When is My Child Ready to Start Surfing?

With so many great beaches in the UK, a great number of us choose to spend our holiday right here at home. It’s often much cheaper than heading abroad, meaning we can stay for longer, or indulge in more activities whilst we are there.

The UK offers a great number of surfing locations to be enjoyed; including Cornwall, Ireland and the West Coast of Wales. Beach holidays are definitely a family friendly event – but at what age can you introduce your kids to surfing?

Surfing is a great sport for anyone to be involved in; it keeps you fit, is sociable and is often something you take from childhood into an adult hobby too. But it does have its risks, meaning we can be unsure just when it is safe for our kids to try it for the first time.

There is no correct age to introduce your child to surfing – you can stand little ones up on the board in waist deep water, always keeping safety in mind. As soon as they are confident in the water and express interest in the sport, you can look into surfing schools that specialise in children that age and get them out on their own.

Age six seems to be a good age for children to discover boogie boarding, and catch smaller waves – however all children must be confident, understand the dangers of rip tides and remain supervised at all times in the ocean. By age eight most children who love boogie boarding and being in the ocean will already be asking for a board.

Once a child has been exposed to boogie boarding and the open water for a year or two, a soft top surf board is often the next step. It is inevitable that they will bumped a couple of times by the board, so leave the hard tops until they are skilled and comfortable. A six foot foam style board will be perfect for any child between 8 and 12 who is new to the sport.