north coast beaches > Cornwall
Sennen The most westerly beach in mainland Cornwall, with Gwenvor just around the corner it will pick up more or less any westerly/south westerly swell. The normal rule of thumb is if there is no surf here then it's flat everywhere. Not always true, but not far off. A good indicator for surf further up the country.
Fistral beach (north & south) is the most reported & web-camed beach in the country & will always be bigger than the Newquay bay area. Towan through to Lusty Glaze (Lusty the most northerly Newquay bay beach will pick up more than Towan at the harbour end).
Polzeath is a very popular beach break than can get very crowded in the summer with easy beach parking & so can be a bit of a nightmare peak season. Early mornings & late evening surfs are a better option. During the darker months the crowds thin out & the waves usually improve. Holds well through the tides with low obviously breaking faster but is very wind dependant onshores can often blow-out a good low tide wave.
Polzeath & Fistral are the nearest north coast beaches to the SURF98's South Cornwall base, so are used to give the north coast wave information.
south coast beaches > Cornwall
Perranuthnoe If you don't know where it is. It's well worth looking for. It is a great beach & can pack a real punch in good solid conditions. It works in a similar way to Praa-Sands (though can be slightly smaller). Worth checking on a south coast ground swell. Best at mid/low, both on the push & drop. (off-shore NNE)
Praa-Sands Popular south coast beach. Works through the tides best at low for long/short boards. Holds a lovely powerful occasionally hollow shorey for boogie riders & knee-boarders. Picks up more swell than other south coast beaches. Can get crowded in summer. Remember show respect for the locals & you will surf better. (off-shore NNE)
Porthleven If you know it & have surfed it you don't need me to tell you about it. If you don't and haven't it has some good harbour side pubs but stay out of the water. Biggest danger is not so much the reef but over crowding!! Probably one of the most famous reef breaks in the UK, if not Europe. (off-shore NE)
Pentewan It faces back into the English Channel so works well and is off-shore on a very big south westerly. Works through the tides & gets crowded if the north coast is maxed out. More of a winter break famous for long summer flat spells. (off-shore NW, though SW can have a similar effect on very big days)
Whitsands Bay A greatly overlooked surfing location probably because you have to walk to get to the ocean. So often going un surfed!! The area comprises a long sweeping sandy bay, Tregantle being the most popular beach with access from the fort road (closed when the naval is firing range open). The bay works through the tides though rips do cause problems. Ask other surfers to show you the danger areas (rips), before entering the water if you haven't surfed there before.It will pick up most south coast swell going, though is never a particularly fast-breaking wave, it does get good especially in autumn when the banks are working & can be powerful. Sharrow, Freathy, & other spots are accessed from cliff paths but beware of the tides as some bays are cut off at high tide. (off-shore NE)
more beaches - south coast outside Cornwall
Bantham (S. Devon) Arguably the most consistent break on the south coast of the UK, & does get crowded. Probably picking up more surf-able days than almost anywhere north or south & with other decent breaks each side of it always seems to produce good surfers.
Bournemouth (Dorset) Doesn't get the swell that more westerly beaches get. But when it's good it can be a really fine place to surf & Kimmeridge is not far! Check www.bournemouth-surfing.co.uk for a local view & information. There is the possibility of an artificial reef being built here that could create the country's first man made 'natural' wave!
Wittering East & West, (Sussex) Doesn't sound anything special but the place could surprise you. I have surfed here a lot over the years, a difficult place to predict but picks up ground swell that doesn't travel further up the coast & has a very strong surfing community. Very wind & tide dependant, with high tide normally the best. (off-shore NW)
Brighton (Sussex) An old hunting ground of mine. It has a surprising number of local surfers & surf shops, that seem to increase every time I visit. Cornwall surfers will be surprised at just how good the Brighton/Shoreham area can get. Unfortunately it has no real consistency. A general wave height is given but this can vary between the east of Brighton, the piers & Shoreham/Southwick to the west. Check www.sharkbait.co.uk the Brighton Surf site for a more detailed report & more local information.
There
are obviously many other places to surf within in the areas mentioned above, some of them
very secret. It would therefore be unfair to publish them through the internet & cause
ill feeling. As those who wish to search will find them, & other spots
will remain secret for the few who have found them & have been surfing them for
years. After all it is the attitude you take in the water that decides how much fun you
have. We are all sometimes guilty of localism but the ocean is something that cannot be
owned just borrowed for a while, let's look after it. Surf98© 1998-2005