June 13th, 2019
If sea, fancy dress, partying AND raising money for a brilliant and worthwhile cause sounds appealing then check out the St Ives Swellboard Shootout coming up on June 23rd –NOW June 30th.
Run by the St Ives Surf School and now in its 8th year, the purpose of the event is largely to raise awareness and fundraising for local and national organisations which are helping to save our planet.
The event is spread out over the weekend culminating in the highlight on Sunday when it’s a big surf-in-fancy-dress competition.
Teams of 4 enter from all over for a day of surfing ridiculousness. There are prizes for the best fancy dress and points for teams who pull out all the stops on a swellboard. In the past there have been some wacky and totally impractical outfit choices for surfing, including Jesus Christs, aliens, mermaids, Barbie and Ken dolls, aviators, birds… to name a few.
The surf teams’ parade party begins in the centre of town and it’s a sight to behold. Once at the beach teams have to go and catch the waves in heats. Once every team member has caught a wave, the whole team have to paddle back out and catch the same wave together.
All proceeds go to Surfers Against Sewage which, in tandem with Plastic Free St Ives, is doing a massive amount of work to clear up the beautiful coastlines we are lucky to have on our doorstep.
Our seas need to be plastic free too and initiatives like this are a fun and accessible way to do something for the bigger picture.
The main shootout is from the St. Ives Surf School on Porthmeor beach, TR26 1JZ on 23rd June from 10-5pm. Facilities include:
Entry is £10/person, which goes directly to Surfers Against Sewage and the RNLI. You must enter in advance via the Facebook events page or through the Surf School directly.
Cohort Hostel is just a short walk to Porthmeor Beach for all the fun and games, we’re also right in the centre for easy access home after the after-party at The Balcony Bar on the Harbour. Book now for one of the best weekends of the year.
See you there!