Surfing is the sport that Bude is famous for. With miles of beaches in either direction, Bude is North Cornwall's surfing paradise.
We've surf spots for all abilities with safe sandy beaches for complete beginners right through to rocky headlands and points for the surfing experts. And it's not just about the shape of our coast that makes North Cornwall so special it is also about the ocean we're next to. Because of its size and the storms that roll across it, the Atlantic produces great long distant swell that finishes up producing the wonderful waves that break on our shoreline.
Within Bude itself, we boast three very different beaches with Crooklets being the most well-known as our classic 'surfing' beach. Crooklets is home to the town's Surf Life Saving Club the very club that provides the training and Life Guard qualifications essential to our team of coaches. The Surf at the west-facing Crooklets beach breaks along a long sandy shallow sloping beach creating endless peeling and broken waves perfect for learning and practising your surfing techniques.
At Shoreline we use a number of soft-shelled surf boards designed to help you get started and develop a robust technique. Not only are these boards extremely safe but they are also light and easy to carry to and from the shore. Being very buoyant these boards catch the waves easily making sure that you will have plenty of rides on which to get to your feet and polish up your surfing style!
We generally run half-day sessions throughout the year providing Instructors, Boards, and Wetsuits with Hats and Gloves in the colder months. This is a great individual sport and group activity where you can never predict who will come out as the session's star, it's physical but very rewarding.
Crooklets Beach
Don't worry if you've never Surfed before. This activity is led by a team of fully qualified beach lifeguards and experienced surf coaches. Your safety in the water comes first and our coaches will be keeping a close eye on you throughout the session. The great thing about surfing is that you don't have to go out into deep water to catch the waves, most of our sessions are run in standing depth using the breaking waves where you can select the wave size to match your ability and comfort level. Being comfortable in water is a good starting point but we won't be expecting you to swim in the surf.
We can accommodate a wide range of ages across our activities but we'd recommend the following minimum ages based on the strength and endurance required for this sport :
Surfing minimum age 8.
Our coaches are always directly overseeing this activity but will also be teaching the various surfing skills and knowledge that may lead you to become a more independent surfer in the future. When making a booking knowing what you've done before will help us to arrange the best surfing session for you or your group.
For all surfing courses, we provide all the boards and wetsuits that you'll need. All you'll need is your swimming kit and a towel.
If you have your own wetsuit then you are very welcome to bring this along, but our suits are always available.
