Tips & Info

The Bay of Plenty (part 2 of a 2-part guide to surfing in St Ives Bay)

The Bay of Plenty

St Ives Bay offers loads of options for the surfer. If one spot’s not working there’s a fair chance another one will be (and failing that, we’re lucky enough to have the south coast only 20 mins away). Allow us to take you on a quick tour of St Ives Bay’s surfing terrain…

Godrevy

[themedy_columns structure=”50|50″][themedy_col position=”a”]
[/themedy_col][themedy_col position=”b”]99% of the time Godrevy has the most swell in the Bay, but, for reasons covered in last week’s surf tip (about swell direction), not always…and quite often not as much as beaches further up the coast. It’s a pretty regular North Coast beach-break; very often do-able and occasionally pretty darn good.

Red River snakes over it with ever changing implications, keeping the sand-bars on their toes – not to mention creating a handy channel for high-tide paddle-outs.[/themedy_col][/themedy_columns]

Generally rights will be better than lefts, with the waves tending to be fairly slow and almondy, especially at higher tides (the other side of this coin being the potential for some really long rides).

While there’s usually plenty of space at low tide, things can get a bit cramped as the water moves in and around the rocks/cliffs. Another drawback on really high tides is the pebbles, which make wiping out in the shore-break hazardous for board and body!

Gwithian

[themedy_columns structure=”50|50″][themedy_col position=”a”][/themedy_col][themedy_col position=”b”]Heading SW down the beach towards Hayle, somewhere around Gillick Rock Godrevy becomes Gwithian and the waves will generally start to get a little smaller.

Gillack Rock itself can be a blessing or a curse. On the one hand, interesting sandbars will occasionally form around it, kinda like they might build up around a groin. This can improve the way waves break at high tide. And when it’s covered by enough water, with the swell in the region of 2-4ft, it becomes one of the shortest reef-breaks known to man (a.k.a. Suck Rock), providing the opportunity to practice late drops and very little else (apart from pumping/weaving like crazy through the ensuing dead-section in a bid to make it to the shore-break).[/themedy_col][/themedy_columns][themedy_columns structure=”50|50″][themedy_col position=”a”]

[/themedy_col][themedy_col position=”b”]But beware! At 1/2 to 3/4 tide the area around Gillack Rock can be rife with rip-currents, while the barnacle encrusted rock itself has been known to take some skin of the odd hapless surfer!

One of the most popular spots to surf in the area is a specific part of Gwithian Beach known as Sheep Dip (yes they used to wash sheep there – in a pool just below the lifeguard hut). And it’s not because it’s the closest part of the beach to the large car-park! The reason the waves tend to break slightly better here is due to a patch of offshore rocks (of which Bessack Rock is the only one that breaks the surface) which cause the waves to refract into themselves, creating ‘A-frame’ peaks which have been known to peel very nicely indeed (especially the lefts). Sheep Dip is best at mid-tide, with low tide often very rippy (all aboard the Bessack express!!!) and high-tide a non-starter due to the rocks.
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Peter’s Point

[themedy_columns structure=”50|50″][themedy_col position=”a”][/themedy_col][themedy_col position=”b”]Named after a dog who loved bounding around the dunes here – and is buried on the cliff-top – Peter’s Point is located about ¾ of a mile down the beach from the main car-park at Gwithian. And yes we agree that is a weird name for a dog! Peter’s Point is the stretch of beach between Mussel Rock and Site (no prizes for guessing what can be found on Mussel Rock – some of the best mussels in Cornwall, but only accessible on Spring Low Tides or in a wetsuit). To be honest, in terms of surf quality, this is the worst section of beach in the Bay, with the waves generally really gutless and tending to close out. But it never gets crowded so if you’re just learning the basics then it’s not a bad option. And as the picture testifies, it does have its moments![/themedy_col][/themedy_columns]

Site/Mexico

The stretch of beach in front of St Ives Bay and Beachside holiday parks. This is a good spot to head for if Gwithian/Godrevy is too big and/or too messy because of some west creeping into the wind. Generally better rights than lefts…and usually best at mid to three-quarter tide.

Hayle Rivermouth

[themedy_columns structure=”50|50″][themedy_col position=”a”][/themedy_col][themedy_col position=”b”]People head to Rivermouth at low tide to get barrelled – and not necessarily make it out again. And while it packs a punch at low-tide (due to the river carving out a trench which preserves wave energy), high tide is a different story, with waves tending to wobble in without much power or organisation (although you do sometimes find some decent rights peeling into the river).[/themedy_col][/themedy_columns]

Hawke’s Point

[themedy_columns structure=”50|50″][themedy_col position=”a”][/themedy_col][themedy_col position=”b”]If the swell’s massive and the wind from the S or SW you might be lucky enough to catch firing Hawke’s Point. At high tide waves bounce back off the cliff and into the next one, causing a super-fun left-hand ‘wedge’ that adds extra height and power to the waves. The super-easy, dry hair paddle out off the rocks is an added bonus (so long as you time it right), although getting back in again isn’t so much fun. Getting in/out is more straight-forward at lower tides, when the wedge disappears and right-handers take precedence.[/themedy_col][/themedy_columns]

Carbis Bay

[themedy_columns structure=”50|50″][themedy_col position=”a”][/themedy_col][themedy_col position=”b”]Tucked away as it is, Carbis Bay only has waves when the swell is either MASSIVE (i.e. big enough to wrap pretty much 180 degrees) or of the short-range northerly variety. In either case Carbis Bay can offer fun, punchy waves at high-tide or mellower, longer rides at lower tides.[/themedy_col][/themedy_columns]

St Ives Breakwater

[themedy_columns structure=”50|50″][themedy_col position=”a”]Photo by top banana Greg Martin

[/themedy_col][themedy_col position=”b”]As with Carbis Bay, Breakwater can be surfable in a northerly windswell; but proper Breakwater, which is the stuff of legend, only breaks once in a blue moon during monster swells. When it does work it offers 100 meter long, freight-train lefts, wrapping from Porthgwidden Beach all the way around to the harbour entrance. But when it’s on it’s usually the only place in a large area that’s surfable, and therefore gets very crowded.[/themedy_col][/themedy_columns]

Porthmeor

[themedy_columns structure=”50|50″][themedy_col position=”a”][/themedy_col][themedy_col position=”b”]Sitting below the Tate Gallery, Porthmeor is a semi-sheltered beach that offers good protection from S, SW and, to a lesser extent, W winds. It’s therefore a good spot to check when things start to get a bit sizey/stormy. As with much of the bay, rights tend to be better than lefts. And the further towards the western end of the beach you go the punchier the waves are. Oh yeah and for reasons unknown, Porthmeor breaks better on an outgoing tide. But… being a small-ish beach next to a large town (by Cornish standards) it does tend to get crowded. Although more exposed, with waves therefore usually more ragged, Site/Mexico, back over on the other side of Hayle River, is often, on balance, a better option.[/themedy_col][/themedy_columns]

Know The Bay: Swell Direction (Part 1 of a 2-part Guide to Surfing in St Ives Bay)

Tyson Greenaway

On the west coast of France, between the mouth of the Gironde to the west of Bordeux, and down there at the world famous Hossegor to the south, there’s roughly 100 miles of beach, separated only by the odd groin and a few river mouths. True story.

And on a good day you know, you JUST KNOW, there’s pumping waves peeling down a secret sandbar (or two) NOT BEING SURFED; Or maybe surfed by a couple of peeps. Peeps in the know, peeps with some LOCAL KNOWLEDGE.

If you’ve got plenty of time on your hands and a healthy petrol budget, exploring 100 miles of coast in a bid to find your own perfect sand-bar might be an enjoyable way to spend a day, especially if you end up scoring. But if you just wanna surf (like now) it could be tedious!

Some lessons, like how to ride a bike, or the holy sanctum that is the tube, have to be learnt in the first person (advice and encouragement notwithstanding). Other lessons meanwhile, like where the rip-tides/sharks are, or which parts of town to avoid at night, are best learned from someone else!

Exploring and making your own discoveries is wonderful and all part of life’s rich tapestry. But if learning lessons the hard way involves wasting valuable time, throwing money down the drain or putting yourself harm’s way, well, that’s when you maybe shoulda sought some advice from someone in the know!

While we can’t help you find one of those elusive French sandbars, we are able to provide you with a bunch of info relating to surfing St Ives Bay that might just help you out…

On some days Godrevy (the most exposed area of beach in St Ives Bay) has more swell than anywhere else. But more commonly it will be smaller than other exposed spots along the north coast (Gwynver, Porthtowan, Chapel Porth, etc.).

Why is this?

Well, St Ives Bay is somewhat sheltered from swells of a direction more southerly than WNW. Which means SW or WSW swells can light up other spots along the north coast whilst barely registering at Gwithian/Godrevy.

But northerly swells are a different matter…

With northerly groundswells (i.e. those generated way up in the North Atlantic, maybe near Greenland or Iceland) the further east along the coast you go, up towards North Devon, the more they’ll have to refract (bend) around Ireland to make it to shore. So you’re better off down our way.

Shorter-range northerly swells, generated in the Irish Sea, have a better fetch the further west along the coast you are (fetch being the distance of sea over which wind is able to blow in order to create swell). So again St Ives Bay catches these more than anywhere else (and it’s worth noting that within the bay itself a straight northerly or even NE windswell will probably be biggest at the usually quiet, north-facing Carbis Bay, but more on those little idiosyncrasies next week).

So, to summarise, swells from the SW quadrant will struggle to get into St Ives Bay, meaning you’re probably better off either up the coast or on the south coast, whereas more northerly swells, be they long or short distance, will get into St Ives Bay more than anywhere else in the whole of SW. The various surf-forecasting sites out there account for the above factors with varying degrees of accuracy, so application of local knowledge is advantageous!

October Opening Times | Watch the Quiksilver Pro

Tyson Greenaway

So it looks like the Indian summer is over now. The last week of September was pretty much perfect with regards to the weather but the much anticipated swell didn’t hit us quite as well as predicted.

October is already turning out to be a different kind of beast already however. The swell, while not ruler edged perfection, has jumped in size. Meanwhile the sun, when it does burn through, is getting less powerful with each week.

Still… I’ll take swell over sunshine any day of the week and it looks like the Atlantic is roaring into life for Autumn. As Cornwall gets quieter life takes on a different pace at the surf school. We are still open seven days a week but our opening hours are now 10am to 5pm.

Now that we have a bit more time to spare why not pop in for a chat, a cuppa and pull up a chair to watch the Quiksilver Pro France with us – we will be screening the webcast in the shop everyday that it’s on (and it starts today). The forecast looks amazing for France over the next few days so it’s well worth watching the pro’s in some firing French beach break barrels.

See you at the beach.

How to Catch a Wave – the double paddle finish

Tyson Greenaway

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 power.

These surfboard paddling techniques should form part of any surfer’s arsenal and can be easily applied to your surfing whether you are a beginner, intermediate or advanced surfer.

[themedy_media type=”youtube” url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iynJTbudlI”]

Pretty good huh?

I just have one little tip that you could add to those that you’ve already seen and that’s the ‘double paddle‘. You can see Nat Young starts paddling in the wave using the standard front crawl – one arm then the other arm, then the first arm and so on.

As he reaches his top speed he switches into a double arm paddle – more like the ‘butterfly’ in swimming terms – both arms at the same time.

There are a couple of reasons for this. The front crawl alternate arm technique is great for quick acceleration and getting your surfboard up to maximum speed.

It’s drawback is that it’s not particularly stable. Think of all those forces being created as you fling your arms forward in alternate strokes.

The double arm paddle is great for those last few strokes as it’s more stable, super powerful (both arms at once so double the power) and great for maintaining that momentum that you have worked so hard for.

It also has another benefit in that as you withdraw your arms from the water at the back end of the stroke they are both in line and ready to be put on the surfboard deck for you to pop up.

You won’t need to use this double paddle technique for every wave that you attempt to catch but if you find yourself paddling for waves and not quite able to ‘get over the ledge’ then it will definitely help.

So why don’t you double paddle all the time?

I’m glad you asked.

Because you are fitting two strokes in the place of one it’s tiring and while it’s a great technique for maintaining momentum it’s not so efficient for gaining speed in the first place.

Try this technique next time you go surfing and let us know how you get on in the comments box below.

Dr SurfLove (or how I learned to stop complaining and love lousy surf)

Tyson Greenaway

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 as he lacked seniority in the coaching room he would get the bum jobs – washing wetsuits, making the tea, packing the surfboards away – all of which he did without complaint.

Meanwhile away from the surf school a sub-plot was developing.

My father-in-law was an avid cyclist and had a collection of tandems of varying age and use-ability. He wanted one of them to be sent by courier to London for some friends of his to ride in a charity cycle race. All that had to be done was to wrap the bike in cardboard and the courier would collect it.

Naturally we let Rob package it.

The courier arrived at the allotted time and was dismayed to find that while the frame of the tandem had been wrapped in cardboard he wouldn’t be able to take the bike until every part was completely covered by card or wrapping of some description.

Rules are rules, he said.

Undeterred, Rob, covered every single part of the tandem in accordance with the courier company’s wishes. When the courier returned to pick up the bike he was initially reluctant to take it but he had to concede that Rob had complied with his request.

Rules are rules after all.

The bike was delivered in time for the charity ride and you can see the sterling work that Rob did in the photo opposite.

Now the point of this is not to ridicule Rob or even the jobsworth courier company but to make a point about the barriers and roadblocks that are put up, sometimes by ourselves but often by others, that stop us achieving our goals.

Rob, bless him, overcame the roadblock of company bureaucracy which we all come face to face with at times.

The courier overcame his misgivings and (hopefully) kept his job.

And my father in law never let blindness stop him from cycling (hence the tandems) or running – in fact when he was younger and still had a little bit of eyesight he would use road markings to guide him.

The road markings in the middle of the road – he would run on B-roads in the early morning when there wasn’t much traffic!

He also had a PhD in Physics (Low Temperature Physics and Super-conductivity since you asked) – think how hard the maths and the equations would be when you can only make notes and read them in Braille. He certainly didn’t let any roadblocks, metaphorically or physically, get in his way.

With surfing, especially in colder waters, there are plenty of roadblocks that you can let get in the way if you want to.

Too cold, too windy, tide not right, too much swell, not enough swell and the frankly laughable when you consider the nature of surfing: “….but it’s raining”.

So this weeks tip?

Just get in there. Don’t even bother checking the surf (or if you do don’t look too long, just make sure it’s safe). Suit up and run in there.

If it’s flat have a paddle and work on your fitness & paddling technique.

If it’s onshore and the conditions aren’t great just concentrate on getting the next wave. And the next one. And so on.

And the rain? I promise you, you’re gonna get really wet anyway.

The great advantage of surfing crumby waves is it will often be uncrowded so you end up with a higher wave-count and you will maintain your surf fitness for when the good swells do roll through.

So next time you want to surf but the forecast isn’t too good? Just rock up, suit up and hit the waves.

You might be surprised how much fun lousy surf can be.