Private Family Surf Lesson at Harlyn Bay

The coach is only with the people you booked. The plan follows your mix of ages, and a child from 7 can come, which the open beginner lesson does not allow.

If you are happy sharing a peak with other first-timers, the open lesson is the simpler booking. Private is for families and groups who want the hour and a half to themselves.

The booking starts at four people. One coach covers up to eight. Beyond that we add another instructor so the ratio stays the same.

Tell us the headcount when you book so we have the right number of coaches and suits. Turning up with extra people on the day is how someone ends up without a board that fits.

Seven. That is younger than the open group, because the coach can stay in shallower water and go at that child's pace.

An adult should be on the booking with a young child. If you have a mix of ages, say so, and we will put the family on a patch of beach that works for the youngest.

The beach base on Harlyn Bay, next to the pay-and-display car park, PL28 8PD. Change there, then walk onto the sand. Arrive 15 minutes early.

From Padstow it is about five minutes by car. Toilets and two food outlets are in the car park. Leave bags in the vehicle. We can hold keys.

A surfboard, a wetsuit and the safety gear the coach uses. You can wear your own full-length suit in summer if you prefer.

Leave phones and bags in the car. If a child needs an inhaler in the water, give it to the coach. They carry a waterproof bag to the shore.

Say so when you book. The coach can put a more experienced person on a slightly different peak while staying with a first-timer in the shallows.

If the whole group already catches unbroken waves, ask about an intermediate session instead. This listing is built for mixed families as much as for first stands.

Rain alone rarely stops a lesson. We cancel for strong wind, a heavy swell, or a bay that is not safe for the youngest in your group, then we rearrange or offer another activity if one is free.

If you are driving a long way, message us the day before. Conditions here change in an afternoon.

Swimwear, a towel, warm dry clothes and sunscreen. Changing into swimwear before you arrive keeps the base moving when a family of four or more turns up together.

Leave spare bags in the car. The two food outlets in the car park are there afterwards if you want something warm.

Yes, if you meet the minimum of four. Tell us the number of people and we will add coaches so nobody waits on the sand. The booking stays private to your group.

Ask early in summer. Those slots fill when the bay is busy, and we would rather have the right number of coaches than squeeze eight strangers onto one peak.

The large beach car park sits next to the school and is pay and display. Arrive with time to park, especially on a summer morning.

It is one of the easier school car parks on this coast, but it still fills. Leave Padstow with time to spare so you are not late for the brief.