Surfing in Cornwall
Unwind like a local
Surfing in Cornwall
Unwind like a local
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Let your hair down and surf’s up!
The beaches in Cornwall are truly a sight to behold, from the golden sands and scenic clifftops to the crystal blue waters and secret coves just waiting to be explored. You can swim, sunbathe and of course - surf! If water sports are your thing and you fancy hitting the waves, we’ve found some of the best places to surf in Cornwall - and just why locals love it so much.
Speaking to Cornish locals Joel Bishop, owner of Westcountry Surf School and Susan Deakin, Manager of Visit Newquay, we’ve asked for their tips and recommendations when it comes to the best surfing in Cornwall.
Cornwall and surfing - a perfect pair
Home to the longest UK coastline and over 300 beaches, it may come as no surprise that Cornwall is a surfing epicentre. Surfers from around the world gather to tackle the waves of Fistral Beach, Watergate Bay, and Polzeath.
Why are Cornwall’s beaches so good for surfing?
Located on the southwestern edge of England, facing the Atlantic Ocean, Cornwall’s coastline is exposed to the consistent swells generated by Atlantic storms. These winds allow waves to build up power before reaching the shores of Cornwall, making them perfect for riding on a surfboard.
The diversity of Cornwall’s coastline, with varying rock formations and reefs, creates different types of waves and allows for surfers of all skill levels to find one suitable for them. Due to these geographical elements, Cornwall is quite literally a perfect surfing spot!
Surf schools in Newquay
Joel, avid surfer and owner of Westcountry Surf School walks us through how a typical day at surf school works - and what you can expect from a lesson on the waves.
“We’re based at Watergate Bay…because that's such a good beach to learn and it's not too busy because the beach is just so big.
It's mid to low tide… maybe like 10 miles long…So even if it's on busy days, we pride ourselves on taking people where it's less busy… I wouldn’t recommend people just going off the one side of the beach and going swimming on their own, but with the surf school, you can so that's what makes it quite good and niche - in the summer you need that because it gets pretty hectic.
The morning group take the left side and then the boards will stay down the beach all day. So they don’t have to carry them back up or anything. We’ve got a van that picks them up anyway, but I will stay on the beach and wait by the boards and then they'll just keep shuffling the groups down."
"We do a six-to-one ratio. So even though there might be 30 people turning up six people will leave with one coach and then another six and then another six. Other surf schools…do eight which is way less personalised really.
We take people surfing all day… and we close at five. So the last lesson comes up at four.”
How old do you have to be to surf?
Joel continues, “From seven up to the oldest I’ve done is 72. You can be younger than seven, but that has to be a private lesson one on one.
You don’t have to be a really strong swimmer but if you're a little bit anxious about it I always just say let's just book a private. You can't go wrong when it's one on one.”
Watergate Bay is less than a 10-minute drive from our Newquay Holiday Park and less than a 20-minute drive from White Acres Holiday Park, Holywell Bay Holiday Park and Crantock Beach Holiday Park.
Surfing in Newquay
If Cornwall is the main region for surfing, Newquay is the surfing town. Joel explains, “I moved to Newquay pretty much straight away when I decided that I wanted to surf because Newquay’s got all the beaches for surfing. I used to come down here all the time surfing myself.”
But, which beaches should people go to for surfing? Susan told us, “For me Fistral [Beach] you would go there if you were an age group where you want to go surfing, that's our main surfing beach. It's where we hold our competitions…and it would be the place to take a couple of teenagers in the daytime to surf, big waves, but a lot of fun there.”
Whether you’re a first time surfer or King of the waves, there’s a surfing beach for everyone in Cornwall.
Local insiders
Joel Bishop
Owner
Westcountry Surf School
Joel has lived in Cornwall his entire life, growing up in Looe. He opened his surf school 10 years ago in Watergate Bay.
Joel has a passion for the Cornish beaches and surfing, describing his business as a lifestyle.
Susan Deakin
Manager
VisitNewquay.org
Susan has lived in Newquay for over 50 years, as well as starting her family there and raising her two children.
Susan’s main objective and role with Visit Newquay is to continue to restore the region to its former glory as a tourist destination for families to make memories.