Top Tips for Surf Trips!

As much as surfing is about catching that perfect wave its also about exploration. Being the co creator of the Land Locked Surfers club means I've become a bit of a dab hand at organizing and packing having stayed in everything from tents, to caravans, to posh apartments!

Having made pretty much every mistake going when trying to pack for a surf trip (not enough jumpers, no waterproofs, forgetting my WETSUIT...yeah I've been that stupid before) I have a few fail safe tips for your next (or first) surf trip! 

1. FIND RADIATORS.

Go with 'radiator people' the kind who make you feel awesome about yourself, who you'll have a good laugh with and help progress your surfing. You don't have to find pro's to surf with, beginners with heaps of enthusiasm are just as essential to you when your first start. Having surfed both solo and with groups I'll always pick surfing with friends because it brings a totally different energy to your session and in terms of safety its always good to have more eyes in the water to look out for those rip currents. Make sure your with open minded and adaptable people, the kind who don't moan too much because anything from wild camping to flat spells can all be potential problems! 

2. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO.

When I organize a surf trip I do the following I ask myself the following questions:

- Where am I drawn to?
- Does it have consistent waves? 
- Is there stuff to do if it's flat?
- Is it accessible by public transport if needs be? 
- Can all levels get something from the break? 

Asking myself these questions helps me tailor a trip to accommodate everyone's needs. I often use magicseaweed.com as a source of inspiration or simply running a Google search to find reviews about potential surf spots helps. The real beauty of surf exploration is rocking up to breaks which feel far away from the maddening crowd. As several Land Locked members don't drive however I always like to make sure there's public transport near so they can at least get to the main tourist beach (after that we usually car share and ferry people across to new found breaks). 

3. LOCAL KNOWLEDGE PREVAILS 

Locals know best, respect the locals and you'll have an awesome trip. In all the surf trips we've done around the UK we've never encountered 'Localism' and that's having surfed everywhere from Scotland to Cornwall. There are good people everywhere and if you are friendly, polite and don't drop in you can make some friends along the way. Recently in Pease Bay we met local surfers who not only told us where to wild camp but let us use their boards overnight! Yes people are that cool!

4. TOWELS, TOWELS, TOWELS. 

Always pack more towels than you think you need, a wet wet suit is one thing but using a cold damp towel to get dry for three days is downright awful. 

5.  SOYA ALL THE WAY 

I always pack two cartons of soya milk if camping, not only because I'm vegan but because soya milk can be left outside a fridge and still be ok. 

6. PLAN FOR FLAT DAYS.

The burden of being land locked and a full time worker is that you have to plan trips months in advance with no knowledge of whether the waves are going to be good. You can always use historical data about a surf spot and seasons can help to a degree but there is always an element of chance when rocking up to a surf spot. In the past we've had a Halloween themed party in a caravan, hours of fun in a local leisure pool and visited an Aquarium when the surf has been flat. No waves is annoying but it doesn't have to mean a ruined surf trip! 

7. GET YOUR 'OM ON! 

I try my best to do a bit of yoga when I'm away not only because I get a kick out of it but because being flexible and training your core strength can make a massive difference to your surfing. Stretch before you go in and you'll protect your muscles in the long run! 

8. CAR SHARE. 

Surfing has the potential to not be so great for the environment if you travel miles and miles to reach a destination. If you have the ability to do so split petrol costs and travel in shared cars. That and it makes miles of motorway less boring!! 

9. BE OPEN MINDED. 

Heaping expectation onto something is never a good thing, try to be open minded remembering that every trip is an experience and every surf sesh is an opportunity to learn something. Sometimes I wouldn't surf too well and I'd spend the rest of the session getting frustrated. It was only when I stopped worrying about how I looked that I surfed well and more importantly had a good time! 

10. HAVE A PLAYLIST AND TAKE LOTS OF PHOTOS! 

I think the title says it all, (I've made you a playlist which will stay up on the blog for a few days, this is the kind of stuff I make Mr Sunny listen to when we're driving off into the distance)!!

Until next time 
Stay strong, surf well
Love