Coaches are central to success in Surfing - whether encouraging people to start out, return to the sport, or helping them to improve and reach their potential. A coach is a valuable asset for any surf school or surf club

How to choose which Coach to Employ:

You should consider a few points when looking to employ a surf coach:

Qualifications

To know if the Surf coach is right for your establishment, then it is useful to know what Qualification he or she has achieved, how long they have held it for and whether it is still valid.

Ask the coach to show you their latest BSA surf coach qualification certificate, as well as their Beach Lifeguard qualification. It is useful for you to take a copy of these certificates for your own records

If for some reason the coach does not have these certificates, you may be able to gather this information, by contacting the BSA and / or the issuing Lifeguard qualification provider

Experience

Ask the coach to provide written proof of their coaching experience. This could be letters from other surf schools, coaching portfolio, coaching log books and so on. Generally a coach will become better and more confident with experience. Surfing experience can also be valuable, especially if looking for more advanced surf coaching - perhaps asking for competition records will give you an idea of his surfing and ocean experience

BSA Coaches Membership

All BSA qualified coaches should hold valid BSA membership; this gives them £5million public liability insurance. Ask them to show you their BSA coaches ID card.

Professionalism

Is the coach presentable, smartly dressed, able to communicate efficiently

CRB check

All working BSA surf coaches should hold a valid CRB enhanced disclosure certificate