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  • Home
  • Why You Should Visit The Isle Of Wight
  • Ferry travel advice & discounts
    • Discount Isle of Wight Ferry Travel
    • Isle Of Wight Ferry Beginners Guide
    • Wightlink's Tesco Clubcard deal – is it the best discount?
    • Using Wightlink’s Multilink deal for cheap ferry travel
    • Cheap Isle of Wight Ferry Travel For Caravans
    • 5 Isle Of Wight Holidays Including Ferry Travel
  • Holiday parks, hotels, camping & cottages
    • Family holiday parks & caravans >
      • 10 Of The Best Isle of Wight Caravan Holiday Parks
      • Parkdean Resorts Isle of Wight Holiday Parks (formerly Park Resorts)
      • Which Isle Of Wight Holiday Park Should I Stay In?
      • Last Minute Deals And Discounts At Holiday Parks
      • Is There A Haven Holiday Park On The Isle Of Wight?
      • Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park Reviews and Facilities
      • Lower Hyde And Landguard Holiday Park Review
      • 6 Tricks To Save Money At Isle Of Wight Caravan Holiday Parks
    • Hotels & guest houses >
      • Isle of Wight Hotels - a beginner's guide
      • 10 Best Isle Of Wight Luxury Hotels
      • Warner's Bembridge Coast & Norton Grange hotels
      • 5 Best Isle of Wight Coach Tour Holidays And Trips
      • Isle of Wight Hotels With A Sea View
      • 5 Ventnor Hotels And Guest Houses
    • Spa Breaks & Romantic >
      • 3 Best Isle Of Wight Spa Break Hotels And Spa Days
      • Romantic Isle Of Wight Holidays For Couples
    • Camping & glamping >
      • 20 Isle Of Wight Camping And Touring Parks
      • Isle of Wight Glamping
    • Cottages & self catering >
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Shanklin
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Cowes
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Newport
      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Sandown
      • 10 Isle Of Wight Wheelchair Accessible & Disabled Friendly Holidays
      • Brambles Chine And Linstone Chine Self Catering
    • Lodges & hot tub holidays >
      • 5 Best Isle Of Wight Holiday Lodges
      • 10 Best Isle Of Wight Hot Tub Holidays
      • 10 Best Isle Of Wight Holidays With Swimming Pools
    • Quirky & AirBnbs >
      • 20 Quirky Places To Stay On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Best Isle of Wight Airbnb Holiday Homes
    • Group accommodation >
      • 10 Best Places To Stay For Large Groups
      • 8 Best Isle Of Wight Manor Houses For Hire
    • Accommodation advice >
      • What Time Of Year Should I Visit The Isle Of Wight?
      • Which Isle of Wight Town Should I Stay In?
      • Where Is The Cheapest Place To Stay?
  • Festivals, days out & attractions
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      • Major Festivals And Carnivals
      • Isle of Wight Festival 2023 Lineup And Tickets
      • 10 Unforgettable Isle of Wight Festival Moments
      • Isle of Wight Festival History
      • Cowes Week - Attractions And Accommodation
    • Free days out & attraction discounts >
      • Free Days Out On The Isle Of Wight
      • Discounts To Isle Of Wight Attractions
      • Itinerary For A Budget Isle of Wight Holiday
      • 10 Ways To Save Money On Isle Of Wight Holidays
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      • Activities For Toddlers On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Children And Families On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Teenagers On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Adults On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For An Isle Of Wight Stag Do
      • Surviving An Isle Of Wight Holiday With A Toddler
    • Quirky days out >
      • 10 Quirky Days Out On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Things You Can't Do On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Things You Can Only Visit On The Isle Of Wight
      • Isle Of Wight TV & Movie Tour
      • 10 Reasons To Visit The Isle Of Wight
    • Days out in Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor >
      • 10 Things To Do In Bembridge, St Helen's and Seaview
      • 10 Things To Do In Cowes And East Cowes
      • 10 Things To Do In Newport and Carisbrooke
      • 15 Things To Do In Ryde
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      • 15 Things To Do In Yarmouth And West Wight
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      • Rainy Day Activities On The Isle Of Wight
      • Itinerary For A Rainy Isle Of Wight Holiday
      • Winter Days Out On The Isle Of Wight
    • Zoos, historic attractions, gardens >
      • Isle of Wight Zoos And Animal Attractions
      • Historic Attractions On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Isle of Wight Gardens And Parks
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      • Day Trips From Portsmouth To The Isle of Wight
      • Day Trips From Southampton To The Isle of Wight
      • Day Trips From Lymington To The Isle of Wight
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      • 5 Isle Of Wight Car Journey Games
      • 15 Best Isle Of Wight Car Park Viewpoints
      • The Isle Spy Car Journey Game
  • Beaches, tides, watersports & weather
    • Which Is The Best Isle Of Wight Beach For...
    • Isle of Wight Beaches Interactive Map
    • Isle Of Wight Tide Times
    • Isle of Wight Weather Forecast
    • Isle Of Wight Surf Forecast
    • Isle of Wight Watersports
    • The Beach Holiday Checklist - 5 Accessories
    • Mobile Version Of Isle Of Wight Best Beaches
  • Walking, Cycling, Driving & Public Transport
    • Walking >
      • Walking The Isle of Wight Coastal Path
      • 10 Best Isle of Wight Walks (Circular, 3-9 miles)
      • 10 Isle of Wight Short Walks For Children (1 Mile)
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Isle of Wight Guru

Learning to surf with iSurf on the Isle of Wight

23/8/2021

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Surf boards in Sandown
I know the surf looks flat in this photo...but it was much bigger further along
When I was growing up on the Isle of Wight, I only knew one person who surfed.

He was regularly paraded in assembly to show off his latest surfing trophy. He had an O’Neill pencil case and would turn up in Billabong jumpers on non-uniform days.

In hindsight, this seems rather odd. The Isle of Wight isn’t the surf capital of the UK, but it does get pretty decent surf on the right day and it’s certainly good enough for learning.

Learning to surf wasn’t an easy thing to do in the 1990s. I don’t remember there being a surf school on the Isle of Wight and buying a board would have been a huge investment considering I was earning £3.11 an hour.

Thankfully, things have moved on.

iSurf has been offering surf lessons on the Isle of Wight for a number of years, so I thought I’d finally give it a go. I had tried to surf about five years ago with a board I’d bought at a car boot sale for £4. Predictably, it turned out to be useless as it had a hole in it. I gave up and we’ve stuck to bodyboarding, kayaking and paddleboarding.

iSurf moves around the Isle of Wight, depending on the weather, tides and surf. They’ve got a hut on Sandown beach where they are based for lessons and surfboard hire and a van for surfing at Compton Bay.

I went for a group session which lasts for 90 minutes and cost £27.

A couple of days before my lesson I got a text to say that Sandown was the chosen location. Most sessions were fully booked but I’d squeezed in at 8am. Previously, this would have been hugely inconvenient but it actually worked well as I was back in time to take the children out.

I was a keen bean so I arrived early and had a pre-lesson chat with the surf instructor. He had a cool name and a cool haircut and if you asked me to draw a picture of a surf instructor, I’d have drawn him. This provided much reassurance.

There were five of us in the session and we started with some dry land instructions. We were told about the three ways to stand up, including the two proper options and the cheating version where you kneel on the board. I had aspirations for the Olympics in three years time, so I decided I would go for the proper options.

The waves were a good size at about a metre high or perhaps a bit higher. Pro surfers wouldn’t be challenged enough but they were ideal for learning.

The general idea is to lay with your feet at the tail of the board and your hands on the side of the board in line with your armpits. When the wave arrives, you push up with your arms and then gracefully move to a standing position.

This sounds very simple, but over the hour in the water I just about managed to stand up...twice. On both occasions it was very brief and when I was practically at the shore. It also included the instructor giving the board a good shove so I didn't have to paddle to keep up with the waves.

To make matters worse, a 12 year old in the same group as me turned out to be brilliant at surfing. On one occasion, I wiped out badly and was literally pulling seaweed out of my hair whilst he gracefully glided past. I grinned and gave a thumbs up since it wasn’t really his fault that I was useless.

Jealousy aside, I did enjoy the experience a lot. Surfing requires a lot of energy and a relative confidence in choppy waters. I fell under about five times and was walloped by the board a couple of times, but didn’t suffer any damage.
iSurf in Sandown
iSurf also hire equipment and do paddleboard sessions
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