ATT. SURFERS: advice please!

[themonkian]

cheers all

[johnty]

Hi guys. I'm a surf instructor in north Devon at weekends, as I cut down trees during the week. Also my friend owns a watersports company called Point Breaks give him a phone.

[APC]

Ok,

 

After growing up in Bournemouth, living there for over 25 years, surfing there for 10 years, I've seen the place be really, really good and really really crap.

 

It's not that great as a "beginners" wave as the peaks are focused on Bournemouth and Boscombe piers, which have crowds of over 100 people at the worst of times. The other is Southborne, where the wave is a sucky shorebreak, not really suitable for anything apart from bodyboarding, although you do get the odd decent standup who can manage the takeoff and get barrelled.

 

I would recommend Highcliffe, the other side of Christchurch. It's not so busy here. The waves can be long and fairly slow, so perfect to learn on.

 

Kimmeridge ledges can be sketchy due to it being over rock. Often, the main hazard is getting in and out of the water, due to all the holes in the floor that you can get your leg trapped down. Once you are in the water though, it is extremely easy to get "out back" although can be a long paddle, perhaps 250metres some days. It was one of my favorite spots and when I first started, it was always quiet over there. You'd pull into the car park by the ledges and there might be 3 or 4 other cars there. Last time I went, just over a year ago, we pulled up and the car park was totally full, as was the car park by the toilets, with the main clifftop carpark looking busy too. This was at 7am on a weekday. I refused to go out as I won't get involved in the whole crowd thing, having to fight for waves etc. We went and checked out a secret spot to the east which involved a proper long walk but was worth it and had better waves and nobody else surfing!

 

I would keep an eye on magicseaweed.com's forecasts. You can get an iphone app for it so you get alerts if it's "5 dark stars". These forecasts take into account swell size, period, direction, wind direction, fetch and tides, so does all the work for you.

[Ian H]

Hi all, have noticed there's a few surfers on here and thought I'd pick your brains, if you'd be so kind of course!

 

Me and the missus have recently gotten the surfing bug and are looking to get into it a bit more. Our experience so far consists of only 2 lessons each down in Newquay (Fistral Bay/Beach I think)- and we're looking to get out there and get some more practice in.

 

My questions are:

 

Does anybody know any areas in Dorset that are good for beginners to practice? (preferably quite quiet areas)

 

And is there anything I should bear in mind before turning up with my wetsuit and board- such as tides etc?

 

Cheers in advance!

 

Have you had a look at The Stormrider Guide, they list and review most of the beaches throughout the UK, you can't beat local knowledge though when it comes to safety/state of tide etc, good luck and enjoy:thumbup:

[slack ma girdle]

Come to Pembrokeshire, apart from Manorbier, you can always find some space with little in the way of hassle.

[Nick B]

Croyde Bay is good in north Devon

[APC]

Oh, to add to the Highcliffe bit, to be in the right place, head for Barton on Sea, park in the carpark by Cliffhanger Cafe. On bigger days with southwesterly swells, travel west towards Highcliffe, getting the shelter from Hengistbury Head.

[johnty]

Nick B totally agree Croyde Bay produces som of the best waves in the UK, proberly not the best for beginners, even more so at low tide where it can become quite hollow and heavy. Saunton is just round the corner and is an ideal beginners wave.

[ad15]

umm,, i'd steer clear of kimmeridge until you're competent.

 

highcliffe is your best bet,, there's a friendly bunch down there too, keep an eye out for a salty looking bloke with a beard, eric is his name,, you can pick his brains to your hearts content,, there's also a curly haired chap with a prominent nose called joe,, he's helpful too,

failing that,, just keep an eye on the charts and get used to bailing from work early on fridays,,,

[APC]

Oh, and check out bournemouth Surfing Centre and Sorted Surf Shop for webcams of the beaches.

One of best surfs I had was actually branksome chine, when a large groundswell pushed through. The piers were absolutely rammed although Bournemouth was sizeable, the wind was slightly cross-on. We checked branksome for some reason. It was solid 3-4foot breaking outback, wind just enough offshore, all way between there and durley. Ive never seen it like that before or after. There were a few people in getting standup barrels. It was clear skies and glassy as hell. There were plenty of peaks going unridden too. Like I said, never seen it work before or after that day.