Our Safety Standards – The highest in surf coaching

At Big Blue Surf School we pride ourselves on having the very highest safety standards. Not only do we abide by and support the British Surfing Associations criteria for approved surf schools, we also ensure that we set our standards even higher. Listed below are the safety criteria that you can expect as standard on all Big Blue Surf School courses. However, don’t let any of these points worry you. We just want you to know that we have taken every possible care to ensure you have a good and safe time whilst surfing with us.

Documentation and Qualifications

1) Big Blue Surf School is covered by a very extensive public liability insurance policy. This includes cover for injury or damage to third parties.
2) All our surf coaches are British Surfing Association qualified and also fully qualified Beach Lifeguards. The Beach Lifeguard qualification includes advanced first aid and resuscitation techniques.
3) We carry out extensive risk assessments on all areas of our surfing courses and on the beaches we use. Copies of these risk assessments are regularly sent to and approved by the British Surfing Association.
4) Copies of Big Blue Surf Schools Normal Operating Procedures (including standard safety practices) and Emergency Action Plan are also regularly sent to and approved by the British Surfing Association. Our Emergency Action Plan is on display and can be read by anybody attending our surfing courses.
5) All students are required to fill out a Health and Safety Questionnaire, enabling us to gauge any specific medical or general safety needs.

Surf School Equipment

1) We only use “soft surfboards” with suitable leashes whilst coaching novice and beginner surfers.
2) We provide full length, titanium lined, blind stitched ‘steamer’ wetsuits for use during surfing lessons. We are also one of the few surf schools that provide boots and hoods for use by surf school students, because we want to keep you warm, safe and happy.
3) All equipment used by Big Blue Surf School is regularly checked and maintained to ensure it is safe and suitable for its intended use.
4) A first Aid kit and emergency mobile telephone are always readily available for use by Big Blue Surf School Coaches, during surf lessons.
5) Each of our surf coaches always has a Surf Rescue surfboard close at hand during surf sessions.
6) All our surf coaches and surf school students are provided with colored identity vests for use during surf lessons. This enables us to identify our students instantly and also makes our surf coaches readily identifiable to you.

Standard Safety Practices

1) Our maximum in water instructor to student ratio is 8:1. Most schools work on a ration of 10:1.
2) All the beaches we use also have an additional Professional Life Guard Service.
3) All Big Blue Surf School coaches are equipped with “warning whistles” for use during surf sessions.
4) For reasons of child protection, we require a parent/guardian of any student under the age of 16 remains within visual contact during lessons. We also require that a Health and safety Questionnaire (which also gives permission for attendance) is completed and signed by a parent/guardian of any person under the age of 18.
5) All incidents, accidents and emergency action are recorded in the surf schools accident / incident book. Therefore safety standards can be regularly assessed and improved to the highest possible levels.
6) Clear communication is always maintained with surf school students. Therefore, in the unlikely event of an incident you know exactly what is happening and why.

Surfing Locations

1) All novice, beginner and intermediate surf sessions take place on “safe” beach break waves.
2) All novice and beginner surf sessions are conducted in surf conditions that are clearly safe and suitable for the group and individuals taking part.
3) All surfing locations and surf/weather conditions are constantly monitored and risk assessed by Big Blue Surf School coaches to ensure they remain safe and suitable for the students being taught.

To ensure that high standards are maintained we have agreed to announced and unannounced visits by British Surfing Association safety representatives. These checks are designed to ensure that our safety and coaching standards are of a level high enough to meet BSA Approved Surf School standards.

If you are thinking of booking lessons with anyone else, we recommend that you make sure they meet these high safety standards first, and that they are ‘British Surfing Association approved’.