Sea Paddleboard Lesson, Porthcawl
When the wind allows, our most commonly run sea paddle trip is our Sea Paddleboard Lesson, Porthcawl, during which you will be taught about the sea, tides, the weather, where to paddle, when to paddle and HOW to paddle on the sea.
Before Heading Out
On the latest of these trips, at Newton Beach, Porthcawl, we were greeted with bright, overcast weather – and perfect, flat calm-looking seas! Ideal!
We got our boards pumped up whilst having a shouted chat (the only way to chat over the sound of electric pumps!), got all our kit together and made our way down the slipway to the beach.
First on the agenda we had a conversation about the weather, the day’s forecast, what conditions are safe to paddle in and, possibly more importantly, when it’s dangerous to paddle.
Tides, currents and swell are next teaching the students about when is appropriate to paddle, what conditions are safe and the dangers of not checking before you head out.
Final discussion before heading onto the water – should we let the coastguard know we are off on an adventure, and who else should we let know we are going for a paddle?
If you’re not sure about any of the above, getting a lesson before heading onto the sea is a really good idea!
Have a look what we have coming up at www.outdoorexplore.wales/book
Check out the Coastguard and RNLI pages for loads of safety information.
https://hmcoastguard.uk/ https://rnli.org/
Getting onto the water
After a quick check of each other’s safety kit and an explanation of the best way to launch into the sea, we made our way out!
Everyone started off paddling on their knees, for complete beginners to pick up the basics, and for more experienced paddlers to get used to the way the sea moves differently from other bodies of water.
As we’re all different, we learn at different speeds and in different ways, so we encourage you to stand up when you’re ready, or not at all if you don’t want to: the weather makes a massive difference in people’s choices – no one cares if they fall in on a sunny day, and people have fantastic balance on cold days!
We pride ourselves in our friendly, patient, and slow-paced approach to teaching and that is what students comment on the most after lessons.
As per many of our reviews: Liz, Google: ‘Thank you so much Martin, I thoroughly enjoyed our SUP lesson.
Very friendly and professional Martin was patient and knowledgeable. Will definitely recommend. ✨️ 🌟 ✨️’
Google ‘Outdoor Explore Wales’ for more reviews and more information!
Getting the hang of it…
Once people have learned paddling basics on their knees or got used to the motion of the ocean, it’s time to stand up (if and when you’re ready!).
A quick paddle around putting our basic paddle skills to the test and then it’s time for a journey! We started with a paddle east towards Ogmore, then made a turn and headed out towards Newton Point. If the conditions are good enough (and people are happy to do so – no pressure!) we sometimes even head around the point – but not this time, it was a little choppy further out!
The best way to learn how to paddleboard is to paddleboard! With that in mind, we paddled around for a while, practicing all our paddle strokes, with the students getting tips and progressing their paddle technique as they went.
Now everyone has progressed, from various levels to various different, new levels, we head back towards the beach to see if we have enough time for more advanced moves and maybe some rescue techniques!
If you’re happy to get wet, we always recommend a self-rescue – and it doesn’t matter if you can’t do it, as long as you know if you can do it.
So, if you want to, now is the time to try the silly things! Now is also the time you might get to see your instructor fall in! Step back turns? Sure! Nose 360? We’ll try! How about some yoga moves? A headstand? Maybe. My headstands are usually solar-powered, so let’s see… 😉
From our beach chats about the weather and sea conditions to safety checks and launching, then learning and a journey, and to rescue skills and messing about on the boards and falling in: everything we do is to progress your SUP skills and increase your confidence.
So, what are you waiting for? Book your space on our next Sea Paddleboard Lesson, Porthcawl and join our WhatsApp Group to hear first about our upcoming lessons and coastal adventures!
Got any questions? Want to contact us?