Silver surfing in South Wales

When you think about great places to go surfing, perhaps South Wales doesn’t leap to mind. In which case, you’ll be surprised to learn that it’s already popular with the UK‘s surfing community.

The best spot is Llangennith.  It’s a small, pretty village with a welcoming pub, a great beach, and of course, amazing surf. And with surfing becoming increasingly popular among the over-60s, the silver surfers are getting in on the action here too!

Surfing can be great exercise, and helps the body to stay supple, in the same way that yoga does. To be good at surfing you need the strength to paddle through six sets of waves to reach the point where the waves are breaking.  This is where the top of the wave overtakes the bottom, and so starts to spill forward.  Success also requires a lot of practice to develop the necessary technique and timing.

Useful information

There are different types of boards you can use - short and longboards. On a short board, the surfer stays in one position. On a longboard you can move about to get your weight exactly where you want it. All surfers in South Wales wear full wetsuits to guard against the cold Atlantic water. The other vital piece of equipment is earplugs, which according to the regulars should be two small pieces of blu-tack!

At Llangennith, there is a 13m drop in water level between high and low tides, which is why the waves are so great. They average between 4ft and 6ft which makes them ideal for surfing. If you want to try out surfing, there are plenty of surf schools along the beach.  And of course, and plenty of local experts offering tips and information.