In this guide
- What you need first: Confident surfing.
- Cost: Coached time usually costs £35 to £70 an hour.
- What's next: Prices, who runs what, and safety.
Who runs what
- Surfing England, Scottish Surfing, the Welsh Surfing Federation and Channel Islands surfing: each one runs grassroots participation and domestic competition.
- GB Surfing: formed by those four federations. It runs British team selection and elite pathways, aiming at LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032.
- ISA: the world governing body.
England's ladder
- Junior Surf Series: Surfing England calls it the gateway to competitive surfing. Local contests focused on fun and inclusion.
- English National Surfing Championships: shortboard, longboard and SUP. This is where English titles are won.
- English Interclub Championships: clubs compete for team points.
- English Adaptive/Para Surfing Open: disability surfing.
- Rip Curl Grom Search: places at stake for the European Grom Search Finals.
- Pro Junior: an under-21s contest open to all British Isles nations.
Scotland and Wales
Scottish Surfing hosts and sanctions events from grassroots come-and-try days to its National Championships, with a Junior Series and the Gathering of the Clans inter-club championships. The Welsh Surfing Federation is the governing body for shortboard, longboard, kneeboard, bodyboard, body surfing and competitive SUP in Wales.
Pick a club, enter a local junior or club contest, and you're on the pathway. For dates, see our British competitions 2027 guide.
Want to coach contest surfers? Surfing England's Surf Coach: Performance award, covering competition surfing, launches in 2027.
Source: Events, Surfing England; About Us, GB Surfing; Scottish Surfing; Membership, Welsh Surfing Federation; Rip currents, RNLI, checked October 2026.
Governing body: Surfing England. It sets the safety standards and training awards for surfing in England, so it's the official place to find out more.
Typical prices, checked October 2026. The club or coach sets and bills the price.
The club map lists some of the UK clubs for this sport. It is a starting point, so check with the club before you travel. To have a coach found for you, use the enquiry form.
