Surfing St Ives

I’d had my first taste of surfing in St Ives a year ago and, despite a two hour lesson, I didn’t manage to stand up once. I returned this year determined to catch a wave and and conquer the world of beginners surfing.

I couldn’t have picked a nicer day with barely a cloud in the sky and a calm sea. Admittedly not great for pro-surfers but perfect for me.

I was going to be learning with the St Ives Surf School and as the photo below shows they have a lot of learners turn up at this time of year. Luckily Porthmeor Beach is big enough to accommodate this many and more.

Suited and booted I was starting to look a like a surfer!

Ben, our instructor, had an unusual way or warming us up with a water fight in the sea and a roll in the sand after. Judging by my aches the next day I’m not it was the most effective, but it was a lot of fun!

After some safety tips and guidance on technique we hit the water. We were told to just practice body-boarding to begin with and not to try standing. I was surprisingly good at lying down. However as soon as I entered the water the rescue helicopter swooped across the beach and the lifeguard pulled up with his jet ski. I’m not sure if this made me feel safer or not…

After returning to land and being taught the ‘pop-up technique’ our group headed back out to see if we could master it the sea and not just on sand. After several failures, nose dives and wipe outs I managed to get up!

Sure, it wasn’t the biggest wave but I was pretty proud none the less. The lesson was brilliant fun, well worth the £30 for two hours. The instructors are really encouraging and give lots of help regardless of ability.

The rest of the day was spent recuperating in St Ives. A beauty of a town in summer or winter.