HAVE SOME RESPECT
For the activity
Coasteering is one of those things that your parents told you not to do as a kid - and for good reason. Coastlines, cliffs and intertidal zones are dangerous places. Navigating the water and rock of the coast also involves climbing, scrambling and open-water swimming. Add in some cliff diving, for fun, and you don’t need us to tell you that there’s a risk of getting hurt. That’s why we don’t recommend a casual or DIY approach to the sport. Join a group with a registered outdoor adventure company and you’ll be able to enjoy the thrills of coasteering without worrying about injury. You’ll find many highly respected companies on our page for coasteering in Pembrokeshire, the birthplace of the sport.
For the guide
The coasteering experience that you book will be led by a trained, and often highly experienced, guide. They are going to be your guardian angel on land and sea, so put your trust in them. Before starting the excursion, they’ll give you a safety briefing and go through the things to do and do not do on the coast. Listen! These people know what they’re talking about and, for personal and professional reasons, are very keen for your experience to be an enjoyable one. Remember the briefing, follow their instructions during the activity and don’t go out of their sight.
For nature
For us, the environment where the land meets the sea is inhospitable, but that’s not true for other lifeforms. Plants like seaweeds, crustaceans, invertebrates and more make their homes here meaning that we are just visitors. Again, your guide’s advice about reducing your footprint will be important, but so will common sense. Treat your surroundings with respect and they will do you the same favour! There’s an opportunity here too: there are coasteering experiences in Cornwall that have an educational element to them, showcasing the beauty of the ecosystem to participants.
EQUIPMENT IS KEY
Wetsuit
One of the biggest challenges that coasteering presents is staying warm and active when sea water and winds constantly suck the heat out of you. The answer is a wetsuit. Coasteering guides will provide you with a thick wetsuit, often with padding on the knees and elbow, to keep your temperature up. Depending on the location and the season, the suit might have a built-in hood and you might also use neoprene socks. The most important thing about a wetsuit is it only keeps you warm when it’s wet, so dive right in!
Helmet
In the washing machine of tidal surges, breaking waves and spray, a knock to the head would be disastrous. Make sure that the helmet you’re given fits well, including when you shake your head around, and don’t take it off!
Buoyancy aid
The third element of the protective trilogy is a buoyancy aid. Coasteering often involves crossing open stretches of sea and swimming long distances is a very draining activity. A buoyancy aid, or life jacket, will support you, allow you to rest and give you a boost when climbing out of the water onto rock. Like with the helmet, adjust the straps before setting out to make sure it hugs you tightly and keep it on for the duration.
WATCH THE WEATHER
The British Isles, flung out in the Atlantic Ocean, feel changes in season and weather keenly. It’s unsurprising that most - though not all - coasteering experiences are offered in the warmer part of the year only, when sea temperatures are higher and the water tends to be calmer. Having said that, it is possible for weather and sea conditions to make coasteering in a given location dangerous on any day of the year, and excursions can be cancelled or postponed for safety reasons.
Another consideration, not so much in terms of safety but certainly comfort is temperature. Some people feel the cold more than others, especially in and around the water, and there’s only so much a wetsuit can do about that. If you'd like to try coasteering but you’re put off by the possibility of spending the whole time shivering, why not try coasteering on the Channel Islands? Much further south than any other part of the UK, they enjoy warmer waters, and are blessed by fascinating coastal landscapes too. The islands of Jersery and Guernsey offer amazing, accessible coasteering opportunities.
