Most booked
Group Lesson
2 hours · max 8
£35
/person
Beach safety brief, paddling, pop-ups, your first proper rides. Wetsuit and board included.
- All abilities
- Ages 8+
- Kit included
DRIFT
surf school
Polzeath · North Cornwall · Est. 2011
Catch your
first wavestoked.
Cornish surf school. Family-run. No bro talk. Beginner-friendly lessons on one of Cornwall's best learner beaches — kids, parents, total newbies, all welcome.
14yrs
On the sand
98%
Stand up day 1
★ 4.9
Google reviews
ISA
Accredited
01 — Hello, we're Drift
Run by surfers who actually love teaching.
Drift was started in 2011 by the Pascoe family — Tom, Em, and the kids who grew up on this beach. Fourteen years on, we're still here, still small, still teaching with the patience of people who remember how scary that first wall of whitewater looked.
No bro talk. No yelling. No charging beginners straight into head-high sets. Polzeath is one of the gentlest learner beaches in the country, and we coach to suit the day — sunny mellow afternoons or a brisk October session with the suit zipped to the chin.
Group lessons, privates, family half-days, and a proper week-long surf camp every summer. All kit included. Vegan wax, eco wetsuits, hot showers afterwards. Come and stand up on something.
02 — Live from the beach
Today's surf check.
Live · updated every hour
Wave height
3ft
Clean
Wind
8mph
Offshore E
Water temp
15°C
3mm suit
Tide
Low 11:42
High 17:58
Today's call
Mellow 3ft sets, light offshore. Beginner gold.
03 — Lessons & hire
Five ways to get in the water.
Whether it's your first time on a board or you're chasing a sharper bottom turn — we'll match you to the right session.
1:1 Private
90 mins · just you
£75
/session
Coach all to yourself — fast-track from beginner to standing up, or fine-tune an intermediate session.
- Bespoke coaching
- Video feedback
- Any level
Family favourite
Family Half-Day
4 hours · up to 5
£140
/family
Two coached sessions, hot drinks, and a beach picnic break. Designed for families learning together.
- Up to 5 people
- Lunch break
- All kit
Wetsuit & Board Hire
Per day
£20
/day
Soft-tops, mini-mals, fish boards. 4mm winter wetsuits, 3mm summer. Free swap-outs if conditions change.
- Eco wetsuits
- All sizes
- Free swaps
Sells out fast
Surf Camp
5 days · ages 11–17
£275
/week
Monday to Friday, 10am–3pm. Daily lessons, beach games, surf theory, and a Friday awards BBQ.
- Mon–Fri
- Lunch included
- Awards day
Vouchers
Gift a session of pure stoke.
Birthdays, hen weekends, family thank-yous. Open-dated vouchers valid for 12 months. Posted with a real Drift sticker pack.
·
ISA Accredited
International Surfing Association — full safety, coaching, and rescue standards.
·
BSA Instructors
Every coach registered with the British Surfing Association. No exceptions.
·
RNLI Partnership
We work alongside the Polzeath lifeguards. They know us. We know the beach.
·
Eco-conscious kit
Vegan surf wax, recycled-neoprene wetsuits, refillable water on the van.
04 — Stoked learners
The look you only get after a wave.
05 — Book a session
Pick a day,
we'll see you on the sand.
Live availability for the week ahead. Sessions run rain or shine — we only cancel for genuinely dangerous conditions (full refund or free reschedule).
Available
Filling fast
Booked
This week · 23–29 June
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
23
4 left
24
1 left
25
6 left
26
5 left
27
2 left
28
0 left
29
8 left
Wednesday 25 · time slots
Confirm 14:00 group · £35From a recent learner
“Booked a group lesson with the kids on a whim. By the end, all three of them were standing up and grinning like loons. Em was unbelievably patient with our six-year-old. Best holiday day of the year.”
The Patel family · Bristol · August 2025
06 — Where to find us
On the sand at Polzeath Bay.
Beach hut · Polzeath Beach · PL27 6SR
07 — Season
Open Easter through October.
April – May
Shoulder season
Quieter beach, 5mm winter suits. Often the best surf of the year.
June – August
Peak season
Daily lessons 9am–6pm. Book ahead — weekends sell out 2 weeks in advance.
September
Locals know
Warm water, fewer crowds, classic Cornish autumn light.
October
Last call
Lessons by appointment. Cosy hot chocolate after every session.
08 — Get in the water
See you on
the sand.
Phone usually answered by Em between 8am and 6pm in season. Outside that — drop us an email, we'll come back to you the next morning.
Find us
Drift Surf School · Polzeath Beach
Polzeath, North Cornwall PL27 6SR
Polzeath, North Cornwall PL27 6SR
Telephone
01208 405 800