Nicky
Our 9 year old had a fab time with her two instructors and was able to stand and surf by the end of one lesson!
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Two hours on Harlyn Bay take you from a safety brief on the sand into waist-deep white water, whether this is your first paddle or a recap after time away. Groups stay at eight people, so the coach can still give you cues between waves. Boards and wetsuits are included, and you can add same-day hire afterwards if you want more time on the same beach.
Check in at the beach base, change, then gather for a brief on hazards, paddling and the pop-up. The rest of the two hours is in the water, with the coach next to you while you catch white water. If you have surfed before, say so at the start so the session is not a first-stand script.
Please arrive 15 minutes early. Leave bags in the car; we can hold keys. After a morning lesson you can keep a board and suit until 17:00 on the same day if you want to practise without a coach.
Harlyn Bay sits a short drive from Padstow, a wide sandy beach with shallow water that suits a first lesson. The school is on the sand next to the pay-and-display car park, so you kit up at the beach rather than walking kit down from the village.
Toilets and two food outlets sit in the car park. Lifeguards cover the bay from Easter to September. Dogs are allowed on this beach, which is useful if someone in the group is staying on the sand.
No surfing experience is needed. You do need to be happy in water you can stand in. Children from 8 can join. Anyone under 18 needs an adult on the beach.
Bring swimwear, a towel and warm clothes for afterwards. Your own full-length wetsuit is fine in summer. Get changed before you arrive if you want to skip the rush at the base.
Chris has run lessons on this bay since 1994, and the school is licensed by Cornwall Council and the Adventure Activities Licensing Service. Every coach holds a lifeguard qualification as well as a coaching award.
Groups stay at eight, the kit is on the beach, and the same team can move you onto hire or another session if you want more than one go. You turn up with a towel. We handle the rest.
Meet at the beach base on Harlyn Bay, PL28 8PD, next to the large pay-and-display car park. From Padstow the bay is about five minutes by car.
Please arrive 15 minutes before your start time so you can change and hear the brief.
The booking is two hours from the base and back, with a brief on the sand and the rest in the water. Most of that time is spent catching white water rather than standing on the beach.
Please arrive 15 minutes early so changing does not eat into the water time. If you are running late, send a message rather than arriving mid-briefing.
The beach base sits on Harlyn Bay next to the pay-and-display car park, postcode PL28 8PD. Kit up there, then walk onto the sand. From Padstow it is about a five-minute drive.
Toilets and two food outlets are in the car park. Leave bags in the vehicle once you have changed. We can hold keys while you are in the water.
A surfboard, a wetsuit and the safety gear the coach uses on the beach. You can wear your own full-length suit in summer if you prefer. Shorties are better kept for paddleboarding, not this lesson.
After a morning session you can add same-day hire until 17:00. That hire has to be on the same day as the lesson so the kit is actually there for you.
No. This slot is for first-timers and for people who want a recap. Tell the coach at the start if you have already stood up, so the drills match what you can already do.
If you are already catching unbroken waves and want work out the back, ask about an intermediate session instead of this beginner and refresher booking.
Eight. Anyone under 18 needs an adult on the beach for the whole lesson, even if that adult is not in the water.
Children aged 5 to 7 have a shorter fun session of their own, which is not this listing. Ask if you have a mixed family and we will point you at the right booking.
Rain alone does not stop a lesson. Wetsuits stay warm, and the brief still happens on the sand. We cancel when the wind or swell makes the bay unsafe, or if we cannot run a useful session.
If we cancel, we rearrange or offer another activity if one is free. Conditions change quickly here. If you are driving a long way, message us the day before for a sense of the forecast.
Swimwear, a towel, warm dry clothes and sunscreen. A water bottle helps. Get changed into swimwear before you arrive if you want to skip the queue at the base.
Leave phones and bags in the car. If you need an inhaler or other medication in the water, give it to the coach. They carry a waterproof bag to the shore.
Between two and eight. Two is the minimum for the session to run. If that number is not met, we will be in touch to move you or look at another option.
Larger groups can still book. Ask when you book rather than turning up with extra people, so we have coaches and suits ready.
Yes, if you book the same-day hire add-on with a morning lesson. You keep the board and suit until 17:00 and practise on your own. That hire cannot be moved to another day.
Hire after the lesson is unguided. Only add it if you are happy picking a peak without a coach next to you.
Dogs are allowed on Harlyn Bay, which is unusual on this stretch of coast. Someone in the group can stay on the sand with a dog while the rest of you paddle.
Keep dogs away from the lesson peak and the kit area. The car park and the two food outlets are next to the base if you want a break after the session.
Our 9 year old had a fab time with her two instructors and was able to stand and surf by the end of one lesson!
We bought this for our children and their partners. Chris was absolutely brilliant with them all and they had a great time. Would definitely book again and highly recommend!
Chris the guide was absolutely lovely. Calm and supportive and judged making the adventure the right level of fun and excitement.
A great experience from start to finish. Very knowledgeable and welcoming instructors - despite being in open water, they helped with a diabetic hypo with ease and professionalism. They both helped each group member if they had fears or wanted to complete obstacle again. A really really great day, lovely…
Fantastic coasteering session with Reece Harlyne bay really enjoyed ourselves, thank you very much.
Chris was brilliant, took us through the process step by step and gave us the confidence to stand up on the board. Highly recommended
Chris was brilliant, took us through the process step by step and gave us the confidence to stand up on the board. Highly recommended
The whole booking of the introduction to Paddle boarding was really good. Apart from double booking myself, but Kat was really helpful in sorting this out. The communication was excellent and gave us clear instructions on what to wear and bring. Chris who did our session was so lovely, helpful…
Operated by Harlyn Surf School, a partner of adventuro.
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom
From £50
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom
From £50