Ever wanted to try surfing?
Now is your chance, the Surfing England Para Surfing Roadshow is back for 2025. After welcoming 70 new surfers with disabilities to our sport in 2024 we are back for 2025 with the support of Saltrock. Come along to a taster day where you will join a session led by current Team England coaches and world championship medal winning athletes.
No previous experience required and all equipment (including wetsuits) will be provided.
A donation of £10 will secure your place and all money will go to the brand new para surf clubs across England which you will be invited to join post roadshow.
“We’re honoured to be supporting such an important roadshow in the Surfing England calendar; helping people with disabilities give adaptive surfing a go and highlighting the pathway for those who want to take it further. Surfing is part of our brand DNA, and to help this side of it grow, we hope will bring smiles to a lot more faces.”
Marketing Manager, Kate Ross-Smith
More details below and please fill in the sign up form if you want to join us on any of the sessions. DO NOT contact the surf centres directly.
Timings:
We will be at the beach all day, so you are welcome to come along from about 10am. We will run up to 3 sessions throughout the day depending on numbers.
Sessions will run at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. Please arrive 1 hour before your session for an introduction and so that you can get kitted up in your wetsuit. Sessions will be 90 minutes long, which will include around 60 minutes in the water. For THE WAVE, the session will run 5-6pm.
You can specify on the sign up form which time would work best for you. In advance you will be allocated a session before the day so you can plan accordingly. You can arrive early and stay to watch other sessions if you want to make the most of the whole day, but the volunteers and coaches will only be available to assist you during your allocated session.
Beach facilities:
All locations will have parking, toilets and changing areas available for you. These vary by location. We will send more details, including a specific meeting point nearer the time so that you can plan your day accordingly.
Beaches can be quite difficult to navigate particularly if you have a mobility device such as a wheelchair. We will do our best to make the day as accessible as possible and will provide beach wheelchairs to give access onto the beach and into the water.
At The Wave, the whole site has been built with inclusivity at its centre, making it a fantastic venue for people with disabilities to surf.
If you need assistance with any personal care needs such as getting changed into a wetsuit, please bring someone with you.
Equipment:
You do not need any specific equipment for the day, but please make sure to have swimwear to wear under a wetsuit. If you have your own wetsuit, feel free to bring that to wear.
We will provide boards, buoyancy aids/life jackets (as needed), helmets (as needed), rash vests, beach wheelchairs and surfboards.
There will not be a hoist available to transfer you into the beach wheelchair but there will be coaches and volunteers around to help lift you as needed.
What to bring:
Please make sure to bring swimwear, a towel and warm clothes for when you finish your session. Please also remember to bring water and snacks to keep you fuelled throughout the day. It is likely you will be quite tired after you finish your session.
If it’s a sunny day, remember to bring suncream and a hat. Ideally make sure you have waterproof suncream for your face during the session.
DON’T FORGET TO BRING ANY MEDICATION THAT YOU REQUIRE OR MAY NEED THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
CLASSIFICATIONS
The ISA currently has 9 different classifications for para surfing. The description of each classification is below. Please specify on the sign up form which classification you think you fit in to. This will give us a better idea of the needs of participants for the day. If you decide to progress to competing in para surfing in the future, you would need to get officially classified by the ISA. If this is something you would be interested in, we can give you more information during the taster day.
Para Surfing Sport Classifications
| Sport Class | Description | |
| Para Surfing Stand 1 | Surfers who ride waves in a standing position with an upper body impairment. | |
| Para Surfing Stand 2 | Surfers who ride waves in a standing position with a lower body impairment below the knee. | |
| Para Surfing Stand 3 |
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| Para Surfing Kneel/Upright | Surfers who ride waves in a kneeling or upright position. | |
| Para Surfing Sit |
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| Para Surfing Prone 1 |
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| Para Surfing Prone 2 | Surfers who ride waves in a prone position and need assistance to paddle into waves and while in the water. | |
| Para Surfing Vision Impairment 1 | Surfers who have a visual impairment defined by IBSA Sport Class B1. | |
| Para Surfing Vision Impairment 2 | Surfers who have a visual impairment defined by IBSA Sport Class B2 and B3. |
Final notes:
REMEMBER TO SIGN UP FOR ONE OF THE SESSIONS. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE PART UNLESS YOU HAVE REGISTERED FOR A SESSION. SIGN UP HERE.
A huge thank you to Saltrock who are headline supporters of the roadshow.
A further thank you to all the fantastic surf schools who we are partnering with for the roadshow. To AdSurf in Bude, South Shields Surf School CIC in South Shields, Coastal Concepts X the Wave Project in Scarborough, The Wave in Bristol, Surf South West X The Wave Project in Croyde, North Devon, and to Shaka Surf School in Bournemouth.
For all enquiries, please contact Jack@surfingengland.org
