“Overall this was a great course that showed me a side of surfing that I had not considered before. I would absolutely recommend this course to any surf instructors, as the lessons learned can be applied to more than just adaptive surfing.” – James
Tag Archives: inclusive surf
Seeking Saltwater – the Elephant Seal
Whether you’re a binocular carrying nature buff, or you spot nature’s treats in mindful moments outback, surf trips are always a great way to experience local wildlife. This was certainly the case for the team here at Surfability during their trip to the ISA Adaptive World Championships in December.
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Surfability Seal Rescue
A few weeks ago, whilst working in the Canthed Centre at Caswell, Ben found a seal pup on the beach. It was amazingly well camouflaged in the stones, with most people walking on the beach completely unaware it was even there.
Awesome Photography by Celf Calon
Thanks to Betsan from Celf Calon photography, we are spoilt for choice when choosing gorgeous photos to use on our website and social media channels. You’ll also find Betsan’s beautiful photos all over the walls of our new centre at Caswell.
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2020 English Adaptive Surfing Open
The 2020 English Adaptive Surfing Open took place on October 3rd at The Wave, Bristol. We were stoked to have four athletes representing Wales: Ethan Jolosa, Katie Richards, Llywelyn Sponge Williams, and Isaac Heaher. We headed up to support them, as well as run the water safety for the event.
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Caswell Disability Changing Place
Caswell Bay is not only the proud home of Surfability UK CIC, the UK’s first fully inclusive and adaptive surf school, it is soon to be the first Gower beach to have a disability changing place. And the team here at Surfability UK CIC HQ could not be more delighted about this news.
Swansea Sports Awards 2018
The team here at Surfability UK CIC have no doubt in our minds about what an epic year 2018 was for Surfability, our coaches and our participants. From personal victories in the water to growth in confidence and fitness, the successes of 2018 have been numerous.
The 2018 Stance ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship
December is always an exciting month for the team at Surfability UK CIC and not just because of the count down to Christmas. As the frosty mornings draw in, so does the anticipation of the Stance ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship.
UNILAD Goodness
Check out this epic and beautiful documentary from UNILAD.
Featuring Surfability U.K. CIC and some of our inspirational participants, this instalment of UNILAD Goodness (here) is unadulterated, feel-good gold.
Pre-Storm Surfs
The Surfability Surfer’s have been enjoying the calm before the arrival of Storm Callum at Caswell Bay this week.
Happy Birthday Surfability!
As Surfability U.K. CIC celebrates its 5th birthday today, the team here at the Surfability Headquarters are reflecting on the incredible journey Ben and all of his participants, volunteers and supporters have shared.
We would not be where we are today without the help of:
- Steve and the Wales Co-op Centre
- Unltd
- The Prince’s Trust
- Children In Need
- Discovery
- Disability Sport Wales
- Jamie Rewbridge
- Cerebra and UWTSD
- Mark and Swansea University School of Management
- Welsh Surf Federation
- Anna and Rob Parton
- Karenza Cassidy
- Bronwen Warner and The Gumby Legacy
- JP
- All our coaches and volunteers
- All our amazing surfers and their families
- Everyone who has fundraised and donated to us
- The LC
- Parmi and IncludeMeToo
- Strongbones
- The Team at NPT Children’s Centre
- Rehab Engineering Morristown Hospital
- Special kids
- The Swans Community Trust
- Warburtons
- Seren and Kasey
- Simon and Gower Surf
- SCVS
- My family
And a special thanks of course to:
- Elmo for keeping us all fed
- Kai and Leanne for being fearless test pilots
- Toby for all his time and effort volunteering and then coaching
- Ben and Nate for being co-directors and all their advice
- Stu and Steve for being willing to put up with a surf school’s worth of surfboards in your flat when we first started!
- And anyone else who we missed out: We love you all!
And of course, to Benjamin Clifford! Without his incredible and unwavering commitment to his dream of making surfing a reality for everyone in the UK, none of us would be here today!
“Thank you, Ben! There isn’t a day that goes by where you aren’t making the world a better place, adapted wave by adapted wave!”
Saturday Squad
There may have been clouds in the sky but spirits were still high for this week’s Saturday Squad.Continue reading
How Do We Do It?
Ensuring that safe, adapted and inclusive surf is available to as many people as possible is an important part of the Surfability mission. In this week’s How Do We Do It? We’d like to share an insight into the additional work undertaken by Benjamin Clifford, the Surfability U.K. CIC founder and director, to achieve exactly this.
We’d like to introduce the team at Healing Waves Surf Therapy, Jersey, who worked with Ben last week to complete their Adaptive and Inclusive Surf Coach Training Course.
With the support of the Welsh Surf Federation (here), Ben is now able to offer training to any surf school who want to offer adapted and inclusive surfing.
And we’re delighted to confirm that the team at Healing Waves Surf Therapy (here) are offering inclusive surf experiences on the idyllic island of Jersey.
Saturday Squad
Levels of stoke soared at today’s Saturday Squad as Andrew Price and the ITV Coast and Country Team joined our surfers at Caswell Bay.
Don’t forget to keep tuning in to ITV’s Coast and Country (here) to be sure not to miss the action!
Interested to learn a little more about Andrew? Why not visit him on instagram (here)!
Saturday Squad
With a dose of dazzling sunshine and salty shoes, the Littlest Wave Warriors and I waited for the Saturday Squad to arrive.
And once the squad arrived, it wasn’t just Quazi enjoying a seaside splash!
There’s never a bad time to decide you’re ready for a surf! So, if you’re feeling unsure, get in touch and we can help you find your stoke and make a splash!
Secrets of the Sand
Seeking Saltwater Sand Week
Composed mainly of quartz, feldspar and mica, sand is the product of many finely ground rocks. The colour of sand is determined by its component rocks and can vary from near black to pink and yellow.
Sand is constantly being moved by the water of rivers and seas. Constructive swells bring sand to the shore and destructive swells take it away.
Acting as a veritable microclimate, sand is also home to a wide range of living organisms. Crabs, clams and beach hoppers are but a few of the more popular residents. Not every sand dweller is as popular though. Inhabitants such as the weever fish are cursed by surfers up and down the British shores for their stings.
Who knew sand had so many secrets? Join us again next week for more insights into the salt world beneath your surf boards.
Saturday Squad
The sun has got his hat on and so have our Saturday surfers! Continue reading
How Do We Do It?
In this week’s edition of How Do We Do It, we’re sharing a little insight into how we do our training. After all, ensuring that our skills are top notch is an important part of making adaptive surfing enjoyable and safe for all our participants.
Controlling the tandem board with another person in the seat requires a lot of skill and practice. The team at Surfability UK take every opportunity to get out the back and practice. And as you can see, even our volunteers get stoked!
The Saturday Squad
Spring is in the air this morning and our Saturday Squad are taking full advantage of the sunshine.
If you’re feeling tempted to try surfing for the first time or your surfboard is gathering dust, there’s no better time to get in the water. Summer’s on its way and Surfability can adapt a wave for everyone!
How Do We Do It?
As part of our How Do We Do It weekly segment, we’ve decided to share something a little different and very special with you today.
This week’s video is The Story of Michael, brought to you by Tobii Dynavox (a revolutionary company who’s aim is to assist every person, regardless of their disability, with communication).
Michael surfed with us last year and to call him inspirational… well, that would simply be an understatement!
Seaweed- Super Stinky or Supercool?
Seeking Saltwater- Seaweed Week
Now, I can’t speak for anyone else but one of my surfing pet peeves is getting tangled in seaweed. Especially when I wipe out. The sensation of its slippery stipe and the weight of it wrapped around my ankles…well it just irks me!
Fortunately, seaweed contributes so much more to the world than a selection of sour-faced surfers.
Love it or loathe it, the scent of seaweed is intimately intertwined with our associations of the sea. Whether you approach from the gravel of a car park, the sways of grassland or the dust of sandy dunes, the smell of seaweed will always be waiting you.
Acting as a source of food, shelter and protection for an abundance of marine life, the virtues of seaweed can seem limitless. Not only is it an integral part of the ocean’s ecosystem, seaweed also has a lot to offer humans.
Rich in iron, calcium, vitamin D and iodine, seaweed is a nutritious and readily available human food. In fact, the name for seaweed actually translates as sea vegetable in other cultures. With a huge range of pleasantly sweet and edible varieties, consumption of seaweed is particularly popular in Japan and other parts of Asia. And acting as the source of a fantastic gut healing prebiotic to boot, it’s not surprising that seaweed is increasingly being referred to as a superfood!
So, the next time you find yourself in a fight with a frond, try to take a deep breath and remember how amazing our favourite sea vegetable really is! Without it, the ocean wouldn’t be the place we know and love.
How Do We Do It?
Getting the surfboard to the waters’ edge is not always easy for our participants. So how do you manage it, you might ask?
Well, the answer is surprisingly simple. With the use of our surfboard transport trolley! A truly ingenious piece of kit, the transport trolley puts our surfboards on wheels. This enables us to move multiple boards down the beach at once.
Of course, some of our superhero surfers prefer to carry their own boards and this ok by us too!
Sunny Springtime Surfs
As the spring season starts at Caswell Bay, the team at Surfability UK have been enjoying some surfs in the sunshine! Here are some of the highlights of the week.
How Do We Do It?
Ever wondered how we do what we do? In our new Monday series, we’ll be using photos and videos to show you just how.
In this weeks’ segment, we’ll be looking at how the Surfability UK team make the Indoor Wave at the LC Leisure Centre in Swansea, accessible for our wheelchair users.
As you can see in this weeks’ video, our participants are supported at every stage of their surf. This ensures that they can focus on fully enjoying the indoor wave while feeling safe throughout their experience.Want to ask us a question or know how we do what we do? Drop us an email or send us a Facebook message and we’ll let you know!
Finals Day!
With the Quik Pro finals fast approaching, the team at Surfability UK CIC can’t help reminiscing about the ISA Stance Adaptive Surfing World Championships.
To help us get into the mood for tonight, Surfista has compiled some of our 2016 Stance memories.
Share the stoke and don’t forget to follow the link below and join us for the WSL QuikPro Gold Coast Finals tonight!
Under Construction
The new, improved Surfability UK CIC website is currently under construction and will be live shortly! In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to get in touch:
Email the team at:
Surfability.uk@gmail.com
Or call Ben on
07517230427
