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A senior coach works with you for one and a half to two hours on Westward Ho! beach, at a pace that matches your ability rather than a mixed group. All kit is provided, and extra people can join the same session if you want a family or friends on the water together. You get a clear plan after a short assessment on the sand, then time in the shallows to practise.
Before you paddle out, your coach watches how you move on the sand and asks what you want from the session. That shapes the plan, whether you have never stood up or you already catch waves and want a cleaner turn. You then work through paddling, popping up and riding, with feedback after each attempt rather than waiting for a group to rotate.
The lesson stays in water that suits you, usually the shallows on this fairly flat beach, so you can repeat the same movement until it sticks. Extra people can share the coach if you book them on, which works well for a couple or a parent with a child. You finish knowing what to practise next time, on a lesson or on a hire board.
Westward Ho! gives you two miles of sand and a beach that shelves gently, so waves often break more slowly than at steeper North Devon spots. That makes it a good place for a private session, because you can find a quieter patch away from the busiest peak and still have room to paddle.
The centre is 50 metres from the shore on Pebblebridge Road, with public parking beside it. Heated changing rooms, secure storage, toilets, a surf shop and a cafe sit under one roof, so you kit up here and walk straight onto the sand with your coach.
No swimming test is required, because private lessons take place in shallow water with the coach beside you. A reasonable level of fitness helps you paddle and stand repeatedly, and we will slow the session if you need more rest than a group lesson would allow.
Complete beginners are welcome, as are people who already surf and want focused time on stance or turning. Tell us about the group when you book so we can decide whether extra people should share the same coach or whether a second lesson would serve you better.
Private lessons are taken by senior coaches who have taught on this beach for years, not a rotating weekend team. Coaching has run here since 1988, and Surfing England has given the centre its Centre of Excellence mark for safety, teaching, kit and facilities.
You get the same heated changing rooms, titanium-lined wetsuits and short walk to the sand as the open lessons, with the time dedicated to you. That is the point of booking private: a plan that fits your goals, and a coach who can change it the moment you stand up or stall.
Meet at 1 Pebblebridge Road, Westward Ho!, EX39 1HN. Public parking is next to the building, and the beach is about 50 metres from the door.
Arrive a little early so your coach can fit kit and talk through the plan before you walk down. Summer parking fills quickly, so allow extra time.
It suits anyone who wants a coach to themselves, from a first stand-up to someone who already rides and wants cleaner turns. Couples, parents with a child, and small groups of friends can add extra people to the same session rather than booking separate hours.
Your coach sets the plan after a short look at how you move, so a mixed-ability family can still share a lesson if you are honest about who needs more time in the white water. If the gap is too wide, we will say so and suggest a better split.
Most private lessons run between one and a half and two hours, including the briefing on the sand. Start times are usually 10:00 and 14:00, and we shift them when the tide will give you a better window in the shallows.
You should arrive early enough to change and talk through what you want from the hour. That conversation is part of the lesson, because it stops you spending the first twenty minutes on drills you have already got.
Yes. Extra people can join the same private session, which keeps a family or a pair of friends with one coach. The lesson stays focused, but the coach will split attention, so very mixed abilities work better when everyone is honest about their goals.
Add those people when you book rather than turning up with a surprise group. That way we have the right number of boards and suits ready, and the coach knows how to divide the water time.
Boards, wetsuits, and boots or gloves in cold water are included. You change at the centre, then walk the 50 metres to the beach already kitted, so you are not carrying a bag of hire gear down the prom.
If you have your own board and want to use it, mention that when you book so the coach can decide whether it fits the plan. Plenty of first-timers are better on our foam boards until the pop-up is reliable.
You do not need a swimming qualification. Private lessons stay in shallow water with the coach beside you, and Westward Ho! shelves gently, so you can stand up between waves more often than on a steep beach.
A reasonable level of fitness still helps, because paddling and popping up are repetitive. The advantage of a private hour is that you can rest without waiting for a group rotation, and the coach can shorten the water time if you fade.
The beach is fairly flat, so waves usually break more slowly and the water in the shallows can feel a little warmer than at neighbouring reefs. RNLI lifeguards are on duty through the summer, which adds another set of eyes on a busy day.
Your wetsuit has a titanium lining, and we add boots and gloves when the sea is cold. You will still feel the first wave, then the suit and the movement keep you going for the rest of the session.
Meet at 1 Pebblebridge Road, Westward Ho!, EX39 1HN. The centre is 50 metres from the sand, with heated changing rooms and secure storage, so you kit up inside rather than on the beach.
Public parking sits next to the building. It fills on sunny weekends and in the holidays, so leave extra time rather than arriving as the lesson is meant to start. Your coach will wait for a late car, but you lose water time.
An open lesson puts you in a small group of similar beginners on foam boards. A private lesson gives you a senior coach and a plan built around your goals, which is useful if you are nervous, in a hurry to progress, or sharing the hour with family.
You still use the same beach, changing rooms and kit. The difference is the attention: feedback after every wave, and the chance to move onto unbroken waves or turning work if you are ready, without waiting for the rest of a group.
Lessons have run from this beach since 1988, and this is the only approved surf school in Westward Ho!. Surfing England has marked the centre as a Centre of Excellence, which covers coaching, safety, equipment and the building itself.
Private hours are taken by senior coaches who already teach the open sessions, so they know the banks, the tide and how this beach changes through the day. That local knowledge is as useful as the one-to-one time.
Bring swimwear, a towel, sunscreen and a drink. A dry layer for after the session helps when the wind picks up on the walk back from the sand.
Leave jewellery and anything you do not want near salt water in the secure storage or in the car. We provide the board and the suit, so you can travel light and still have everything you need for the water.
Really enjoyed it, thank you!
Lovely, friendly atmosphere which helps to gain confidence. Excellent teaching skills with Finn
The session was great my husband and children really enjoyed it and felt it was really well run with the right level of support for each of them. Thank you for an amazong morning during our holidays.
We had an amazing time with good instructors, and a beach that's really suitable for beginners. It's not too deep so you can stand up whilst also having waves that you can surf.
Everything we’d hoped for 😊
My 12 year old had such a wonderful time.
Géré par The North Devon Surf School, partenaire de adventuro.
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom
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Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom
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Croyde, North Devon
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Westward Ho!, Devon
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Westward Ho!, Devon
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Westward Ho!, Devon
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