Dud to dude (in a day)
Adventure Wales, 2005
By Cath Janes
Until I found myself being wedged into a wetsuit on the damps sands of Caswell Bay, the closest I had ever been to surfing was leering over Keanu Reeves in the film Point Break.
Just hours later, however, I was one step closer to my transformation from shambling townie to pro-surfer. Well, give or take a few afternoons of practice.
As someone who was brought up in Swansea, the hottest surfing destination in Wales, it seems ridiculous that I didn’t take up the surfboard at an earlier age. So it was only a matter of time before I had a mid-life lightbulb moment – in my case at the age of 33 – and decided that it was time I gave it a whirl.
The fact is that if there’s a God, Swansea, or more specifically the Gower peninsula, is His way of getting us to surf. On a map, the stab of land that juts into the Bristol Channel looks nibbled and frayed. Yet the reality reveals endless beaches, swooping cliffs, secluded coves and some of the best surfing conditions on the planet. Talk about a wave for every occasion! Forget Newquay and it’s mass surfing market. Whether you are a surfing starter or a seasoned pro only Gower waters will do.
I didn’t realise what great a surfer’s paradise the Gower was until my first foray into the sport. But then again I had a lot to learn. My stereotypical ideas of surfing were proof of that; shaggy, bleach haired, beach bums roaring “Awesome!”; matching bikini-clad arm candy; board crested tsunamis of water and, of course, the Hawaii Five-O theme tune on an annoying loop in the background.
One look at Simon, my surfing instructor, changed all of that. OK, so he got the obligatory tick in the tall and gorgeous box, but the rest of it was, well, blown out of the water. He looked more city slicker than pro-surfer and all without a blonde hair in sight. It was only his enviable November tan that told me he spent way more time outdoors than he could ever spend behind a desk. Oh, and the fact that in a wetsuit he’d even turn the heads of the elderly.
Simon owns GSD Surf School, the Gower’s only four star surfing school and one of seven similarly acclaimed centres in the UK. He is also head coach at GSD and a trainer for new surf coaches right across the country. He also has the patience of a saint, if the way he coached me is anything to go by.
“Anyone can surf,” he told me when I met him the night before my lesson. “You have to be able to swim fifty metres and need some cardio fitness, but that’s it.”
At first I didn’t know if he was just being kind about my size 14 figure, but it soon transpired that he was doing nothing more than telling the truth.
“I’ve seen five year olds surf and people up to the age of 70 getting on a board,” he explained. “I’ve even taught prop forwards to surf and if they can do it anyone can. Once you are in the water it doesn’t matter what shape and size you are. It’s just you and the sea.”
So I wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb then? Ridiculously my fear of looking like a giant sea slug in my wetsuit far outweighed the prospect of death by drowning or a clout on the head by an errant board. But just by listening to Simon I realised that I was already becoming part of the crowd and for once what I looked like had nothing to do with it.
I remembered his words the following morning as he handed me my wetsuit. We’d pitched up at Caswell Bay, where Simon kept his mighty stock of surfing gear, especially to equip his eager beginners. At GSD we novices, which also included a group of university students, really would want for nothing. I was impressed, not least at Simon’s delight at the size of the surf, which almost had him skipping across the sand.
“The great thing about the Gower in winter is that the surf is fantastic,” he explained as he held various sizes of wetsuit against me. “People think surfing is a summer sport but winter is the best time to do it. The waves are better, the beaches are quieter and it’s not even cold because you can wear a winter wetsuit to keep you warm.”
And keep me warm it did. Or was that just the way it took me twenty minutes to pour myself into the thing? Thankfully no one mentioned sea slugs. Instead Simon handed me a pair of matching bootees and beckoned me towards the boards.
For today my weapon of choice was going to be a swell board, a beast designed for ultimate beginners’ balance. My dream of romping across the beach with it under my arm was immediately scotched. This thing was so large that by the time I’d dragged it to the shore I was ready for a lie down. And not on a surfboard.
The fact is that surfing looks ridiculously easy. And that’s because it is. But before even dipping a toe in to the Gower’s Blue Flag waters I was given the full safety run down, this time by one of Simon’s instructors, Brett.
This took a stupidly short amount of time. I was taught how to walk into the waves, how to hold a board, how to heave myself onto it and how to protect my head when I inevitably came off again. And I had been hoping for a morning of watching Brett draw sandy diagrams with a stick of driftwood.
“You know everything you need to know,” he said. “It’s time to get out there. The only way to learn to surf is by surfing.”
So surf I did. Well, not in the way that pro-surfer Kelly Slater would. More in the way that a desk bound city girl would. The first trick was to get out into the waves. To me they looked enormous but to Simon and Brett they were mere ripples.
Simon, who has surfed all over the globe, assured me that this water was nothing to worry about. “I’ve surfed waves that are five storey’s high!” he told me. “You’ll be fine!”
And so I was. The boys, as I leeringly labelled them, were right. You really do only learn to surf by surfing. The first thing I learned was to never underestimate the strength of a wave. I only had be dragged to shore once to find that out. The second thing I learned was to keep my mouth shut. I only had to swallow plankton to find that one out. The third thing I learned was how to get myself onto a wave. But first I had to get myself afloat.
Thankfully this involves lying face down, toes skimming the water and white knuckled fingers gripping the board. This simple manoeuvre has to be executed as a wave bears down on you and with timing that’ll leave you on top of the thing, rather than underneath it. But when I did catch my first wave, the mixture of exhilaration and terror left me gasping. OK, so I clutched the board to my bosom until I eventually ran aground on the sand, but I’d done it. And the speed was breathtaking.
Within minutes I was back out there, heaving my board out and trying to get the timing right. And after several more white knuckled trips I was starting to get cocky. Which was when I stumbled headlong into my first wipeout.
As Simon said the night before, “There’s nothing like a wipeout to remind you that you are alive. It’s like being in a washing machine.” He wasn’t kidding. Seconds after launching myself onto another wave I knew something wasn’t right. It was the way the nose of my board seemed to be under the water, rather than skimming over it. Within seconds I’d gone under too.
You now that old surfing adage about weeing in your wetsuit to keep warm? Well, I think I might have done just that, although keeping warm had nothing to do with it. Suddenly the world is upside down. The sea is where the sky should be, the surfboard is a shadow in the swirling gloom and the waves are pounding you downwards. In Simon’s words, “it’s like getting a massage from Mr T.” It lasted seconds but felt like forever. When I emerged from the water the terror was written all over my face. But by now I had been bitten by the bug. Wipeouts or no wipeouts, I really had been reminded that I was alive and I was ready for more. Which simply meant standing up.
Now, before you anticipate my pro-surfer status I have to admit that I never quite got my feet onto the board. Not unless you count practising on the sand, where I’d have given Kelly Slater a run for his Quiksilver sponsorship. After several dry runs on the beach to encourage some muscle memory, it was time to get back out there. However by now I was seriously starting to flag. So I resorted to a method of getting to my feet by kneeling on the board first. Rather than just ‘popping up’, as it’s called, you get up in set stages. My feet didn’t get a look in, though. Surfing is the best fun you can have in the water without involving a cruise ship, but it is way more tiring than it looks. No wonder surfers are so fit. My body was testimony to this the next morning when I could barely roll myself out of bed without wincing.
Simon was quick to reassure me that I had done well. In his experience most beginners manage just over an hour in the water before heading back to the beach. That’s why the lessons are so reasonably priced. The first lesson, which takes half a day, costs just £30 and that includes all the equipment. After that it can be as little as £15 per lesson. And it seems I bucked the trend by not actually getting to my feet.
“Out of a group of twenty,” said Simon, “only two or three people won’t be able to stand on a board by the end of a lesson. That’s why this is such great value. For just thirty pounds we can teach you everything you need to know, get you standing up and advise you about equipment too.” He’s not kidding. Of the group I had shared my lesson with, pretty much all of them had managed to get upright on their boards.
Of course, the other great thing about surfing is that if you play your cards right you can get a crash course in Swansea’s nightlife too. For most visitors to the Gower, Mumbles is the first stop when it comes to refreshing those sea soaked parts. The Mumbles Mile, an endless promenade lined with restaurants and bars, is a challenge taken up by most students and tourists to the area. The trick is to have a drink in every bar from one end of the stretch to the other. However if, after surfing, you have the strength to really hit the town, then you have to head for the city centre’s Wind Street. Recently redeveloped it is now proud home to dozens of bars. Packed with surfers, not to mention everyone else from townies to Goths, it’s almost as exhilarating as a day on the beach.
For me, though, surfing was the real star. I may never recreate a scene from Point Break but I have certainly been bitten by the bug. Whether I’m shrieking my way over waves or swallowing the sea in a wipeout, I’m hooked. In fact not a day has gone by where I haven’t remembered those waves. Now I know I was right – for a girl who grew up in the near some of the best waves in the world, I really should have taken up surfing years ago.
BoxoutsForecastingBeginners can learn in the smallest of waves. However the last thing you want is a millpond, so speak to your surf school for a weather update before your lesson. Forecasts can predict wave conditions up to a week in advance, particularly important if you have to travel to get to a beach.Basic kitBeginners can hire equipment from their surf school or get it from surf shops for as little as £10 a day. If you want to buy your own gear, though, speak to your instructor first. There are several board sizes available depending on your level of skill, from thrusters for experts through to swell boards for novices, and instructors can advise you on what’s best for you.
Surfboard packages start at around £220 and a summer wetsuit costs around £40 (although Asda has been known to sell them for £25!). Winter wetsuits will cost more, though, and if you want something that does everything bar apply the sex wax to your board you’ll pay up to £150. On average, surfers who only go out a few times a year can spend an initial outlay of £300 and get up to ten years of use from their equipment.
It’s also possible to buy second hand gear but you really do have to know about the equipment to make the right purchases.
The next step
If you have been bitten by the bug, then there’s no reason why you can’t push yourself as far as you want. Surf schools will teach beginners all the moves they need to know but will also take them to intermediate and elite levels too. The cost of this varies, however, depending on how much time you devote to surfing. While some students surf on a daily basis others may only manage once a week. The key, though, is to go into the water even in the calmest conditions. Never snub the sea because the waves aren’t big enough for you! That way you build your confidence and gain new skills whatever the water throws at you.
Hotspots
Beginners:
Caswell and Llangennith on the Gower are perfect for beginners. They attract surfers of all levels, not least because of the local surf schools and surf shops. Book yourself into one of the local B&Bs or campsites for a real taste of the surfing community. And on flat days walk along the Three Cliffs for bracing sea views and wildlife.
Intermediate:
Pembrokeshire has some great intermediate waves, in particular Broad Haven and Freshwater West. At Broad Haven there are plenty of pubs to keep you amused while there are some chilled out villages to wander around if the water is flat. At Freshwater West, though, you could always try the more sedate pastime of golfing at the local course.
Experts:
For barrel waves, Hawaiian style, head for The Ledge beyond the shore of Port Eynon or a reef called Crab Island beyond Langland, both on the Gower. In Pembrokeshire you could also try Y Bocs for some of the best Waves in Europe. It’s real identity is a secret amongst surfers, however, who want to stop it from being over used.
Blue Flag beaches
Wales has several surf spots that are also designated Blue Flag beaches. Gower’s Caswell, Langland and Port Eynon are some of the cleanest beaches in Wales as is Pembrokeshire’s Newgale and Porthcawl’s Rest Bay. Surfers Against Sewage are active in Wales in halting the pollution of beaches and regularly work with Welsh surfers to help improve conditions.
Wildlife
The hottest spot for wildlife amongst surfers has to be Skomer Island, a stop off point on the way to the secret surfing location otherwise known as Y Bocs. It’s stuffed to bursting with puffins, guillemots, razorbills and a whole host of gulls. If you don’t want to paddle out you can take one of the regular boat trips instead. The Gower is also a wildlife paradise, thanks to its nature reserves of marshland, wood and heath.
Nightlife
Once again it is Swansea surfers who have the best nightlife in Wales. The Mumbles Mile is a must-do, even when it is heaving with students and hen and stag parties. Its recent renovation has given it a new lease of life A quick trip into town also gives you Wind Street which will keep you up, although not necessarily on your board, until the wee hours.