three parts: surfing minutes (counted at your chosen type), separate paddling minutes (counted at 6.8), and long breaks on the beach (left out, so the result is labeled active time only). Use separate paddling only for paddling done on its own, like a long paddle-out to a distant reef or paddle training. Do not split out the paddling between waves, because the surfing values already include it.
What Your Result Means
The number is the energy you spent in that surf, not a goal. Here is the surfing burn for a 70 kg (154 lb) adult:
Type of surfing | 30 minutes | 60 minutes |
Recreational surfing | 105 kcal | 210 kcal |
Competitive surfing | 175 kcal | 350 kcal |
Paddling a surfboard | 240 kcal | 475 kcal |
A steady hour of paddling burns more than twice as much as an hour of relaxed recreational surfing. The more you weigh, the more you burn at the same effort, because there is more body to move through the water.
Where Your Time Goes in a Surf Session
Riding waves takes only a small slice of a surf session. Three studies tracked what surfers actually do:
Study | Paddling | Waiting (stationary) | Riding waves |
Pro contest heats, video² | 51% | 42% | 4% |
Nationally ranked surfers, video and GPS³ | 54% | 28% | 8% |
Recreational surfers, GPS⁴ | 47% | 42% | 8% |
In the pro study, paddling bouts lasted about 30 seconds on average and rides under 12 seconds². A day with a long paddle-out, a strong current, or lots of chasing waves sits closer to the paddling value. A slow day in the lineup sits closer to the recreational value.
What Changes Your Burn in the Water
How much you paddle. Paddling is the main work in surfing. It takes about half of the time in both contest and recreational studies² ³ ⁴.
Wave conditions. In 60 recreational sessions, longer wave periods (more seconds between waves) were linked to working at a higher share of maximum heart rate⁴.
Skill. In the same study, more able surfers worked at a lower share of their maximum heart rate, even though they reached higher ride speeds⁴. So a less skilled surfer may work harder for the same session.
Contest or free surf. In contest heats, heart rate averaged 139 beats per minute, about 64% of maximum, and peaks averaged about 190³.
The tool does not adjust for water temperature, wetsuits, or crowds.
What Studies Measured in Real Sessions
The recreational GPS study also estimated energy use from each surfer's heart rate: about 493 kcal per hour, with a wide spread between surfers⁴. At their average weight of about 72 kg, that is roughly 6.8 kcal per kg per hour, more than twice the compendium's 3.0 estimate and close to its measured paddling value. It came from heart rate, not oxygen measured in the water, so treat it as a guide. If your sessions are busy with paddling, the paddling option may fit you better.
Surfing Compared With Other Water and Board Sports
One hour of surfing next to other activities, based on 2024 Adult Compendium values¹:
Activity (code) | MET | 70 kg (154 lb) | 90 kg (198 lb) |
Surfboard paddling (18221) | 6.8 | 475 kcal | 610 kcal |
Stand up paddle boarding, general (18224) | 6.5 | 455 kcal | 585 kcal |
Swimming, leisurely, not laps (18310) | 6.0 | 420 kcal | 540 kcal |
Surfing, competitive (18222) | 5.0 | 350 kcal | 450 kcal |
Kayaking, moderate effort (18100) | 5.0 | 350 kcal | 450 kcal |
Skateboarding, general (15580) | 5.0 | 350 kcal | 450 kcal |
Surfing, general (18220) | 3.0 | 210 kcal | 270 kcal |
Paddle boarding and kayaking are steady paddling, so they sit near the surfboard paddling row. A whole surf session is lower because so much of it is spent waiting.
Where the Time Goes in a Surf Session
Share of session time spent paddling, waiting and riding waves in three studies. Riding is the smallest slice in every one.
- Paddling
- Waiting
- Riding waves
Show data table
| Study | Paddling (%) | Waiting (%) | Riding waves (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pro contest heats | 51 | 42 | 4 |
| Nationally ranked surfers | 54 | 28 | 8 |
| Recreational surfers | 47 | 42 | 8 |
A Note on Accuracy
Two surfers can spend the same hour in the water very differently. One may paddle against a current the whole time, while another sits in the lineup waiting for sets² ⁴. The general surfing value is an estimate, not a direct measurement, and a heart rate study suggests active sessions can burn more¹ ⁴. Skill, waves and your own resting rate all shift the real number. Surfing results are fair estimates, not exact counts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories do you burn surfing for an hour?
A 70 kg (154 lb) adult burns about 210 kcal in an hour of recreational surfing and 350 kcal in a contest heat, using compendium values¹. A session full of paddling can reach about 475 kcal.
Is surfing a good workout?
Yes. In a study of recreational surfers, heart rate averaged about 80% of maximum, which met the American College of Sports Medicine intensity criteria for heart and lung fitness⁴.
Does surfing burn more calories than swimming?
Usually not. An hour of leisurely swimming (6.0 METs) burns about twice as much as an hour of general surfing (3.0 METs)¹. Only steady surfboard paddling (6.8 METs) burns a little more than leisurely swimming.
How accurate is a surfing calorie calculator?
The surfing number is a reasonable average, not an exact figure. How much you paddle, the waves and your skill can push your real burn well above or below the estimate⁴.
Sources
2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, Herrmann et al., 2024
Activity Profile of World-Class Professional Surfers During Competition, Mendez-Villanueva et al., 2006
Physiological Demands of Competitive Surfing, Farley et al., 2012
Wave Conditions, Surfer Ability and the Physiological Response of Recreational Surfers, Barlow et al., 2014