What is Coasteering?

What is Coasteerig?

Have you ever noticed an enticing cave or a compelling rock formation along a stretch of coastline and wondered… has anyone ever explored that?

When you grow up along the coast, you tend to find yourself drawn to the sea and all its wonders. More often than not, you also end up asking yourself these same questions. And when you’re a young swashbuckler, you tend to take these questions one step further.

You begin by analysing your stretch of coastline, swimming out, and checking the depths of different sections. You look for ledges and their accessibility. Where is easy to climb too? Is it deep enough if we were to jump? Where can I climb back up? You then begin storming the cliffs as if they were your castle to conquer, traversing, swimming and jumping your way along the coast, exploring all kinds of caves and gullies along the way. Then before you know it, you become so enthralled with the adventure that you forget about where you were trying to get to and instead enjoy the experience and exploration of the journey.

Our ocean, however, is powerful and unpredictable, it is constantly changing, and sometimes this catches you off guard and humbles you. From those humbling moments, you’re taught a lesson and you learn to adapt and study the sea in all its states. You begin to understand the tides, what it looks like at high, at low, and everything in between. You pick up on the swell, its power and direction, places that are protected and places that aren’t. You also start to see how the wind affects all of this, and over time you build a deep respect for the ocean.

That is precisely what people did and how coasteering came about. That sense of exploration and adventure that leads people to the tallest mountains and the most remote locations is what inspired the discovery of coasteering. And although many people and places stake a claim to this discovery, people all over the world have been, in its simplest form, “coasteering” for generations.

Commercially, it was first recognised on the picturesque coast of Pembrokeshire in the 1980s, from there it has grown and developed into a popular alternative to exploring the coast. The beauty of it is that it doesn’t have to be an all-out action-packed adventure, it can simply be an immersive experience of an idyllic stretch of coastline, and enjoying the exploration of discovery of the wonders along the way.

So if you have ever wanted to lose yourself within the beauty of our coastlines, or wanted to throw yourself in amongst the humbling swells of our ocean - what better way to do it than with our experienced, knowledgeable, and friendly team of guides!

For more information on safe coasteering check out the NCC (National Coasteering Charter)