5 Months on the Road for Rob – in Numbers!

April 25, 2025
Bodyboard Trip By Numbers

A Coaching Marathon Across the World’s Best Bodyboarding Waves

Our intrepid leader, Rob Barber, has been on the road, running coaching holidays and retreats since the middle of December. He’s headed up our coaching holidays to El Salvador, Costa Rica, Sumatra and Bali. Then also hosted coaching trips for our sister company Women and Waves in Costa Rica and Bali. He’s back in the office now and looking sun tanned but travel weary, we asked him to tell us about his trip, using numbers!

Number of…

  1. Surf & Bodyboard Camps delivered – 8 (El Salvador ×2, Costa Rica ×2, Bali ×4)
  2. Shark sightings – 0
  3. Legit new secret spot discovered – 1 (El Salvador)
  4. Times your head was caught in a fishing line while riding a wave – 1 (Bali) ‘See the video here
  5. Total hours in the ocean – 244 (= 10 days, round the clock in the ocean!)
  6. Sickness days – 2 (sun-stroke / exhaustion, “Bali belly”)
  7. Scorpions in the bedroom – 1
  8. Most expensive beer purchased – $22 (Miami)
  9. DJI cameras broken – 1 (battery door left open, El Salvador)
  10. DJI cameras found floating in the line-up – 1 (Bali)
  11. Guests coached – 125
  12. Staff worked with – 17 (Indonesian, El Salvadorian, Argentinian, French, Portuguese, Costa Rican)
  13. 5-star TripAdvisor & Google reviews gained – 48
  14. Guests already booked again for next year – 52
  15. Manta rays seen while snorkelling – 14 (Nusa Lembongan, Bali)
  16. Most barrels in one session – 50+ (perfect Sumatra pits—shooting, not bodyboarding)
  17. Beach cleans attended – 1
  1. Reef-restoration projects supported – 1
  2. Water-time spent shooting (vs. bodyboarding) – 80 %
  3. YouTube instructional videos created – 28
  4. Action-figure dolls made with AI – 1
  5. Houses sold / bought on the road – 1 & 1 (sold Newquay house, bought another via Zoom)
  6. Times the emergency whistle was used – 2 (guests caught in rips)
  7. Guest injuries – 1 (over-the-falls head-plant, Costa Rica—checked out fine)
  8. Insane sunsets witnessed – LOTS (Bali & Costa Rica take the win)
  9. Storms ridden out – 1 (cyclone off Java, Bali)
  10. Flat days – 0
  11. Days at home in 5 months – 8
  12. Family holidays overlapping work trips – 2 (El Salvador & Bali)
  13. Video-analysis sessions delivered – 64
  14. Waist size – 30 in (four hours a day in the water will do that!)
  15. Dolphins surfed with – 4
  16. Reef cuts – 1 (shin—stepped in a hole pushing son into a wave)
  17. Turtles spotted – 11
Bodyboard by numbers

3. Legit new secret spot discovered - 1 (El Salvador)

Bodyboard by numbers

7. Scorpions in the bedroom - 1

Bodyboard by numbers

9. DJI cameras broken - 1 (battery door left open, El Salvador)

Bodyboard by numbers

15. Manta rays seen while snorkelling - 14 (Nusa Lembongan, Bali)

Bodyboard by numbers

16. Most barrels in one session - 50+ (perfect Sumatra pits—shooting, not bodyboarding)

Bodyboard by numbers

17. Beach cleans attended - 1

Bodyboard by numbers

18. Reef-restoration projects supported - 1

Bodyboard by numbers

21. Action-figure dolls made with AI - 1

Bodyboard by numbers

30. Video-analysis sessions delivered - 64

Rob Barber

Author

Rob Barber

Director
I’ve competed at bodyboarding since I was 13. I won my first open division age 14. Then became obsessed with bodyboarding and competed all over the country then the world.  My best year I won 11 events in the UK and internationally. My best result ever was ranking the highest European in the World professional championships at Pipeline. I won over 30 events when I was competing full time.  I have written and edited 4 books on surfing and bodyboarding. Two of which have gone on to be best sellers in their area of specialty.

Author Social

Destinations

7 NIGHTS

 / 

£1749

El Salvador

7 NIGHTS

 / 

£1549

Portugal

15 NIGHTS

 / 

£4249

Costa Rica and El Salvador

7 NIGHTS

 / 

£1679

Bali

9 NIGHTS

 / 

£1650

Southern Sumatra

7 NIGHTS

 / 

£1499

Women’s Bodyboard Retreat

8 NIGHTS

 / 

£1999

Nusa Lembongan

7 NIGHTS

 / 

£3599

Tavarua

7 NIGHTS

 / 

£2299

Costa Rica

7 NIGHTS

 / 

£1900

Women’s Bodyboard Retreat Secret Morocco

7 NIGHTS

 / 

£1999

Secret Morocco with Jeff Hubbard

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