Paul
What a great day! Matt planned and delivered the ideal day for my experience level and ability. The route visited an area of the coast I loved but wouldn’t have the confidence to visit myself and we had a great time.
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Paddleboard coaching here is for people who have just bought a board and want to use it properly, and for paddlers who already stand up and now want longer coastal trips. Matt keeps the session personal, in a small group or 1:1, and chooses water that matches what you asked to cover. Boards can do far more than a calm harbour circuit once you have the habits to match.
Matt confirms the venue once the wind and sea look usable, then you meet at the beach, slip or estuary. A short briefing covers kit, aims and the plan. On the water you work on stance, stroke and recovery while you actually travel, rather than standing still in a car park. Beginners can cover Paddle UK Paddle Safer content as part of that time.
If you already paddle, the day can shift toward journey planning and moving along the coast in more interesting water, still at a pace you can learn at. Half days keep the focus on a few skills. Full days give more distance and more time to repeat those skills as conditions change. Say what you want from the session when you book so the board and the venue are right.
SUP coaching is mobile around South West Cornwall. Regular meeting points include Porthallow, Mounts Bay, Sennen Cove, Helford and Praa Sands. Estuaries and south-coast coves often give flatter water for a first lesson, while more open beaches and headlands are useful once you want to paddle in small swell or along a longer stretch of coast.
Wind direction matters more on a paddleboard than many people expect, which is why the venue is not locked in at the moment you pay. After you book, Matt will ask where you are staying and what you want to practise, then name a stretch of coast that fits. You can suggest an area you already know, and you will be told if it will not work that day.
No prior paddleboarding is required. A first session can stay in sheltered water while you learn to stand, turn and get back on. If you already have a board and want to travel further, bring that goal to the booking so the day is not spent repeating a taster you have already done.
Use your own board if you have one, or a paddleboard, paddle, leash, helmet, buoyancy aid and cag can be provided. You need your own wetsuit and fully enclosed footwear. Ask about clothing for the season when you book if you have only paddled in summer elsewhere.
Matt has coached watersports since 2014 and holds Paddle UK SUP Coastal Leader, with the equivalent leadership awards for sea and surf kayak. Sessions are 1:1 or a group of up to six, written around what you asked to cover instead of a fixed class plan.
You meet where the wind and sea will actually let you learn that day, which is the point of mobile coaching on this coast. That keeps the session useful whether you are still finding your feet on a new board or you are ready to think about longer coastal trips.
Wetsuit, fully enclosed footwear and a towel. Bring your own paddleboard and leash if you want to use them.
None. If you have just bought a board, or you have only paddled on a lake, this session can start with stance, the stroke, and how to get back on after a fall. Matt will keep the venue in water that lets you practise those things without pretending you are already touring headlands.
If you already paddle and want longer coastal trips, say what is holding you back: planning, landing in swell, or simply confidence away from the harbour wall. The day is coaching, so bring a goal rather than expecting a silent scenic tour. Mixed groups work when everyone is clear about that starting point.
Paddle Safer is a Paddle UK award, formerly British Canoeing, for people new to paddlesport. On a SUP day it covers which kit to use and how to look after it, how to plan a simple journey, and how to get yourself or someone else back on a board.
It is folded into the coaching rather than sold as a separate listing. If you are a beginner, expect that content to sit alongside time on the water. If you already have those habits, the session can move on to coastal trip skills instead of repeating the same introduction.
Meeting points are chosen for the wind and sea on the day. Regular options include Porthallow, Mounts Bay, Sennen Cove, Helford and Praa Sands. After you book, Matt confirms where to go and a start time, usually 09:30, so you are not driving to a lee shore that has become a wind-against-tide mess.
You can suggest a stretch of coast near where you are staying. If it will not work, you will hear that before you travel. Allow time for parking, especially in summer, and bring the confirmed postcode rather than guessing from a previous visit.
A half day is a solid block of coaching and paddling without asking you to stay out until you are too tired to learn. It suits a first lesson, a kit check on a new board, or working on one skill such as getting back on cleanly.
A full day gives room to travel further along the coast and to practise the same skills in slightly different water as the tide or wind changes. Say which length you want when you request a date, and mention how far you usually paddle so the venue matches the hours.
A paddleboard, paddle, leash, helmet, buoyancy aid and cag can be provided. That is useful if you are trying SUP before you buy, or if you have travelled without a board. Mention your height and whether you want a more stable board or something you already own a similar shape to.
Own boards are welcome. Bring the leash that fits, and any dry bag you usually carry. You still need your own wetsuit and fully enclosed footwear. If you are unsure about board volume or fin setup for the venue, ask when you book rather than finding out on the sand that the board is wrong for the day.
A wetsuit you can paddle in, plus shoes that stay on if you swim. Add a towel, a warm layer, and a drink. A coiled leash is supplied with hire boards. Sunglasses with a retainer and sun cream are worth packing even when the air is cool, because glare off the water adds up.
Leave spare clothes in the car. If you wear glasses, use a strap. Valuables that cannot get wet should stay ashore unless you have a case you already trust. Matt can talk through buoyancy aids and helmets so you know what is coming with the hire kit.
Paddleboard coaching needs suitable conditions. Strong wind, dumping surf or poor visibility can make a planned venue the wrong classroom. Matt will look at the forecast and move to a more sheltered stretch of the south-west coast if that will let you actually learn.
If nowhere nearby is sensible, you will be contacted on the details you used to book. Do not treat a grey sky as an automatic cancellation, and do not treat sunshine as a guarantee of flat water. Wait for the confirmed meeting point before you drive.
No minimum age is published, so speak to Matt before booking children. Standing on a board takes balance, and you should be comfortable swimming a short distance in a wetsuit if you fall. That is a practical point, not a hidden test, and it is better discussed before the morning of the session.
You do not need gym fitness, but you should be ready for a half or full day outside, including carrying a board a short way. Mention injuries, especially knees, ankles or shoulders, when you book. The venue and the plan can then stay useful without ignoring those limits.
Falling off is part of paddleboarding, which is why getting back on is taught rather than treated as a failure. First sessions can stay in water where a swim is short and the board stays close. Feeling awkward on your feet at the start is normal, and kneeling is a valid way to travel while you settle.
Put that in the booking comments so the day is not planned as a committing coastal crossing. Confidence comes from repeating the recovery in a place chosen for learning. You can book again once standing and turning feel less like a balancing act.
Choose half or full day, group or 1:1, add dates and a note about your experience, then send the request. Booking is on request with a 48-hour lead time. Matt confirms he can run the session and later agrees the venue once the forecast is useful.
If you have just bought a board, say so, because kit care and simple journey planning may be the most useful part of the day. If you want a follow-up session for longer coastal trips, book again and pick up from the skills you already practised rather than starting from scratch.
What a great day! Matt planned and delivered the ideal day for my experience level and ability. The route visited an area of the coast I loved but wouldn’t have the confidence to visit myself and we had a great time.
Matt our kayak coach was fantastic- so knowledgeable and supportive. Would thoroughly recommend him.
Operated by Matt Holyer Coaching, a partner of adventuro.
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom
From £80
East Central Scotland, United Kingdom
From £110
