Boardmasters Surf Camps
In just a few weeks’ time, Boardmasters are inviting you to join them for warm water waves and summer sun at their surf camp in Moliets, France. Learn the basics or explore more adventurous surf spots, alongside special surf ambassadors and pro surfers Tassy Swallow, Luke Dillon and Lucy Campbell. With the surf camp event just around the corner, we caught up with Boardmasters Ambassadors Lucy and Tassy who are all ready to put you through your paces and get you surfing like a pro.
Learning to surf
- When standing you want to make sure your knees are nice and bent, your feet are on the centre line of the board, your head bum and feet are all in line and you’re looking where you want to go.
- Try to make sure all of your movements smooth and steady to avoid tipping in.
- Keep your fingertips down on the board until your feet and in the right spot- this gives you a little extra balance.
- Be ready to get a face full of fresh salty sea water.
- I would definitely recommend getting your first session with an instructor so that they can help you nail the right technique and pick up on any area that you need to work on/ can practice by your self. They will also teach you how to be safe in the water.
Improving your surfing
- Set little goals for each session like, ‘catch 10 waves’ or ‘land 5 turns’.
- Get in the water as much as you can – you will learn something new everytime.
- Go with friends that will push you to improve.
- Ask someone to film you so you can see yourself.
- Don’t be afraid to ask people in the water for tips if you’re stuck on something!
It’s not all surf talk, these pro surfers also like to enjoy Boardmasters in its entirety, here’s what Lucy is looking forward to this year:
- I always love the atmosphere on the beach, everyone is just chilling out and having a good time.
- Having a boogie or 3 at the festival!
- Spending some time with my girls.
- The contest – I’m normally really nervous about it but this year I’m really excited!
- Spending downtime between heats wandering around Newquay, its pretty little beaches and cute cafes.
Learning to surf
- Find a local surf school, club or instructor to teach you the basics.
Don’t get me wrong, you can teach yourself to surf and get to a basic level, however, you can end up making things harder for yourself in the long run if you pick up any bad habits with your technique that can be difficult to shake off. A surf school taking you out will also teach you the basics of safety and give you a better understanding of your local beach break. - Once you’ve learnt the basics, get out there and have some fun by yourself!
Improving your surfing is all about practice. Catching lots of waves in a session = more practice. That feeling of progression in surfing is so incredibly rewarding, and being stoked is the best thing about surfing! - Surf at the right beaches for your ability.
Some beach breaks can be straight out mean, showing no mercy for beginners. Surfing is a rewarding sport but the ocean isn’t gonna give you a break just because you’re only learning! Make sure you are going to practice somewhere that is safe, along with rolling whitewater wave rather than a shorebreak or waves breaking over rocks or from rivermouths. Rip currents are mostly hidden dangers and the last thing you want when your learning is to have a scare and set your confidence back. If in doubt ask where people would recommend to surf based on your ability. - Perfect that pop up.
A quick pop up is key to progressing your surfing onto bigger and better unbroken waves, as well as being the foundation for setting up a turn and trimming across the waves. You can practice your pop ups on dry land, 5 in the morning and 5 every night will give you some upper body strength that you’ll start to notice the benefits of, every time you get back in the water.
Improving your surfing
- Learn some surfing Etiquette.
A lot of surf schools won’t go into detail with what it means to be a respectful surfer out in the water. this can make things difficult when you’re looking to progress from surfing in the white water, to out the back into the unbroken green waves. There are lots of surfers of different ability surfing at most breaks you go to, and there should be no prejudice based on your ability- otherwise, how are you ever supposed to improve! To gain the respect of those better surfers you are sharing the line up with, you have to be able to understand who’s right of way it is in whatever situation the wave is breaking, and also be able to get out of the way of another surfer so as not to be a menace to their wave. Having this knowledge will come hand in hand with making you feel more confident in the water, gaining the respect of the other surfers and therefore giving you even more confidence to get stuck in! - Choose the right waves.
Having a good knowledge of how different waves will break, and which waves are the right ones to go for based on your ability is a great skill.
If you can tell which is going to be a good wave to paddle for, and what is not, then you will massively reduce the amount of time spent getting smashed off your board by a wave that is no good for you- making things a lot more fun in the long run! - Surround yourself with positive surfers and people that encourage you!
Most of the time the water is filled with people who are just stoked and having a good time. Try not to let yourself be brought down by people with attitude in the water or frustrations that they might vent on you. Surfing is about enjoying what is around you- not letting yourself be wound up by it. If you get bad vibes from someone in the water, distance yourself from them… there’s plenty of waves for everyone! - Watch Surf Clips- read surf forecasts. Fill yourself with surf knowledge.
There is so much good content out there on the interweb nowadays, so use it! The more knowledge you have about your equipment, forecasts, safety, waves, breaks, technique, etiquette and so forth, the more confidence in the water you will have because you trust your own judgement and feel sure about what you are doing. This will really rub off on your surfing and your progression. - Don’t be afraid to ask others
Every surfer has something in common – they love their sport, the ocean, what it means to be a surfer. Use that to your advantage, don’t be afraid to ask someone their opinion on something if you need to know more. Most people will be happy to share their experience with you and this will make you a better surfer.
Perfect your surfing with Lucy and Tassy at the Boardmasters Surf Camp in Moliets in SW France from 30th June – 7th July.
This unique location has been selected for it’s awesome chilled vibe, making it the perfect place for this surf camp with some intimate gigs, special guests, surf lessons, late night parties, chilled campfire vibes and yoga.
