How we started
I’m Jey, founder and instructor at Cornish Wave. I’m from South Africa originally and spent many years travelling the world surfing, kayaking and enjoying nearly any type of outdoor activity. It was in Durban that I first got on a board – admittedly a body one, and it was also there that my love for outdoor adventure really started.
Even though I went to school in the UK, I’d never actually been to Newquay. I’d been to Cayton Bay a few times but that was really as far as my UK surfing experience got. It wasn’t until I left school and was working as a surf instructor on the west coast of Ireland that people told me I had to go to Cornwall. So I did. And here I am all these years later.
It started out as a small company with me, my wetsuits, my boards and a van. I very literally had to test the water to see how it would work and had to learn a lot on the job. I had years of experience instructing in the outdoors, but not that much experience with what running a business meant.
But I learnt! And now we have 12 + lovely people working with us and we’ve expanded to offer more activities and fun adventures!