In my humble opinion, there’s arguably nothing worse than being stuck inland when you know your heart lives on the coast. The issue is only made worse by constantly checking Magicseaweed to see what the surf is doing at your favourite spots, when you are tens, if not hundreds of miles away… Trust me, I feel your pain.
I have a hunch that this is a much more common issue than you’d think, a quick Google search shows that there are massive surfing communities scattered throughout the UK, most notably in the south and central England.
If you take a closer look, you can see that the green shades across the majority of the UK aren’t fields, but are actually the population density of surfers! The map on the left shows the dispersion of advanced surfers, whereas the right shows the dispersion of beginner to intermediate surfers. As you can see, a fair few of the UK surf community live pretty far inland.
Also, the map indicates that there’s a higher number of ‘Beginner to intermediate surfers’ inland. Is this a coincidence? I don’t think so, let me explain my reasoning…
Image Credit: Wavepoolmag.com
Clearly, there is a growing interest in the surf scene around the UK. whether this is due to the pandemic, social media, or just a genuine interest in the mental and physical benefits of surfing and being in the sea. In my opinion, this is absolutely fantastic! More people turning to nature, waves, and physical activity to occupy their time has a whole host of other benefits behind it!
That’s all well and good, but what about us? What about the landlocked surfers that feel so left out in our quest for waves?
Well, there are actually a good few surfing alternatives that I think could help my stranded brothers and sisters practice their surfing skills, and maybe even pick up a few extra’s along the way…
Right, enough Jibba-Jabba, get on with it Josh!
Skateboards
suppose I should start off with the most obvious of them all…
It’s no coincidence that surf and skate culture are very similar, in fact, the whole idea of skateboarding came about when some kids in California in the late 1940’s were fed up with waiting for decent surf, so they bolted rollerblade wheels to planks of wood and took to the streets as a surfing alternative (much to the shock and bewilderment of the locals, I presume!)
All you have to do is look at the world’s best surfers and see how many of them skate before you notice that the two go hand-in-hand, and have a positive, symbiotic relationship that comes in rather handy for us inlanders!
“Skateboards” is a bit of an umbrella term. It covers a wide range of board types, from your average, run of the mill “skateboard,” all the way to the 6ft long Hamboards surfskates, mountain boards, penny boards, carvers, longboards… you get the idea.
Choosing the right skateboard for you as a surfing alternative completely depends on what board you surf, and the wave style you prefer to ride…
For example, I tend to surf a 9’6 single fin longboard, so the skateboard style I would look at investing in would be some sort of longboard skateboard. These are brilliant for cruising, carving, and perfecting your balance. Another added benefit of getting a longboard skateboard is that you can practice cross-stepping and noseriding.
I’ve found that since buying a longboard and practicing walking the board and cross-stepping, it has massively translated over into the surf. And has made me way more comfortable on my board when out in the water.
Longer skateboards aren’t really the kind you’d take over to the local skate bowl though, due to their size they aren’t all that maneuverable, and you may end up playing “dodge the 11-year-old on the scooter,” which can be much more difficult when you are lugging about on, what is essentially, a log on wheels.
You may find that the longboard style of skateboard is much more happy in large open spaces, like empty carparks, quiet country lanes, and the long, smooth isles of IKEA, although, I would advise against that last one!
For surfers who ride smaller boards in bigger surf, however, you may find yourself much happier on a smaller, more agile skateboard, like a carver style, or even just a decent classic skateboard. With these boards you will have a much easier time perfecting the pumping, turns, and slides that come in so handy when on the face of a larger wave.
For these shorter boards, you’ll find skate parks and bowls as the best place to practice your tricks. Alternatively, you could take to the streets and turn your local town or village into your personal skate park. Just beware, you may end up on some Facebook group with elderly to middle-aged busybodies complaining about your new hobby. Unfortunately, this one comes from personal experience…
On the other hand, you could go to your local B&Q and ‘gorilla-glue’ some wheels onto the base of your surfboard… Kawabunga duuuuuude, Shred-it!
The “Pop-Up Surf Pro”
I first saw this on the UK surf show Instagram account, my first thought was ” this looks like a really decent way to practice your pop-ups,” and my second thought was “Shit, why didn’t I think of that?!?” So, I reached out to Will Hampson, the founder of the Pop-up surf pro, and I had a quick chat with him about the how and why’s of his product…
He told me that he had the idea to start the Pop up surf pro after driving back from a rather underwhelming surf session, disappointed at the fact that he was struggling to stand up on his board, and how there is a massive issue with being unable to practice surfing on dry land.
After getting home and scouring the internet for some sort of pop up trainer, he found that there was absolutely nothing. After a brainstorming session, he came up with the idea for the Pop-up surf pro, and on behalf of the population of landlocked surfers, thank F*ck for that!
The Pop up surf pro comes as a package, with a 6mm baseplate, lateral and longitudinal rockers, a smooth, finely finished deck, and a pair of thin knee pads that decrease the amount of friction between you and the board. All of these components fit together to create a brilliant, finely crafted tool that replicates the feeling of popping up on a conventional surfboard, while staying high and dry.
The question is, is it a good surfing alternative?
Will (the owner,) acknowledges that it isn’t the same as a real board, but when you use the surf Pop-up pro, you actually train the same muscles as you would when you are out in the water, and you also develop your muscle memory, so that next time you do get out into the water, popping up should feel like second-nature! He used the term “the art of physiological response,” which I told him that I would nick because it makes me sound way smarter than I actually am…
Is it good for beginners? Well, it isn’t really designed for beginners, but after being tested on a group of them, and by the South Sheilds surf school in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, it unsurprisingly has had a very positive effect on their surfing abilities. The beginners found that the ability to practice their pop-ups on dry land made pop-ups in the surf much easier than they usually would be!
I think the most important aspect of the Pop-up surf pro, is the fact that it teaches you to intuitively find your balance on land and trains your body to stay stable on the centre of the board
The pop-up surf pro retails for £136.99, which you may find quite costly for a plank of wood on a few rockers, but what you are paying for is the build quality, with high quality, furniture-grade materials, and the fact that the whole product is created in the UK.
With the wood being Forest Stewardship Council certified timber, it tends to cost more for the raw materials, but as a result, is better for the environment. Plus, this is the only thing like it on the market, the closest product is the likes of the ‘Indo board,’ and that won’t do half as much for your pop up’s as using this for 20 minutes a day will…
All this being said, Will plans to potentially drop the price tag of the Pop-up surf pro if it is successful, and for such a useful product, there’s no doubt in my mind that it will be! The company was only created in early 2020, so it is still very young, but hopefully it picks up in the not too distant future, and this great product gets out to more landlocked surfers!
If you’d like to read an In-Depth, comprehensive review of the Pop-Up surf pro, Click Here to read my recent blog post!
The Coolboard
While there may not be loads of products that allow you to practice surfing away from the ocean, there certainly are a few that spring to mind that aid in balance and coordination, such as the “Coolboard,” A variation of the standard balance board, similar to the Indo board, but with a few majour differences…
The idea of an Indoboard is to allow the user to stand on a balance board and rock from front to back, imitating the feeling you’d get while dropping in on a wave. The problem is, the majority of the time when you are stood up on your surfboard, you will be moving your feet from heel to toe, to control the board’s direction. This is something that is lacking in the Indoboard, and an issue that the Coolboard has solved…
The Coolboard is designed to maximize the number of balancer muscles you use, making the activity harder, while better training your core and leg muscles, as well as your balance. The way it does this is by having a flat board, with an oval routered out from the underside of the deck. Then, instead of having a roller fitted to the base, a solid, rubbery ball is used to allow for maximum movement, difficulty, and fun.
If all of this sounds a bit out of your skill level, don’t worry… I’m sure the first few times I’ll get on it I’ll faceplant as well… But, there are a few different accessories to aid in progressing your Coolboard capabilities, such as the ‘Easy Start Disk,’ a flattened rubber disk which raises the Coolboard off the ground much less than the ball would, and allows for a much safer, stabler experience… Perfect for building your confidence with the product!
While I haven’t yet used a Coolboard myself, I can see why it could become very addictive. It barely takes up any space at all, it’s fairly safe to use, and there are loads of tricks you can take the time to master, all while naturally improving your surfing, balance, and core strength!
The thing is, you won’t notice how much these relatively simple balance boards aid in your surfing until you get out in the water… I’m not saying you’ll go out on your next session slamming Cutbacks and getting Airs, but your balance will dramatically improve, which in turn means you’re much more likely to spend more time above water than below it!
A handy dandy tool, if you ask me.
If you’re interested in grabbing a Coolboard, take a look at the prices down below…
Check The Price On Coolboard.co.uk
The ‘Bodge It’ Balance Board
If you’re anything like me though (AKA skint,) then you’ll want to go for the cheapest option available. So, let me let you in on an old trick…
Grab an old skateboard deck without the trucks, run to your local Tesco and grab a 2-liter bottle of coke… I’m sure you can see where this is going… Make sure you are in a safe area, free of delicate pottery and easily damaged family heirlooms, balance your deck on top of the bottle, and attempt to stay upright while keeping your full weight on the skateboard deck.
I should probably mention, you may want to drink the coke first and then fill the bottle with water, unless you like the idea of having a full 2-liter bottle of carbonated sticky soft drink across your new carpet, or all over your floor.
Just a disclaimer though, it’s obvious that the DIY option is wayyy more dangerous than the previous two balance boards. If you DO decide to go for the DIY option, however, don’t hold me accountable if you fall off and sprain your ankle… I’m just the messenger!
I’ll do a video on my Instagram explaining how to create your own DIY balance board in the near future as well, so take a look if you fancy it.
Of course, there are much more intricate DIY balance board styles out there, but I wanted to show you the absolute cheapest one I could think of… Just flick through Pinterest or maybe take a look on YouTube for some more flashy and stylish designs, I respect the effort!
Man-Made Surf Lakes
Now, I know this isn’t really a surfing alternative, but it’s worth talking about nonetheless. It may seem a bit daft to talk about manmade surfing lakes as a decent way to practice your surfing, but just hear me out…
The idea of a manmade wave is a fairly new concept, the first commercial surfing lake in the world was surprisingly Surf Snowdonia in 2015, in North Wales. But since then, another 14 have been created globally, with an additional 8-15 currently under construction.
In an ideal world, these surf lakes would be an absolute haven for landlocked surfers across the country. Problem is, they are all situated very close to the coast. In the UK, there are two that spring to mind… ‘Surf Snowdonia’ in the North, and ‘The Wave’, Bristol, in the South.
You may be thinking “Surely then there is no point going to a surf lake, you may as well just go to the coast!” And, I’d be inclined to agree with you, but there are a few things that can make manmade surf lakes a better option than going to the beach…
Firstly, you are never guaranteed good surf at the beach. One of the most soul-destroying things to experience is to drive for hours to your favourite spot, only to find that magicseaweed has lied to you, and it is actually flatter than the Earth (…I’m kidding, don’t worry,) so by going to a manmade surf lake, you are always going to get decent waves, every time!
Surf Snowdonia/ Adventure Parc Snowdonia
Another reason taking a trip to a manmade surf lake is a wise idea is because the waves at places like Surf Snowdonia are sculpted to allow the user to have the best ride possible, meaning shitty waves won’t be an issue in your attempts to get to your feet, so you’ll get more practice popping up, possibly the best form of pop up training, second only to surfing in the great outdoors.
In addition to having perfect waves, there is more to do other than just surf at these parks. Surf Snowdonia for example has a hell of a lot more than just a surf lagoon… It has a ninja warrior course, indoor caving, rock climbing, zip lines, free-falls, pump track, and loads more! Think of it as like a much more badass Butlins. It’s the kind of place you’d stay for a few days with the family or some adrenaline junkie friends…
(Check out the prices for Surf Snowdonia here!)
The Wave in Bristol, on the other hand, is mainly focused on surfing. That being said, I’ve heard amazing reviews of The Wave, and find that people tend to come back again and again! The Wave offers things like Surf photography, beginner surf lessons, ‘Big Thursdays,’ and loads more. I must say when I look at a comparison between the two surf lakes, I’d have to say that The Wave looks way better in terms of surfability, with cleaner, more natural feeling waves. I’ve heard a few reviews saying it feels much more like you’re out in the ocean, because of the constant stream of waves that emerge from the pool.
(Check out the prices for The Wave, Bristol here!)
With these wave pools being situated pretty damn close to the coast, you may be wondering why there isn’t one plonked in places like Manchester, or the Midlands, well, actually, there is one that has been planned for the near future…
Emerge Surf is a surf lagoon that will hopefully be opening in early 2022, just 7 miles from Birmingham city centre… Perfect for all of us stranded inland eh?! It will feature the highest capacity surf lagoon in the world, with 300-1000 quality waves per hour, and include a ‘One-wheel track,’ a skate bowl, swimming pool, fitness studio, physio and massage centre, and not to mention a surf shop, cafe, and restaurant… and soft play, if you want to bring out your inner child and play in a ball pit…. you do you, man.
(A quick message if you are reading this in lockdown 3.0, These surf pools are actually shut until Boris decides that leisure places can reopen, best to keep an eye on their websites for any further updates about reopening… Gives you something to look forward to, eh?)
Conclusion…
I know how much of an absolute ballache it is for keen surfers to be trapped by tens or hundreds of miles of land. There’s no amount of surf videos on YouTube or looking at old photos of the beach you took, that can quell the absolute dread of wanting to go for a surf when you can’t. I know some of the things I’ve listed are fairly obvious, but there’s no denying that these surfing alternatives will aid in your balance, muscle memory, and core strength while stuck at home, and will translate into your surfing life seamlessly. Hopefully, I’ve given you a few ideas on how to spend your time while waiting for your next session to arise!
If you can think of any more, please leave a comment and I’ll happily add it to my list! Thanks for your time!
While you’re here, why not have a gander at some of my other recent posts?
