SURFING

is a great sport for fitness

South Wales

and fun. The coastline offers a great place

golden beaches

to learn to surf, with plenty of long

WAVES

and great suitable for beginners

all of the round.

year

Cressey's Surf Academy is based near the beaches of Porthcawl, about 25 mins outside of Cardiff, but offers lessons all along the South Wales coast wherever the best conditions are for that day - we go where the waves are!

Surfing is a great activity for groups or individuals of all ages, family and friends, parties and team building days. So long as you are over 8 years old, are reasonably fit and can swim 50 metres we can teach you to surf.

Safety is essential and our experienced surf coaches are also qualified beach lifeguards. We tailor our sessions to meet your needs, and make sure you get the best possible experience in the water.

Most people start to learn to surf in the summer, when the water and air is a little warmer, although you'll generally always need a wetsuit of some kind in the UK! Waves get a little bigger in the winter time, although aren't always consistent, but that's when the majority of advanced surfers will be seen in the water. Cornwall and North Devon offer the most consistent and accessible waves in the UK, so once you've got your basic skills down there's a great excuse to book yourself a beach holiday!

A general level of fitness will always help with surfing, but one of the best ways to develop your fitness for the sport is to keep surfing! Flexibility, balance, agility and improved strength and energy will get you better results, more satisfaction, longer water time and improve your ability to pull off some radical manouveres! Other sports which can help include:

swimming - in both the ocean and pool

running/cycling - helps build up leg muscles to get you standing faster

weights - arm exercises to improve upper body for all that paddling!

pilates - any exercise that helps develop your flexibility is great for surfing