Board Surfing in Wales
There has been surfing in Wales since the early 1960s. The sport though did not really take off until the late 1960s when Keith Paul came to the Gower.

He could be seen riding the waves of Langland and he stood out amongst the local crew, not just because of his silver board shorts, but also for his surfing abilities.

The surfing community stuck mainly to Langland and Llagenith with long boarding the style of the day. The boards were heavy and the style mellow.

The first crew to surf Porthcawl were disturbed by the police when a local lady reported two airmen hanging onto the wing of a plane in the sea when, what she had in fact seen, was the boys on their long boards!

Pete Jones has been one of the key figures in the Gower and Wales surf scene. He has represented his country at international level, and he lead the way through the seventies. He still stands out when in the water with his vibrant caricature. If you are new to the sport his shop on the Gower is a good place to start.

There is now a thriving surf scene in Wales starting at Llanwit Major in the south it runs right through to North Wales. There are also many high quality board shops in Wales. Gill of Odd Board in Porthcawl, Crab Inland Boards, which is the oldest, and many others.

The vibe in Wales is chilled and far from the hassle of Devon and Cornwall. We have many world class reefs and beach brakes, along with many quality spots to master new skills for the experienced and those new to the sport.

In the last few years many new surf schools have appeared; the majority run by recognized master surfers, for example Simon Tucker in Porthcawl, who has proven his skills on the British and International surf scene.

To sum up surfing in Wales - It’s chilled, but the local’s rip.