Book now

Community Impact

Making Waves in Our Community

Scarborough Surf School is built on community. From grassroots surfing and youth development to surf therapy and major East Coast events, we’re proud to use our coastline, coaching expertise and facilities to create positive local impact — in and out of the water.

Based at Cayton Bay, just 3 miles south of Scarborough, we believe the ocean should be a place where everyone feels welcome. Alongside our lessons and coaching, we actively support local surf development, youth wellbeing and community initiatives across the Yorkshire Coast.

Book now

Supporting Scarborough Boardriders Club CIC

We work closely with Scarborough Boardriders Club CIC to help grow grassroots surfing and create accessible opportunities for local juniors and adults. What we provide includes:
  • Use of facilities and an organised base for meet-ups and events
  • Support with equipment, logistics and beach operations
  • Coaching input and progression pathways
  • Competition infrastructure and event delivery support

Working with The Wave Project

We’re proud to support and work alongside The Wave Project, a surf therapy charity using the power of the ocean to improve young people’s mental wellbeing. Surfing can help young people build:
  • Confidence and resilience
  • Calm and emotional regulation
  • Social connection and belonging
  • Positive routines and self-belief

Hosting Iconic East Coast Surf Contests

We are proud to host major annual competitions that celebrate the East Coast surf scene and inspire the next generation.

Our headline events include:

  • The Secretspot East Coast Classic
  • Secretspot ‘King of the Point’
  • Junior Contests at Scarborough Extreme Festival and Scarborough Surf Festival

Free Community Surf Sessions for Vulnerable Young People

Each year we run 1–2 dedicated free surf and ocean activity sessions for vulnerable young people, designed to remove barriers and create a safe, confidence-building day at the coast.

These sessions are delivered as a single supported programme — with emergency services volunteering alongside our coaching team to help create an extra layer of reassurance, safety education and positive role modelling.

Emergency services volunteers may include:

  • RNLI
  • Coastguard
  • Fire Service
  • Police

What the session focuses on:

  • Providing a supportive, positive coastal experience for young people who need it most
  • Building confidence through structured ocean activities
  • Teaching practical water safety and coastal awareness
  • Positive interaction with trusted community role models

Want to Get Involved?

If you’re a school, youth organisation, community group, sponsor, or emergency service team interested in supporting our community work, we’d love to hear from you.

Click here

Tori

Manager & Head Surf Coach

Known as Secretspot’s “Mother Hen,” Tori truly lives and breathes surfing. With over 20 years of surf experience, 16 years coaching, and 12 years as part of the Secretspot family, she plays a central role in everything we do. Tori manages all activities across the surf school and leads our coaching programme as Head Surf Coach, with a particular passion for junior development and performance surfing.

She created and leads our SuperGroms junior progression programme, helping young surfers build strong foundations and progress with confidence. Tori also delivers our advanced lessons, using video analysis, performance drills, and tailored coaching to support surfers looking to take their skills to the next level. Alongside this, she works as a Surfing England Coach Trainer Assessor, delivering coach courses here at Cayton Bay, and volunteers as a Team England Junior Squad Coach, supporting the next generation of competitive surfers.

You’ll probably recognise Tori from our socials, where she provides daily video surf reports, keeping the local community up to date with conditions and surf forecasts. Away from the water, she’s deeply involved in the local surf scene as the founder and chair of Scarborough Boardriders Club CIC and is often behind the scenes organising local surf contests, events, and socials.

During the busy summer months, Tori can be found at Cayton Bay day in, day out, making sure the surf school runs smoothly. When winter rolls around, she heads off to enjoy some free surfing at favourite destinations such as El Salvador, Bali and Ireland, before returning refreshed and ready for another season.

Paul "Tomo"

Owner

The backbone of our business, Tomo has grown up surfing Scarborough and has dedicated his life to the surf industry in the North East. With deep local knowledge and decades of experience in the water, he represents everything our surf school stands for: authenticity, expertise, and a genuine passion for the coastline we call home.

In 2008, Tomo took over the surf school from Ross and brought it together with Secretspot Surf Shop, established in 1989. As one of the oldest surf shops in the UK—and the largest in the North East—Secretspot has long been at the heart of the local surf community. Combining the two businesses was a natural progression, allowing Tomo to carry forward a shared ethos built on local knowledge, surf culture, and a lifelong love of Cayton Bay.

The philosophy has always been simple: run by surfers, for surfers. That means providing the best possible equipment, honest advice, and coaching rooted in real experience—whether you’re standing on a board for the first time or looking to progress your skills.

Known affectionately as our “Chief of Coasteering,” Tomo grew up exploring every nook and cranny of the East Coast. That lifelong familiarity with the coastline led him to become a trained coasteering instructor and to introduce coasteering to the Yorkshire Coast. Over the years, he has personally developed and led thousands of coasteering sessions, continually refining them to create the safe, professional, and unforgettable experiences we offer today.

Tomo’s depth of experience, commitment to safety, and passion for sharing the coastline are the foundation of everything we do.