We recently caught up with Emily Grimes, a surfer, Surfing England Coach member and maths teacher based up in Northumberland. We asked her about how she got into surfing herself…
“I did the thing I now try to educate others not to do.
With no knowledge of the ocean I bought myself a board and a wetsuit, half listened and less-than-half understood advice. Never had a lesson. Went to the beach every weekend. Got in no matter what.
It is genuinely a wonder that I never injured myself or someone else. My bullishness in my desire to surf not only undermined my own safety, but seriously stunted my progression. I was rubbish, for absolutely ages, and it’s taken a long time and a lot of retrospective training to undo my bad habits.
It wasn’t until I started teaching people that I realised the benefits of getting a surf lesson, a ground breaking revelation for sure! Regularly my students are mastering in 1 lesson what took me 6 months and doing so in a much safer environment. Even as an experienced surfer, the benefits of tuition from an [ISA] level 2 coach are huge.
With hindsight, this is my one piece of advice: don’t be a kook, just get a lesson.” – Emily Grimes
You can find the best schools in England to organise lessons with here and accredit your school with Surfing England, your surfing NGB (National Governing Body) here.
For any questions on Membership / Surf School Accreditation, please get in touch with Poppy to: membership@surfingengland.org
