Surfing and Watercraft
The South West is home to the surfing heartlands of the UK. With its westerly facing aspect, exposure to long Atlantic swells and gorgeous beaches, the South West has surfing conditions to suit all levels of ability and style. From long point-break waves, pounding beach breaks and grinding reefs the South West has it all. If you do come here to surf, please respect local conditions, take all your litter home with you and make sure you are familiar with prevailing conditions before entering the water. Rip currents can be hard to spot from the shore and can be very frightening if you are caught in one and dont know what to do. There are several centres for surfing in this area, and it is up to you to go on your own journey of discovery. In gerenal the North coast of Cornwall and Devon has the most consistent surf but may be more exposed to strong winds that blow the surf out. The south coast is more fickle, needing different swell directions to work well, but has some classic waves and set-ups.
There are also some excellent places to kite and windsurf, often inside the shallow inlets and wide bays near estuaries or infront of sand dunes.
Whatever your chosen sport always check the tides, weather and surf forecast before you head off to avoid being disappointed or endangering yourself. Check out some of the links below.
A1 Surf (reports, predictions and classified ads)
Magic Seaweed (international computerised surf reports and swell prediction)
Wind surfing
Kiteboarding
Bodyboarding
Longboarding
Paddleboarding