Salt water streamed out of my nose as I attempted to push my head above water just in time for another crashing wave to break on my head ensuring that I was indeed choking on Celtic sea water.
Despite the tiny setback, falling head first from a standing position (well kind of) on a piece of foam into the clear but slightly chilly waters of Hollywell Bay, Cornwall, I was having a surprisingly great day.
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The sun was beaming down and I was covered in a high enough factor of sunscreen to keep the sun at bay for at least a month. Even the sea wasn’t cold, perhaps it was the wetsuits but I didn’t even notice the waters temperature. I was too busy throwing myself off waves to be bothered, it was perfect conditions for a surf lesson and I wanted to make the most of it.
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I’d done a bit of surfing before whilst travel but we thought it’d be a wise idea to take a lesson to get back into the swing of things. The lesson was with Cornwall Surf Academy and our charismatic surfing coach was nicknamed “Pigeon”.
Like most surf lessons we went through the basics and safety concerns on the beach prior to hitting the water. The first stage of the lesson we spent trying to catch waves and body board to shore, I instinctive just wanted to try to stand on the board. Not wanting to show off I refrained, saving my skills for the next part of the lesson.
I was ecstatic to be able to stand on the surf board several times during the lesson, it was great progress. Our instructor seem determined for everyone develop their skills during the lesson by giving us all individual tips and encouragement.
We had caught the bus from Newquay out to Holywell Bay (they run at hourly intervals), a quieter little village with a beautiful enclave. It was a really scenic place to spend the day and the perfect location for our surf lesson.
If you’re in the UK and fancy checking out the surf in Cornwall we’d definitely recommend taking a lesson or two with the Cornwall Surf Academy.
Our trip to Cornwall was in association with visitEngland.
I’m so jealous! I’ve been surfing in Cornwall every summer for almost as long as I can remember and this year I’ve not been! Fair enough I was in Inida all summer but I still miss my favourite part of England. I’ve been a lot of places on the North coast but not Holywell Bay so I’ll give it a try sometime!
Hi Claire!
Yeh it was a great trip, we were so lucky with the weather that weekend. I’m not sure if I would have got the girlfriend to get in the water had it been cold!
Enjoyed the surf lesson and would like to do some more. I’ve done a couple of lessons before but I think it’s time for me to practice on my own….preferably somewhere tropical!
I’m curious…how cold was the water?