This is the fun bit and if you have never surfed before we want you to feel the exhilaration of catching your first wave. We believe that the best surfer on the water is the one having the most fun. Everyone is welcome on Curl Curl Surf weekends - whether you have surfed 30 foot Hawaiian waves or never set foot in the sea before.
If you are a beginner, we strongly encourage you to sign up for a lesson with our surf partner, Barefoot Surf School – these lessons provide a great introduction to the sport and will ensure that you progress and enjoy your surfing experience. We warn you that once you are hooked, you will not look back.
If you are experienced enough to head out on your own, you can hire a board and hit the water. Half day surf hire (board and wetsuit) is included in the cost of the weekend and you can easily extend this (£8 for half day hire) .
Learning to surf
If you are not already, we want you to be hooked by the end of the weekend and this is why we have teamed up with Nigel and Judith of Barefoot Surf School who will teach you all you will need to begin your journey as a surfer. Nigel and Judith share our passion for surfing and the ocean and their personalized approach to teaching will ensure you get the most out of your lesson.
Barefoot Surf School is fully accredited by the British Surfing Association. Every group has an on-the-water’s edge spotter; they are the only school in Europe that we know of who do. You will learn to surf in a safe environment with good quality equipment. Nigel and Judith believe, as we do, in constant feedback and will guide you throughout the lesson so that you get the most out of your experience.
Unlike many surf schools, Barefoot Surf School is mobile and if the surf isn’t right at Putsborough, where we usually surf, we will move to one of the other beaches nearby.
Barefoot shares our philosophy that the best surfer on the waves is the one having the most fun, so all that we ask is for you to get stuck in, smile and go for it.
Cost of a half day surf lesson with Barefoot Surf School is £12 (bargain!)
FOOTNOTE: Barefoot Surf School is fully insured and Curl Curl Surf Limited takes no responsibility and bares no liability for any accident or injury during the surfing activities. Clients participate in surfing and other activities at their own risk. Please refer to our Terms & Conditions for more information.
Lesson format
- Arrive at the beach and get kitted out with your board and wetsuit
- Surf safety briefing and rules of the waves
- Beach practice
- Two hours on the water putting in to practice what you've learnt on
the beach Debrief - Debrief
Flat Days and other activities
We are obviously reliant on the weather and surf conditions. On the rare occasions when there is no surf, our surf partner, Barefoot Surf School, offers various other activities:
Sandboarding: Think of downhill snowboarding…on sand! Lots of fun and an easy cross-over if you’ve ever snowboarded or skateboarded. Sandboard sessions are
2 hours* starting off on gentle slopes, building confidence before moving on to more challenging dunes (these have slower runs that enable less confident members of the group to stay together with the nutters!).
Powerboarding: This fuses surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding into one, with addition of a power electric motor.*
Standup Paddling (the fastest growing water sport in the USA): The old Hawaiian waterman's art of paddling a large board with a long paddle whilst standing up. Sessions are 2 hours*. From Putsborough, you will initially gain the basic skills, possibly paddling along the beach and fringing the cliff towards Baggy Point, out into Dolphin and Seal territory. (For more info see: www.c4waterman.com).
*An additional payment of £4 is required to take part in these activities.
There are also a host of other activities available in the local area and Curl Curl Surf will do its best to line up alternative activities if surfing is not possible.
Safety
Like any sport, surfing is physical and requires a certain level of fitness. However, it is not an exclusive sport and people of all shapes, sizes and ages can take part.
Please note though, it is a BSA requirement that you can swim 50m and as such, you are asked to confirm this on the booking form. We want everyone to have fun but we ask that you are responsible and take into account the safety briefing you are given when on the water.
History
Canoe surfing was witnessed by Captain James Cook in Tahiti during a voyage in 1769. However, it was not until 1778 when Cook dropped anchor off Hawaii that surfing as we know it today was witnessed. Cook drew a picture of a man paddling a surf board and documented this sighting with a written description – “I could not help concluding that this man felt the most supreme pleasure while he was driven on so fast and so smoothly by the sea”. He became the first known westerner to sight a standing surfer. Little did he know the impact that surfing would have on popular culture world wide. Cook was unlikely to have realised at the time that he was probably watching royalty surf those Pacific waves. Surfing became known as the sport of kings and was born out of pleasure rather than competition. These kings surfed for sheer enjoyment and surfing has remains true to that philosophy today, the only benchmarks that you need to reach are those that you set for yourself and that is why anyone can do it.
Surfing arrived in the UK in the early part of the twentieth century and it is said to be Charles Snowy McAllister who first demonstrated surfing in England in 1928. Since this time, the surfing industry has gradually grown and is now one of the fastest growing sports in the UK.
