Surfing England is on the lookout for passionate and dedicated volunteers to support the 2025 English Para Surfing Open, taking place at The Wave, Bristol on Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd July 2025.
This annual contest brings together incredible Para surfers from across the UK and beyond, for 2 packed days of action and talent. Volunteers are the heartbeat of this event, playing a crucial role in ensuring our athletes feel supported, safe, and empowered to perform at their best.
Whether you’re an experienced surf coach or lifeguard, or simply a passionate surf fan looking to give back — we’d love for you to join our crew!
Please read the below information around volunteer roles.
You can give role preference in our volunteer sign up form found at the bottom of the page.
APPROXIMATE TIMINGS OF EACH DAY:
Wednesday 2nd July: 10:00 – 18:30
Thursday 3rd July: 09:00 – 15:00
VOLUNTEER ROLES/KEY:
Please read this full roles document for more information about each role.
- GWS – General Water Support
- WP – Water Pusher
- WC – Water Catcher
- WVIS – Water Visually Impaired Support – guide in water to assist surfer getting to peak.
- L – Land Based Support
Volunteer leads will be on hand all day at the edge of the wave pool to answer any queries you may have and offer support if required.
Prone 2 Assist Water Pusher (WP) / Water Catcher (WC)
You will be paired with a Prone 2 athlete. There will be 2-3x volunteers to every Prone 2 athlete.
WP Volunteers will be required to push the Prone 2 surfer from a take-off point in the deep end of the Wave pool.
The other volunteers will be situated in the shallows to help catch and support the surfer and return them back out to the deep end ready for their next waves. If surfers wipe out, it is important that WC are around to support the surfer.
WC and GWS will also assist surfers transferring between the land and water and back onto land after their heat. Lifting may be required – please be mindful of how much weight you can lift. If you need others to help please ask and do not lift if it may cause you injury or strain. We will have lots of volunteers on hand and a great team ready to support.
This role requires strong water skills and competent swimming ability. This role can be physically strenuous so be prepared for this and bring extra snacks!
Key kit: Wetsuit and rash vest (Surfability or WaveProject branded- collect these at the Beach Marshall gazebo). Bring swim fins if you have them. Please also remember sun protection, sun cream and a water bottle.
General Water Support (GWS)
GWS will be situated in the water supporting surfers when they wipe out (if required). Volunteers in this role may not been assigned a specific athlete but will be on hand if any athlete during the heat requires help in the wave pool.
Part of the role will include assisting surfers transferring between the land and water and back onto land after their heat. Lifting may be required – please be mindful of how much weight you can lift. If you need others to help please ask and do not lift if it may cause you injury or strain. We will have lots of volunteers on hand and a great team ready to support.
Key kit: Wetsuit and rash vest (Surfability or WaveProject branded- collect these at the Beach Marshall gazebo). Please also remember sun protection, sun cream and a water bottle.
Water Visually Impaired Support (WVIS)
You will be paired with a Visually Impaired athlete. There will be 1-2x volunteers to every Visually Impaired athlete.
Volunteers will be required to be the set of eyes for their Visually Impaired athlete, informing them of when a wave is approaching. WVIS volunteers must not push their athlete into a wave.
The other volunteers will be situated in the water to support surfers when they wipe out (if required).
Key kit: Wetsuit and rash vest (Surfability or WaveProject branded- collect these at the Beach Marshall gazebo). Bring swim fins if you have them. Please also remember sun protection, sun cream and a water bottle.
Land Based Athlete Support (L)
You will be situated on land with an assigned group of athletes. Volunteers need to support athletes by informing surfers of heat times (live heats), changing (if requested), moving kit and any other general support requested from your surfers.
Please be prepared to get wet in helping our surfers entering or leaving the water. Lifting may be required – please be mindful of how much weight you can lift. If you need others to help please ask and do not lift if it may cause you injury or strain. We will have lots of volunteers on hand and a great team ready to support.
Key kit: Please remember sun protection, sun cream and a water bottle.
Lead Volunteer Role
You will be stationed on land on either the right- or left-hand side of the lake. Your role is to support volunteers, organising volunteers for their heat and ensuring all volunteers know when their surfers are in the water at the correct time, collecting rash vests after heats and washing them.
You will be available to answer general volunteer queries. This will be run through in more detail during the volunteer briefing.
We will have lots of volunteers on hand and a great team ready to support.
Key kit: Please remember sun protection, sun cream and a water bottle.
REGISTER TO VOLUNTEER
To register your interest to volunteer, CLICK HERE to complete the Volunteer Registration Form. This must be completed by Monday 23rd June at 10.00am. If you have any questions about volunteering or wish to discuss, please contact lauren@surfingengland.org
Volunteers will be confirmed by Wednesday 25th June at 17:00 and we will be aiming to welcome as many of you as possible to join us! We always welcome people to come down and watch the contest too.
