Body Surfing

Body Surfing

Perhaps the purest form of wave riding, bodysurfing is the art and sport of riding a wave without the assistance of any buoyant device such as a surfboard or bodyboard. Beginner bodysurfing takes place in standing depth water, propelling yourself off the sand into a wave. When advancing, whilst not using any buoyancy, bodysurfers often equip themselves with a pair of swim fins that aid propulsion and help them catch, ride, and kick out of waves.

With bodysurfing, the idea is not to ride the wave straight in toward the beach, but to angle your body across the wave, staying on the open face ahead of the foam ball. What you want to look for are waves that begin breaking at a point, then slowly break away from that point in one direction.

Surfing England affiliated club (UKBA) provides a hub for UK based bodysurfers and runs the annual national bodyboarding championship.

On the beach – we advise participating in the red and yellow flags at a RNLI lifeguarded beach. For more on surf safety, see here.