Let me start this by saying this is not for surfers, this is for everyone else. From those stuck in a rut, running around the rat race or those just bored and looking for something new to do. If you are anything like me then you are constantly going through these phases of why am I here, sitting in this office or shop, seeing all these photos on Instagram of wild places and exciting people feeling like I had become a bit too used to routine and bobbing around in my comfort zone. Well I’m here to tell you that all of that can change, and if you live in the UK it’s not far away. Surfing is something that many non-surfers will stereotype, this is not their fault of course, as always there will be some who slide into the stereotype. Starting surfing in my thirties have met such a diverse array of people all linked by a love for adventure and all of them openly admit that surfing was a turning point in their lives.
As you continue to read I want you to forget all that the media have poured into your head and keep an open mind. You are about to learn what it is to surf, why people do it and why Cornwall should be a choice destination for all. Why will surfing change my life you may ask? Picture this if you would, the sun is setting, you are floating on the ocean and the waves gently pass you by, making your board bob up and down. The sea air is fresh with a slight chill, not enough to make you cold but cold enough to make you feel alive. In the distance, you hear others laughing and joking whilst splashing around. Stress has already been washed away and without sounding too cliché, you feel at peace. Who knows you might see one of the local friendly seals bobbing about checking you and the other neoprene humans out, or if you are lucky perhaps a pod of dolphins will join the break. You close your eyes, take a deep breath, each time you do things feel better and better. This is all about to change….. You open your eyes and see a ride-able wave rolling towards you! This is a ‘keeper’, at that moment the relaxation subsides and makes way for pure excitement and adrenaline.
You turn your board away from the sun and aim it for the beach, the lessons you had in the morning reminding you to paddle frantically! You feel the wave grab your board; you start racing towards the shore, water splashing in your face like a torrent of rain. You are moving so fast and you have almost no control over it, you stop paddling and grab your board lifting your body up to a standing position. You don’t notice your friends watching you surf your first wave, you get total tunnel vision all you can see is the beach gaining on you and all you can feel is your heart beating. Suddenly the spell is broken by the cheering of your surf coach and your friends who rush over to give you a high five! You try to explain the feeling of catching your first wave but you can’t, it’s too personal like it was made specifically for you, in a way it is. I have spoken to many surfers who have explained to me their feelings when catching wave number one and they are all different. Each moment is so individual, so beautiful, that it can’t be explained. All you can do is accept that feeling of elation, get back on your board and paddle back out, enjoying the moments of peace and the moments of pure excitement.
Why Cornwall? There are plenty of surfing spots in the UK, it doesn’t have to be here does it? I have lived in various countries and visited even more. Having no more than 20 different addresses in about 15 years, I could never feel settled and considered nowhere my home, not even where I grew up. Cornwall changed all that. The locals have always been lovely, they may say ‘ansome’. I have been in many a surf shop in the past and left feeling judged as a beginner or someone who shouldn’t be getting in the water, but not in Cornwall. I was instantly made to feel like it was a good thing and given sound advice on spots to go that were safe for beginners, which board I should look to get and most of all told to be patient with it. The best advice I could have asked for. Not only that but they are a hardy bunch the Cornish, a very outdoorsy type of person who loves the wild and the environment. I’s as though they are all connected to it in a way city folk can struggle to understand. Waking up early and going to grab a coffee or breakfast will normally find you greeted by many a good morning by the dog walkers or fellow early birds, all smiling and happy to be up and out, hoping to experience yet another beautiful Cornish sunrise, the type that genuinely takes your breath away.
The coastline and beaches are some of the most beautiful you will see anywhere and a lot of people forget that. With such a massive choice of beaches, mostly containing a surf school or two, your choices are immense. You could potentially come for two weeks and spend each day on a different beach with a different surf school, or just hire a board and do your own thing.
I can guarantee that your trip back home, wherever it may be, will be full of smiles and laughter, recollecting those moments of peaceful bobbing with the sun on your face. The adrenaline fuelled moments of wave catching, remembering the beautiful beaches that gave you sandy toes and salty skin; those moments you shared with friends falling off your boards laughing, eating one of many delicious Cornish pasties and sitting watching the sun go down and being overwhelmed by a fire-like horizon filled with reds, oranges and pinks.
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