The summer months at Blue Coast have passed in a flash. We've been extremely busy delivering surf and paddleboard lessons & experiences, and now Coasteering too! The summer weather seemed to skip July & August this year, but weather-wise we've had an epic June and start to September so it seems it all balances out in the end! The surf was pumping too for a good portion of the summer with out-of-season swell lighting up some of the spots along the coast.. yeehaa!
Surf 'n' Fun Kids Summer Surf Camps
Our Summer camps were a huge success, with all of them fully booked and offering a variety of conditions for the kids to progress their surf skills (and swim skills) and learn about the marine environment, as well as enjoy plenty of beach games! It was awesome to see the kids making new friends, progressing, and to hear them telling us everything they had learned. Well done to all who took part.
To build on the success of these camps, we are offering a 3 day Autumn Adventure Camp in the October Holidays for children aged 8-15. If that is of interest, please click here to find out more.
Blue Coast Team
It was brilliant to have the help of Birte and Amy for two weeks during summer, helping us deliver surf lessons and our summer camps. We hope to have both of them back in the future!
We are also happy to welcome Isla & Cara to the Blue Coast Team, working with Blue Coast as casual lesson assistants. They have already been hugely helpful on the sessions they have helped us with. Of course, a big thanks also to the rest of the team who are always a big help throughout the season. Thank you EmmieJo, Kimberley and Maisie.
Coasteering Adventures
A long time in the making, we have been hard at work getting the necessary structure and qualifications in place to offer Coasteering Adventures as a new activity in Portknockie. We ran a successful social media giveaway to get the word out and it has had a great reception with regular adventures already running and bookable online.
What is coasteering? Coasteering is a journey in the inter-tidal zone, where you will immerse yourself in the changing marine environment as we explore rocky inlets and caves, and learn to jump from height safely with our professional guides.
We have carefully designed our routes to cater for all, from beginner adventures to seasoned thrill-seekers. All challenges are optional, but fun and adventure are guaranteed! The venue at Portknockie is world-class, and we aim to finish our route at the impressive Bow Fiddle Rock.
AALA License
After going through the inspection process with the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority, part of the Health and Safety Executive and the licensing authority for outdoor activity centres for young people in the UK, we are pleased to say that we are now licensed to offering Coasteering & Paddleboarding for licensable groups.
In addition to our accreditation by the Scottish Surfing Federation, this means we can expand our offering for school & youth groups to offer additional activities, and the inspection process itself while demanding on our time in the busy season, was absolutely brilliant in helping us to improve our processes, procedures and practice. We take pride in our work and strive for professionalism in all that we offer, so consider this a big step forwards for Blue Coast.
Team Building Activities
It was brilliant to be able to take staff groups from William Grant & Sons with ACA Live, Banff Academy, Bristow Group and Police Scotland for a range of team-building activities, from surfing to paddleboarding to sea kayaking. Getting in the sea is a great way to come together as a team to boost morale and wellbeing, and it's great fun!
Our range of activities offer something for everyone from the accessibility of paddleboarding to the adventure of coasteering, and we are happy to help arrange work or meeting space, catering, and accommodation for your team.
Stretch & Surf Yoga Day Retreats
Our second retreat of the year ran in June. We are always really excited about these events - they are great feel-good days of good company, surf & yoga with Kimberley, and delicious pizza from Coastal Pizza at the end of it. Our last dates of the season are 23rd & 24th September - if you'd like to book in, here's the link!
Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Award
We are thrilled to have received the Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice Award for 2023. We are extremely proud of our customer reviews reflecting our commitment to offer a unique and memorable experience for our customers which can't be matched anywhere in the North East of Scotland!
Thank you to all our customers for visiting Blue Coast over the summer. You've made our season!
Blue Coast Clothing
We got our clothing up for sale in June and it's really cool to see people kicking about the beach in our 'Breathe Easy' T-Shirts and Beanies - we love that people enjoy the experience they have with us and identify with the brand we've created. Check out our shop if you'd like a browse - we also offer tried & tested surfboards & paddleboards that we personally use and recommend.
Moray Firth Snorkel Trail
We spent an afternoon in June at Macduff Marine Aquarium for the launch of the Moray First Snorkel Trail. A really exciting project and it was great to be able to make a small contribution helping risk assess the site at Portknockie/Cullen. There is some great snorkelling to be had along the Moray Firth, with plenty to see and enjoy - an exciting development for the area!
Drowning Prevention Week
Blue Coast was pleased to be involved in RLSS Drowning Prevention Week this year, and to contribute we created an infographic on how rip currents work (and what to do if you're in one). It certainly beats our usual diagram in the sand! Rip currents can be fixed or changing and feature on beaches where there are breaking waves.
Water safety is an important part of what we do, and we strive to make sure that all participants in our activities leave with knowledge that will help them make safer decisions around the sea. Thank you to Live Life Aberdeenshire for involving us this year.
We have eBooks and Guides for surfing and paddleboarding available for free download if that's relevant for you!
It's been a brilliant and busy summer season and we're looking forward to what September and October will bring as the autumn swells start to roll in. Thank you for taking the time to read, we hope to see you at the beach soon. If you see us at the beach trailer, don't be afraid to say hello!
Thanks from The Blue Coast Team 🤙
