Everyone who has ever worn a wetsuit, or surfed somewhere warm without one, will have felt that burning sensation from your chest, neck or armpits being rubbed raw. It usually means time out of the water and no one wants to miss a good swell for a surf rash that is completely preventable by wearing a rash vest. What causes surf rash? There are two kinds of surf rash - wetsuit rash and board (or … [Read more...]
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 - … [Read more...]
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 … [Read more...]
How to Choose the Right Surf Spot for a Beginner Surfer
If your hiring some surfboards and wetsuits, or maybe you've taken the plunge and bought your own surfboard and wetsuit, then you will be facing a critical question that you will need to answer.... How to Choose the Right Surf Spot for a Beginner Surfer. There are a few things that you will need to consider before you suit up and run into the surf so here are some tips on how to make the right … [Read more...]
How to Catch a Wave – the double paddle finish
When it comes to catching waves and explaining the technique clearly then we have to tip our hats to Rob Case. Here he provides an excellent tutorial using Nat Young in a World Surfing League heat as an example. This is well worth 10 minutes of your time. He breaks the technique down clearly as well as providing some excellent pointers on how to improve your paddling technique, speed and … [Read more...]
Dr SurfLove (or how I learned to stop complaining and love lousy surf)
One of the all-time funniest things that has ever happened at the surf school occurred two years ago during work experience week. We had a young lad, let's call him Rob, in for a week of work placement from a local school and we were showing him the ropes with regard to dealing with customers and the basics of surf coaching. Rob was a really good worker and he was a delight to have onboard, but … [Read more...]
How to stand up on a surfboard – the easy (ish) way
The best way to stand up on a surfboard, without doubt, is to utilise the 'pop up' method. This is where you catch the wave, perform a press-up and then whip your feet into place in one seamless motion. This is an explosive body movement and understandably not everyone can do this when they first come along for a surfing lesson. It requires a good power to weight ratio, strong shoulders and … [Read more...]
Wipeouts: Margaret River Maulings – WSL
If you like watching the worlds best surfers getting flogged repeatedly on a barely submerged reef festooned with barnacles and sharp pointy stuff then you're gonna love this. Source: Wipeouts: Margaret River Maulings - WSL … [Read more...]
We’re Open – Summer Starts Now!
Another winter draws to a close, spring is here and the surf academy is once again open for the summer season. Our coaches are back from their winter sojourns to sub-tropical paradises and are refreshed, recharged and ready to start the 2015 summer surfing season off with a bang. The shop has been painted, we are buried in new stock from Quiksilver, Gul, Torq surfboards and Ocean & Earth … [Read more...]
Sporting Summer
It's been a wonderful summer of sport so far. It seems like every time I switch on the telly there is some amazing sporting event taking place. If you witnessed the 4th set of the Wimbledon mens final, the Dutch dismantling the World Champions Spain at the World Cup or the start of the Tour de France you'll know what I mean. Watching sportsmen and women in the peak of physical condition pushing … [Read more...]
Winter Surfing Starts Now
But I thought it began ages ago! Well, yes and no. While the waves and weather have been absolutely bonkers for the last month the water has still been relatively mild so I never really feel that winter truly begins until January. Certainly the hard months are coming up and the sea is at it's coldest in March so the easy part of the winter surfing season is drawing to a close. Just because … [Read more...]
Surf Tip #8 – How to do a Flowing Lip-Line Re-entry
After the bottom turn the re-entry is one of the first manoeuvres that most surfers attempt. If you see a nice section coming towards you it's hard to resist the temptation to rebound of it and it's a great, dynamic way to finish a wave. Check out the video below and read on. … [Read more...]
Rio Pro is ON!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3yV4EWe-xR4 After what seams like an age the Rio Pro is finally heading in for their second round heats. The surf ain't pretty but it's probably better than we will see at Gwithian today. Whack the kettle on and put your feet up. You've earnt it. … [Read more...]
Surf Tip #7 – Catching Unbroken Waves
Catching un-broken or ‘green waves’ can be the biggest hurdle to overcome for the progressing surfer. It relies on a number of different factors such as fitness, confidence and the surf conditions on the day. The ideal conditions would be a small clean swell with light offshore winds such as in this video clip. … [Read more...]
Surf Tip #4 – Brush
The cutback should be in every surfers repertoire and when done correctly it's the most functional move there is. If your wave goes slack, you need to get back to the pocket so you've gotta either do a cutback or kick out. Check out this video of Brazilian pro surfer Jadson Andre. … [Read more...]
Surf Tip #3 – Speed Generation
Speed is the most important thing in surfing. If you haven't got it or you can't keep it then manoeuvers become hard or impossible to complete. Now that summer is coming the waves will be smaller and less powerful so you will need to work harder to generate speed in the surf. … [Read more...]
New Blog
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...]
