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Join us for Surf & Cookout Event at Gwithian Beach

Surf Cookout at The GAS Station,
Gwithian Beach on
Friday 7th July 2017

Cost: £22pp – Pay on arrival (cash or card)

What’s On:

What could be better than having an evening surf session followed by a delicious locally caught fish and seafood paella, cooked fresh, and ready and waiting for you right on the beach?

The Hungry Horsebox Company and Gwithian Academy of Surfing mobile surf unit – The GAS Station are joining forces on 7th July 2017  at Gwithian Beach to offer you an exclusive evening of surfing followed by a sunset cookout with a mouthwatering taste of Espania from top Hungry Horsebox Chef, Ben.

Ben is dedicated to creating fresh local dishes, using the finest quality Cornish ingredients made completely from scratch for those hungry post surf appetites!

What’s included:

Surfboards/wetsuits for the evening surf session.
Cutlery and plates for the delicious post surf food.

You provide:

BYOB (your tipple of choice).
Glass/cup for your drink(s).

The Event:

Surf Session – All levels welcome – 5.30pm arrival for a 6-7pm surf.

The Cookout

Starts at 7.30pm: Cornish Paella; Fresh locally caught shellfish, monkfish, chicken & chorizo – all served with a fresh, healthy salad.

*Some seating will be provided, however, in true beach style we recommend bringing a blanket/cushion /chair along with you on the evening – a torch may come in handy too.

The whole event will be outside so please dress for the weather and bring some warm clothes with you.

Places are limited so book now, click here

**Please note this event will be weather dependent**

See you down on the beach!

5 Reasons to Love a Surf & Camping Holiday

Surfing is synonymous with freedom. Iconic films like ‘Endless Summer’ cemented this carefree lifestyle and now you can have some of that.

We bring you the best surfing and camping holiday you will find in Cornwall this year. Based in stunning St Ives Bay, Gwithian Academy of Surfing has teamed up with Prosper House Camping to give you an exclusive holiday offer. Book 6 surf lessons with 7 nights camping from just £159 per person.

5 reasons to love surfing and camping

  1. With the campsite just a stone’s throw from an awesome surf beach you couldn’t be better placed to explore St Ives Bay. The three-mile long Gwithian beach offers consistent surf year-round.
  2. Daily 2-hour surf lesson with elite level surf coaches to perfect those surfing manoeuvres or to get you up and riding on your first wave within the first few days.
  3. Ending the day in the village pub, which is next door to the campsite, serves up amazing food and local ale. Great for post surf fuel and a few beers with your mates.
  4. Sleeping under canvas with clear starry nights, salty hair and that post surf buzz you only get from a great day surfing. Stories around the campfire of who had ‘wave of the day’ is what it’s all about.
  5. This special offer includes six, 2-hour surf lessons, all surfboard and wetsuit hire plus 7 nights camping at Prosper House campsite in Gwithian and is available to book from 22nd July to 31st August 2017.

Want some of that?  

6 x Surf lessons plus 7 x nights camping for one person – £249

6 x Surf lessons plus 7 nights camping for two people – £179 per person

6 x Surf lessons plus 7 nights camping for three or more people – £159 per person

The Campsite

Prosper House Camping is a friendly, family run and authentic campsite in the beautiful village of Gwithian in St Ives Bay. It’s a small campsite with a limited number of pitches, for a quiet, intimate atmosphere. Toilets and a hot shower are provided plus a small amenities area with a fridge freezer for campers use.

The Surf School

Gwithian Academy of Surfing is a well-established surf school with a reputation for providing high-quality surfing tuition for all ages and abilities. The school has worked with all of surfers ranging from beginners on their first lesson right up to elite performance analysis of the British Junior Surfing Squad.

It is a training centre for the Academy of Surfing Instructors and they regularly train Surf Instructors here. They are located just outside the village of Gwithian, by the Rockpool Bar; just a few minutes walk to the surf.

Places are filling quickly and this surfing with camping holiday offer is only available for a limited time. Book now.

Contact Tyson on 01736 757579 or email [email protected]

Wetsuit Buying Guide for UK Surfing

So, you’ve had a surf lesson, maybe even a few and now you’re hooked. If you intend to keep surfing as much as possible in the UK you’re going to need a wetsuit because even on the hottest days, the water is cold. You might get away with one warmer-than-average-day in summer which allows for a suitless surf. Average water time around 20 minutes before your entire body goes into hypothermic shutdown and your dangly bits, well, hasta la vista!

Roxy Syncro Base 4/3 Wetsuit
Roxy Syncro Base 4/3 Wetsuit

Don’t go second hand

There are lots of second-hand wetsuits out there on eBay, Gumtree or those sorts of sites, but do you really want a suit that’s past its use-by date, has holes in the seams letting in that ‘oh so cold’ water? AND that someone has probably peed in, even if they say they haven’t? Swimming around in your own wee is bad enough but someone else’s second had urine? Ewww!

There are loads of good quality well-priced wetsuits out there to fit all sizes, shapes and wallets, probably for not much more than you’d pay for a second-hand suit either. Buying new is a good investment.

So what suit do I need?

Most UK surfers use 3/2 for summertime surfing. Don’t bother buying a short suit unless you’re less than 5 years old or planning to surf in the tropics for most of the year. Long suits are the way to go for the UK.

Gul Response Mens Summer BS 3/2 Wetsuit
Gul Response Mens Summer BS 3/2 Wetsuit

What does 3/2 mean?

A 3/2 wetsuit is one where the thickness is 3mm on the core body parts (back, chest, stomach, kidneys) for warmth and 2mm on the arms and legs for flexibility for paddling and crucially for popping up easily.

It’s a good choice for summer surfing in the UK or Europe and will keep you warm from April to November in British surf. Choose a suit that has glued and blind-stitched seams for a watertight seal and a back zip style is easiest put on and take off. No embarrassing cries of;“I’m stuck in my wetsuit. Maureen, call the fire brigade!”

Quiksilver and Roxy have excellent 3/2mm wetsuits. For sizes and prices click here.

What does 4/3 mean?

The higher the figure the thicker the wetsuit and the warmer it will be. So a 4/3mm wetsuit will serve you for surfing cold water throughout the autumn and winter months in the UK, November to April. With thicker 4mm of neoprene around the middle body to keep warmth locked in and 3mm neoprene on the arms and legs for greater flexibility. For Scottish or North East coast surfers go for a 5/4/3mm suit with built in hood. The more frigid the water, the thicker the suit needs to be.

At our surf school, we need a wetsuit that will take plenty of punishment, keep the customers warm and fits a wide variety of people. The Quiksilver Syncro Base fits the bill for us with an impressive spec at an incredible price. For details fo this and all our winter suits, sizes and prices click here.

Quiksilver Syncro Base 4/3 Wetsuit
Quiksilver Syncro Base 4/3 Wetsuit

Chest zip or back zip?

Traditionally wetsuits were all made with back zips. Back zip wetsuits are easier to climb in and out of so if you’re a little over your fighting weight then I would recommend those. New wetsuit designs have increased flexibility and therefore chest zip suits are easier than they used to be to climb in and out of. Personally, I still struggle. They also tend to be a little pricier as more construction has gone into the design. Ultimately, it’s about personal choice. Both are pretty good.

Roxy Syncro GBS Back Zip Summer Wetsuit (Blue Print - BSQ0)
Roxy Syncro GBS Back Zip Summer Wetsuit.

We stock a wide range of both summer or winter wetsuits in a range of sizes, styles, and prices with brands like Quiksilver, Roxy, Gul and Globe. Take a look around and buy online here. Or just pop in if you’re in Cornwall, we’re open from 10am to 6pm, seven days a week.

If you’re not quite ready to buy we also hire all new Roxy, Quiksilver and Gul 3/2 wetsuits. For more details or to hire, click here.

 

 

The Ultimate Ride – A Fatman

When the surf is flat what better way to explore St Ives Bay, from Hayle to Godrevy along Gwithian beach, than on a Fatman bike.

A Fatman is more fun

These bad boys are way more fun that traditional mountain bikes. Monster truck meets bike. With the ultra-wide tyres, you get miles more traction and grip than ordinary mountain bike tyres, which means they act like the Landrover of the bike world. Up and down dunes, over rocks and pebbles, across the wet sand, in the shallows or along the coastal paths – they are the ultimate all terrain pedal power cycle that is taking the bike world by storm.

The Fatman is so much fun, someone made a YouTube video at Mexico Towans.(We were way too scared to take our hands off the handlebars to do our own film).

The spec

For those that need the detail, these fellas have Shimano Tourney 7 Speed gears, rigid suspension, 26inch wheels with tyres 26″ x 4.0″. That’s a whole lot of rubber to burn.

The Fatman is the ultimate bike for the beach and coast adventures, but if you’re looking for something different we also hire bikes for Cornish country lanes, hybrids, speed demon road bikes and off-road mountain bikes to name but a few. We’re pretty sure that once you try a Fatman you won’t go back.

There are also loads of routes and terrains to explore here in West Cornwall on a bike.

P.S. Want to try a Fatman? Print out this post with the code ‘FatManFan’ or show it on your phone to get 10% off your first go from West Cornwall Bike Hire.

GAS Surf Instructors selected for special training by RNLI

Gwithian Academy of Surfing HQ is located at Godrevy Towans, just a few minutes’ walk from Gwithian Beach. It is ideally placed for any equipment needed in case of an emergency. Head Coach, Ian Gabbitas and Surfing Instructor Billy James at GAS have been selected for speciality lifesaving training by the RNLI.

Incident Prevention

RNLI Beach Lifeguard Supervisor Ollie Shilston is part of the RNLI team that looks after 70 lifeguards and 15 beaches on both the north and south coasts of West Cornwall. From Godrevy to Lands’ End and along the south coast to Perranuthnoe. He says: “We are doing a lot more work with the community to keep beaches safe when the lifeguards are not on duty or during gaps in the season. There have been a number of incidents in the past and we want to be able to prevent them happening again. “

 GAS are well placed

He continues: “We highlight key members of the community who know the area, coasts and beaches very well and train them up to a first responder level of lifesaving. They learn key skills to cover all level of incidents from weaver fish stings, fits, major bleeds, heart and cardiac conditions, to spinal incidents and of course drownings. “

The Casualty Care for Lifeguards course is a 3-day course which covers all the major life threatening first aid incidents. They learn how to use key drugs like Entonox, deliver oxygen, and use defibrillators. It’s a high level of first aid training up to a first responder level. Another benefit of involving key members of the community is to help spread the RNLI messages of safety at the beach.

Head coach Ian Gabbitas says: “Gwithian Academy of Surfing HQ will be the volunteer station where the RNLI leave their crash bag with all the necessary equipment to deal with any incidents that happen at Godrevy out of hours or during gaps. We are here from March to November from 10-6pm every day so it’s great that we are trained up to that level to help the RNLI in case anything happens when the lifeguards have gone. As surf instructors we are already lifeguard trained but this is the next level up of training”.

Do you have what it takes?

The RNLI are looking to expand their community volunteer cover and work closely with other key community volunteers. If you would like to put yourself forward then go to the RNLI website: https://summerjobs.rnli.org/lifeguards/training.

Get In Touch:

Gwithian Academy of Surfing,
1, Godrevy Towans,
Gwithian,
Hayle,
Cornwall.
TR27 5ED.
Tel: 01736 757579

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