Info Terms & Conditions
Operating Months
Guernsey Surf School is fully operational from 1 May to 31 October each year. During April and November, we also offer sessions for small groups and private lessons.
What to Bring
It is essential for each surfer to bring:
• A swimming costume
• A towel
• Sunblock (min SPF 30)
• Plenty of fluids (water recommended)
• Lunch or money for snacks
• Warm clothing and suitable wet-weather gear
If you or your child has your own wetsuit, it’s well worth bringing it. If you have your own surfboard, you may bring it when your instructor advises you to do so (we often like to spend the first couple of days coaching on a soft board to help improve technique).
Lunch and Breaks
We ask all surfers attending one of our full-day courses to bring their own packed lunch and drinks. We strongly recommend a healthy and nutritious packed lunch. Snacks can be bought at the beach café, but it can be extremely busy, so please don’t rely on it for lunch.
Beach Safety Lessons and Surf Lifesaving
We teach one lesson on beach safety every day. We believe that everyone who spends time in the ocean should have a basic knowledge of beach safety. We will also spend at least one session teaching surf lifesaving, such as how to perform a basic rescue. Again, this is vital information for anyone looking to continue surfing.
Lack of Surf
As much as we would love the surf to be perfect 365 days of the year, it isn’t. However, it is very unlikely that we will get a whole ‘surf-less’ week. We aim to spend as much time in the surf as possible, so if we have a flat day we will play water and beach-based games and teach surf lifesaving and beach safety, giving us more time in the surf when it does arrive!
Big Surf
We do not put anyone in the surf if we believe it may be dangerous. We will contact you as soon as possible if the surf is too big or dangerous.
Bad Weather
Much like the surf, there is not much we can do to control the weather. We aim to work our schedule around bad weather and use an indoor space when it is not suitable to operate outdoors, but we expect surfers to turn up with appropriate clothing and wet-weather gear. There are not many weather conditions we cannot deal with. Usually, the sea is the best place to be if it is pouring with rain!
The only times we cancel due to bad weather are:
• Wind over Force 6 at the location (on the beach or in the surf zone)
• Thunderstorms forecast during the session
• Torrential rain predicted for the whole day
If we are unsure about the weather conditions, we will let you know the day before. However, we do not want to cancel if there is a possibility that the weather may change. We arrive at the beach at 08:00 and will phone you as soon as possible if we must cancel.
Cancelled Days
If, for any of the reasons stated above, we must cancel a day or a session of a prepaid surfing course, we will offer a replacement day that suits the student(s), or a credit or refund for the cancelled day or session.
No payment will be taken for cancelled lessons booked on a ‘pay-on-the-day’ basis. Any credits issued are to be used for the student named in the original booking unless otherwise agreed, and must be used within one year of issue.
Our Staff
All our instructors are, as a minimum, in-house trained surf coaches and fully beach lifeguard trained. As part of our training programme, we follow a strict set of guidelines as used by the RLSS and ISA, and our own written Normal Operating Procedures (NOPs), Emergency Action Plan (EAP) and Risk Assessments, which are signed off and approved by the States of Guernsey Health and Safety department.
Photos and Video
From time to time, our coaches take photos and video from the beach and in the water, using a waterproof camera, to capture the day’s events. We may use these on our website, on social media and for other promotional purposes. We will only use images in which a participant can be identified if we have consent, given by a parent or guardian for anyone under 18, which we ask for on the registration form. You can withdraw consent at any time by contacting us, and we will stop using those images in any new material. We handle all personal data in line with the Data Protection (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2017.
Placement
Places cannot be confirmed unless a completed registration form and full payment have been received.
Please note that for our full-day programmes (Summer Camp, Advance Summer Camp, Teen Camp), instructors reserve the right to transfer students to a concurrent or adjacent session, with the student’s consent, if this is deemed to be in the best interests of the student’s experience. Such transfers may also be made on request.
Late Arrival
Please arrive in good time for the start of every lesson. Each session begins with a safety briefing, and for safety reasons we cannot allow anyone into the water who has missed it. If you or your child miss the start of the session or any part of the safety briefing, we may refuse entry to that session. A session missed through late arrival is treated as a missed session (see below), so no refund, credit or replacement session will be given.
Where it is safe to do so and there is space, instructors may at their discretion allow a late arrival to join, but the session will still finish at its scheduled time. If you are running late, please call us as soon as possible.
Medical Conditions and Medication
Please tell us about any medical conditions on the registration form. If a participant needs medication, such as an asthma inhaler or an adrenaline auto-injector (e.g. EpiPen), they must bring it, in date, to every session. For safety reasons, we may refuse to take a participant into a session if they do not have their required medication with them, and no refund, credit or replacement session will be given.
Refusal of Participation
Our instructors may refuse to take a participant into a session, or ask them to leave one, if they reasonably believe the participant poses a significant risk to their own safety or the safety of instructors or other participants. This includes, for example, being a week or non-swimmer, being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, an injury, or a medical condition or disability that means it would not be safe to take part.
Any decision relating to a disability or medical condition is made on an individual basis, after talking with the participant (or their parent or guardian) and considering any reasonable adjustments we can make. Please tell us about any disability, injury or medical condition when booking so we can plan ahead. If we refuse participation because of a disability, we will offer a refund for the sessions affected. If participation is refused because of alcohol or drugs, no refund, credit or replacement session will be given.
Booking Amendments and Cancellations
If you wish to change the date of your course booking, or switch to a different course, within four weeks of your scheduled start date, a £10 administration fee will apply. This fee covers the processing of your request and any necessary adjustments to our schedule. For changes made more than four weeks before your start date, no admin fee will be charged.
To request a change, please contact us as soon as possible. All amendments are subject to availability, and we cannot guarantee that your preferred alternative date or course will be available.
If you cancel a prepaid booking, you will be refunded the booking cost minus an admin fee of 10% of the booking cost or £10, whichever is greater.
We are unable to offer refunds for bookings cancelled by the customer within 3 days of the course commencing.
Guernsey Surf School is unable to offer replacement days, credits or refunds for any sessions or courses missed due to illness, injury, late arrival, missing medication or absence. This does not affect your right to cancel a booking in advance as set out above.
Our courses and lessons are scheduled in advance with limited availability, and your booking secures a place that cannot easily be reallocated. While we understand that unforeseen circumstances can arise, including sickness or injury, our policy must remain consistent to ensure fairness to all participants and to allow us to continue operating efficiently.
We strongly recommend that participants consider taking out personal insurance to cover any potential loss in such situations.
Acknowledgment of Risk Statement
Where the participant is under 18, this statement is made by their parent or guardian on their behalf.
I/we/they acknowledge that I/we/they have voluntarily chosen to participate in surfing lessons and activities provided by Guernsey Surf School. I/we/they understand that surfing and related water activities involve inherent risks.
I/we/they confirm that I/we/they am/are physically fit and able to participate in surfing activities and will inform Guernsey Surf School of any medical conditions, injuries or disabilities that may affect my/our/their ability to take part safely.
I/we/they agree to follow all instructions given by instructors and staff, follow the rules and safe practice, and use the equipment provided properly and safely.
I/we/they acknowledge that while Guernsey Surf School takes all reasonable precautions to ensure safety, it cannot guarantee my/our/their safety at all times. I/we/they voluntarily accept the inherent risks of surfing and related activities, and agree that Guernsey Surf School, its owners, instructors and affiliates will not be liable for injury, loss or damage arising from those inherent risks.
Nothing in these terms excludes or limits Guernsey Surf School’s liability for death or personal injury caused by its negligence or that of its staff, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited by law. Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights.