Blue Coast Surf & Paddle is an award-winning surf school based in Cullen Bay, on the Moray Firth coast in the North East of Scotland, specialising in surf lessons, stand up paddleboard (SUP) lessons and tours, and coasteering adventures.
Lesson locations include Cullen and Sandend, stunning sand beaches with clean water and ideal waves for beginning and improving surfers. The north-facing bays consistently provide mellow green waves and long rolling whitewater which are ideal surf conditions for practicing and improving your skills.
The local harbours at Portknockie and Cullen provide calm, smooth conditions, perfect for your first time stand up paddleboarding. After an introduction on flat water, there are a variety of interesting local routes to explore, from Bow Fiddle Rock to Findlater Castle, seen from a unique perspective on the water. It's not uncommon to encounter curious seals and bottlenose dolphins whilst SUP touring, an unforgettable experience.
Portknockie offers a world-class venue for coasteering, an adventurous experience immersed in the changing marine environment as we swim, climb, and jump in along our route to the iconic Bow Fiddle Rock.
Thanks to the Moray Firth micro-climate, we are lucky enough to experience a warmer, drier and sunnier climate than the majority of Scotland. Our cosy wetsuits keep us warm year-round regardless, even when the weather turns more typically Scottish, and there will always be a local whisky (or a comforting bowl of Cullen Skink) to be found if you need to warm the heart after a dook in the North Sea.
All of our team are experienced and highly-trained water people; fully qualified as instructors and lifeguards, insured and disclosure checked. The surf school is accredited by the Scottish Surfing Federation (Surfing) and licensed by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (Coasteering & Paddleboarding).
We aim to provide a responsible surf & SUP school where you feel welcome, a place where you have safe & positive experiences, learn, progress, and have fun.
Adam set up Blue Coast in 2022 after several years of teaching surfing & paddleboarding in the Canary Islands and at home in Scotland. He is an ISA Level 1 Surf Instructor and Level 2 Surf Coach, ISA Adaptive Surf Coach, SLSGB Surf Lifeguard, ASI Level 2 Stand Up Paddle Instructor and an NCC Coasteer Guide. He wants you to have fun while learning in a safe environment, and leave feeling good!
Kimberley is a 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher based locally - she teaches weekly yoga classes in Buckie and monthly classes in Cullen, as well as partnering with Blue Coast to teach Paddleboard Yoga. She loves the sea and paddleboarding, and can't wait to get her kids learning to surf!
Maisie comes from Perth in Western Australia and now happily calls northeast Scotland her home. She helps us keep on top of our bookings and marketing to make sure your experience with us is as smooth as possible, as well as teaching the occasional paddleboard lesson! She loves the natural environment and wildlife of our coastline and looks forward to sharing it with you.
Meet EmmieJo at the school helping with lessons and snapping photos! She loves being outdoors and around the water and is also a keen horse rider. Aside from being super helpful at the beach, she is also working hard towards achieving her goal of becoming a paramedic after she finishes school.
Our second Adam is a keen surfer and loves being in the water (when he is not training for or playing rugby for Scotland!) He is a great help during our surf lessons, paddleboard lessons and coasteering adventures.
Isla loves the bigger coasteering jumps and wilder conditions! She is a great help during our larger group lessons and coasteering adventures, and is also working hard as a pool lifeguard and towards her career as a paramedic. She somehow also finds time to be a competitive swimmer across Scotland!
Ali is our local sea kayaking guide, partnering with Blue Coast to deliver guided sea kayaking day trips around our coastline. He set up his business after a 28 year long career in Police Scotland, retiring as a Chief Inspector responsible for the Paddlewell wellbeing program. We are excited to partner with Ali and offer more activities to our visitors!
Bear loves to chill on the beach and watch the surf. He talks a lot about the big waves he used to surf when he was younger but we've never actually seen him paddle out.. Maybe one day he'll show us his skills when he isn't being kidnapped by children!
Our activity delivery is supported by our team of freelance instructors & guides, all qualified in their activity, water rescue, and first aid, as well as being vetted and trained with Blue Coast to make sure your experience with us is exceptional every time.
I opened Blue Coast in April 2022, after returning home to Moray from several years teaching surfing and paddleboarding in the Canary Islands.
Before that I had a six-year career in the Police in Aberdeen, from which I learned a lot! One of the Queen Street CCTV cameras was able to swivel round and point at the sea so you could check the surf (but don't tell anyone).
I'll be thrilled to welcome you at Blue Coast and share the stoke with you in the water. I hope you'll get as much out of it as I do!
Blue Coast’s mission is to help people feel good by providing safe, positive experiences in the sea that encourage lasting benefits beyond the beach.
A place where people can find respite from the stresses and frictions of everyday life, and be inspired by our beautiful coastline.
Being down-to-earth and genuine.
We take pride in our work.
Physical, mental, and environmental.
Passion & ambition, hard work, and initiative.
Supporting others; building a better future.
Social connection, and connection with nature.
Adam is fantastic - gear was great - what a fabulous experience - thank you
I had a great time learning to Stand Up Paddleboard with Adam. He was a very good instructor. I was a bit nervous beforehand,but I felt safe during the lesson. I learnt a lot and feel ready togo out on my own paddleboard.
We had a fantastic morning with Adam yesterday. He was an excellent teacher. He had us all standing on our boards within 10 minutes. We would highly recommend this fun and exciting experience
I booked the SUP lesson and tour for my mum's 60th birthday celebrations. It was our first time paddle boarding, at first my mum was very nervous but with lots of encouragement and a progressive approach to learning from Adam, she was able to summon the courage to venture out of the harbour. However we opted to stay in the harbour for the remainder of our lesson to build on the skills we had just learned and gain some more confidence instead of completing the full tour, Adam was incredibly flexible with his plans to meet our needs. I would definitely recommend this to beginners. We can't wait to come back and complete the rest of the tour.
Best surf lesson I have had! Adam was so thorough and clear in his teaching. He would make us all feel safe and also encouraged during our time in the waves. He took the time to give individual feedback on technique to help us improve throughout the lesson. Such a fun day out!
Our 1st time paddle boarding and we were both so glad to have had as well an experienced and knowledgeable person as Adam teaching us. A very enjoyable experience.
We did a couples introduction to SUP and we absolutely loved it! We learned a lot from Adam who was a great teacher. We would definitely recommend to others.
This was great fun and an excellent first-time surfing experience! I would definitely recommend this to any beginners / couples looking to try surfing.
I joined Kimberly and Adam for a fantastic Surfing and Yoga Day Retreat! The awesome, well guided, all-kit-provided surf lesson was sandwiched between 2 well-crafted and enjoyable yoga sessions. Followed by the most delicious pizza I've had all year!Despite feeling a bit nervous before the surfing, Adam put me at total ease, he was encouraging, supportive and helpful. It made the experience throughly immersive, enjoyable and fun. I loved every minute and didn't even get cold. I felt amazing afterwards, like I'd had full body massage! Can't wait to come back! -Alice
Excellent morning of coasteering with superb views and adrenaline fuelled adventure ending at Bow Fiddle rock. Adam our guide was very good, and his knowledge of the area is clearly visible. I think maybe he had an easy morning with us in a good way, with our background we all got stuck in, didn't have to ask twice, straight into higher jumps and the conditions were perfect. I would highly recommend Blue Coast for your adventure. Great communication from start to end.
Couples Intro to SUP. This was a really enjoyable intro to paddle boarding. Adam the instructor was excellent and the location was fab.
I can only repeat what has been said in many reviews before. Adam is a consumate professional and went out of his way to help especially as none of the four in our group had paddleboarded before. To compound things further two of us were'nt that confident in the water to begin with but Adam took care of that by giving us all a detailed and comprehensive briefing before going into the water and also by taking time to give some 1-2-1 help when we struggled with certain elements. Having listened to Adam's briefing we all managed to get mobile and after a short while of building up our confidence Adam got every one of us up onto our feet and paddling about with relative ease. I cant praise Adam highly enough for looking after us and for imparting his knowledge to us and for giving us practical lessons that were fun. If you want to learn the basics of paddleboarding within a safe environment Adam would be my first and only choice. Do it, you wont regret it !!!!
Fabulous coasteering trip - excellent relaxed and professional adventure. Adam ensured our whole diverse group challenged and enjoyed themselves from aged 22-61, Adrenaline seekers to first time rock jumper. Fab time
We had a great time doing the introduction for couples paddleboarding. Adam was a great teacher and we had lots of fun and learned a lot. Would definitely recommend
Such a fun experience! A beautiful location to try surfing and Adam was great at looking out for my two kids and making it fun for everyone. We can’t wait to come back!
We thoroughly enjoyed our group lesson on paddle boards at Port Knockie harbour. Keir was an excellent instructor giving us all the basics with patience and fun. We were so lucky with the weather. Some of us were worried about being cold but the high quality wet suits, gloves and boots kept us warm.
If you wear glasses remember to bring a head strap to keep them on. You will fall in and if you don’t, you’ll have to get in to practice “saving” each other.In summary, a fabulous fun and safe experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed my paddle board lesson. It was completely out of my comfort zone, both the activity and booking by myself. However Adam explained everything clearly and was really encouraging. I can’t wait to be back in the area to book onto a tour!
Our older two daughters had tried paddle boarding before and had a great time. Now it was time for the whole family to give it go. We had a good time and Adam was a super instructor. He was really patient and encouraging and helped us all feel comfortable on a board. It was a fun afternoon activity.
Adam was a great teacher and put us at ease. We had never done paddle boarding before and thoroughly enjoyed it, we'll be doing it again!
Great intro
