scarborough

31st January 2019 Blog by Scarborough Surf School

Kids (Grommits) Surf Clubs 2019

Definition:

A Grommit (Grom or Gremme)

Is a young participant in extreme sports. A surfer under the age of 16.

Throughout spring and summer, we offer a choice of two fun packed courses to kickstart the season. Both courses have the same content and aims. All you have to do it pick a date and you can leave the rest to us.

The courses are both intensive and fun. We pride ourselves with the fact that your little nippers will not only have a blast but will also make great progression in their newly acquired surf skills with amazing results over the course of just a few days.

Being a surf club, our priority is catching waves but if the sea is calm, we have our Stand up paddle boards (SUP) and our 8 man super SUP, both are great team work activities and help improve fitness and balance ready for when the waves return.

If the conditions are in our favour, we round off the week with a coasteering session and BBQ. The perfect way to finish off a great week with their new surf buddies!

Customer review:

‘’Thanks so much for taking such fabulous care of Henry this week at surf club.

He has had the most amazing time and thoroughly enjoyed every single minute.

Thanks Sam and Tori for inspiring a very little boy and for sharing your passion for surfing!

I’m sure you’ve instilled a new passion in our own little surf dude!

Thanks again Helen’’

So. Lets see what all the fuss is about!..

Our friendly and enthusiastic surf coaches are awesome! Period! All our coaches are ISA level 1 coaches and qualified beach lifeguards and are all DBS checked. We take great pride in ensuring your future surf stars not only have an excellent time but get the very best out of their 5 days with us. In addition to learning to surf our Grommets will become confident watermen and learn how to keep safe and be vigilant of the rapidly changing conditions and recognise potential dangers in coastal environments.

What we will teach:

Kids will learn how to be safe and confident in the water. We will give them an understanding and appreciation of the ocean. By regularly practising safe habits in and out of the water.

We will cover:

Rips and Tides
Etiquette
Weather systems, Swell and wind
Pollution and keeping our beaches clean
Coastal environment and local wildlife
Wave theory and recognising surf conditions
Confidence building
Fitness

Its incredibly rewarding to see our Groms’ blossom and gain more and more confidence over just a few days. Not only in the water but socially and through teamwork. Surfing can do wonders for self-esteem and give a sense of achievement and our Groms’ regularly leave with new friends for life after an intense and fun week alongside their peers.

Not only is surfing exhilarating and fun but also excellent exercise. It’s a high energy sport guaranteed to tire out even the those with boundless energy. Over the week they will build on strength, coordination, flexibility and endurance. Surfing and SUP’ing also teaches perseverance, determination and a can-do attitude. Surfing can be challenging but it all pays off when you catch that perfect wave! and celebrate alongside your friends.

We guarantee giggles all-round!

Having fun is paramount! We incorporate games and a have a playful approach to all our activities.

If the conditions allow, we love to have a paddle out on the SUPS to explore the outer reef to discover some of the wildlife and experience the nature of the environment. We are occasionally blessed enough to be greeted by some of the curious local seals. This is always an incredible and memorable experience and we hope to inspire and wow all our kids by unveiling all the wonderful benefits of being an ocean lover.

Our final session of coasteering and BBQ ends the course with a bang. Coasteering suits all abilities and gives the kids a real opportunity to challenge themselves with some climbing, swimming and jumps as well as giving the ultimate experience of exploring the jewels of our coast and discovering nature at its best. Then we finish an action-packed week off, with a friendly BBQ to reflect and laugh about the events of the week. It’s always enjoyable and heart-warming, not only for the kids but their family and our staff too. Kids club is quite frequently the highlight of our summer and we look forward to meeting fresh faces and new potential surfer dudes every year.

If you would like to book on to Kids club. Please call Scarborough Surf School on 01723 585585. To secure a place.

All we request is that all children can swim 25 meters.

All equipment except swimwear and towels is provided for the week.

We look forward to meeting the next little rippers of 2019 soon!

10th November 2018 Blog by Scarborough Surf School

Gloves, Mitts or Claws?

Winter is well and truly upon us! As the water temperature drops gloves are a must for cold water surfers. We all want to get the most enjoyment out of our surf sessions and stay warmer in the water for longer. There’s nothing worse than a freezing cold case of claw hand and ending a session early resembling something from dawn of the dead. If you find yourself in a near hypothermic condition after each surf its probably about time you treat yourself to some decent kit! Luckily for you, we get our fair share of icy waves here on the east coast and have it covered! We have the best range of brands here at Secret spot to help keep you stoked throughout the cold winter months.

Fits like a glove!

It’s important to pick the right glove or mitt for you and get the correct size. They need to ‘fit like a glove’ so to say. Try a few pairs on in store or at least check the brands size guide – if your’re buying them online from us, we are happy to exhange your gloves, so dont worry if your’re unsure! They want to be fairly tight. Gloves that are too big make paddling more difficult and defeat their purpose of warmth.

When it comes to choosing boots and gloves its not worth scrimping. You get what you pay for and you want a brand that uses good quality neoprene and has good seals, so blindstiched, liquid seals or taped, keeping them water tight. Nobody really likes having the extra weight of gloves so pick a trusted brand that delivers lightweight, flexible and durable gloves and do what they say on the tin!

Which thickness?

We have a selection or 3mm, 4mm and 7mm gloves and mitts to choose from. If it’s a lightweight Autumn/early winter glove to take the chill off, go for the 3mm but if you tend to feel the cold or your looking for something for the depths of winter go straight for the 5mm -7mm range. Quality thermal lining makes a big difference too! Fortunately, with the huge expansion of surf technology in the past decade our chosen brands have cracked it when it comes to warmth.

When it comes to choosing boots and gloves its not worth scrimping. You get what you pay for and you want a brand that uses good quality neoprene and has good seals, so blindstiched, liquid seals or taped, keeping them water tight”

Gloves or mitts? It’s a personal preference!

5 Finger glove With the five finger glove ever finger is individually wrapped in neoprene, with thick neoprene this can feel a bit bulky so the lighter 3mm glove may be a better option in this style. On the upside you have a lot more freedom of movement and grip with these gloves.

Mitts Mitts are renowned for being super toasty. All your fingers are tucked up cosily together. Retaining more of your body heat. I would bring out the mitts on those frosty days every time. Obviously with all your fingers wrapped up together it limits freedom of movement. You can’t pick your nose in mitts! But many say that mitts aid a more powerful paddle stroke which Sounds good to me!

Lobster claw The 3-finger mitt could be the perfect balance between mitts and gloves for you! You could argue ‘what’s the point in having one separate potentially chilly finger?’ but it gives you a wider range of movement and grip. Which can make all the difference for simple tasks like locking the car or putting your leash on.

3mm Alder Enzo Glove – £25.99

We love these gloves! They’re super lightweight and comfortable with cosy fast drying fibre fleece lining. If you want stretch and flexibility you will not be disappointed! They feel like a second skin, yet the double lined palms are both durable and grippy. Our best budget buy at only £25.99!

Buy Alder Enzo Glove >>

3/2mm RipCurl Flashbomb – £39.95

You can’t go wrong with the new improved flashbomb neoprene. Which makes them incredibly warm and comfortable. They are 3mm throughout the whole glove and only 2mm on the cuffs making them feel lightweight. The have excellent seams and really stick to your hands. Another blinder by RipCurl!

Buy the Rip Curl Flash Bomb Glove >>

4mm Alder Spirit fast dry mitt – £26.95

The plasmas one of the most popular and mot talked about mitts here on the east coast! This mitt is our top pick of the year yet again and not without good reason. It’s a great budget buy yet holds up against high end contenders Its fast-drying lining makes that second surf of the day more appealing. They’re extremely popular with our local cold-water rippers and are already flying off the shelves!

Buy the 4mm Alder Spirit fast dry mitt >>

5mm Xcel infinity 3 finger mitt – £47.95

Excel are certainly experts when it comes to warmth! Their mitt features 100% ultrastretch neoprene with a tighter weave for less water absorption and durability. The have premium quick dry lining and are certainly popular amongst our locals! They’re a snug and comfortable fit with long cuffs keeping them in place and are Taitex sealed, glued and blindstiched, keeping them water tight. Xcel are one of the most trusted brands on the market for durability and warmth. They tick all the boxes for us!

Buy the 5mm Xcel infinity 3 finger mitt >>

5mm Oneill Psycho tech mitt – £39.95

We love Oneill’s new technobutter neoprene! Its soft on the skin, windproof and incredibly lightweight. The fluid seam welds are durable and comfortable. These are one of the best fitting mitts we’ve tried to date. With oneill’s firewall lining and extra grip on the palms they get top marks from us!

Buy the 5mm Oneill Psychotech Mitt >>

Patagonia R3® Yulex® gloves – £55

These gloves are designed to keep you comfortable in the winter cold. Made with neoprene free 85% Yulex®?natural rubber/ 15% synthetic rubber the meet the rigorous standards for performance, durability, warmth and sustainability. An all round excellent glove! Patagonia promise any damage due to wear and tear with their wetsuit warranty. We think they’re the bee’s knees and love what Patagonia are doing!

Buy the Patagonia R3 Glove >>

Xcel 7mm drylock mitts – £64.95

Guaranteed to keep your precious paddle hands toasty all winter! Xcel have gone above and beyond with this years drylock range. This is the super hero of mitts! The 7mm mitts now feature Celliant technology, which reverts your body heat back to your hands, keeping you on top form in the water. The drylock wrist seals lock water out. They have an awesome contoured 3D fitting design as well as being wind proof and incredibly durable. A must have for surfers in freezing cold temperatures.

Buy the Xcel 7mm drylock mitts >>

We hope this guide has helped you guys choose which is the right glove for you this season! Remember, you are always welcome to head to either of our stores for a chat and some advice – or give us a call on 01723 585585. We are a surf shop run by surfers and are always happy to share our knowledge with you 🙂

Shop for Gloves

7th November 2018 Blog by Scarborough Surf School

Carls Board Reviews, the Firewire Cymatic

Ok people welcome to my first surf board review, over the coming weeks I am going to give you some handy feedback and hints on some of the boards I have been riding and the suits I have been wearing, working in the industry has many perks with the best one being able to get my paws on the latest trick gear to play around with so I think its only fair to share my thoughts with you guys.

My first review will be of my latest sled from the Firewire stable the Cymatic, this is one of the latest creations from super duo Kelly Slater and Daniel Thomson with my particular board being the 5,9”. I am going to spare you a load of tech talk and instead tell you how the board really feels to surf.

As soon as I saw the unveiling of the Cymatic I knew I had to have one, not many boards have that instant love at first sight impact, maybe it was the footage of Mr Slater dissecting Soup-Bowl or maybe it was down to my year long love affair with the magical board the Evo, that I knew the wide nosed bat tailed love child of the Omni and Sci-fi would be a bit special?

Finally the day came and it was there right in front of me and it seemed only fair that I dress the board up in some new fins and leash, I opted for the FCS Accelerator Quad set up in medium which I had tested out earlier this year at Surf Snowdonia, if your planning on getting loose and fast then these are the fins to have, and because every little helps I went all out and added the new FCS Freedom leash, less drag = more speed!

My first session was a bit stressful, there was a lot riding on this board my hopes were very high, and the bar had already been set by the mighty Evo. I had waited for a half decent day for my first session, so I paddled out at 3-4ft Bunkers here at Cayton Bay, a nice hollow fast wave which if my calculations were correct the Cymatic would fly in.
I am 76kg and on my first paddle out the board at 34.3 litres glided across the water very nicely indeed, duck diving the dumping sandbar was a doddle, so far so good, Initial worries about living up to the Evo in the wave catching department were soon forgotten as I paddle with ease into my first wave, and off we go!

“I feel the need…the need for speed”

(Cruise, Top-Gun 1986)

The full volume nose makes take offs nice and stable and as soon as you are up and driving down the line it becomes apparent that this board is very quick, in fact its as quick as the Evo and that’s rocket powered!

Surely this is the board that Maverick would have rode?

Now all this speed is very good but what happens when you want to change direction? Cue the nicest cutback I have done in years! The narrower double bat tail really grips into the wave and very little energy is lost allowing you to hit the foam get back into the pocket to set up your next manoeuvre. The quad set up compliments the board perfectly giving the it that skatey almost out of control feel, I love how the tail releases while coming off the top allowing you to come back down the wave more vertically.

All these characteristics really do help exaggerate each manoeuvre and in turn allow you to perform more critical turns, you will find you can actually surf better which in turn builds confidence, it’s a win win result.
So we have been together Three months now and we are still very happy together, we recently went to Cornwall and scored some hefty 6ft beach breaks in which the Cymatic was a lot happier than me to paddle into! Ive had her out in 2ft onshore slop which she performed very well in which leads me to believe this is a genuine One board quiver and excellent travel board.

I think you get the idea that I like the board now! If you are looking for a high performance yet user friendly stick then you need to check the Cymatic out, don’t be fooled by its hybrid appearance you will never outperform this board, but you will improve and have bags of fun, oh and you can pretend your Slater or even Maverick too :0)

5th November 2018 Blog by Scarborough Surf School

Toris Winter Wetsuit Reviews are in!

So winter is here! Time to hang the summer suit up for the year and get fully prepared to take on the great British weather and make the most of the winter swells. A good quality winter wetsuit is essential here on the cold east coast! Keeping you in the water for longer and getting the best out of every surf session whatever the weather – this guide has been put together by Tori Gower, secretspot surf coach and all round top waterwoman

As a qualified surf coach at secret spot surf shop and committed cold water surfer. I’ve been surfing on the east coast for around 15 years through some of our coldest winters. We all want to be on top form in the water and quality kit is key.

Its exciting to see women’s surfing really taking off and seeing more and more women in the water! The development of women’s wetsuits has come such a long way over the past few years with more performance suits readily available for the enthusiastic waterwomen of today! I’m very lucky to have first pick of the best brands in the industry through Secret Spot, so I have put together my top picks of my favourite go to brands of women’s wetsuits for 2018/2019.

Lets keep you toasty whilst shredding this winter!

First up – Sizing is key!

In the past I’ve had issues with sizing and finding the perfect fit with women’s wetsuits. I’m 5’3 and generally take a size 8 wetsuit. I’d always recommend trying on a couple of different suits in store to find the right fit for you or at the very least checking the brands size guide.

For example I’m not the tallest of people – With some brands if I were to try a size 10 suit it would be too long in the leg for me, so a taller lady would need to go up a size. Fortunately this seems to be a issue of the past nowadays! With more brands offering a tall or short sizing option, catering for all body types. The brands I have chosen in my opinion have nailed the sizing as well as performance with more attention to detail to suit women’s needs. Nice flattering cuts, comfortable to wear and nice and snug.

Here are my top 3 suits for the winter 2018/19

O’neill womens O’riginal FUZE hooded – 6/5/4mm (black)

Excellent value for money!! I’ve been really impressed by O’neills range this year! I’ve been wearing theirs 4mm suit all summer and its by far the best suit I’ve tried to date and the hooded FUZE doesn’t have any complaints from me either.

If you want warmth and flexibility without having to splash out too much this is the suit for you! This is going to be my go too suit to brave through many cold surf lessons this winter. It’s super toasty, soft on the skin and comfortable.

Its extremely durable which is a must with everyday use, yet surprisingly flexible throughout the whole body for a 6mm suit. I’m particularly impressed with the flush fit of the hood and very little resistance around the neck and shoulders. It fits like a glove and has a classic flattering cut – Top marks from me!

Rip Curl Women’s Flash bomb 2018/2019 – 6/4mm (black)

I’ve been wearing Rip Curl’s Flashbomb suits every winter for at least the past 3 or 4 years and have never been disappointed. Its not one of our best-selling suits for no reason and this year’s batch is no exception! It’s very popular amongst our local ladies here on the east coast and I can see why!

The Flashbombs’s super flexible and lightweight, which is a must for me during winter sessions with that extra added weight of boots and gloves. It’s a lovely snug fit, I’ve never experienced any flushing and the taped seams are soft and durable. Its highly rated by our local ladies including myself! Its E5 flash lining is an added luxury! Not just for warmth but its quick drying, so that second surf on a frosty day is that bit more appealing when faced with putting on a wet wetsuit.

Personally, I always choose a more flexible wetsuit over warmth but with this suit I don’t have to it undoubtedly meets both needs.

Xcel infiniti hooded 2018/2019 – 6/5mm (black)

So! Xcel never fail to deliver! These guys have got cold water surfing sussed! Several of our hardcore local girls here won’t wear anything else. These suits are built to last and guarantee warmth. If you tend to feel the cold this is the suit for you!
he Thermo dry celliant on the chest and back keep your core and main organs super warm and it has the added lightweight balance of the new thermo light lining throughout the whole lower body, keeping you toasty without having to sacrifice any flexibility. This is an incredibly comfortable performance suit that’s easy on the eye. We all know the only downside to the chest zip is getting the damn thing on and off but with the new one shoulder wide entry design of the infinity suit this isn’t an issue. Gone are the days of wiggling round on the roadside trying to break free whilst withholding your dignity! Ticks all the boxes for me! Hats off to Xcel!

Shop for these suits at –

9th October 2018 Blog by Scarborough Surf School

King Of the Point 2019!

King of the Point 2019

King of the point is back! Due to the massive success of last years competition its back in a big way. Last December ‘ King Of The Point ‘ debuted delivering possibly the biggest surf ever contested on the UK’s East coast with conditions of 3 – 4 metres powering over the Scarborough points .

LOCATIONS – The same two locations of Cayton Point and Cloughton Wyke located in the scarborough area will be where the meeting of the clans do battle. A third location is to be considered under Ripcurls ‘ The Search ‘ programme and with over 50 miles of wave rich coastline to search, there are many spots capable of being included in this years ‘ King Of The Point ‘

FORMAT OF EVENT – The format has slightly changed as last year we were swamped with entries. A maximum of 28 surfers will be chosen to compete in hopefully once again huge surf conditions. Entry details are located further down on this blog. As the event has only run once in two years the top placing 4 surfers from last year will gain automatic entry into this years event, these are Tom Wilson, Gabriel Davies, Evan Rogers and Danny Allot.

THE CONTEST OVERVIEW – The contest will be called on when XL clean surf conditions present themselves.The waiting period will run from November 1st 2018 – May 1st 2019. The same traffic light system will again be used to notify competitors the event is on: RED – No | Amber – Maybe | Green – GO King Of The Point could be called on within as little as 24 hours notice. Scotty will be keeping a keen eye on any would be monster low pressure systems this winter and ultimately will make the call. Miniumum size required will be 6 – 8 feet + . If conditions do not meet our criteria during the waiting period the contest will simply not be called on.

COMPETITORS – Secretspot and Ripcurl are wanting 28 competitors and 12 alternates to fill places if someone can not make it on the day. The Event will still run if we do not fill all the 28 places as this is the maximum. Last years legendary event ran with 20 competitors all doing battle over the Scarborough points. Due to tidal restrictions at both breaks it only leaves us with 3 – 4 hours contest action at each location. Competitors will be required to be registered by 7.30 AM on the morning of the event. Heats will take on a format of approx 1 hour, ensuring that every surfer in the event gets to surf twice (one at each location ).

HEAT SCORING AND SPECIFICS

Due to timescales surfers will be scored on their two highest scoring waves at each location and the highest accumlative 4 wave score of the day will be awarded the ‘ King Of The Point ‘ title.
To make this event fun, there are loads of accolades (and some pretty sick prizes) to be won. These will include

1. King Of The Point – Highest scoring accumulative points through the day gets crowned the winner
2. Best wave – The individual best wave ridden throughout the event
3. Best manoeuvre – The best single manoeuvre of the event
4. Best late charging takeoff – Awarded to competitor who truly shows commitment and probably shows psychotic tendancies also.
5. Longest wave – Its not unkwown for surfers to go out of sight at one of the locations.
6. Worst wipeout – We are expecting many so you can win this by default.
7. Golden mile / worst beating – At one location its not uncommon to blow the take off and get washed the entire length of the point.

We are looking to get the whole event videoed and photographed for a future presentation. As this is a charity event, if any would be people are intested in capturing the day please e mail scotty at shop@secretspot.co.uk for more details. We aim to make this a bigger success than last year folks and there will be a large alclcohol fuelled celebration in a scarborough bar somewhere to be announced.

HOW TO ENTER

To be considered for King of Point 2018/19 we just need a photo of you charging at least double overhead surf – the best way to enter is by getting on instagram and tagging us in your photo – @secretspotsurfshop – and using the hashtag #kingofthepoint. We will then message you back to get more info. If you dont use instagram, you can send your entry photo to shop@secretspot.co.uk.
Once we have your image, we will notify the chargers that have made it into this years comp
please note, there is a small entry cost of £20.00 for the chosen few, with all proceeds going to the local RNLI and Surfers Against Sweage.

SELECTION OF CONTESTANTS BY AREA

Scotland – 2 competitors
Cornwall, Wales and SW – 4 competitors
Scarborough and Whitby area – 14 competitors
Saltburn and Clevland area – 4 competitors
Newcastle and North area – 4 competitors

Secretspot, alongside Ripcurl, want to bring together a group of like minded surfers from across the UK. This is as much a gathering of clans as it is a normal run of the mill surf contest.

LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE !!!!

14th June 2018 Blog by Carl

2018 Grommets after school club is off to a flying start!

This Wednesday saw the Second session of our 6 week after school Grommets Surf Club here at Cayton Bay, as usual the surf was pumping and with glassy 2ft sets exploding into the high tide shore break it was hard work for the younger ones!

The session began with a lesson in Surf etiquette and awareness, as always this had tom be kept brief as the kids were itching to hit the surf!

Everyone caught some good waves and tackled the swell with confidence, some of the older kids did very well and are beginning to turn across the waves..

After a good surf with plenty of wipe outs it was back up the hill to Scarborough Surf School HQ for a well earned BBQ…

3rd April 2018 Blog by Scarborough Surf School

Summer Supping at Cayton Bay

Here at Scarborough Surf School we have been busy gearing up for the Summer season, this year we are hitting Paddle Boarding in a big way, firstly by investing in new inflatable Paddle boards which a far lighter board making the walk to the beach far easier and improving safety for our students.

The next task is to brush up on our instructor skills, so off I went to the beautiful St Ives in Cornwall (yes its a hard life) to attend the ASI level 1 enclosed water and level 2 exposed water paddle board instructor courses.

I soon found out there is more to paddle boarding than meets the eye, body position equipment choice, risk assessing and paddle strokes are essential to get the most out of this fun sport and that is before we attempt a toe-side step back pivot turn!

The Course was run by Glenn Eldridge who is the elite coach for the ASI and competes globally in SUP and Kayak events, Glenn certainly put me through my paces to bring me up to the high standards expected by the ASI. This involved hours on the water each day, video analysis in the classroom and a couple of gruelling timed paddles for good measure!

I can now see the many benefits of Supping, the fitness aspect was particularly evident from my aching shoulders, and its a great way to explore or coast and inland waterways. Most importantly you need to develop awareness of the environment you are paddling in and identify potential hazards which is what you learn in our SUP taster lessons.

There are many other skills to gain in paddle-boarding such as catching waves and down-winding, our sessions are all run in flat water and will give you the skills and knowledge needed to keep on paddling safely and effectively.

I was pretty stoked (and tired) at the end of the 4 day course to be told by Glenn I had got through it and passed and I am looking forward to taking our first sessions this spring.

scarborough

Fits like a glove!

Which thickness?

Gloves or mitts? It’s a personal preference!

Page Bottom