Para Surfing Roadshow will be a travelling around England, delivering 6 roadshow stops, for people with a physical disability or visual impairment to try Para Surfing.
Ever wanted to try surfing?
Now is your chance with the Surfing England Para Surfing Roadshow.
With para surfing potentially being included in the 2028 LA Paralympics, there’s never been a better time to have a go at this exciting sport.
We are so stoked to launch the Para Surfing Roadshow and to have Saltrock onboard as our headline supporter.
“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.”
Head of Brand, Marie Clarke
Come along to a free taster day where you will join a session led by current Team England coaches and athletes who recently placed 4th at the World Para Surfing Championships.
No previous experience required and all equipment (including wetsuits) will be provided.
locations and dates:
Sunday 12th May – Bude, North Cornwall
Wednesday 29th May – South Shields, Tyne and Wear
Friday 31st May – Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Thursday 4th July – The Wave, Bristol
Sunday 4th August – Croyde, North Devon
Sunday 15th September – Bournemouth, Dorset
Timings:
We will be at the beach all day, so you are welcome to come along from about 9am. 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.
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.
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
Para SurfingStand 1 – Any surfer who rides a wave in a standing position with an upper limb amputation or congenital or impairment equivalent or short stature.
Para Surfing Stand 2 – Any surfer who rides a wave in a standing position with a below the knee amputation or congenital or impairment equivalent, or leg length difference.
Para Surfing Stand 3 – Any surfer who rides a wave in a standing position with an above the knee amputation or both lower extremity amputations or congenital or impairment equivalent.
Para Surfing Kneel – Any surfer who rides a wave in a kneeling or sitting without paddle position with an above the knee amputation or both lower limb amputations or congenital or impairment equivalent.
Para Surfing Sit – Any surfer who rides the wave in a sitting position that does NOT require assistance paddling into a wave and getting back on the board safely.
Para Surfing Prone 1 – Any surfer who rides the wave in a prone position that does NOT require assistance paddling into a wave and getting back on the board safely.
Para Surfing Prone 2 – Any surfer who rides the wave in a prone position that DOES require assistance in the water, paddling into a wave, and getting back on the board safely.
Para Surfing Vision Impairment 1 – Any surfer who rides a wave in a standing position with IBSA classification Level B1.
Para Surfing Vision Impairment 2 – Any surfer who rides a wave in a standing position with IBSA classification Level B2 and Level B3.
