By Newquay Activity Centre Director, Rob Barber.
Surf lessons in Newquay are an absolute must for any visitor.
With 7 beaches that each face slightly different directions and pick up a variation of wave conditions it’s easy to see why the towns main industry surrounds surfing. If you haven’t ever tried surfing before, a Newquay surf lesson is invaluable.
Would you try to drive a car with out learning the safe way to do it? Would you ski down a mountain with out receiving instruction first? Surfing in Newquay is an activity that demands a little respect. While the ocean serves up untold amounts of fun, you must adhere to a few simple rules in order to get the best out of it. A surfing lesson will include four main sections. Enrollment and getting kitted up, safety talk, prone riding and then standing up (and invariably falling off a few times!). Follow our 10-point guide to get the most out of your Newquay surf lesson!
1. Choose a surf school that has the correct credentials. Newquay Activity Centre is proud to deliver insured, qualified instruction. All instructors are certified by the sports governing body. They also complete in-house training to ensure that standards of safety and enjoyment are kept sky high.
2. Research the surf lesson experiences of others. Trip Advisor is invaluable to discover the very best operators as the honest reviews reflect the experiences that the guests have had. Newquay Activity Centre consistently ranks as the number 1 activity in Newquay and is two time gold winner at the Cornwall Tourism Awards.
3. Upon arriving at the centre, the first thing to do is to complete the enrolment form and be issued with your equipment. A suitably sized surfboard, a wetsuit, an ID vest and a leash. Your kit should be in excellent condition. Don’t settle for anything but the best. Newquay Activity Centre use top of the range, super warm winter suits and Swell foam surfboards. Only the best is good enough.
4. Remember that most wetsuits have the zip at the back. By keeping your socks on, you’ll probably find that the suit slides on easier.
5. Your instructor will take you to the beach and find the safest area to hold your lesson. Usually between the black and white checkered flags. This is known as the ‘Craft area’ and is where the lifeguards deem to be the safest area for surfers to enjoy the waves.
6. Listen closely to your instructor’s safety instructions, and then watch as he explains and then demonstrates the ‘jump-launch’ technique and rides the waves to the shore in a prone (laying down) position. The key to success is to wait for the wave to be about a metre away, and then dive on to the board, landing on the board with plenty of momentum travelling towards the shore. The wave will then pick you up and you’ll travel towards the shore. Keep your head up and your back arched to avoid the nose of the board going under the water and falling off (or ‘wiping out’ as surfers call it).
7. When you have successfully learned to catch waves in the prone position consistently, it’s time to learn to stand up. Your instructor will demonstrate to you on the beach the different techniques to do this. In essence, upon catching the wave lying down, you need to leap to your feet as smoothly as possible. By keeping your balance distributed over the centre of your board (a bit like a tightrope walker) you will maintain your balance and stay upright.
8. By leaning your weight on to your front foot you will accelerate, by leaning back you will slow down.
9. If you are going to fall off, try to step off the board or fall backwards in to the water landing as flat as possible, never dive in!
10. When you have managed to consistently stand up successfully it is time to lean to either the right or the left and ride across the wave. Then you are really surfing!
The Newquay Activity Centre has taught over 10,000 customers to surf and consistently receive rave reviews. Join us for the best Newquay surf lesson. But be warned, it’s very addictive!
