Surfing in Cornwall is older than many people think. Locals were riding waves on wooden boards long before the surf shops and the wetsuits.
Wooden boards in the early twentieth century
Accounts differ on dates. Country Life puts the start in the 1920s, when Cornish locals rode flat wooden boards nicknamed coffin lids lying down. Another account places it earlier, with carpenters in towns such as Perranporth building the boards in the early 1900s.
Holiday belly boards
In the 1930s, railway advertising brought holidaymakers to Newquay, Bude and Polzeath. Families rode plywood belly boards with a curved nose, which made it easier to ride broken waves. A Newquay guidebook from 1936 and 1937 promoted surf riding on the resort’s Atlantic rollers, so surfing was already part of the holiday offer.
Stand up surfing arrives
Stand up surfing reached Cornwall in the 1950s and 1960s, with influence from Australia and America. Fistral Beach in Newquay became the centre of the scene. Roger Mansfield, who later became British champion, recalls only 10 to 15 people surfing in Newquay in 1963. Fibreglass boards arrived in the 1960s and visiting surfers taught local people.
Surfing grows into a business
By the early 1970s Cornish surfers were winning national and European titles. Surf schools, shops and events followed, and surfing became part of Cornwall’s identity and economy. Lessons for beginners and groups are now common along the north coast.
Try it yourself
If you want to try surfing, choose a school with qualified instructors and a clear safety briefing. See our surfing page for providers, and our surfing vs paddleboarding guide.
Sources
- From California to Cornwall, Country Life
- The First Wave project
- Surfing photography and UK culture, Vice
Sources differ on early dates, so treat them as approximate.