Hey, I'm Matt 👋
French surfer, living in the Basque Country. Building the surf camp directory I wish I had.
Since starting surfing 12 years ago, surf trips have always been a big part of my passion for surfing.
The very first one was Sri Lanka, about 10 years ago, when Weligama was empty and that huge hotel wasn't even finished yet. Since then I've had the chance to surf in Indonesia, Philippines, Morocco, Panama, Portugal and Spain—and it only made my passion grow stronger.
I love the concept of surf camps: a cool place dedicated entirely to helping you progress, surrounded by other surfers and locals. So I like to book one once in a while.
But I've had bad experiences in the past and often struggled to find the good ones. That's why I built Luwatu.
Why I Built Luwatu
To make it easier for surfers to find the best surf camp for their next trip—and to help genuinely good local camps find more customers.
It's hard to compare what actually matters. Current solutions compare packages rather than camps themselves—you often don't know who you're really booking with.
Commissions are killing local camps. Existing platforms charge up to 30% commission, making it difficult for camps to stay profitable while delivering a quality experience.
Intermediate surfers are underserved. Everything's built for beginners. I don't like being left on the side.
What Luwatu Is
Ever booked a camp expecting proper intermediate coaching, only to arrive and find 8' foam boards, 6-to-1 classes, and nobody who's ever stood up on a board?
Luwatu is a simple, data-rich directory of surf camps around the world that lets you compare camps based on 50+ data points: coach ratio, video analysis, sessions per day, vibe, dietary options—the stuff that actually matters to surfers.
Luwatu is independent.
I'm not a startup with VC funds and investors pushing me to maximize profit whatever it takes. I'm a dude who likes surfing, who likes surf trips, who wants to meet and support local communities, and who built the website I wish I had when going on trips.
That's it.
Where Is This Going?
Right now I'm focusing 100% on surf camps. But I know most surfers don't book a camp every time they go on a trip—I don't either. Most of the time, especially intermediate and advanced surfers, we like to get organized ourselves, stay agile, and adapt to the conditions.
That's when relying on locals' knowledge and help is often the best choice. That's why I also want to help surfers connect with local service providers: guides, coaches, boats, photographers, videographers...
As a matter of fact, I already built something like this 12 years ago with a developer friend. It was called Swilo (Surf With Locals)—it was a fun experiment and I still think I can help here.
For Surf Camp Owners
I built Luwatu to help good local camps get discovered—not to squeeze commissions out of you. If you run a camp and want to chat about how we can work together, I'd love to hear from you.
Learn More for Camps →Get in Touch
If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hi—I'd love to hear from you.