Bodyboarding Meets Surf Club Culture in Cornwall
My eight-year-old and 11-year-old children both attend Newquay Board Riders, one of many Board Riders clubs found throughout the UK and around the world. These clubs play a hugely important role in introducing young people to surfing, helping them build skills, confidence, and friendships in the ocean.
Many of the children involved already participate in surf lifesaving and naturally progress into surfing through their local Board Riders club. What is far less common, however, is access to organised bodyboarding.
While Australia has a strong bodyboarding club culture, the UK currently has none. Perhaps the most famous example is the Port Macquarie Bodyboard Club, which has produced multiple world champions, including Damien King and Michael “Eppo” Epplusten. The club recently hosted its highly successful Bodyboard Club Teams Challenge, highlighting just how vibrant grassroots bodyboarding can be when young riders are given the opportunity.
A Simple Idea: Give Kids Access to Bodyboards
At Bodyboard Holidays, we wondered whether we could help introduce more young people to bodyboarding by working alongside existing surf clubs.
Our idea was simple: donate bodyboards to clubhouses so that children could choose to bodyboard as well as to surf or even instead of surfing if they preferred. By providing easy access to equipment, young riders could enjoy shorebreak waves and other conditions that they might not normally tackle on a surfboard.
The goal isn’t to replace surfing. It’s to broaden horizons, encourage participation, and give kids another exciting way to enjoy the ocean.
The First-Ever Bodyboard Division at the North Shore Pro Cadet Series
This pilot project led to the creation of the first-ever bodyboard division within the Newquay Board Riders event series, officially known as the North Shore Pro Cadet Series.
The initiative launched at Great Western Beach last Sunday with a bodyboard expression session. Every young surfer entered in the competition was invited to take part, and most of them did.
Bodyboard Holidays owner and ex professional bodyboarder Rob Barber arrived with a stack of bodyboards for the groms to use and donated four boards to remain permanently in the clubhouse for future sessions.
The Learning Curve Was Incredible
The response from the kids was immediate.
As soon as the boards hit the beach, the groms grabbed them and sprinted into the water. The atmosphere felt different from a traditional surf session, less serious, more playful, and full of energy.
The event was run as a non-fin session in clean two to three-foot surf. Some of the kids paddled out the back and were quickly catching waves, attempting spins and re-entries. Others stayed in the whitewater, trimming along the face, riding prone, or even standing up (stoogie) on their bodyboards.
What stood out most was how quickly they progressed.
Within just 20 minutes, many of the riders were confidently trimming waves, while around 30% were already attempting assisted spins. It was a brilliant demonstration of bodyboarding’s accessible learning curve and the instant enjoyment it can provide.
Stoke Levels Through the Roof
Stoke Levels Through the RoofPerhaps the biggest indicator of success came after the expression session had finished.
As the surf competition got underway, a steady stream of young surfers approached us asking if they could borrow the bodyboards throughout the day between their heats. They simply wanted more time in the water.
That enthusiasm confirmed exactly what we had hoped: bodyboarding offers another pathway for young people to connect with the ocean, have fun, and build confidence in a wide range of wave conditions.
Looking Ahead
This pilot scheme was an overwhelming success, and we’re now exploring opportunities to roll out similar programmes with other Board Riders clubs around the UK.
The vision is simple. We want more young people to discover bodyboarding and recognise it as an exciting, accessible, and highly rewarding watersport. They don’t have to choose between surfing and bodyboarding, they can enjoy both, or pursue whichever discipline inspires them most.
As long as the next generation is having fun in the water, building friendships, and developing a lifelong love of the ocean, we’ll consider it a success.
The stoke levels were through the roof, and we couldn’t have been happier.
Interested in Getting Your Kids Into Bodyboarding?
If you’d like to learn more about this initiative, or you’re interested in introducing your children to bodyboarding or surfing, get in touch with the team at Bodyboard Holidays. We’d be delighted to help the next generation discover the joy of wave riding.
