Learn to surf in Cornwall – The easy way

Ever fancied yourself as the next Bethany Hamilton? With Global Boarders Surf Company, you can learn to surf in Cornwall, the easy way. Gone are the days of feeling rushed to “pop up” as soon as you’ve paddled into the wave. With Global Boarders, they break it down step-by-step and will have you enjoying every ride (and wipe out)!

From the offset, the team are perfectly informal. Led by Head Coach Chris, Global Boarders Surf Co. celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. Permanently based at Gwithian Towans Beach and Praa Sands, the surf company is well established in the south Cornwall area. Along with the influx of summer tourism, they cater for 100+ local schools, teaching surfing as part of the curriculum.

The booking process is easy, (simply inquire via their website) with group or private lessons, and beginner, improver or advanced levels to choose from. The group sizes are kept small, (max 8 people) with staggered lesson times to negotiate the ever changing tide and added precautions with COVID. Even in a group, there are plenty of opportunities for the coaches to give you one-to-one pointers. The entire experience with Global Boarders feels personalised and you can sense all seven coaches of the team genuinely want you to succeed. If you want to learn to surf in Cornwall, these guys are the pros to teach you how.

Staying in Cornwall for the week, we opted for Global Boarders’s five day surf package, which includes five 2 hour lessons, covering us from Monday to Friday. Once you book your lessons, you’ll receive a text message the day before confirming the time agreed, with the advice of arriving 20-30 minutes early, and which beach to meet at. All you have to do is turn up with swimwear, towel, slip-on shoes, and suncream. From there you’re in the safe hands of Chris and his team.

Day 1

When you arrive at Gwithian Towans Beach, make sure to take in the incredible coastline views that stretch from Godrevy Lighthouse to St Ives. The car park can get very busy on sunny days, so best to arrive by midday to avoid any unwanted holiday stress. However, there are spots along the coastal road prior, if you find yourself stuck for a space.

The Global Boarders’s base is situated in the shed underneath the Sunset Surf Cafe, where you’ll find co-founders Chris and Steve to warmly greet you. The guys will organise your kit and you can hire a wetsuit if you don’t have your own. Using a buddy system to carry the 9ft+ boards, you’ll make the short journey down towards the beach. (This is where you’ll want the slip-on shoes to navigate the stony, grassy textures underfoot.)

The first 20 minutes of the lesson are an introduction to the basics of surfing, the board itself and a thorough safety explanation. This includes how to avoid diving head first when you inevitably fall off your board. Then it’s time to get into the water. Using the fundamental surfing skill of paddling, and positioning yourself in the centre of the board, you’ll practise how to catch waves (much like body boarding).

Next, you’ll be taken through the process of how to stand up on the board, with no dramatic “pop ups” in sight. By lying on your board, place your hands underneath your chest and push up (into low cobra position for those yoga enthusiasts). Then, lift your upper body enough to bring your front foot forward, before confidently twisting your stance and standing. With that, you’re surfing. No need for sharp, burpee-like motions that have you falling off before you’ve even lifted your head.

By the end of the session, you’ll hopefully have got to your feet at least once and be excited to improve over the week ahead as you learn to surf in Cornwall!

Day 2

At the beginning of each lesson, the coaches run through a safety brief and discuss the conditions of the surf. After a reminder of how to go from paddling to standing, you’ll spend more time in the water today to put into practise what you learned from day 1.

It’s a good chance to get the fundamentals down and work on your timing. When you’ve spotted a good wave heading towards you, you’ll want to jump on your board when it’s roughly 1 metre away and start paddling to gain momentum. Keep paddling until you feel the wave’s power beneath you before going through the motions of getting to your feet.

Positioning is also key. When lying on your board, your feet should be just over the tail. Then as you go to stand, you’ll place your front foot in between your hands. This will position you in the centre of the board, ideal for riding the wave.

Day 3

As you learn to surf in Cornwall and elsewhere, you’ll need to adapt to the surf conditions you’re presented with. Although we had brilliant sunshine, there were minimal waves for our third day. However, you’ll learn you can catch any wave, no matter the size. For small waves, keep your feet closer together when up in your surfing stance. This keeps the weight central, reducing the drag created by a wider stance. When there aren’t as many waves to choose from, you have to be less picky and just go for it!

Day 4

You may be able to get up on your feet, but how long can you stay there for? Today, the aim is consistency.

Although the weather was overcast, we were blessed with the biggest waves of the week, meaning more energy in water. This gave us the opportunity to try surfing the green waves rather than the white water. This involves lots of paddling as you’re trying to chase the wave before it’s broken. However, you can begin learning to surf along the wave rather than straight towards the shore. By putting pressure on the respective side of the board as you go to stand, you can direct the board left or right, using the momentum of the wave as it breaks to push you along.

Day 5

By the fifth day, your shoulders, triceps and back will certainly be feeling the aches from muscles you never even knew were there. We had another wet start, with the fog encompassing the coast and hiding the lighthouse from view, but the surf was similar to day 4.

We split into two groups of 4 (beginners and improvers) to discuss the retrospective aims for the lesson. For the improvers, Chris took us through the theory of the surf, explaining the segments of the water; white water, the impact zone and outback.

Essentially, white water is where the wave has already broken. It’s ideal for beginners as the wave’s energy dispels towards the shore.

Next, comes the impact zone. You don’t want to spend much time here, as it’s where the wave is at its most powerful as it breaks and crashes. It’s common to have a wave looming over you, particularly if you’ve timed it wrong.

Waves come in “sets”, where 3 or 4 will roll in and break one after the other. Then, there will be a lull and before another set follows. By watching the sets and understanding what the water’s doing, you’ll be in a better position to navigate your way through the impact zone and reduce how much energy you use up in the process.

Once you’ve survived this zone, you’ll have made it outback. This is where you’ll see surfers chilling on their boards watching the horizon. From here, you can assess where and when the waves are breaking to position yourself correctly ready for your time to ride.

By the end of the week, you’ll be aching in places you didn’t know existed, but buzzing from the experience. The addictive sense of achievement will only have you coming back for more.

The verdict

We had a great week learning to surf in Cornwall! With everything at Global Boarders, the primary goal is to have fun. We spent each day grinning from ear to ear no matter the size of wave or how many we caught.

We were also very lucky with the weather. Even though it got worse over the week, it gave us the opportunity to perfect our technique ready for that big surf energy towards the end.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn to surf in Cornwall, I’d highly recommend Global Boarders Surf Company. Their warm guidance will give you the confidence to consistently get up on your feet and enjoy every wipe out too! With the surfing bug confirmed, you’ll be planning your trip back to Cornwall before the week’s ended!

FAQs

What if I’ve never surfed before?

It doesn’t matter if this is your first or fiftieth time learning to surf. The Global Boarders team are highly experienced coaches who will have you on your feet in no time, providing you give it your all too.

Do I need a wetsuit?

Yes, the English coast isn’t very forgiving. Even on its sunniest days, spending up to 2 hours in the water can get chilly pretty quickly. If you don’t have your own wetsuit, you can hire one from Global Boarders.

For more information and to book your first lesson, visit: https://globalboarders.com/book/

Els x

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