Surfing has really taken off in North Wales along with other parts of the UK - hence there are now several shops catering for the sport in Abersoch. However in general, the waters are not crowded apart from during the school holidays and sometimes at weekends. Our peninsula picks up Atlantic swells through a "surf window" between the SW of the UK and Ireland. Conditions are generally smaller than in Devon and Cornwall in westerly or northwesterly Atlantic swells - though we can benefit here when the swell direction is from more to the south. All the photos on this page are of local surfers on local waves - all caught on camera by Martin Turtle.

Click on the links below to access further information.

Beaches:
We are fortunate to have beaches on the peninsula that sometimes offer clean surf in a variety of wind directions. The main "spots" are Porth Neigwl ("Hell's Mouth") and Porth Oer (Whistling Sands) To view a map showing the location of these beaches - click here...

Safety:
All surf beaches have rip currents or rip tides - known to surfers as rips. Rips can be found on any beach where there are waves and they are currents running out to sea that can easily take swimmers or inexperienced body boarders and surfers from shallow water out beyond their depth. For more information on these - click here

Surf Reports:
West Coast Surf Shop runs daily surf reports from Porth Neigwl, that include video clips, still shots and an automatic webcam overlooking the surf. There is also a surfline at West Coast Surf Shop that is normally updated twice daily - the number is 0906 5532208.

Where To Buy/Hire:
West Coast Surf Shop is the only all year round shop in the village - run by Spout - the shop has a full selection of boards and suits for all seasons from beginners to advanced. There are other shops in the village providing water sports equipment.

Where To Learn:
West Coast Surf Shop run a BSA Level 2 approved surf school - which is open for much of the year and provides courses for beginners and intermediates. For more information, check out their website or contact them on 01758 713067.
www.westcoastsurf.co.uk

Surfing Etiquette/Localism:
The basic rights of way in the waves and a few safety tips.
Click here...