Surfing Lessons


	*Welsh Surfing Federation Surf School* Surfing Lessons A surfing lesson includes a suitable surfboard (long, wide, buoyant and made of soft foam), a wetsuit and tuition on surfing and water safety. The shortest lesson we offer is a half day which lasts for two hours with most people opting for a one day lesson (4 hours tuition) as a first introduction to the sport. Some may have already tried surfing and have made the decision to take surfing up as a regular sport. They can then either have a block of lessons to start or have a number of lessons spread out over the summer to pick up new skills and get advice on fault correction. Surfing compares with similar sports like snowboarding/skiing in that the very basic skills can be learned in a day but more tuition time is needed to learn control and intermediate skills. We can also give unbiased advice on the correct surfboard and wetsuit for you to choose. Surfing lessons provide an accelerated introduction into a very difficult sport by the use of 'beach teaching' the skills required by qualified instructors able to asses individuals ability and surfing conditions. As a measure of the success of the Surf School we find that the majority of people achieve stand up surfing in their first day. Tuition is also available for surfers who want to improve or learn new skills. A surfing lesson can be as formal or informal as you wish within our safety rules. Who Do We Teach? The surf school teaches a wide variety of people of all ages. Surfing is often considered to be a sport for young males but we find no one gender or age group to be prevalent in our customers. A typical lesson might include young children whose parents want them to learn in a safe and closely supervised way, super keen teenage boys or girls who want to become surfers as quickly as possible, some university students who want a fun packed activity weekend, professional people who have always fancied the sport but don't have time to hire a board and try to teach themselves, people who have been bought a surfing lesson for their 40th, 50th, 60th birthdays. Often we get lessons with family groups with all of the above types of people. We have also taught many school, scout and youth groups as well as adult parties including (sober) stag and hen parties. We encourage the fun, have a go and enjoy the sport attitude rather than the competitive side of surfing. This is summed up by our slogan "The best surfer in the world is the one having the most fun." Catching a fast long wave is a great thrill but you can have as much fun just trying to stand up on a wave and laughing at your own and others wipeouts. Because Llangennith beach is widely regarded by surfers as an excellent place to learn to surf (most beaches are far more challenging) there will always be plenty of people around learning at your level. We also offer tuition for people who have tried surfing before either on their own, hired or borrowed surfboard but find all or certain parts of the sport difficult The surf school has a high success rate with this category of people due to our use of suitable beginners surfboards and effective teaching techniques. A surfing lesson can be as formal or informal as you wish within our safety rules. Some people want the full how to surf lesson with all the instructor demonstrations, beach teaching and set practice drills (without a doubt the quickest way to learn to surf). At the other end of the scale others want a less structured lesson and after a quick safety talk by the instructors just have a supervised surf session. How Many Lessons Should I Book? We get asked this all the time and there is no one answer. It really depends on whether you want a one off fun session or want to get into surfing as your sport as quickly as possible. In our experience a little over 1/3 of the people we teach want a full day of lessons (2 sessions). The remaining 2/3 find a single lesson just right. As you need to pay a deposit for each lesson we advise you book for only what you are sure you want. You can always add more lessons as you need (space permitting). We advise children under 12 and people who are not paricularly active to only book one lesson a day. Splitting a number of lessons over more days is easier as is having rest days Age/Other Requirements Every person wishing to take part in a lesson must be able to swim for 50M in a pool and any medical conditions that they have that might endanger themselves or others in a lesson must be stated on the surf schools consent form. If under 18 a parent or guardian can fill the consent form in. A surf lesson is not suitable for anybody who is pregnant. Surfing is a sport that can be enjoyed by all ages. There is no maximum physical age for a surfing lesson (it's all a state of mind). The surf school normally recommends a minimum age of 8 years old for a lesson. For children under 10 years old we ask a parent/guardian/brother/sister/etc to be on hand for the lesson to help with changing into a wetsuit, taking the child out of the lesson if they become tired and to cheer good rides from the beach. If you would like a child younger than 8 years old to have a lesson we ask a parent/guardian/brother/sister/etc to go into the water to individually assist (we will lend you a wetsuit). This advice has been arrived at from over 20 years of experience of teaching young people to surf. It is designed to ensure safety and to make a lesson as fun as possible. Our instructor to people ratio is 1 to 8 as a maximum. Also all beginner lessons are kept within waist/chest depth water in conditions that have been assessed by the surf school manager for safety. The Staff All Surf School instructors hold current Royal Life Saving Society or Surf Life Saving Association open water lifeguard qualifications as well as the British Surfing Association Level 1 coaching award. See the instructors page for some more details. A Typical First Day Lesson This shows you what you could expect from a days surf lesson if you were a complete beginner to surfing. 9.30am – 10.00am Arrive at the surf school and meet your instructors- all British Surfing Association trained, and qualified beach lifeguards. What ever your size (childs small to adults XXL and womens 8 to 18) the fun starts straight away when you are shown how to get into your wetsuit. We've also got wetsuit boots for you. Then you’ll get your surfboard, specifically designed for learning to surf easily and safely. You will get shown the easy way to carry these big surfboards onto the beach. 10.00am – 10.30am At the waters edge pay attention - it’s time for the safety talk. Learn how to find out where and when to surf and how to safely fall off a surfboard. Next, learn the basics – lying on the board, paddling, catching a wave (but not standing up yet). You will do this on the sand first then its into the surf. Your instructors will give help, demonstration and encouragement the whole time. If you’ve surfed before you can miss the basics and go straight on to the more advanced stuff. 10.30am – 12.00am You’ve learnt the basics – now for the real thing! Its time to walk on water. But hold on, lets do it on the sand first – its easier. Jumping up to the surfing stance is the tricky bit, but with lots of demonstrations and determination you’ll get it right. Back into the sea for the rest of the morning to practice and laugh at everyone falling off. 12.00pm – 1.30pm Stop for lunch. You can buy snacks at the campsite shop or from the excellent new cafe/takeaway- Eddy's. Time here to rest, reflect and exaggerate the surf size and your ability. 1.30pm – 2.00pm Meet again at the surf school and head back to the surf. 2.00pm – 4.00pm A quick recap on the beach and then back into the water for more fun. When you are ready you will be taught how to sit on your surfboard, paddle through waves, turn and catch an unbroken wave, switchfoot surfing and headstands. 4.00pm – 4.30pm Back to the surf school to return the equipment. This is a good time to ask questions about buying equipment and booking further lessons. 4.30pm The end of a memorable day. This shows you a typical day at the surf school. Some people find a half day is all they want as a taster to the sport (you can do a morning or afternoon), but in our experience at least a whole day is needed to really start you off. A run of lessons over several days is advisable if you are determined to take this sport on properly. Day courses can be split into half day sessions over two separate days if you wish. As we nearly always have more than one instructor working on any one session we split the group into beginners and people who have surfed before and teach them more advanced skills depending on what they need. The emphasis is on fun and safety. Remember: "The best surfer in the world is the one having the most fun"
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