3-Week Surf and SUP Instructor Intensive Course

Three calendar weeks, usually four training days a week from about 9am to 5pm. Days mix beach coaching, water work, classroom time and shadowing live sessions around South Pembrokeshire.

The exact pattern follows swell, wind and tide. The week's plan comes before you start so you know which beaches you are on and when to be at Gupton Farm.

The floor is 18. You should already be fit in the water: a 200 metre swim in under five minutes at the start, a 400 metre swim in under eight minutes by the end, plus a 200 metre run in under a minute.

You do not need to be a strong surfer before week one. The three weeks build coaching, rescue and paddle skills as well as your own riding.

Most days start at Gupton Farm, Castlemartin, SA71 5HW. Turn right off the main road, follow the drive, then park by the wood-clad containers and the farmhouse-style building on the left.

Water days also use Freshwater West, Manorbier, Tenby, Saundersfoot, Stackpole Quay and Newgale when those beaches suit the plan. The meeting point is confirmed the evening before if it is not the farm.

Use of boards, wetsuits and rescue kit during the three weeks, plus a personal kit pack to take away. Training and assessment time, an enhanced DBS check, and SLSGB membership support sit in the same package.

Accommodation and food sit outside the course fee. A stay nearby can be arranged as an extra if you need it. Pack a lunch for training days. Tea, coffee and a kettle are on site.

Outcomes depend on how you perform and on governing-body rules. The three weeks are built to prepare you for ISA surf and SUP instructor pathways, beach lifeguard work, and surf coach safety and rescue.

Shadowing hours count towards those awards. The mix is planned with you in week one rather than promising a fixed certificate list on day one.

Ordinary rain does not cancel the intensive. The beach moves, or a classroom block swaps in, when swell or wind makes the planned water session unsafe.

Messages each evening carry the next day's pin. The three weeks stay on the coast, just not always on the same stretch if a beach is closed or flat.

Swimwear, a towel, a warm dry layer, sunscreen, a refillable bottle, a packed lunch, a pen and paper. Your own wetsuit and board are fine. We still have kit if you need it.

There are toilets at the farm. Most beaches have no changing rooms, so a towel robe helps. Send your wetsuit size before you arrive.

Up to ten trainees. That keeps coaching and rescue practice close enough for the trainers to give cues. Days mix the group on the beach and in the water rather than leaving you to find your own way.

Tell us any medical notes that affect time in the sea or a long training day. We would rather plan around that in week one.

Paid work is not guaranteed. There may be shop hours, community sessions or assisting on lessons during or after the three weeks, depending on how you get on and what is running.

Say if you want that extra time. It sits outside the training day and is offered only when it suits the centre and the trainee.

You do not need to be a strong surfer before week one. You do need to be swim fit and happy in the sea, and ready for long days on the beach and in the classroom.

If you already ride unbroken waves, say so at the start. The coaching blocks can spend less time on your own surfing and more time on how you teach someone else.