JF
John F
TA
★★★★★
Had a great time with my family for my Mum’s 60th birthday. We did coasteering with Stu and Matt who were great instructors
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Surf School
Beginner & Improver Surf Lessons
Group Lessons: £40pp - Max. 8 participants per instructor.
Private 1-to-1 lesson: £120pp, including video analysis.
Private 2-person lesson: £60pp, including video analysis.
Lesson times are 10am & 2pm
Era Adventures Surf School offers top-quality surfing lessons from our base in Polzeath, Cornwall. We are some of the very best in the business and provide surf lessons for all abilities and groups. We train Surf Instructors Internationally to become Beach Lifeguards & ISA Surf coaches so you can rest assured in the most competent of hands! We tailor our surfing lessons to suit your ability and requirements from your very first time on a beginner board to progressing your skills and knowledge onto an advanced board!
We offer surf packages of lessons too so whether you're around for just a weekend or the whole week we can organise for one of our qualified and experienced instructors to coach you through the basics and get you up and riding and onto more technical skills.
Surfing Lessons
Beginner Surf Lessons
Level one at our surf school is perfect for dipping your toe in the water and trying out something completely new and different. You’ll learn the basics, be safe in the sea and have a lot of fun all at the same time. Our qualified instructors will be right by your side in the water to guide and coax you in and give you the confidence you need. By the end of your session, you should have got to grips with basic surf safety, paddling, catching waves and if you’re lucky standing up too! Our beginners’ lessons are great for kids and adults alike and perfect for groups of friends, couples and the family. For a completely different view of the Cornish coast, you can’t beat hitting the waves on a surfboard.
Intermediate Surf Lessons
Our intermediate surf lessons are broken up into levels 2 – 6 and are aimed at surfers looking to improve their basic skills. If you haven’t been out on the waves in a while and want to refresh your technique, or are looking to keep developing your skill-set these lessons are perfect for you. You don’t need to be a hardcore surfer with your own kit though, we can still provide all the equipment you need to brush up your skills and get ready for a surfing holiday or waves further afield. On each level you’ll run through different techniques for you to master from paddling, improving your pop-up, getting more stable on the board to increase the length of your ride and learning how to turn forehand and backhand. We also hold custom sessions where you can refine particular skills and master the waves.
Advanced Surf Lessons
Our final level is for slightly more serious surfers who have already mastered the vast majority of movements, control and stability. You’ll bring your own custom board and surf out with the instructors to find some challenging waves to increase your skills. When you’re at this stage and looking to hone your technique, we can arrange video coach analysis to help improve techniques and offer advice on hardware, boards & wetsuits so you can make the most of the Cornish surf.
Surf Kit Provided
For beginners, we offer foam boards with safety fins to aid stability and for those who take our intermediate sessions, we have a wide range of other boards to choose from. Just bring along a towel and your swimsuit and we’ll provide wetsuits. We have a range for colder climates too so you can surf in all the right kit whatever the season. Of course, if you have your own, you’re more than welcome to bring it along with you!
Surfing Safe
A huge part of the fun of surfing is knowing you can safely enjoy yourself. Our beginners’ lessons are, for the most part, aimed at getting you confident and safe in the sea so that you don’t get into any difficulty as a result of waves, tides or currents. It’s not all down to you for your own safety, however. Here at Era Adventures, we are all professional surf instructors and first aiders trained to handle any situation that may arise and to ensure the group doesn’t get into any situations in the first place. As accredited members of Surf Life Savers GB, The International Surf Federation and The Royal Lifesaving Society, you can rest assured our instructors will look after you for the entirety of your session or surf package.
Want to become a Qualified Surf Instructor?
Itching to take your surfing to another level? As a qualified surf instructor, you could start a whole new level of adventure here in the UK or abroad. We run levels 1 and 2 of the international surf instructor awards from our base here in Polzeath allowing you to go on and work as a professional surf coach anywhere in the world (…subject to visa control!).
Why Learn to Surf in Cornwall?
Cornwall arguably has some of the best stretches of coastline for you to surf. Cornwall’s location jutting out into the mighty Atlantic provides incomparable swells you won’t find anywhere else in England. Not to mention, being a bit milder in climate than other areas of the UK and stunning beaches, there’s no better place to give surfing a first attempt or expand your surfing skills.
ISA Surf Coach & Beach Lifeguard Course Dates 2026
Click the button below for all Course Dates
Polzeath Surf Report
Contact Us
Era Adventures
Polzeath
Wadebridge
Cornwall PL27 6SS
Tel/Fax: 01208 862 963
Email: info@era-adventures.co.uk
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve never surfed before is this an issue?
Not at all! Our beginners surf lessons are specifically designed for those who’ve never hit the surf before. They’re geared up expressly to make sure you are safe in the water and have a lot of fun trying out a new sport.
What kind of precautions do you take to ensure safety?
We take safety very seriously when it comes to our surf school. All of our instructors are qualified surf instructors with first aid training and qualified coast lifeguards too meaning you are in exceptionally safe hands.
How many surf lessons should I attend?
That is completely up to you! If you’re just looking for a taster to see if it’s for you, then booking onto a beginner’s session is ideal. If you want to keep learning, you can take advantage of a package rate for our different levels.
Everyone learns at a different pace, and unfortunately, just hopping on a board and being a maestro never happens!
Are there any age restrictions to your classes?
Kids of all ages who can swim well can start surfing, I’m sure we’ve all seen videos of kids as young as 5 catching waves. But we advise that kids over 8 years old come along to our surf school.
Do I need to be a really strong swimmer?
In our beginners’ lessons, we never go much further than waist deep, so you don’t have to be a very strong swimmer. Ideally, you should be able to competently swim, two lengths of a standard 25m pool.
What impact does the weather have on surf lessons?
For our novices in beginner sessions, it’s much more important that the surf isn’t too choppy so that you can work on building your confidence and learning, but we have some pretty secluded spots so it is very rare that the weather is unsuitable for us to surf.
For intermediate and advanced surfers, it is even rarer!
I’ve surfed a bit before, can I come along and just rent out surf kit?
Sure thing! We offer an equipment hire service so you aren’t obligated to take one of our sessions.
I normally wear contact lenses – can I wear them?
You can wear contacts when you surf, try not to be too precious about them and bring a spare pair or some glasses just in case they wash out in the surf.
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