super tubes

Can't beat the real thing.

Surfing for H.R.H The Queen at Swansea LC, Swansea, Wales

Feeling the pain this morning from falling off so often, Tom Fisher and youn Ben have both informed me that they have never felt so beaten in all the years they have been surfing.

Surfing for H.R.H The Queen at Swansea LC, Swansea, Wales

What an honour for our surf school to help with the opening of the new Swansea L.C and surf for the Queen.

Surfing indoors here in Swansea was fun but not as good as the real thing

Surfing for H.R.H The Queen at Swansea LC, Swansea, Wales

Swansea indoor surfing centre

How much fun does this look, water must be cold though if she had to wear a wetsuit and the wipe outs look harsh.

Wakeboard Pros on the Flowrider

Here is another you tube video on flow riding not sure if I like the look of the wipeouts though.

Body boarders enjoy the Flowrider

This looks great fun but painful if you fall wrong.

Flowrider: Dreamworld Surfers Paradise Indoor surfing pool

What do you make of these flow rider machines? Do you think this may be the future for surfing in the UK?

Indoor surfing centres Swansea leading the way

Here is a flowrider in use in Wisconsin, USA.

Surf degree gets new name but same core modules including surf trips to Portugal and Hawaii

Above is a group of Swansea students from the Watersports management Course, University Of Wales. GSD has worked closely for over 5 years with many of the top schools, proactive Local Authorities and has even been involved with helping create the 'surf degree' which even though approved and given the go ahead was shot down by the media. For a ten minute video on surf gower, swansea surfing which was produced by the University simply click here 'gower surfing video'

The good news for those future students is that the degree has been renamed and will be available from Sept/Oct 2008 it will be called BA (hons) Leisure (Marine & Watersports) Management .

Exciting times indeed if you want to work in the ever expanding leisure management field of Surfing and other watersports offered globally. Indeed during the three years there will be two field trips in which students will have set course work and need to deliver seminar presentations from research carried out whilst visiting the surfing coastline of the Algarve in Portugal and the mecca of surfing Hawaii.


For more information on this course simply contact the course director Doctor Ian Jenkins click here 'Sign me up for the new and improved surf degree in swansea'

Patagonia Oceans As Wilderness- Synthetic Seas

Plastic bags often drift in with the tide on Gower and Fistral beach please try and use alternative sources.

Surfing in South West Wales - Wake up to the surf

Here is surfgsd on the xtreme TV channel.

Swansea surf school owner on the north shore

Swansea surf school owner enjoying North shore surf experience

Technorati Profile

Swanseasurfing, surf incident training with surfgsd

Last Sunday we had a nice clean small swell with offshore winds, Caswell beach was very busy and ultimately a young surfer was hit by someones board and was knocked out, he was found floating by Brett Gillett (SurfGSD instructor) and Greg Healey of www.gowerlive.co.uk (an ex beach lifeguard) backed up by members of the Mumbles lifeguard club and beach rescue a spinal injury management procedure was implemented.

Ultimately, a bad situation was turned around due to the fact that there was trained surfers and lifeguards on the beach and in the surfing zone. This enabled the young lad after a brief stay in hospital to pop down to Caswell beach yesterday and thank everyone that helped in a well executed rescue.

It could have been worse, it could have happened out on the gower reefs or at another remote spot. Perhaps without anyone else around or only a few surf buddies with you.

Are you confident that you would know what to do? (If you are a swanseasurfer or based close to our gower beaches and use them, please see at the bottom of this blog to get info on surf incident training for surfers)

Prevention rather than cure

1) surf with a buddy
2) The surfer on the wave has priority, so get out of their way
3) If paddling out and a surfer is heading towards you, simply head into the impact zone (or soup), thereby not ruining the surfers ride
4) If surfing a wave like the 'reef' or Crab Island, never cut corners like the idiots last sunday, paddle all the way around so as to stay clear of the surfing zone
5) Do not sit in front of a take off spot (yet again like the idiots at crab on sunday) as if someone takes off on the outside they have a really good chance of running you over) back to rule number 2 the surfer has priority not you sitting on the inside catching the small waves
6) Ensure that the equipment you are using is 'fit for the purpose' and that you have a leg rope as it is irresponsible to surf a longboard/shortboard/piece of cheese in busy surf breaks without a leg rope and more importantly at busy beaches with swimmers, as if you lose the love of your life it will bounce with speed towards the shore and do a good imitation of a bowling ball taking all the skittles out on its lone trip to the beach
7) If you are hiring a surfboard ensure that you have had a surf lesson from an official British surfing Assoc' school and then only hire softboards which are good enough for 90percent of the surfing population on any given British day anyway, (try a swell board on a big day you will have so much fun I am addicted to the soft boards)
8) Know the beach/coastline you are going to surf before you jump in, speak to locals, check info on websites such as beachwizard, magicseaweed, surfs up etc and if there is a beach rescue service have a chat with them about potential dangers
9) The list goes on and on for more info check out the BSA website or RNLI
10) Do not stick your head in the sand or in the way of another surfer, get trained and know before you go

Surfers incident training this September on Gower, 2007

SurfGSD is offering you the chance to improve your knowledge for free, thats right free.... Well not exactly because you are going to have to get to the beach and dedicate 45 mins of your life, surf or no surf.

The session will encompass basic ABC of resuscitation and what if scenarios, for example your friend is hit by a surfboard, what are you going to do?

To book on these evening classes simply email simon on the following email and please put surf abc for subject info@surfgsd.com we will try to train as many surfers as we can in the four weeks of September, places will be limited.

Learn to surf, surfing lessons, surfboard hire with GSD the surfing experience company

I have put a collection of pictures together which are a snapshot of what surfgsd can offer here in the UK and on the Algarve, with quick links below for you to explore further.

Junior surfing

surfing books for junior surfers

Adult group surfing

Stag and Hen surfing weekends

School activity surf trips

Christmas gift vouchers for learning to surf

Moonbags, keypod, and soft racks for sale on shopgsd

Long weekend surf and stay in yurts, tipis or Celtic roundhouses

Live, surf, travel holidays to the Algarve, Gower or Cornwall

Swansea surf school, gower surfing, gower surf holidays

Newquay surf schools, surfing in newquay at Fistral beach

Surfboard and equipment hire

Hawaii surf trips from 2006/7 and stay tuned as will be giving daily accounts of the action commencing Jan 2008

Swansea Surf centre indoors and of course on our beautiful Gower surfing beaches

Received this from the tourism team here in Swansea, hopefully this will help swansea surf centre progress with the surfing development plan.

The revolutionary Swansea Leisure Centre will bring all the thrills of seaside surfing indoors!

A multi-million pound project is under way to re-open Swansea Leisure Centre in 2008. The new facility will boast a 21^st century water park, creating Britain's leading indoor water attraction.

The leisure centre will boast:

­- An indoor water park consisting of a network of pools, water rides, and slides, including the Master Blaster and the Surf Rider, which is an indoor surfing ride.

­- A lazy river will allow children to body surf, and there will be an interactive pool with play equipment, a toddler teaching facility in the Lagoon Pool and baby classes in the Kid's Pool;

- Multi-purpose sports and exhibition hall for sports, conferences, exhibitions and concerts;

- Wales' biggest fitness arena with a comprehensive range of cutting-edge equipment and monitoring systems, weights and free-motion machines;

­- Two aerobic studios;

­- Health spa and treatments centre;

­- Poolside café, four-storey Playzone, party and function rooms and a nine-metre climbing wall.

­Standing alongside the National Waterfront Museum, this new cultural and leisure hub is expected to attract over one million visitors a year.

Swansea surf school offering learn to surf lessons all year round

Swansea surf school offering learn to surf lessons all year round

I have had several emails and txts asking if we are open this time of year for learn to surf and surf hire at our swansea surf school. the answer is yes, we have CRB approved BSA surf coaches that will take the lessons all year round. We have all the winter wetsuits etc that you will require for this time of year.

For all surfers the ultimate goal is to surf the north shore we hope that people that we teach to surf will eventually progress their surf ability via our surfing development courses and end up on this beach. Live, surf, travel