H2Outdoor guide to how to go coasteering

Our ultimate guide covers all aspects of coateering from safety to and who can do coasteering along with why North Devon has some of the best location to do coasteering.

What is Coasteering?

Wikipedia considers Coasteering to be, “a physical activity that encompasses movement along the intertidal zone of a rocky coastline on foot or by swimming, without the aid of boats, surf boards or other craft.” H2Outdoor would explain the activity as a coastal journey in and above the water that takes you to places most other people don’t get to see. The activity involves some scrambling on the rocks, jumping off the rocks into the sea and swimming through gullies and other coastal features. Coasteering will enable you to explore the coastline from a different perspective as you find secret sea caves, blow holes and of course that big jump you have been waiting for, if you have the nerve!!

What’s the attraction and what do people get out of it?

The attraction of Coasteering is that it makes you feel part of the coastline rather than an onlooker. The waves and currents will push you through sections of rocks like a water slide and help you along your coastal journey, then climb out and leap back into the sea ready for the next section. Coasteering can be tailored to each group so everyone can get what they want out of the activity, whether you are looking for big adrenalin filled jumps from rocks into deep pools or more of a relaxing wild swim along the coast. Nothing along our routes has to be done which makes this activity great for groups of varied abilities.

Coasteering will take a lot of people back to when they were kids as they scrambled along the rocks to find hidden pools, but Coasteering takes this to another level. By adding some standard safety equipment and a good instructor, you will get to experience the best that the coastline has to offer in the safest way possible.

What makes North Devon such a great place to do Coasteering?

North Devon is a fantastic place to live and visit due to the friendly people and an amazing and beautiful coastline to explore. This wonderful stretch of coast also benefits from the famous Atlantic swell and over thousands of years, these waves have met our shores and come together to create some very exciting features for coasteering. We love nothing more than throwing ourselves off high slate rocks into the sea and moving on to spend time in exciting features such as the Washing Machine, The U-Bend, Sucky Gully and many more. North Devon has a perfect mix of stunning scenery, clean seas, Atlantic rollers and some fantastic coasteering terrain to explore even just for a North Devon walk ending in with a pub.

Do you need much equipment to start?

Having your own equipment is not the important thing with going Coasteering, the most vital thing you need for this activity is an experienced instructor. A good instructor will ensure that they are carrying all the equipment they require to run a safe session but they will also kit the rest of the group out in all the safety equipment required. H2Outdoor provide very experienced outdoor activity instructors and top of the range Buoyancy Aids, Safety Helmets and Full Body Wetsuits. The customers are asked to bring an old pair of trainers that they are happy to get wet and some swim wear for under the wetsuit. Bringing along a drink and some sunblock is also a good idea.

Can anyone do Coasteering?

Generally anyone with a good level of fitness and a sense of adventure will enjoy Coasteering. It is an activity that takes you to exposed locations which will often have difficult access points and so some mobility issues may occur, but coasteering providers can take a look at individual cases to see what we can do to get them Coasteering. H2Outdoor has an age restriction and can only take people age 8 upwards.

What do you have to think about safety-wise?

As a customer this is a difficult one as you have to place full trust in your instructor. You should ensure that they have fitted you out in good quality safety equipment that is mentioned above and that you have made the instructor aware of your Coasteering experience and ability. Other things to look out for are to see if the provider has signed up to the National Coasteering Charter or that they are licensed under AALA (Adventure Activities licensing Authority), you can find licensed providers listed here. This will mean that they have signed up to run their sessions in an agreed manor and if they are AALA Licensed, they will have been inspected by the Authority.

Please note that a commercial Coasteering session, among other activities, is licensable and if you are looking for a provider for a group of people under 18 without their parents or guardians present, the company must be licensed.

How do you get a taste of coasteering to see if it’s for you?

The best way is to get out there and give it a go. Make sure you let the provider know your ability and experience and they will tailor the session accordingly. At H2Outdoor we provide a variety of sessions but our main introductory route follows a coast path and so you are not committed to any section of coastline as you can just hop back on to the coast path and walk back to the start. We often hear our customers say “that was the best thing I have ever done” and this is a great feeling for the instructor. People seem to love the mix of getting wet, and throwing themselves into the unknown.

What are your favourite Coasteering spots?

Well our team at H2Outdoor are North Devon fans due to the Atlantic swell that we get here, but there are some great Coasteering spots all over the UK. Anstey’s cove on the South Coast is a good option if you are down that way with some lovely scenery and good jumps. On the North Coast, H2Outdoor’s most popular coasteering route is along Baggy Point in Croyde. Baggy Point has something for everyone and is my personal favourite with some great jumps, amazing sea caves that you can swim all the way through, stunning scenery and regular sightings of the varied wildlife that inhabits this area.

Another really great coasteering location we use is Hele Bay near Ilfracombe. This has some really high jumps and some lovely long swims, but this route is exposed and possibly not one to try if you are apprehensive or a weak swimmer.

If you would like to know anything more about H2Outdoor and the coasteering options we have available, please feel free to email us here or give us a call on 01271 871125 or 07789 807424.