Riding into success with the March 2024 Intensive Surf Instructor Course Graduates
The graduates of Newquay Activity Centre’s 2024 Intensive Surf Instructor Course are already making waves in the surfing community, graduating after a whirlwind journey of hard-work and fun. In March this year, 8 instructors to be entered the Surf Academy, three weeks later they’re making use of their internationally recognised qualification, travelling across the UK and Europe sharing their newfound skills as elite surf instructors with students of their own. Discover their journey and learn how you could be next.
The Surf Instructor Course
For three weeks, amidst the sea, surf, and a sprinkle of sunshine, our eight students dove headfirst into their training. Despite the weather challenges, their enthusiasm for the work was unending and they swiftly made themselves at home in Newquay, the surf capital of the UK and home to the Newquay Activity Centre, where this unique program has been designed to train up internationally recognised qualified surf instructors ready to turn their passion into a career.
Week One - Surfing with Alan Stokes
During week one, to the students’ delight, the focus was all on the surfing. Led by the renowned Alan Stokes, British Surfing champion and instructor at Newquay Activity Centre, no time was wasted immersing the students in the world of surfing. Starting with a free surf session at Fistral Beach on a damp and blustery Monday morning to assess individual surfing ability. Each morning began with beach analysis, followed by practical surfing sessions guided by Alan, providing invaluable insights into teaching techniques from an industry expert.
Over the afternoon the students engaged in video analysis back at the centre. There’s no better way to enhance surfing skills and teaching ability than through detailed video feedback. Under Alan’s mentorship, the students began analysing each other’s surfing techniques—an experience as humbling as it is instructive. The remainder of their days was dedicated to surf theory, delving into topics such as waves, weather, and technique refinement.
Week Two - Surf Coach Safety and Beach Lifeguard Training
Lifeguarding Week kicks off! Always an intensive week, this experience is crucial for ensuring all surf instructors are equipped to handle any first aid or lifeguarding scenarios. Widely considered the most demanding of the three weeks, passing this phase is paramount. As lifeguarding is one of a surf instructor’s biggest responsibilities, we ensure our students are more than proficient in the tasks ahead, by being trained by instructors with years of real life experience.
Mornings were dedicated to theory and first aid training, while afternoons were spent honing life-saving skills on Great Western Beach. Despite challenging conditions, with students braving tough waves to simulate rescues, their perseverance paid off when on Friday they all passed with flying colours.
Week Three - ISA Level 1 Surf Coach Qualification
Entering into the final week of training, with the toughest challenge behind them our students shifted thier focus to becoming the best teachers possible under the esteemed eyes of ISA legend Barrie ‘Baz’ Hall. The ISA teaching course spanned two days of theory and hands-on beach practice, where they learned the most effective teaching methodologies, delved into the responsibilities of a surf instructor and discovered crucial safety to best take care of themselves and their students, in and out of the water. The ISA course culminated in a final teaching test on the beach that provided students the opportunity to show the ISA coach everything they’d learned in a practical teaching assessment, once again the whole group smashed it, and with that under their belt were able to move on to the final few days!
The only hurdle left for the group was to pass the surfing ability test. Ace surfing photographer Sarah Bunt was called in to catch some epic footage of the group, under the watchful eye of Alan. It turned out to be the most enjoyable challenge of the course! Each student aimed to catch four green waves—two rights and two lefts—while being filmed or photographed. Despite the task, spending hours together in the sea brought smiles all around, with an unexpected visit from one of Newquay harbour’s local grey seals adding to the fun.
Work Shadowing
In order to successfully complete the Intensive Surf Instructor Course, students must accumulate a minimum of 20 work shadowing hours. Newquay Activity Centre seamlessly incorporates these hours into the course curriculum, leveraging their vast network of contacts to facilitate students’ shadowing experiences with top-tier instructors in Newquay. The students enrolled in the March intake were fortunate to shadow instructors with decades of expertise, not only within the activity centre but also alongside Alan Stokes. Additionally, they had the invaluable opportunity to spend entire weekends with the Women + Waves crew, gaining insights into empowering a group of women to enhance their surfing confidence and skills over a weekend.
Workshops
Throughout the entire journey Newquay Activity Centre continuously provided ongoing opportunities for students to develop as well-rounded surf instructors, to learn new skills, and find out about alternative aspects of the surfing world. Workshops and talks were integrated into the course, for students continued professional development each week. Highlights included an insightful presentation from The Wave Project; the surf therapy charity invited the students into their Newquay base to talk about the amazing work they do nationwide.
Students were also lucky enough to meet Rachel, the ever impressive founder of Women + Waves, who came by to share her inspiring journey and insights into how she built a vibrant community of female surfers and established her highly successful business. The course also featured workshops on surf photography, surf skating, and culminated in an exciting excursion to The Wave inland surf centre in Bristol, where students enjoyed an exclusive tour and engaging discussion, along with the opportunity to experience the innovative inland surf machine firsthand.
What’s Next?
Now graduated, our Intensive Surf Instructor Course students have gone on to roles across the world, some teaching surfing on the white sandy beaches of Portugal, some were captured by Newuay’s charm and have decided to make it their new home. You might even spot them teaching at our centre this summer! You don’t need to be planning on a career as a full-time surf instructor to take part in this course, many of our students are dedicating their time to volunteer with organisations like The Wave Project and exploring opportunities beyond teaching. Some have even chosen to pursue further outdoor training, with programs such as the Outdoor Instructor Academy Course, to broaden their skill set. If you’re intrigued by the outdoor lifestyle, and are eager to dip your toes into the world of outdoor instructing, why not check out the Foundation Surf Training Course, a week long course perfect for building confidence in the sea paving the way for any of our instructor training programs.
Student Testimonials
Dive into the waves and transform your passion for surfing into a career with our Intensive Surf Instructor Course! Over three action-packed weeks, led by the renowned Alan Stokes and our team of seasoned pros from Newquay Activity Centre, you’ll rise from novice to certified instructor. This dynamic course seamlessly blends theory and hands-on training, preparing you for a rewarding career in surfing. With top-notch instruction, industry-leading qualifications, and global job prospects, this course sets you up for success in the exhilarating world of surf instruction.
Does getting outside in the fresh air everyday and getting to surf with an amazing group of new friends sound like you? Sign up to our surf instructor training course or chat to us about getting enrolled!
