Surfing in UK

[dream2live]

Hi All,

So i have been thinking of moving to the uk somewhere in the next 5 years, and in general seems like a good idea to raise a family(my girlfriend is from England).

anyways just a few questions, i know the weather is generally cold and gloomy and no way past it. but how's the surf around the uk, i've been doing a lot of research and seems the spots are generally south England.

How cold does the water get?(In Hong Kong winter, we can get away with using a 3:2 mm wetsuit and the water temps ranges around the 10deg Celsius give or take)...

I'll be going there during Christmas this year and having my gf and her mates take me to Bournemouth as that's where a lot of them stay.

What should i expect when it comes to surf in general and should i bring a wet suit or rent out some gear near the spot?

To be honest the only downer i can see is the weather, but if the surf is on then it can't be so bad..

p.s how far is the surf from london?

[dtc]

I think you will find the HK water temps hover around the 20-25deg C mark...if not warmer

http://www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/Repulse-Bay/seatemp

I remember HK providing official warnings to keep old people warm and turn up your heaters (but not charcoal burners!) when the airs temps dipped below about 12deg overnight - the UK will be a shock to the system! Esp surfing at Christmas time with water temps at 10deg C

http://www.surf-forecast.com/breaks/Bou ... er/seatemp

Sorry, dont know anything about UK surf though. Looks damn cold to me, all power to those who brave it (and the rest of the UK surf)!

[drowningbitbybit]

There are surf spots around various bits (but not all) of the UK. The closest to london is the south coast, but this only really works in winter and is very inconsistent, and above all is unbelievably cold.

Better surf spots can be found in SW england, NE england, south wales, and the east coast of scotland. All give quality swell - not the biggest or most consistent, but often a very nice wave and a long ride.

If you're in bournemouth for christmas, you'll need 5mm suit, boots, gloves and possibly a hood. Did I mention it's cold? The water temp will be around 8C.

[Lebowski]

The surf on the south coast (Bournemouth etc) is generally crap as it's low quality wind swell. You need to head to the south west, ie cornwall, devon, wales to get some decent waves. There are also good waves on the east coast further up the country.

It's very cold. I used to wear a 5/3 all year round, with boots and gloves in the winter, although wetsuits have come on a long way since then. It will feel freezing compared to Hong Kong's water.

You can probably rent gear.

London is not very close to any decent surf, although it depends how far you're willing to drive.

[dream2live]

Thanks to all that replied... I could be wrong about the HK water temp, but swear it gets below 20deg during winter..

I've been told that itll be freezing... guess i can't imagine til i try it. hopefully won't be TOO bad.

I'll see what spots we can go visit when i'm there.. but im willing to jump in the bournemouth water even just to check how freezing itll be haha

Thanks again people! keep surfing.

[stevie]

if you head to Ireland for a break hit co donegal, fairly consistent and friendly locals