These are exciting times at Gwithian Academy of Surfing. The summer is just around the corner, Spring is here (I think) and all our thoughts are turning to getting everything ready for the summer. [Read more…] about New Blog
New Blog
News
Snow
The surf has taken a bit of a turn for the worse since we began 2013. There has been plenty on swell but not a lot of quality.
You may have read that 100 ft high waves have been ridden in Portugal. Mainland Europe has had an epic winter of surf so although we are missing out at least someone is getting plenty of surf. As well as great surf they are also enjoying some good snow in the Alps so it seemed like a good year to dust off the snowboards and hit the piste. [Read more…] about Snow
That’s More Like It
At last! A week of sunshine and surf arrived to perfectly coincide with the end of term. We haven’t had a week like it for a good couple of months but it was welcomed by loads of happy surfers and beach-goers. It’s certainly given everyone a lift after some fairly ropey weather in June and it looks like it’s set to continue for a little while yet.
If you are thinking of coming down for some surfing lessons then it’s definitely worth giving us a days notice at this time of year. Give us a bell on 01736 757579 and we’ll get you booked in!
Surf Experience
It’s ‘activities week’ at the local schools which means that the beaches are packed with hundreds of frothing teenagers and the lucky ‘work experience’ kids who realised that a week with a surf school means at least 4 hours in the water a day talking about surfing.
When I was their age I was sweeping the local surfboard factory and making flagons of tea for the shaper but I still managed a cheeky surf here and there. Best week of my life!
We’ve got three of them with us this year and they are doing pretty well so far. The wetsuits are cleaned and put away in good time and the back room has had it’s first decent clean of the year.
They’re rubbish at making tea though. If they don’t buck their ideas up they’ll have to make do with a proper career!
Volunteerism
Every now and then we take a booking that we know is going to be interesting and even more rewarding than usual. Over the next few weeks we will be working with some autistic youngsters and helping them into their first few waves as part of the Wave Project. This group was set up in 2010 to help disadvantaged young adults and children experience the joy of surfing and is going from strength to strength.
We have worked with autistic children in the past and while it can be challenging the vast majority enjoy themselves and get a lot from the experience. Autism, from what I have seen, is certainly no barrier to a full and rewarding life in and out of the water. In fact one of my favourite surfers, Clay Marzo, has Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism and you could argue that it has made him the surfer he is today. Certainly his trait of laser intense focus is one I wish were my own. And boy can he surf.
Without wanting to delve into the mawkish depths of hippy mumbo-jumbo the sea can be a healing environment that can bring the best out of anyone.
It’s one of the reasons we love surfing isn’t it?
But back to the Wave Project. Obviously to do these lessons in a safe manner takes more man-power than usual so if you would like to get involved you can volunteer your time and help out. You’ll even get some money for your travel expenses.
You can get in touch with them at info@waveproject.co.uk
