5 reasons you need to try surfing in Whitby this summer
The sun is high in the sky, the beach bustling with life and the sand warm to touch. You’re bare-foot padding down to the shoreline, surfboard underarm and sun cream plastered over your face – arching waves peel across the sea, white horses racing towards the shore. It is the summer we’ve all been waiting for, the chance to play and adventure after what has been an exhausting and cold winter. Maybe surfing has been on your wish list for a while, maybe it’s a last-minute whim that has you hiring a wetsuit and taking to the sea, whatever your reason – this is the summer to give it a try. Obviously, we are big advocates for surfing. That is because the beach is such a big part of our lives and has brought so much joy and fulfillment for our family, that we want to share the benefits of being in the sea with everyone we can. In no particular order, we think the 5 reasons you should book a surf lesson and try surfing this summer are:
- Surfing is great for your fitness!
- Cold water is good for your mental and physical health.
- The culture and sport are very welcoming.
- How better to spend your day than down on the beach?
- With experienced instructors, you will be surfing solo in no-time.
The health benefits of trying surfing (And keeping it up as a hobby, because we know you will want to after your first session) are reason enough to try it this summer, but it can also bring untold positives to your life if you let it. From new friends in the surf community, to spending more time outside and at the beach, there has never been a better opportunity to throw away your inhibitions and throw yourself in the sea at Whitby.
Surfing is great for your fitness
Just being out in the sea gives you the opportunity to start developing and strengthening muscles that you might not on dry land. The longer you surf, and the more confident you get, the more you’ll be relying on strong core muscles – muscles that can be developed by getting in amongst the waves. Once you’re standing up on every wave, you’ll be pushing your core and legs to their limit. Long term, this will really contribute to staying fit and healthy in all walks of life. As a sport, surfing is also fantastic for cardiovascular fitness and overall stamina. The more confident in the surf you become, the bigger and bigger waves you’ll be tackling on the paddle out – this exercise alone is an epic cardio work out. It will also develop shoulder and back strength that you would struggle to work in the same way whilst participating in other sports. A study of older-generation surfers by the Australian Southern Cross University has found that surfing long-term can maintain, and even improve, balance and coordination – potentially even more so than active people that don’t surf. And the fitness benefits of surfing don’t stop there. Surfing is considered a ‘vigorous’ sport by health experts, and the effort you exert can burn calories as efficiently as football or rock climbing. You can even go as far as to work out exactly how many calories you’ve burned in your first surf session by using the online surf calculator here. When participating in any sport, you’re bound to start improving your fitness – but we believe the way surfing focuses your mind and pushes your body improves strength and coordination that other past times don’t. And it’s totally thrilling at the same time!
You’ll make new friends in the surf community
Whitby has a blossoming surf community, one growing out of a newly emerging surf culture and one we would like to nurture into a local family of passionate surfers. Becoming involved in any new sports is likely to help you make new friends, but we like to think that the local surf community is a particularly friendly and welcoming group that will be more than willing to help you with any beginner questions and needs.You need to try surfing this summer because, we believe, that once you become a part of this community you will never want to leave. As a surf school and shop, we think it is important to nurture and grow the surf culture in Whitby – and there is never a better time to get involved than its early days, as it continues to grow and spread further along our coastline.
Where else would you rather spend a summers day?
Even on the greyest of days, Whitby is a bright and colourful beach. But when the sun is shining, the seabirds are basking in its rays, and the sand sparkles a gold-tinted white – there is no place in the word we would rather be.If you are looking for a way to spend a day this summer, we don’t think there is any better way to spend it than down by the sea. With plenty of options for lunch, from fish and chips to one of Whitby’s many cafes, you can start the day amongst the waves for an epic surf, enjoy being out on our coastline, and finish it as the sun sets over the north Yorkshire skyline.Once you have tried surfing for the first time, we’re sure you’ll agree that there are very few pastimes that compare!
You’ll have the opportunity to take up the sport in your own time
Every new adventure has to start somewhere. If you are wanting to get involved with surfing as a regular hobby and want to become more accustomed to going out amongst the waves on your own, then trying surfing in Whitby this summer is a great place to start. Taking the time to learn properly, on a beginner friendly beach, goes a long way in improving your confidence in the water. You’ll receive experienced advice from highly qualified instructors that you will be able to apply to your solo surfs for years to come. Once you have taken this first step, you will start to gain the confidence you need to pursue surfing regularly and on your own.As we have already mentioned, it will also introduce you to a community that you will be able to organize surf sessions with outside lesson and club hours, giving you the foundations for a flourishing future as a stoked surf fanatic.
Cold water has many physical and mental health benefits.
Separate to the fitness benefits of the sport itself, just immersing yourself in cold water can be fantastic for your overall health – both physical and mentally.It is something we have personally experienced ourselves, and an experience you will also get from open water swimming.The combination of both being outside, and experiencing the cold, can significantly contribute to improving mental health. Research suggests that immersion in cold water, which on the North Coast our sea almost always is, can contribute to helping with depression and helping manage psychological stress. The adaptions our bodies undergo over multiple sessions allow our bodies to better prepare themselves to physical stress, and physical and psychological stress are often linked. With benefits that far outlast the period of time that you’re actually in the water, by trying surfing this summer you could be helping both your body and your mind.