Last week we welcomed almost 400 West Country students and introduced them to bodyboarding.
Pupils from Tretherras and Penair schools joined us and our sister company Newquay Activity Centre to partake in a week of outdoor activities on the Cornish coast.
Our crew was tasked with developing a program to get the pupils in to the water whilst making the most of the coastline, with the hope of giving them an activity that they could pick up and take away as a hobby.
Using bodyboarding as a key feature of the program, the Bodyboard Holidays instructors oversaw the Newquay Activity Centre team to deliver bodyboard lessons to almost 400 kids over a 5-day period. The lessons included beach safety, ocean environment, equipment, and techniques for catching their first waves. For those more familiar with bodyboarding we helped them refine their technique and take their riding to the next level.
During the pupils’ lunch break we took the opportunity to enlist the skills of the RNLI lifeguards to give a presentation. It included beach safety, what it’s like working on the beach, hazards to be aware of and how to be a safe water user and look out for others.
Amongst those attending included local shredder Darwin Tagholm who stood out throughout the week. He caught the eye of the other pupils and inspired them to learn more having seen how much fun can be had on a bodyboard. This motivated the students to learn more and want to make bodyboarding a hobby.
We set a gazebo up on Fistral beach as a base for a week of waves and glorious weather which included the hottest day of the year. The waves ranged from waist high and super clean to 3-4ft and cross-shore, providing great conditions for learning all week long.
The Bodyboard Holidays team consisting of Gareth Davies, Chris Burton and Rob Barber reported that the event was a great success and that they were super stoked to have introduced such a high number of youngsters to the sport over such a short period.
We can’t wait to develop this relationship with the schools going forward, having already agreed that these weeks will become an annual event. One school has even enquired about doing a bodyboarding trip to Morocco with us for those looking to take their riding to the next level.
If you are a teacher or have a child in a school that you think would benefit from learning ocean safety whilst learning the art of bodyboarding, don’t hesitate to drop us a line.