I’ve been paddle boarding (SUP) a lot recently. I had an intro lesson from TribalWave a month or two ago and was daunted by the prospect as I kept falling off.
Luckily the falling off phase in paddleboarding is shorted than in other watersports and I was soon getting to grips with it.
A kind of mad fervour gripped me over the past 14 days and I have been out on my SUP almost as many times.
Unlike surfing it is not tide dependent, nor swell. Strong winds can be a bummer but you learn to cope.
Ive sort of got the hang of paddling on both flat and choppy seas. I have ridden a few decent waves but am a long way from managing a turn on the SUP [I think you need to use the long stick thing.], will persevere though of course.
I feel happier to be able to get in the sea more often and can feel my overall fitness levels on the up.
I strongly recommend that anyone wanting to get into Stand Up Paddleboarding Brighton to check out http://www.tribalwave.org as they run a series of workshops, classes and lessons ( even mobile tuition ) in the Brighton and Sussex area and have the experience and patience to get you riding properly and safely and really digging it.
This year’s Paddle Round The Pier Beach Festival plays host to some fantastic water-based events, all helping to raise thousands of pounds for three deserving charities.
The action kicks of for professional paddleboarders early on the Saturday morning with the Funky Puffin Euro Enduro SUP race. A gruelling 20 mile stand-up paddle to Worthing Pier and back – seeing competitors from across Europe and beyond.
Another race for watermen (and girls) is the Errant Surf Holidays Pier2Pier challenge. This sees both ‘amateurs’ and ‘pros’ paddle from the eastern side of the Brighton Pier across to the west side of the West Pier – a tough paddle of over 2 miles against the current.
Also a favourite with the crowds is the ‘Paddle Something Unusual’, where teams paddle ‘unusual’ rafts they have built around the West Pier and back. The past few years has seen a floating island, pirate ship, Dodgeball court and even Thunderbird 2!
And of course at 2pm on the Sunday it’s the event that started this all back in 1996 – the ‘Paddle Round The Pier’. Hundreds of people will take to the water on surfboards, bodyboards, paddle boards, canoes etc and paddle around the West Pier. Having collected sponsorship money each will make a massive difference to the amount raised for the charities.
Other water based events include: the Neilson Sailing Regatta, Inshore Rescue Boats, Outrigger Canoes, The British Ocean Ski Series, Wakeboarding displays and a Fishing Contest (held at Brighton Marina).
If you want to have a go at some sports yourself then you can head to the beach and try out the likes of wakeboarding, kayaking and Stand Up Paddleboarding.
Over 40,000 people are expected to attend this year’s event, which takes place on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 July at Hove Lawns in Brighton and is completely free of charge to visit.
And organisers are hoping to raise over £30,000 for this year’s chosen charities from donations made by visitors. The charities are the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, SurfAid International and Whoopsadaisy.
As well as all of the water activities, there is a lot going on in the ‘Paddle Village’ on Hove Lawns and the promenade next to the beach. Hundreds of stalls, children’s entertainment area, main arena and big top with live bands, plus tons more fun.
Was looking for a way in which to keep the kids under control on my last surf trip.
There are a few factors you need to take into account when setting off on a surfari :
Transport – nearly a 600 mile round trip to Cornwall
Accommodation – we had booked a caravan in Devon but were going to Cornwall
Swell – we checked the surf reports regularly on MagicSeaweed and Sharkbait, hence the redirection from Devon
Equipment – suitable wetsuits for the water temps, waxed and ready surfboards
Clothing – warm stuff for when you get out of the water ( I love my Quiksilver striders )
Sleepy Stuff – like some blankets or sleeping bags
Money – enough for 3 hot meals a day – or a frikkin picnic if your friends insist
Toys – some gadgets and chargers like ipods and mobile phones – even a portable DVD player
All the above are easy.to sort and come quite easily from experience, but the hardest factor to cover is that of childcare. when you are single, not only do your pockets jingle (with cash), but your freedoms are limited by few ogres.
So – the most pressing problem was how to convince one’s spouse that being a single parent for a few days will bring her closer to the kids and be an enriching experience for all involved (while I catch some waves). This is a hard sell, believe me, they are not easily fooled and as the time for departure approached, and the weather conditions in Cornwall improved, I became more and more aware that something had to be done should I wish to leave with smiles from all and get on and enjoy my holiday.
Luckily I have a friend who runs a childcare agency, I gave her a call and she suggested a childminder for the Saturday and Sunday who was fully CRB checked and had passed her paediatric first aid course. It did not cost the earth and certainly made my (watch free) surf sessions down at Newquay all the more chill.
Tigerlily supplies loads of nanny jobs and nursery jobs for a variety of locations including east Sussex, Herts, Hamps, Surrey and suchlike.
For those going to Newquay the best information can be found here : Fistral Surf report, Town beaches worked well when the swell was high and south westerly, ….
The UK has a varied coastline and, as a result, many excellent surfing locations. Although Newquay is world famous for its surfing beaches its popularity can mean that it gets crowded, particularly during the summer months. There are many great locations for beginners such as Watergate Bay in Cornwall where the surfer will find 2 miles of beach at low tide. Pease Bay is an upcoming surfing location in the Borders region in the south east of Scotland and offers the more experienced surfer a good beach break and challenging reef.
Llangennith in Gower, south Wales has beach breaks along its 3 mile stretch of beach and is one of the most popular Welsh surfing locations. When there is a good swell here it can get crowded but it is possible to find patches that are less heavily populated. Rips are quite common along this part of the coast. Saltburn in Cleveland in the north east of England is one of the first surfing beaches in the area. There are excellent beginner waves to be found close to the pier here.
Great beaches for intermediate level surfing include Bantham in south east Devon which boasts more swell and variety of peaks than anywhere else in the area. There are long rides to be had with a long board and rips are common. Sennen Cove in Cornwall has an exposed coastline, giving it good waves when other locations have none. Bournemouth is enjoying its new artificial reef break which has improved the quality of the waves immensely. Other beaches nearby include Branksome, Sandbanks and Canford Cliffs which are guaranteed to be less crowded.
Port Neigwl in Gwynedd is more commonly known as Hell`s Mouth and is the best location for surfing in north Wales. It has a 4 mile long bay with peaks along the whole stretch on a good swell. At the south eastern end of the bay, intermediate surfers can enjoy the best waves beneath the cliffs but it can get crowded during good swells.
Expert level surfing is available at Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire, a large beach with peaks along its entirety. There are powerful and large peaks as well as good breaks in the smaller bays to the south. There is also a heavy reef break within reach of the location. Another location for expert surfing is at Thurso East in Scotland. This is reputed to be one of the best surfing areas in Europe, with a right hand reef break on top of a flat rock shelf. With a big north swell it offers up waves that are larger than triple overhead.
Lessons and gear hire are available at most surfing locations and are essential for beginners. Safety is an important element of learning to surf and beginners are instructed in various techniques in order to stay safe. Surfing in the UK requires that the surfer wears a wetsuit for warmth. Surf boards are available in a variety of sizes including short and long boards, starter and beginner boards and boards for children. Fashion-wise, Volcom UK offers a good selection of gear for boarders.
Last summer I was lucky enough to take my kids down to hove lawns for the paddle round the pier festival on Hove lawns in East Sussex.
The summer sun shone down upon hordes of types, young and old who enjoyed two days of sea, skate, SUP and surf related run – all for charity.
My kids loved the ferris wheel ( below ) and the adults in our party sank down on the grass with beers and listened to the music.
The stalls were wild and varied with everything a wannabee surfer could wish for, food was great also.
This year the 2010 festival kicks off on July the 3rd and rolls on over the weekend with a fun packed and entertaining line up of sea events ( jet ski, paddle races, SUP lessons, kite surfing ) and land events ( skate race, skate and BMX park, music, etc).
For more information visit the paddleroundthepier website, then book the date as the festival grows from strength to strength each year and is a great community event for Brighton.
Surfing is great fun, anyone who has slipped into the sea with a board knows that. It is a spiritual experience, bringing you closer to nature.
But there is a darker side too, nature is savage and anyone who wants to ride the wild sea must pit themselves against brutal and harsh elements on a regular basis.
Now, I am writing this as a warning to those not in the know. You have all read about the precipitous drop in at the Mavericks, we all know about the vicious reef beneath the Pipeline’s azure hues and we have all seen recent footage from Jaws. But for some of us, in our own backyard, there is a break so dangerous, so hostile and so unpredictable that only the foolhardy would paddle out into its apparently benign break.
I am talking about the Hotpipes in Shoreham – UK.
Here nature’s forces are funnelled into a maelstrom which makes the slab at Teahupoo look like a longboarding grom’s wet dream. On the South Coast of sleepy Sussex gargantuan waves break over a reef of razor sharp coral and scrap metal. The prevailing onshore winds lash the surface into a frenzy or churning mush which means that the waves are not only unsurfable but any slight error is generally punished severely.
Moreover the break is patrolled ( I can not say surfed as these locals know the stupidity of entering the Shoreham waters ) by a gang of out of work welders with severe personality disorders. Not having the politeness of Sir Ken Bradshaw these types will bite a chunk from your board while it is still on the roof of your car. Needless to say car crime is rife in this area and it is a designated police ‘no go zone‘.
mean local surf dude at the hotpipes
As if things could not conspire more to make this place a spot to bookmark under the heading : do not surf here; there is more. It has recently been discovered that Shoreham Port Authority has been laundering Russian Uranium at the Power Station and the Geiger Counters go off the scale down at ‘the Pipes’. This radiation in the water has led to severe mutations amongst the indigenous shark population.
So, please take it from me. Do not venture down to, perhaps, the nastiest break on the planet. This is really a place to avoid.
This article was originally submitted to Magic Seaweed, but they, strangely did not want to publish this denouément of such a break.
I was lucky enough to chance upon a beautiful evening in Brighton at the Sally Bennis Theatre. A load of the South Coasts finest ‘surferati’ was assembled to view Jolyon Hoff’s documentary/ film.
It was a finely constructed and nicely cut insight into both the east coast surf scene in he early 70′s and of course into the mind of MP.
Well I have been surfing for a year now so I feel I should pass on a small guide as to what I have learnt
Attire
It is important not to get cold so you should in the UK wear a wetsuit covering your arms and legs.
If you are well hard you can go for a short suit or even shorts, but you would have to be actually born in Brighton to be that hard.
In the winter you should wear gloves, boots and a hat.
I am still wearing boots now as it is easier to run on the pebbles.
Make sure it all zipped up nice before you go in the water.
You should rinse out your suit with fresh water after use and try to get it as dry as possible for the next session
Shoes should be turned inside out to dry I think.
Equipment
You need a board
You need to tie it to your leg using the rubbery leash thing.
You should heavily wax the board as it is really hard standing up anyway, and if you slip off it is just maddening.
Surfing
You have to get out in the sea to here the waves are breaking – it is a right basterd.
If you are out of your depth and have to paddle through breaking waves there are tricks like dipping the front of the board or goin upside down to stop getting mashed of washed back to shore but I can’t suss them properly.
You must pick a good wave this is often a hunch, or it s huge, or it is preceded by a trough ( like tsumanis are ) or is nice and steep faced.
Once you are ready and a wave is coming you should try to get going forwards as fast as you can to not be pulled back off the wave and miss it and to get some intertia going so you can surf it. Just paddle as hard as possible and don’t give up, that last splash is sometimes what gets you on the wave.
Once you are going forward try to stand up in one fluid movement – that is the easy part…
Ha like fuck is it. I almost have it sussed though.
Recommended preparation
Push ups not like pressups, just practice ‘popping up’ on an old ironing board How to pop up
Also I reckon everyone should bring some wax -as it makes you feel cool waxing your board.
And you should own one item of neoprene, like not a whole suit necessarily but wetsuit shoes I think.
Just to let you know that this morning I was in the sea from 9-10.30 round the back of Shoreham Harbour, fully dressed in head to toe neoprene. The tide was very low (0.7m at lowest ) and the winter swell brought in some fine waves.
I started out on a 9’6” longboard and fell off a lot. Later I used a 8’2” beach break board which I love and feel quite comfortable on. I stopped forcing myself away from my preferred goofy stance on the board and soon got on a few nice breaks and later emerged from the chilly sea refreshed to the core of my being.
Christmas presents are a funny thing, it is said in many quarters that you end up getting a whole load of unwanted stuff each Christmas, certainly I have previoulsy been a victim of such occurences.
This year things were different here is what I got :
Wetsuit gloves – yes, surfing being the new ‘beer’ these are necessarry for Brighton’s chill waters
Wetsuit Hat – I borrowed gloves off Toby recently and was quite warm until a wave crashed over my head
Surf Wax – hmm I stil need a board
iPod Classic – somehow managed to be in receipt of 120gig ipod, still womndering how to fill it up.
web book laptop – shiny 8 inch screened mini laptop, perfect for web and email, movies, music and more
lovely shoes, jeans and tops.
In all I was bestowed with exactly what I wanted, what I needed and what I desired.
if anyone out there still intends to buy be anything else, here is my wishlist : longboard, Suzuki Van Van, free flights, new house….
This year’s Paddle Round The Pier Beach Festival plays host to some fantastic water-based events, all helping to raise thousands of pounds for three deserving charities.
Surfing is great fun, anyone who has slipped into the sea with a board knows that. It is a spiritual experience, bringing you closer to nature.
