Coasteering FAQ’s

Surfing – something to wear under your wetsuit. Some shoes to wear to the beach & a towel.

Coasteering – something to wear under your wetsuit, a pair of old lace-up trainers you don’t mind getting wet & a towel.

Wild Camping – Warm clothes, sleeping bag and your favourite food & drink. Make sure you read our full packing list. 

Coasteering is a unique way to explore and be guided along the water level of the coastline. Coasteering incorporates wild swimming, low level traversing, sluices, whirlpools and deep-water cliff jumps. It’s a fantastic activity which allows you to do as much or as little as you like!

No not at all.  You don’t have to do any of the jumps if you don’t want to. We always start small and work our way up. JOur coasteering sessions are about exploring and journeying along the coastline. Jumping is certainly a theme running through coasteering although it is not the main element.

You will always be given the option to challenge yourself, whether that is a small jump or large but in no way will you have to do any part of the Coasteer that you don’t want.

Depending on the sea state and your jumping ability you will given the opportunity to progress from small belly flops, medium sized jumps through to jumps of up to 26 feet.

Yes. 99% of the people that join us have no prior coasteering experience.  For more information about our Coasteering Sessions to find the one best suited to you.

You will be wearing a buoyancy aid which will assist you in the water and all of our guides are qualified lifeguards.  As part of your enrolment you will need to complete our participation form.  On this we ask that you are able to swim 25 meters unaided.  Any weak or nervous swimmers will need to make this known to their guides.

If you can’t swim we would advise that you do not take part in this activity.  Much of your time will involve being in the water. If you are a weak swimmer please advise your Coasteering guides when you are completing your participation form.

Yes, Coasteering is very safe. It is however an adventurous activity and as such allows for a certain amount of risk. Cornish Wave Coasteering guides will always measure the risk benefit to suit your ability and the day’s sea conditions.  All of our Coasteering guides are qualified lifeguards and are in house trained & assessed to the highest standard.  Your safety in the water is paramount.  Why not read more about our Surfing and Coasteering Safety here.

Typically a Coasteering session is three hours long in total, including time to sign in and get changed. You will spend around two hours Coasteering from once you are in a wetsuit.

Children 8 years and older are welcome to join us on an Open Group Coasteer.  We will endeavour to match certain group demographics together such as families with families, however please note that this is not always possible.  If you are worried about your child joining an open group Coasteer and concerned about the group being suitable please get in touch and ask for further details about the Coasteer session that you are wanting to book.

We offer gift vouchers that can be pre-paid over the phone.  We can send a digital copy for you to print out or send a voucher in the post.  Have a look here to find out more about our gift vouchers.

Our address is 4 Alma Place, Newquay, Cornwall TR7 1NF. We are based on the grounds of Custard Point Surf Shop and only a few minutes’ walk from our  Coasteering location.  Get directions.

Our main location for coasteering is Towan Head in Newquay, otherwise known as the Gazzle.  This is a short walk from our base on Headland road in Newquay.

Group Coasteer sessions may contain up to 16 members of the public and be led by two of our qualified Coasteer guides.  Each Group Coasteer is different and contains a wide mix of adults, families and individuals, all with a variety of experience and swimming ability.

Private Coasteer sessions are just that and only contain the members of the party that have booked the Coasteer session.  These sessions are ideal for families with younger children or groups that are wanting to maximise their experience and have some say in the pace and delivery of the Coasteer session.

Coasteering is governed by the tide.  This means that our Coasteer session times change each day. Please get in touch to find out more information.

You don’t need to be super fit to participate in our Coasteer sessions.  As with any outdoor adventure activity some physical exercise will be required although this will be typically be done at your own pace.

Yes you are more than welcome to bring your own wetsuit.  Due to the nature of coasteering being in and around rocks you may prefer to wear the wetsuits that we provide. Typically you will be given a shorty wetsuit to go over the top of a full length suit to help protect and keep you warm.

If you really cant see then yes its best to wear your glasses.  A piece of string or shoe lace will help to keep them connected.  Contact lenses are fine to keep in whilst coasteering we don’t tend to have too many issues with this.

Being afraid of heights is absolutely natural.  Even if you have had previous coasteering experience, the jumps will always start from low heights.  You wont be expected to do anything that you are not comfortable with. We will always aim to challenge and push your personal boundaries, whether its a small belly flop, traversing along the rocks at water level or taking on a large cliff jump. The main point to remember is that you don’t have to do anything that you do not feel comfortable with!

Our Coasteer guides all hold an in date beach lifeguard qualification. What is a Beach Lifeguard Qualification?

We deliver ongoing in-house staff training and monitoring to ensure our customer care and safety standards are paramount. Our participant to guide ratio is the best in the industry at a maximum of 16:2.  Your Coasteering session will always be delivered by two or more qualified and experienced Coasteer guides. Read more about our Surf and Coasteer Safety.

As long as we deem the sea conditions to be safe to conduct a Coasteer session we will head out in the rain.  Being by the coast we often find the weather changing quite quickly so there’s no surprise to head out in the rain only to find the sun come out by the end of the session.  In the world of water sports you’re going to get wet anyway!

We will always endeavour to keep you warm.  We use full length winter wetsuits all year round.

If we have to cancel as session for any reason we will always endeavour to provide another activity either on the same day or within the duration of your stay so that if you are on a Newquay stag do or a similar special occasion, it does not ruin your day.  If however we cannot due to bad weather we will issue an open activity voucher.  Please see our terms and conditions for further details.

Yes we are fully insured by the Activities Industry Mutual.  AIM is a leading and longest running outdoor activity insurance mutual in the outdoor activity industry.  Please get in touch if you would like a copy of our insurance or would like some more information.