Surf Snowdonia Part 2 : In Depth with Jo Dennison

Hi Jo

So, you’re the Head Coach and in charge of The Surf Academy at Snowdonia Wavegarden. Before I fire a few questions about the Wavegarden at you, could you give us a little background on your surfing lifestyle.

SB: Starting with the basics....where did you first try surfing and what was it that got you hooked for life?

Jo: I started surfing on the Gower when I was studying Sport and Recreation Management at Swansea University. I’ve always been a water baby after being a national swimmer, I’m naturally drawn to water.

SB: What is your favourite thing about surfing?

Jo: The lifestyle, ever since graduating from university I’ve spent the last 8 years travelling the world, searching for waves, competing and instructing. It’s such a great way to travel, make friends and live a healthy and active lifestyle.

SB: What new manoeuvres are you working on at the minute?

Jo: Anything reverse, Surf Snowdonia makes practicing manoeuvres easy. The amount of wave riding time you get in a session is incredible. It’s so much fun experimenting and finally nailing moves you’ve been trying for a while.

SB: Out of all the places you've surfed, what are your top 3 favorite spots?

Jo: I recently went on my first ever boat trip to the Mentawii Islands. It was incredible, waves of a life time. So if I have to pick two spots from this trip, it would be Macaroni’s and ‘the hole’. Macaroni is pretty much goofy heaven. It’s a really fun left hand reef break that throws up a variety of sections, barrels and walls to draw your own lines on. The hole is a super shallow reef in the very South Island of the Mentawaii.

The most perfect barrel I have ever had in my life but you run the risk of the shallow razor sharp reef. Mundakka it’s such a crazy place you either love it or hate it. It’s situated in the Basque country in one of the most picturesque valleys. Everything about it is intense, it only works in big swells, so don’t forget your step up board, but the crowd and wave are both intense. Making one wave there has its rewards.

SB: What have you got your sights on for your next big trip?

Jo: I’ve never been to New Zealand. Its got a big X marked over Ragland at the moment and I can go and annoy my surf buddy Paige Hareb on her home turf.

SB: Who are your surfing hero's?

Jo: Bec Woods, Paige Hareb, Steph Gilmore, Candies O’Donnell and Ruben Ash.

SB: In a lot of board sports, we see a lot of switch/fakie or switch stance skills. Do you think there's room for growth in the surf world within this area?

Jo: The pros are always pushing the boundaries of surfing and no doubt that with such a consistent playground, there will be room for switch or fakie stance. But there is a major difference with surfing and any other board sports surf boards have fins.

SB: Ok, now down to the Wavegarden inside info. It looks like an amazing place for coaching all levels of surfing. From your extensive coaching experience, do you see a quicker learning curve when teaching on the man made wave compared to teaching at a beach break?

Jo: Surf Snowdonia creates such a consistent safe environment for learning. One of the major problems for beginners is catching the wave. At Surf Snowdonia you can see the wave coming from so far away, making it easy to prepare and get a better understanding of timing with the wave.

In the ocean, intermediate surfers often struggle with the line up (take off spot) and surfing in a crowd of ‘good surfers’ can be frustrating for them. They may only catch one wave in an hour in an ocean environment. The amount of waves that are available for intermediate surfers is significantly greater at Surf Snowdonia, as they are the only person on that wave for their session. Guests could catch up to 18 waves in an hour, if their fitness is up to it.

Advanced surfers can get specific manoeuvres down. With over 100metre ride on the advanced wave, it creates the opportunity for more wave riding time like in skateboarding or snowboarding. As many surfers know, if you went for a 1 hour surf, the paddling to wave catching ratio can be quite low sometimes. The ability to just have the wave riding time and concentrate on a specific move is amazing and almost my favourite aspect of surfing at Surf Snowdonia. I’m landing things I haven’t been able to before, its great. 
 

SB: At what stage can a surfer go in for a free surf without a coach?

Jo: No one is allowed on the lagoon without at least having taken a beginner lesson. Once you’ve learned the safety of surfing how to wipe out, control your board and general lagoon etiquette you’re good to go. We have a free surf adviser on hand to give you a pre surf brief and ask general line up advice. But you always develop your surfing way faster with one of our surf instructors.

Let's say intermediate surfer can catch green waves and is of average fitness. They can do the basic maneuver like a bottom turn, top turn and maybe a few cutbacks. In average, in a 1-hour session, how many waves could they realistically hope to catch?

On the intermediate wave you’ll be able to catch every other wave in the lagoon. Generally, they should be able to catch around 18 waves a session. 
 

SB: Is it hard to get used to actually catching a man made green wave compared to a natural wave that one might be used to? What adjustments should a surfer be prepared for?

Jo: When you go to any new surf spot you need to look at the take off spots, the peak and the rips. So in that respect it’s the same. A common mistake is not giving your self enough time to have a look around and see how it works and watch some of the other surfers before your session starts. Once you’re up and surfing, its just like riding a wave.

SB: Surfers don't like crowds and counting a line up when you check a break is common practice. How many green wave surfers can you expect to see in the Snowdonia line up on a busy day?

Jo: I think this is one of the best qualities about surfing at Surf Snowdonia. We’re not trying to recreate Snapper Rocks where hundreds of surfers are fighting for the same wave. The numbers aloud in the lagoon is restricted to 3 each side of the pier. The advanced surfer will get every 3rd wave. No arguments, you’ve paid for it, it’s your wave and no one else is in the line up getting in the way. It’s all about surfing and riding the wave.

SB: How often do you score offshore winds and which direction does the wind need to come from for those glassy days?

Jo: The wave is bio direction, this means it runs West to East and East to West. So it's usually off shore in one direction.  
 

SB: What is the temperature of the water? Does is change much through out the seasons? What should a guest bring to be ready to surf?

Jo: At the moment the water is around 12 degrees it’s a smaller volume of water than the ocean which usually means it warms up quicker. However, it’s in Wales, so I’m not sure if we’ll ever have a bikini day. Wetsuits are on hand for rental.

SB: I'm flying in from Germany and can't bring my quiver. What options do you have on offer for intermediate/advanced looking to rent and try different surfboards?

Jo: We have a range of FireWire and Rusty to rent of all different sizes and models. The helpful staff in the retail shop can usually find a suitable board for you to shred on. 
 

SB: What is the closest surf spot to the Wavegarden for those that want to surf the coast when they visit Wales?

Jo: If you still want the sand between your toes and the taste of salt on your lips, there are a few spots on Anglesey and Llyn Peninsular.  
 

SB: In the time that you've been open, do you think you've seen a change in the surfing industry and the sport itself concerning artificial waves?

Jo: No, not at the moment. I think it's going to be another branch to the sport. I think it’s a different surfing experience. Like big wave surfing, competition surfing, free surfing and now artificial waves surfing. They all complement each other and its another kind of surfing experience.

SB: The surfing world seems a little torn on whether a man made wave is good for the sport for varies reasons and I'm guessing you've heard all sides of the story. What are your thoughts about artificial waves and where they fit into the surfing world?

Jo: I think they are such a great training facility. There’s a small buzz of traditional surfers that don’t want to know anything about it. I think they’re missing out. I love to be in the ocean, however it does have its obstacles sometimes if you're trying to train or compete or get a wave on a Sunday afternoon. Surf Snowdonia just creates the possibility of riding waves everyday and a lot of them.

It also opens up surfing to cities who have never before had the opportunity to try surfing or surf regularly. The city surfer now has a local surf spot. It is such a fantastic surfing experience and I think you're missing out if you don’t at least come once to see it in motion.