We partner with Rewilding Britain to help protect our natural spaces for future adventures.
All centres are vetted for safety and quality. Your adventure is in good hands with adventuro.
You'll join a two-hour beginner surf lesson on Whitesands Beach, or a neighbouring bay if the waves are better there that day. Ryan and the coaches start with a safety brief and a warm-up, then take you into waist-deep water on a soft-top board. No prior surfing experience is needed, and the wetsuit and board are ready for you at the kit trailer.
Arrive 15 minutes early so we can fit a winter wetsuit and walk you through the plan. The first part of the session is on the sand: hazards, beach etiquette and a light warm-up, then a paddle and pop-up drill before you walk down. Whitesands is the usual beach. If the swell or the wind is better a short drive away, we will move the trailer so you are not sat in a flat bay.
In the water you stay where you can stand, and the coach works the group so first-timers are not left on a peak they cannot handle. The aim is a few clean stands before the two hours are up, plus a clearer idea of how this beach works. Valuables can go in the locked trailer while you surf.
Whitesands sits on the St Davids peninsula, a wide sandy bay with a National Trust car park above the beach. The kit trailer parks on the left of that car park, next to the ice cream van, so you change close to the sand rather than carrying a board from the village.
When Whitesands is not the right call, we use a neighbouring Pembrokeshire beach that matches the day's tide and wind. Newgale is one of those options: a long, open stretch a short drive east. Confirmation tells you which bay to aim for so you are not guessing on the coast road.
You do not need any surfing experience. Beginner sessions stay in waist-deep water, so you can stand and you are not asked to swim out of your depth. A basic comfort in the sea still helps when a wave knocks you off the board.
Children need to be at least 8. Wear swimwear under the wetsuit we provide, and bring a towel, a drink and a warm layer for afterwards. You can wear your own full-length wetsuit if it keeps you warm. Leave dogs at home in summer, because they are not allowed on Whitesands beach from 1 May to 30 September.
Ryan has coached here since 2013, after time in the Wales and Team GB squads, and the school still runs as a small trailer operation rather than a shop on the prom. That means the beach can change with the forecast, and the briefing comes from someone who already knows these banks.
Groups stay small enough that you get a correction on the sand and another in the water. Winter-weight 5/4 suits, optional boots and gloves, and Vision soft-top boards are the same kit we use every day, so a first lesson is not run on tired rubber.
Meet at the kit trailer on the left-hand side of Whitesands car park, next to the ice cream van, SA62 6PS. Please arrive 15 minutes before your start time so we can fit wetsuits.
Parking is paid and fills on sunny weekends. If we have moved to a neighbouring beach for better waves, that will be in your confirmation.
Each beginner lesson lasts two hours, with usual start times at 10:00 and 14:00. Please arrive 15 minutes early so we can fit wetsuits and run the briefing without cutting into water time.
Clock times stay put unless the confirmation says we have moved beach. If the swell is better a short drive from Whitesands, we will tell you which car park to use before you set off.
The kit trailer sits on the left-hand side of Whitesands car park, next to the ice cream van. That is the usual meeting point for a lesson on this beach, a short walk from the sand.
When we use a neighbouring bay, the confirmation names that car park instead. Look for the trailer rather than a shop front, because this is a mobile set-up.
We provide a Vision soft-top surfboard and a winter 5/4 wetsuit. Boots and gloves go on when the water is cold enough that bare feet and hands would cut the session short.
You can wear your own full-length suit if it keeps you warm. Bring swimwear, a towel and a dry layer. Valuables can sit in the locked trailer while you are on the beach.
Beginner lessons stay in waist-deep water, so you can stand and you are not asked to swim out of your depth. A basic comfort in the sea still helps when a wave knocks you off the board.
Your instructor stays with the group and picks a patch of beach that suits first-timers. If you are unsure, say so at the briefing and we will keep you closer in.
Children need to be at least 8 for a regular beginner lesson. Younger children are better on a session that is built around them, rather than sharing a peak with adults who are already paddling harder.
Tell us ages when you book so we can put families in a group that fits. Everyone wears a wetsuit and a soft-top board, and an adult should stay on the beach if a child is in the water.
We watch the forecast and will be in touch if the surf is not suitable. Light weather is usually fine. We will not run a first lesson into a messy sea just to keep a date.
If we cancel, we offer another day. If that date does not work, you get a full refund. Read the confirmation before you travel, because some days we move beach rather than cancel.
Yes. Whitesands has a National Trust car park above the beach, and the trailer parks on the left as you come in. It is a short walk from there to the sand with a board under your arm.
Parking is paid and fills on sunny weekends and in the school holidays, so arrive with time to spare. If we have moved to another bay, use the car park named in your confirmation.
Dogs are not allowed on Whitesands beach from 1 May to 30 September. They can still walk the coast path and the small bay next to Whitesands, but they cannot come onto the main sand during those months.
Leave dogs at home for a summer lesson, or have someone stay with them off the beach. We will not ask you to tie a dog at the trailer while you surf.
Bring swimwear, a towel, a drink, sunscreen and a warm layer for afterwards. If you take prescribed medication, bring that too. We provide the board and the suit.
Leave phones and wallets in the locked trailer or in the car. Sand and salt are hard on both, and you will not want them in a wetsuit pocket.
Ryan has run lessons from this coast since 2013, after time in the Wales and Team GB squads, and the coaches who work with him stay on the same beaches. You get a safety brief and a warm-up before anyone walks into the water.
Groups stay small enough that you can get a correction on the sand and another in the shallows. The point is a few clean stands, not a lecture that never leaves the car park.
Ryan and Leo were absolutely fantastic. Ryan and Leo were absolutely fantastic. We were a group of 9 beginners. Ryan and Leo made us feel super conformable, excited and prepped for the lesson. It was a great balance; a bit of a warm-up, safety briefing, theory, and (on-land) practice before…
Operated by Cool Water Surf Adventure, a partner of adventuro.
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom
From £45
