8-Week Outdoor Instructor Training Course in Pembrokeshire

Eight 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 2026 starts roll through summer and autumn, so courses overlap. The week's beaches come before you start so you know when to be at Gupton Farm and when to be on the sand.

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.

Previous awards are not required, and you do not need to be strong at every activity before week one. The eight weeks build surfing, paddle, rescue and leadership from that base.

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. The meeting point is confirmed the evening before if it is not the farm.

Eight weeks of training, shared self-catering housing, use of boards and rescue kit, a personal kit pack, an enhanced DBS check and SLSGB membership support. Trainers stay with the group on the beach and in the water.

Food and travel to Pembrokeshire sit outside the package. ISA membership after the course sits with you. Qualification outcomes depend on how you perform, not on a fixed certificate list.

Shared self-catering housing is part of the eight weeks. You stay with the rest of the group in South Pembrokeshire, between the beaches you train on.

Room layouts and the exact address vary by start date. The pin comes before week one. Food is not included. There is a kitchen so you can cook and pack lunch.

Outcomes depend on attendance, fitness, how you perform and on governing-body rules. The eight weeks prepare you for ISA surf and SUP instructor pathways, beach lifeguard work, rescue awards, first aid, and in-house kayak and coasteering guide training.

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

Ordinary rain does not cancel training. 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 eight 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 for day one, a pen and paper. Your own wetsuit is 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. Tell us your wetsuit size before you arrive.

Paid work is not guaranteed. There may be shop hours, community sessions or assisting on lessons during or after the eight 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.

Previous awards are not required. 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 or paddle well, say so at the start. Those blocks can spend less time on your own skill and more time on how you teach someone else.