Our Heritage
Chris Rea grew up minutes from Harlyn Bay and after finishing his degree in mining, found himself on the UK competitive surf scene as well as travelling to some of the worlds best surfing hot spots. When he returned to Cornwall he was asked to give some private surf lessons and chose Harlyn as the most suitable beach. Loving the reaction of his pupils, Chris really enjoyed sharing his knowledge and seeing others benefit. The business started with a Renault 5, a deckchair, a blackboard and 5 swelly surfboards. That was back in 1994!
Things have come a long way from that start. Chris has had the pleasure of working with some amazing staff members and the team has introduced over 120,ooo people to watersports since inception. Series 3 landrovers have come and gone and now the business is based on the beach at Harlyn offering a large inventory of great activities and kit. Most importantly, a fantastic and passionate team attract returning visitors year after year from those who want to brush up on their skills, try something new, experience private coaching and guiding, or simply enjoy water sports with a great bunch of people with the safety of experience and local knowledge.
Harlyn surf school is the ONLY surf school to hold a license from both Cornwall Council and Adventure Activity Licensing Service ensuring that we meet strict operating and safety parameters. Chris is also a former director of the Water Skills Academy which specialises in watersport instructor training and lifeguard qualifications and Chris has since 2000 trained and continues to train surf, SUP instructors and beach lifeguards.
Chris and the Harlyn team will provide you with a fantastic watersports experience which will be fun, safe and inclusive for all ages, abilities and fitness levels. And just as important – whatever the weather conditions!
