Members Blog

The UK Bodysurfing Association Members Blog, with latest news and information about previous Meet Ups – where they have taken place, photos and videos. Please send us your own photos/videos if you wish them to be included on this page.

jpeg22News for members

Latest News

 

 

  • There have been about 8 Meet Ups so far this year, with several held during the summer months. Details regarding Meet Ups are now published on Facebook instead of here.
  • Mike Bushell (of BBC Breakfast fame) will be doing a shoot at Fistral Beach on 19th September. Once edited, his efforts at trying out the sport of bodysurfing for the first time will be shown during the BBC Breakfast show on Sat 22nd September, the day of the event.
  • The UK Bodysurfing Championships CIC are offering official T-Shirts and Posters for sale – available via this website, featuring the excellent artwork of Neil Butler. Proceeds to towards holding the event and are great momentos!
  • Our key sponsor this year (DMC Fins) will have some handboards available for those who would like to use one in the UK Championships Handboards event .
  • We shall have the same Videographer assisting us at this year’s event, along with two new trainee photographers (courtesy of Falmouth University).
  • We were unsuccessful in our bid to become one of the 3 events on the Euro Bodysurf tour this year. This has not held us back with out intentions turning to becoming very International rather than just European this year. So far there are competitors expected from the USA and Australia, as well as Portugal.
  • Finances have dictated that we can only use one of the days we have alocated, although by having two events (with handboards and without) taking place at the DMC Fins UK Bodysurfing Championships 2018, as well as a Ladies final, shows we are continuing to grow the event. The events will start early and run on into the Chill Out at the Fistral Beach Bar, co-sponsored by Korev Cornish Lager.
  • The dates for the 2018 Championships are 22-23rd September 2018! We are hoping to utilise both days this time (with heats on the Saturday and finals on the Sunday) although as always this will be highly weather dependant and down to finances too. The plan is to have a freestyle event as well as an event with handboards.
  • We again plan to utilise the Fistral Beach Bar for a Chill Out – more details to follow!
  • Slyde sponsorship kit has arrived!! We intend to bring along a couple of Slyde Handboards to the next Meet Up for the members to try out
  • There will be photographers and a videographer covering the Slyde Handboards UK Bodysurfing Championships 2017, possibly with some coverage from BBC Spotlight as well.
  • The UK Bodysurfing Championships C.I.C. have contacted all UK Bodysurfing Association members to see which ones wish to take part in the Slyde Handboards UK Bodysurfing Championships 2017 (the additional cost for members will be £30).
  • The initial 4 wildcard overseas slots have now been filled, 3 contestants coming over from Portugal with 1 contestant from France also taking part.
  • The Slyde Handboards UK Bodysurfing Championships C.I.C. are considering having 20 competitors taking part instead of the 16 originally intended. More of that to come over the next few weeks!
  • There is to be an Expression Session for spectators! Thanks to sponsorship from Slyde Handboards, Silver Label and SP Gadgets, spectators at Fistral Beach on the day will get the opportunity to have a go with a Slyde Handplane fitted out with a waterproof camera. This fun event will take place between the main event and the Chill Out. Siver Label and SP Gadgets will present prizes of their own waterproof cameras to the best 3 videos played back in the Fistral Beach Bar Chill Out that evening.
  • We are planning a Crowd Funding Appeal, further details of which are to be announced soon. Although the UK Bodysurfing Championships has been very successful at gaining sponsorship’s, it has been much less successful at achieving the grant funding it applied for. A successful Crowd Funding exercise will bridge that gap, and give the Championships a solid base going forward through the remainder of this year and into 2018.
  • The UK Bodysurfing Association (in its role as one of the founding members of the Euro Bodysurf Association) is now a contributor to their new Facebook Page. Although our event is not on their program of events across western Europe for 2017, we hope it will be one very soon!
  • DMC are also now sponsoring the Slyde Handboards UK Bodysurfing Championships and are providing 16 pairs of Repellor fins as prizes.
  • Ben Schofield (already a Slyde Pro Ambassador) has taken on the role of Slyde Handboards UK Bodysurfing Championships Ambassador. He will be able to help promote the event both going forward and at the Championships themselves.
  • We can confirm that the Slyde Handboards UK Bodysurfing Championships 2017 are now also being sponsored by DaFin (via Satorial Supplies). They are providing 3 pairs of swim fins as prizes, as well as goodie bags for all competitors (we hope the fins will be 3 of their special edition red, white and blue 4th of July special editions, which are not readily available in this country, although this has not been confirmed yet!).
  • The Slyde Handboards UK Bodysurfing Championships are are also being sponsored by Korev Cornish Lager, the Fistral Beach Bar and 37 Bodysurfing Apparel
  • There will be a get together for everyone involved in the Slyde Handboards UK Bodysurfing Championships on the evening of Saturday 16th September at the Fistral Beach Bar, Fistral Beach, from 7-9 pm, sponsored by Korev Cornish Lager and the Fistral Beach Bar.
  • Slyde Handboards are now key sponsor for the inaugural UK Bodysurfing Championships which are taking place at Fistral Beach, Newquay on 16-17th September 2017
  • The event will be known as the Slyde Handboards UK Bodysurfing Championships. As well as providing Bula Handboards for use by all competitors, they are also kindly donating two carbon Bula Handboards as prizes for the winner and runner up
  • All paid-up members are entitled to 25% off Slyde products – Go to Slyde Handboards or Slyde Handboards – Complete Sets and when requested at the Checkout put in the voucher code BODYSURFUK17.
  • Official UK Bodysurfing Championships T-shirts are available, all profits going to the Championships
  • Please let us know if/when travelling down to SW England for holidays etc, and we will try to hold a Meet Up to accommodate you!!
  • Check out Jack’s new tattoo!! Woohoo!!

 

Next Meet Up

The next Meet Up of the Association is expected to be at Croyde, details to be announced shortly.

We look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible.

As well as being sent out via email, forthcoming Meet Ups are also added to our UK Bodysurfing Association C.I.C. Facebook page where you can interact and add your name if intending to come along.

Insurance cover is now in place and covers all paid-up UK Bodysurfing Association members taking part at Meet Ups around the beaches of SW England. Note:- this insurance covers paid-up members only. The UK Bodysurfing Association has no liability for anyone else who may be there on the day.

Previous Meet Ups

Saturday 3rd December 2016 – at Watergate Bay, Newquay.

The first Meet Up of the UK Bodysurfing Association went well, giving the chance for members and ourselves to all meet, exchange chat, and compare techniques/skill levels.

On the day we turned out to all be quite experienced, but with differing styles. The waves ended up surprisingly good (given the small swell forecasts we’d been reading), certainly useable, and coming in very clean with a period of about 11 seconds. Sea temperatures remain reasonable for this time of year at around 12C, although 2 hours in the water was just about enough for all of us in one session.

We are all looking forward to the next Meet Up, when maybe the waves will be even better!

Here are a few pictures, captured from the day…

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Heading out…

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The chance to practice with a Garage Handplane

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Waves better than had been expected

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Jack on the slide.

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Jack Middleton

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Watergate Bay

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Andy Bodenham

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Catching a few good sets…

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Not all at once please!

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Jack Middleton

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Peter Connolly

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In tandem…

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Peter, Jack and Andy

Friday 30th December 2016 – at Croyde Beach, Croyde.

The second Meet Up of the UK Bodysurfing Association went ahead with a great turnout on the day and the swell providing some fantastic, quite challenging waves.

There were loads of surfers there already, so very promising, although it did take a time for us all to group up at the pre-arranged meeting point at northern end of the beach. However we found each other (all 9 in total)!

After some time spent chatting we went on to assess the waves, and quickly decided on where the best area would be for us to venture out. As this didn’t take long we were soon geared up and heading out into the waves!

We reckoned the waves were a good 4 to 5 feet with some great hollows, but tending towards the dumping variety if your wave was not selected very carefully – the wave period was good at about 11 seconds.

Another plus was that the sea temperatures seemed up on those we experienced down at Watergate earlier in the month (or it could have been the new gloves!).

Given the types of waves we certainly needed to generate a decent velocity in order to catch them but were then rewarded with some excellent rides.

There were several who had taken the opportunity of a free taster session to come along and see what the UK Bodysurfing Association was all about. I personally think they all went away having had a fantastic time – helped by the excellent conditions on the day. We were certainly very pleased to see and meet them all, and we’re sure we’ll see many of them again.

After the session (some had been in for several hours by the end!) we all headed to the Thatch for a drink and to recount our experiences. There were plenty of things to talk about.

Here are a few images from the day (Jack had a camera fitted to his handplane – there may be a few more action photos to come).

A group huddle – the UK Bodysurfing Association at Croyde Beach

Chatting at Croyde Beach – Dec 30th 2016

Topher and Andy at Croyde Beach – Dec 30th 2016

Topher and Andy at Croyde Beach – Dec 30th 2016

Croyde Beach – Dec 30th 2016

Croyde Beach – Dec 30th 2016

Saturday 28th January 2017 – at Crooklets Beach, Bude.

The long range weather forecasts had not been looking good for this event, but the decision was taken Wednesday to go ahead anyway and hope for the best on the day. Unfortunately, the good conditions observed in the run up to the day (both Thursday and Friday were great) did not in the end last into Saturday morning and we arrived to some very messy conditions indeed.

There were certainly some waves there, but the wind had turned onshore, and we had no real alternative location nearby.

Some probably anticipated this, but most of the 7 who turned up did get together in the local cafe for a chat over a tea/coffee. Here plans were made for where to hold the next Meet Up, where we will hope for some better conditions.

Crooklets Beach, Bude - 28th January 2017

Crooklets Beach, Bude – 28th January 2017

Here is the only picture from the day – in the cafe!

Sunday 19th February 2017 – at Tolcarne Beach, Newquay.

Upon arrival (after some introductions) the group quickly decided to relocate to Tolcarne Beach, instead of staying at Fistral Beach, due to the onshore breeze. This proved to be a very wise decision as the waves were much cleaner there and had a decent period to boot. It was great to see that we had several newcomers this time round (all from the Wirral) who were made very welcome.

Once at Tolcarne we all took to the waves with some gusto, most soon out of eye shot. Despite this lack of close up opportunities we did still manage a few good photos from the day.

We all had a great session (lasting in all around an hour and a half) upon which we headed off for a bite to eat. None of us were too cold this time, thanks to double digit air temperatures and light winds. Roll on the next Meet, which is scheduled for April.

Tolcarne Beach, Newquay - 19 Feb 2017

Tolcarne Beach, Newquay – 19 Feb 2017

 

Tolcarne Beach, Newquay - 19 Feb 2017

Tolcarne Beach, Newquay – 19 Feb 2017

Tolcarne Beach, Newquay - 19 Feb 2017

Tolcarne Beach, Newquay – 19 Feb 2017

Saturday 15th April 2017 – at Fistral Beach, Newquay.

Last time we had to switch from Fistral to Tolcarne Beach, this time it was in the opposite direction. Having scheduled to go to Tolcarne Beach this time around, there was very little swell or waves to be seen, whilst it had been noted that there was at least some swell back at Fistral Beach.

Off we trooped to check out Fistral Beach. Firstly we parked over at South Fistral and had a look at the waves from that side, then reverted back and parked over at north Fistral. This didn’t make much odds though as eventually we decided that the lifeguards were not going to be very forgiving if we did not stay within the red/yellow flags. That was where we ended up, within the red/yellow flags.

Although due to the conditions it was just a short session this time, we were very pleased that we did get some rides in, and it was good to just be out in the water once again after the late winter break.

A  couple of our newest members came along this time, but fair to say that we are all looking forward to having better swell and waves at the next Meet Up!

Tolcarne Beach, Newquay - 15 Apr 2017

Tolcarne Beach, Newquay – 15 Apr 2017

Here’s an image from Tolcarne Beach, hence the need to go elsewhere!

Saturday 13th May 2017 – at Crooklets Beach, Bude.

Our visit to Bude went a little better than the last time we visited, in that at least we managed to get out into the water. It was a nice sunny day, albeit a little windy, which held some promise. Temperatures are on the rise now we are into early summer with sea temperatures going up too. Unfortunately the 3 foot swell on the day came with only about a 5 second period, and was a quite mixed up too. We soon discovered that there was very little in the way of rideable waves, no power at all behind them. However we did enjoy about an hour or so of experimenting with our handboards.

Sunday 28th May 2017 – at Porthtowan, Cornwall.

This was our best Meet Up by far. The wave gods were certainly shining on us this time with a swell of about 3 foot and with a 10 second period. Not only that, the waves were nice barrels, ideal for practicing some different techniques. Not only did we have a decent turnout, but there were a couple of local bodysurfers there as well joining in the fun. We also managed to get some good photos of the day out, along with a decent video (see below).

We are currently managing to arrange Meet Ups a little more frequently, so look forward to seeing some of the members who haven’t managed to get to one so far.

Porthtowan Beach – 28th May 2017

Owen getting ready at Porthtowan Beach – 28th May 2017

Peter at Porthtowan Beach – 28th May 2017

On the way out at Porthtowan Beach – 28th May 2017

Practising a porpoise start at Porthtowan Beach – 28th May 2017

Porthtowan Beach – 28th May 2017

Sunday 11th June 2017 – at Praa Sands, Cornwall.

This was our first trip to the south coast, which is nearly as far down into the southwest as Penzance, but it seemed worth the effort. We had three or more new/potential new members there on the day, and we all had a great time in some challenging swell conditions. Quite a lot of effort was needed to search out some good rides early on, although the conditions  were itowards the end of our session.

There were a couple of photos and videos from the day, which can be seen on social media.

Saturday 1st July 2017 – at Tolcarne Beach, Newquay.

There was an excellent turnout at Tolcarne this time around, although we had to run the event without the services of Jack due to a last minute work commitment (thank you to Peter for helping out!). Two of our newest members (Sam and Dan) came along for the first time. A warm welcome to them both and we hope they both enjoyed themselves! In Sam’s case it was more of a short family holiday!

The conditions have to be sumarised as messy, although we were all able to get some good mainly short rides in, with the occasional longer one too. Indeed, as we approached high tide the waves did improve just a little bit as well.

A few photos have been published on social media.

Sunday 23rd July 2017 – at Croyde Beach, Croyde.

It was great to see some of our north Devon regulars once again. They do have a tendancy to bring along the waves with them Croyde proving to be one of the better locations for bodysurfing.

It was a busy day, rather haphazard in that the tide was out and we all arrived from different directions. Thankfully, we were able to put out the 4.2 metre sailflag to indicate where we were.

The waves were reasonably good throughout, and got better towards the end of the session.

Saturday 19th August 2017 – at Fistral Beach, Newquay.

This was the final opportunity to meet up ahead of the Championships and we were lucky enough to have a couple Slyde Handboards Bulas for the members to try out. We also had two photographers along, to take some promotional photos for us.

The swell was mushy, so not great for breaking waves. Everyone seemd to enjoy having the photographers about though (see all the great photos online).

We had a couple new and potential  bodysurfers there on the day – welcome to them!

Saturday 23rd September 2017 – at Tolcarne Beach, Newquay.

The swell gods decided to look favourably upon us this week with some excellent swell, waves – and an offshore wind! Thanks to this (and the fact we held our Championships at Fistral Beach last week) the turnout was very good indeed. We had about 10 members come along, some taking the opportunity to try out the Slyde Bula’s, now available on a regular basis. Surprisingly, the beach was relatively empty too, so plenty of room to try out some manouvres. Owen took the opportunity to put together a video of all the action, available on our facebook page. It was a great day!

October and November 2017 – at Croyde and Porthtowan.

There are no reports as I was unable to make these 2 events.

Saturday 16th December 2017 – at Fistral Beach, Newquay

The swell was very poor this time, but a few hardy souls did turn out (including our one and only lady member). Jack had a bad back and I was still trying to recover from a virus, so it ended up being a short session in the sea and a longer session in the Fistral Beach Bar. These things happen sometimes!

2018

News/photos and videos about Meet Ups now appear on our Facebook pages.

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