Bye Bye 2011

And 2011 draws to a close. Not with the bang that the early Autumn swells promised but with a bit of a whimper. There has been surf during December but there hasn't been a lot on offer other than some surfs down at Hayle on Boxing Day and the 27th and a few, by and large, diabolical surfs at Praa Sands.
Overall though you'd have to say that 2011 was a good year. Surf-wise its been an incredibly violent time in the Atlantic and so long as there is enough swell you can always find a sheltered cove somewhere that will make sense of it.

Old Timers

I so hope this isn't a fake.

Junior Surf Club Continues

For the first time that I can remember the waves and weather have ensured that we have been able to continue with our Junior Surf Club right up in to November. Normally by early winter the beach is being demolished by colossal  storm swells and the chance of taking a lesson out is very slim indeed.

Surf Vouchers

It's fast approaching Christmas so why not give the gift of surfing? Let us take the strain out of the festive season and free yourself to sort out the lunch/booze/annoying relatives.
 Our surfing gift vouchers can be purchased online and then all you have to do is sit back and wait for the grateful recipients to send their thank you letters!
Remember to order before the Post Office's last delivery date and we will get it out by first class post free of charge.

South Easterlies

Some epic waves have been smashing into the South Coast today and due to the angle of the swell it has caught a lot of people cold. While most have been gazing out at ankle high waves at Gwithian and other West facing beach breaks on the North Coast those in the know, and those who had a tip off such as myself, have been presented with overhead waves the likes of which only break during a once in a lifetime swell.

Fireworks in the ocean!

The Autumn swells are continuing to roll in and, frankly, this year is one of the best I can remember. I've spent most of the last week surfing all the out of the way breaks that hardly ever get swell and even the big British newspapers (Telegraph, Express and Mail) have featured the colossal swell that came through last Sunday. I just hope that it can continue right through winter.
This crazy week of swell actually started on the Saturday which happily coincided with the British Nationals that were taking place at Newquay.

The nights are drawing in and the Indian summer seems to have drawn to a close but the surf is continuing nicely. The quality might not be quite as good as you'd expect for this time of year but at least the water is still fairly warm and with a little bit of local knowledge you can get a quiet, clean wave to yourself.

England have achieved a creditable fourth position in the European Surfing Championships and for the first time in a while have a European Champion. Sarah Beardmore smashed the opposition in a fantastic display at Bundoran (Donegal, Ireland) this afternoon and is one of those rare moments that I can proudly say 'I was there when...' Good on you.

Training

Still no sign of the promised Indian summer  but at least the waves (accompanied by howling wind) are with us.
This is proving to be good from a training point of view allowing me to get at least two surfs a day and because the surf is so lousy I can pretty much guarantee I'm the only one in the sea.

Competition

Summer is well and truly over but the waves are making a welcome appearance. We have had a load of swell in the last week or so and the weather seams to have settled down a little bit. The odd shower here and there but by and large dry.

Hurricane Season

No one likes hurricanes. As one of the most destructive forces on the planet they seem to bring only misery and despair to anyone caught in their paths.

No one except surfers that is. Even surfers on the East Coast of the US look forward to hurricanes as while they can be devastating they also create perfect, powerful surf for their normally wave starved shores. It's no coincidence that the East Coast's Pro surf competitions are all held in hurricane season. European surfers benefit even more from them. For us surfers the perfect hurricane starts in the Gulf of Mexico, moves straight out in to the Atlantic and starts bowling surf towards us. No destruction, all creation.

No Pro 2011

The long summer days are slowly blending into Autumn so naturally ones thoughts turn to the No Pro. The comp is now in its 17th year and we are proud to have Hurley as our event sponsor so the prizes this year are going to be amazing.

Bit of History

It's not often that a little bit of surfing history turns up at the surf school but I guess if it was going to happen it would be this week.

School's Out for the Summer

The schools have released their prisoners and they are all heading for a beach near you!
It doesn't seem like it was only 20 years ago that I too was released onto the streets with barely a GCSE to my name.

Large and Unruly

There were some big, big waves hoofing through at Gwithian today. Way too big to run a safe surfing lesson so we decamped down to Praa Sands on Cornwall's south coast. There it was an oasis of calm amongst what was, for Cornwall in summer anyway, a hefty storm.

Surfing Schools!

A spectacular week of sun and surf has drawn to a close. There are still a few waves to be had but its definitely dropped off a bit now. Cornwall is, however, beginning to get busier - the roads through Hayle are rammed in the morning and early evenings and you even have to queue to get a pasty. A dire state of affairs if ever there was one.

Summer

Whisper it, but I think summer may have arrived. The surf has been trundling through at a very respectable headhigh, the winds are offshore and even the weather is cooperating.
The usual signatures of summer can be clearly seen. There is a healthy layer of sand in the porch, some surf wax has been trodden into the carpet and my nose and neck are blistered wrecks. Even the surf school tortoise is looking spry and energetic in the balmy mid day sun.

Cornwall School Games

Under normal circumstances I would never let a joke go by without endlessly repeating it until it just isn't funny anymore or murdering the punchline .....
And today is no different.

ASI Course

The Level 1 ASI surf coach course that we ran this weekend has to go down as an unqualified success.  All seven of the candidates were successful and achieved their Level 1 qualification and will be released on an unsuspecting public this summer.

Back to school

Half term is over and the whole place has calmed down again. Its eerily quiet in the village at the moment, hardly any cars driving through and all is generally very restrained.
Still doing a few lessons but the surf isn't really cooperating at present. It's small and windy which is fine for beginner lessons but not so great if you want to venture beyond the whitewater. At least it's a lot hotter now and if you can get out of the wind (the surf school is in a windless sun trap so its always boiling there) its toasty warm.

Rider Slip Slider

Check out the footage of the Rider Slip Slider held at Porthmeor in May. This is just the teaser, full video is coming soon.
Looking good but then it was powered by GAS. By GAS! Geddit. Ha, powered by GAS indeed. Ahhhhh.

Crazy Weather

Some absolutely colossal waves coming through at Godrevy today. It wasn't a great day for surfing, just far too windy and way too much swell for Gwithian to be anything other than a mass of bubbling, foaming mayhem. A good day to catch up with paper work and sneak off to Praa Sands for a quick high tide surf though.

ISA World Juniors

Our trainee surf coach Paddy Daniel is off in Peru competing for Britain in the ISA World Junior Surfing Games at the moment. The boy has been ripping lately so its great to see he is getting some tangible rewards for his efforts.

New Website Online Now

Its taken a long time but the new website is finally online. What began with a trip to Jon (a really good St Ives surfer) at Fuse2 8 months ago for a cup of tea and a chat about a 'few minor tweaks' mushroomed into a full scale revamp that involved the designers at Dis-similar and a month hunched over a keyboard, eyeballs bleeding and a severe case of repetitive strain injury from date input.

Godrevy Pro Junior

The Godrevy Pro Junior was completed earlier today in obscenely poor conditions. Howling South winds smashing the rights to bits and making the lefts, to my mind, all but un-surfable - but the groms proved me wrong.

The Weather, the Surf & Other Stuff

I am gutted because April will never be the same again. It was that good.
The best run of swell, sandbanks and good weather and all at the beginning of the season when the place is still relatively quiet. So much so that I am now pretty much surfed out and when I check the waves they have to be pretty good for me to bother! A very rare feeling.

Open

I know we've been open for a while now but I've just got around to sorting out the accompanying video. Check it out.

Yeah, I know. A week has passed and I haven't updated. But look outside - its sunny, the sunniest April ever perhaps - and the surf has been un-be-lievable. Basically we have had almost two weeks of perfect surf which for the first time ever has coincided with the Easter holidays so we have been super busy. Best of all the sandbanks (or swell direction, whatever) have been as good as it gets. I have run out of superlatives to describe it.
As you can see.

The Boy's Done Good

An amazing day of surf in Thurso for the O'Neill Coldwater Classic. Big waves, offshore winds and one of the best waves in the world (and its on this humble island of ours) have made this the best start to the Coldwater Classic ever.

The really pleasing thing for me is that two local lads who I have been lucky enough to work with over the years and in the event and one has made it to the next round (St Ives lad Jayce Robinson) and the other is in a heat tomorrow morning. Patrick Daniel is in heat 23 and is well worth keeping an eye on for the future. He hasn't even done his GCSE's yet so give him support online at http://www.oneill.com/cwc/Live.html.

Failing that, ask him how he got on when he takes you for a lesson this summer! He was a coaching assistant for us last year and he's going to fit in a few lessons for us this year when he's not on the road launching his fledgling career.

Go son!



Paddy Daniel in action at Gwithian last summer.

PE

Y'know, when I were a lad a PE session was something to be feared. It inevitably involved a very long walk to the school field, getting smashed in a scrum by recalcitrant sixth formers or 8 laps around the school with a victorian gym teacher screaming abuse at you.
Woe betide you if you 'forgot' your kit. Then you could pretty much guarantee doing the above in 'skins' and a grey pleated skirt. Barefoot.

Fewer Pounds

Clay Marzo - The Comeback from Heavy Mayo on Vimeo.


I've lost a stone since Christmas. How come I'm still crap?

Its All Over

No sooner had I blathered on about how the good and consistent and generally amazing the surf has been and whad'ya know. The SW's rear up and blow the beach back to its normal winter time chaos.
And, yes, I'm back to referring to it as winter again. The beginning of summer is being heralded by rain, mizzle and a host of other words that describe dampness.

The End of Winter

So winter has finally drawn to a close and the heady days of summer are fast closing in. Shame no one told the weather that as for the first time in about two weeks its gone cold and the sun has been obscured by mist.
The real boon of the last few weeks has been the swell though. Its hasn't been monstrous but its been clean almost everyday and small summer like swells have been rolling through. Just have a gander at our Facebook page and Twitter feeds for documentary evidence.

Blistering

Just outrageously warm today. Even the howling easterly wind was hot and that just never happens. This time a couple of years ago we had a really early Easter. I think it fell in mid to late March but it was one of the coldest Easters ever. A few hardy souls came for surfing lessons back then and still went in despite snow and thoroughly inclement conditions but I actually felt sorry for them.
This March has been altogether more clement. The water is still blooming cold mind.

Surf Movie

Check out this bad boy. Might be interesting when it comes out.

Talented Painter

Not me, the guy who I am skivvying for in the flats. Turns out the swine can paint, surf, is clever enough to get into Camborne School of Mines (very hard - only 30 spaces a year worldwide for the course he is on) and he knows his way around a guitar.
Git.
 http://listn.to/SenseOfSerenity/player#t=0&pos=952&s=613491

Trago Mills

Bugger, missed some pretty good surf today as once again I was chained to a roller/bit of sandpaper/hammer for the best part of 12 hours. The only respite was a brief sojourn to the Falmouth branch of Trago Mills. 

I cant quite decide whether I love or hate the place - Trago that is. Its got a lot going for it. You can buy almost anything you could want from kitchens to carpet to light bulbs to sweets to shoes and all at very reasonable, dare I say it, rock bottom prices.

New board

Hmmm, early surfs suggest that this board could be an absolute beauty. Does all the simple stuff well (you wouldn't believe how many boards don't) and even an old duffer such as myself can attempt some of the not so simple stuff. I still don't complete many of the harder moves but its a start!
I'll try and get some video.
More painting and whatnot down at the surf school today. Beautiful weather down there as well. If you got out of the breeze then you could get a tan I reckon. My nose is burnt to a crisp!

The Surfers Life

I promised that this blog was going to be about surfing and I think I have been led astray a bit lately. Most of my posts seem to mention decorating at one point or another and I have a horroible feeling its going to be mentioned again today.

More work, less surf, some tee shirts.

Shocking surf at Gwithers today so it's back to the grindstone getting everything ready in the flats. Basically this means helping the carpenter to saw my fingers off and throwing dust-sheets over the furniture in anticipation of tomorrows painting bonanza.
Meanwhile in one of the few bits of time I had spare I was off up to Newquay to order this summers tee shirts and hoodies.
 One thing I am having trouble with is choosing which designs to use and to be honest I could do with your help (yes, you - the reader).

Yeah, he did it again.

Bali and Bands

I have finally got around to putting together the footage from Bali. Theres isn't too much but it gives a flavour of the place.
Another day of painting and convalescing from my recent battle with manflu (a very serious form I might add).  Its a bit of a stinker that I was (very, very) ill as the surf has jumped up again. Some absolutely beautiful waves were coming through this morning. You'd think it was summer if it weren't for the temperature - clear blue skies, overhead surf with light sea breezes.

Well, I have to say that I have been a little remiss with my blogging lately. Sad to say but I have just been too busy. The apartments are undergoing a bit of a refit (new bathrooms in the double apartments/new decor etc) and I have been laying a new floor in the surf school. Its gonna look great when its all done but it seems a long way away at the moment. Which is a worry as Easter is fast approaching. Its good to have a deadline thought isn't it?
Isn't it?

Well, I've been back for a week now and I have to say that all is not as bad as it could be. The weather is mild but damp and the surf is pretty reasonable. Haven't done any surfing lessons at Gwithian for a little while but Cornwall can be a bit like that in the winter - the exposed westerly facing beaches just can't handle all of the swell that they have been getting lately so I just have to hope that Porthleven and the sheltered surf breaks that are dotted around the county can make some sense of it all.
Fingers crossed.

Pretty much burnt to a crisp now. Some thumping waves over the last couple of days. First at Uluwatu yesterday and then Nusa Dua today. According to the swell buoys it's 6ft at 19 (yes nineteen) seconds. A 19 second swell period is about a good as you could hope for in surfing (the longer the period the more organised and defined the waves are). Needless to say I surfed as much as possible aware of the fact that in five short days I'll be on my jourey home to Gwithian.
Must be getting old though, my shoulders are aching and my 36 yr old skin is starting to resemble an elephants.
Always wear sunscreen kids.

A very quiet day spent inside my room cowering from horizontal rain and howling gales. Not what I expected when I booked the tickets but kinda cool anyway. 

I am hearing lots of good things about the surf back in Cornwall but I promise you, surfing in shorts is much better! The waves have been good here for the past week or so but then, how often is it bad out in Bali? Headhigh waves at least everyday, not breath of wind until the early afternoon and colossal thunderstorms every night. The afternoon sea breeze has kicked in at the moment but there are still some beauty waves coming through with no one out at all.

Hello from Bali blog fan. Five days in to the holiday and I have a few observations to share with you on Bali. 
Boy oh boy does stuff happen quick out here. Last time I was in this part of Bali (just over two years ago) you had to get petrol from a bloke selling it in milk bottles from the back of his restaurant while chain smoking clove cigarettes. 
Now there are brand new service stations everywhere and they pour the petrol for you just like they did in Britain in the 80's. Quite a luxury I can tell you.

Well I've sorted out where I'm off for my holidays and its gonna be Bali again. The woolie wetsuit is good but you can't beat surfing in shorts in powerful waves and re-energising between surfs with a ridiculously cheap fruit juice and egg fried rice.
Surf has taken a turn for the worse again and its looking like the usual winter waves getting blown in on the back of a 30mph westerly wind is the best we can expect for a while. 
Not that I care, I'm off on Friday. 
Yewwwwww!