Girl surfing

Surfing in Wales

Parent & Teacher Guidance
Surfing in Wales

The length of the mainland Wales coast is approximately 1,370 miles (2,205km) and by adding this to the coast of Anglesey and Holy Island, the total is around 1,680 miles (2,704km). These coasts make Wales an ideal place to undertake outdoor activities, particularly surfing.

Pembrokeshire is an ideal place to enjoy the thrill of sea waves with a wonderful and challenging Atlantic surf. Here the Big Blue surf school was started by renowned surfer Kirsty Jones and her friend. Today it offers opportunities for surfing and paddleboarding. It was the most magnificent location Kirsty Jones saw while kitesurfing the Irish Sea from Rosslare to Marloes in West Wales. After five hours of kitesurfing with the wind dropping, and tension increasing, a pair of dolphins appeared and swam beside her and encouraged her to keep going. This is the home of some of Wales's most beautiful scenery approaching Skomer Island, and Wormshead.

Welsh surfing beaches are very popular with tourists. Here is a list of the most popular beaches for surfing in Wales:-

  1. Whitesands, Pembrokeshire – one of the best beaches for surfing in Wales for the more experienced surfers.
  2. Coney Beach, Porthcawl – ideal for surfers living in Cardiff or areas in the east.
  3. Aberdaron, Llŷn Peninsula – a quiet beach with small waves and ideal for beginners.
  4. Oxwich Bay, Gower – an ideal place for beginners.
  5. Llangennith, Gower – an ideal place for inexperienced and experienced surfers alike. Many Welsh surfing heroes come from Gower.
  6. Poppit Beach, Cardigan – small waves ideal for surfing for short periods.
  7. Rhosneigr, Anglesey – not an ideal area for beginners.
  8. Abersoch coast is a more sheltered area for surfing and ideal for beginners.
  9. 'Surf Snowdonia' – an artificial wave pool at Dolgarrog in the Conwy Valley. This is the first artificial surfing lake in the world. The site cost £12 million and opened in August 2015.
Glossary
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest ocean in the world with an area of about 106,460,000 km2
Coast
Coastline or seashore is defined as the area where land meets the sea or ocean.
Holy Island
Holy Island is an island on the western side of Anglesey near Holyhead. It is called "Holy" because of its standing stones and ancient religious burial chambers.
Kitesurfing
Kitesurfing is an extreme sport where the kiteboarder uses the power of the wind with a large kite to travel across water, land or snow.
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