Hand Planes and Belly Boards 

Hand Planes and Belly Boards 

Hand planes take bodysurfing to the next level, giving you a tool to catch and ride steeper and longer waves. There is huge fun to be had with a hand plane and it’s a great way to get back to surfing basics. Adding a pair of fins will give you an extra boost, but otherwise the hand plan used in your leading hand as you bodysurf along the wave increases the surface area of your planing hand giving you extra lift, meaning you can go faster and further!  

Our friends at Decathlon have some excellent starter hand planes to entice you into this beautifully simple sport.     

Belly boards are the next step up, similar to a hand plane they have no floatation, instead acting as a planing surface to glide you across the top of the water. Generally made from plywood, they can be more sustainable choice to bodyboarding. Best used in shallower water, and often in the white water you need to be able to get a strong push off the bottom with your legs, timed exactly as the wave passes and you’ll be propelled along in front of the white water. Heaps of fun for everyone.  

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