Surf’s up! Participation Regimes and Motivations for Surfing in Wales Jon Anderson Katie Jones June 2008
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- 1.2 Aims and objectives
- 1.3 Methodology
- 1.4 Accessing formal surfing practices
- 1.5 Accessing informal surfing practices
- 1.6 Structure of the report
1. Introduction1.1 BackgroundSurrounded by sea on three sides and with outstanding water conditions throughout the year, surfing is an increasingly significant sporting and economic activity for Wales. Surfing directly generates revenue for the local and national economy (an estimated £10m per annum, see Davies, 2006), indirectly contributes through associated tourism (an estimated 100,000 people come to Wales every year to surf, ibid), as well as encouraging local people from a range of ages to participate in water and sporting activities in general. 1.2 Aims and objectivesThe aim of the report is to address the current lack of comprehensive empirical data about participation regimes in surfing across Wales. It investigates the participation regimes in surfing in Wales and motivations underlying participation. Specific research objectives are as follows:
1.3 MethodologyThe methodology was designed to obtain data about both formal and informal surfing practices – i.e. formal participation through surf schools and surf clubs, as well as more informal, or individual, surfing pursuits. In the first instance, surf clubs and surf schools were contacted in order to gain information on formalised surfing activity. It was envisaged that through surf schools it would be possible to access data on those who sign up for surfing tuition and surfing holidays throughout the year. Although this approach was initially intended to engage with more organised/formal participation in surfing, it also had utility in accessing more informal surfing participation. Due to the community-nature of surfing activity it was anticipated that tutors, leaders and members within these organisations would be aware of other regular users of the beaches and coasts and be able to act as ‘gatekeepers’ to these perhaps more informal surf users. Through utilising this social capital, it was anticipated that a more rounded picture of surfing activity would be gained. The research was undertaken over a four month period from February 2008 to May 2008. These months provide good surfing conditions but weather conditions are usually poor and water temperatures low. For these reasons the research has potentially only captured the views of local or ‘hardcore’ surfers, who surf all year round, rather than ‘tourist’ surfers who participate during the summer months. However, through interviews with clubs and schools information about these surfers was accessed where appropriate. The study involved a range of data collection methods and exercises including:
Information on these sources is detailed below. 1.4 Accessing formal surfing practices1.4.1 Telephone interviews with surf clubs in Wales The intention of the research was to collect information about both formal and informal surfing practices in Wales. In order to access formal practices, the research began by compiling a database of surf clubs and surf schools in Wales as detailed above. The clubs and schools were then contacted, via letter (see Appendix II), with two objectives in mind:
Establishing contact with the clubs proved problematic mainly because contact details on many websites and in books were out of date. The first preliminary finding is therefore that formalised surfing activity in terms of organised clubs is something of a moving target. Club’s lifecycles are transient, with memberships, secretaries etc ‘coming and going’. The Internet therefore keeps things virtually alive even if dormant in practice. Several clubs that were contacted had either disbanded or were relatively inactive at the time of the research. It therefore appears that there are only a small number of active surf clubs across Wales, something that will be detailed more in Chapter Two. Interviews with surf club representatives were carried out to elicit data on:
Key findings from these interviews will be presented in Chapter Two: Surf Clubs in Wales. 1.4.2 Telephone interviews with surf schools in Wales Given the need for surf schools to advertise their businesses to the public via the Internet, contact information for surf schools was more up-to-date. As a consequence it was less problematic to establish contact with these outlets. In terms of formal surfing activities the interviews with surf schools elicited data on:
Key findings from these interviews will be presented in Chapter Three: Surf Schools in Wales. 1.5 Accessing informal surfing practices1.5.1 Web-based questionnaire In addition to formal surfing practices through surf clubs and schools, the project also wanted to access informal surfing practices amongst surfers themselves. In order to do this a web-based questionnaire was designed to generate data about participation in, and motivations for, surfing in Wales. In order to generate a national picture it was intended that the questionnaire be communicated to as many people who surf in Wales as possible. To achieve this, after piloting, the questionnaire was made available on-line. Surf clubs and surf schools were contacted in the first instance to ask them to distribute the questionnaire web-address to their members and customers, either face to face, through email distribution lists, or mail-shots. In addition, a number of surfing-related groups/individuals were contacted (see Appendix III for full listings), either by letter or email (see Appendix IV). These groups were asked to publicise the web-address for the questionnaire via their own email lists, Internet message boards, mail-shots or through specially designed flyers (see Figure 1.1). All the surf clubs, schools and other groups were fully informed of the purpose of the study, research aims and potential dissemination outlets for the findings of the research. Why do you surf in Wales? Share your views on surfing in Wales with us at: www.cardiff.ac.uk/cplan/research/surfing   
Figure 1.1 Flyer used to publicise the web-based questionnaire In addition to the surf clubs and surf schools, other groups/individuals contacted included:
In addition to contacting groups/individuals directly, details about the research and the web-link for the on-line questionnaire were posted on several surfing related message boards/Internet forums. These are Internet sites and communities frequently participated in by a wide-range of surfers and therefore provided a useful outlet in publicising the research. The sites that were used include:
Surfing website including surf reports, forecasts, webcams and photographs of key surfing locations around the globe and a community message board for surfers to share their views and experiences.
This part of the BBC website contains a message board ‘Off the Lip’ dedicated to the Welsh surf scene and includes posts about anything such as surf conditions, recommendations, new equipment and sharing transport to beaches.
An on-line environmentally friendly surf magazine with a forum for surfers to share their views and experiences.
The British Surfing Association (BSA), the National Governing Body for surfing in Great Britain and Ireland, has a forum for surfers to share their views and opinions. In addition, key surfing beaches were visited in South Wales and South West Wales and flyers and posters detailing the website were left in various cafes, beach car parks, beach toilets and on beach notice boards. It was not practical, due to budgetary and time constraints, to visit beaches in mid and North Wales, however this limited was compensated for by ensuring contacted with a range of other surf related groups and establishments such as shops and accommodation across throughout Wales. The web-based questionnaire elicited data on:
There was no specific target sample for this questionnaire, instead the aim was to communicate it questionnaire to as many people who surf in Wales as possible. In total 134 questionnaire responses were received. It is anticipated that the figure would be higher during the peak surfing season between May and September, when more surfers are likely to take advantage of the warmer water and weather conditions, and more tourists will be surfing in the area. 1.5.2 Telephone interviews with surfers In order to generate more detailed information on surfing experiences questionnaire respondents were asked to provide contact details if they were willing to participate in a telephone interview. In total 58% (n=78) of respondents volunteered. From these, a sample of volunteers was selected to ensure an even geographical spread between surfers in North and South Wales. In total 20 interviews with surfers were undertaken. The telephone interviews built upon the questionnaire responses and elicited data on:
Findings from the web-based questionnaire and interviews with surfers will be presented and analysed in Chapter Four: Surfers in Wales. 1.6 Structure of the reportFrom these various methodological sources data was obtained which is structured in the following sections: The initial two chapters focus on formal participation in surfing. Chapter Two investigates surf clubs in Wales, exploring in particular their role in encouraging and sustaining participation in surfing. The data presented in this chapter is drawn from interviews with contacts at Welsh surf clubs, as well as findings from a section on the web-based questionnaire about surf clubs. Chapter Three draws on information provided by contacts at surf schools through interviews and on findings from a section on the web-based questionnaire about surf training. The chapter begins by outlining the role of the British Surfing Association (BSA) and Welsh Surfing Federation (WSF) in regulating and accrediting surf training in Wales, before moving on to look in more detail at surf schools across Wales. The chapter focuses on the levels of surf training that are provided, the socio-demographics of people participating in surf training, the beaches and facilities used for surf training and issues to do with recruiting coaches and risk assessment. The chapter then focuses on the financial viability of surf schools in Wales and presents two case study examples of a surf school attempting increase its revenue. Chapter Four focuses on informal participation in surfing and the experiences of surfers in Wales. The information presented in this chapter was generated by questionnaire responses and interviews with individual surfers. The main themes explored in the chapter include the socio-demographics of those who surf in Wales, their surfing abilities, beaches where participation in surfing occurs, barriers inhibiting participation in surfing, conflicts between surfers and other beach users and the significance of surfing communities in sustaining and promoting the sport. The chapter concludes by exploring participants’ motivations for surfing in Wales.
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