Jersey and the Jersey bodyboard scene

Pressure chart
An example of a classic weather chart needed to provide good summer surf. Picture courtesy of the BBC, copyright BBC, data supplied by the Met office.
X = Jersey's position on map.
Measuring only 9 miles by 5 and with a population of 90,000, Jersey is the largest and most populated of the Channel Islands, a small group of Islands, Islets and offshore reefs, lying in the English Channel near to the Normandy coastline of France. the Island is not part of the UK, but has allegience to the British Crown.

The island has a varied landscape with long sweeping bays to the south and west, rocky bays to the east and sheer cliffs and small picturesque bays to the north. The north and east of the Island also offers good views out towards the other Islands and France.

The Island has a long and successful surf history, the local surf club, the Jersey surfboard Club is actually the oldest surf club in Europe, having been established in 1959. The club makes up 50% of the Channel Island Surfing Federation, which is affiliated to the European Surfing Federation. Over the years the Island has been host to many international surf contests, including its first ever Junior European Surfing Championships in 2000, which featured some of the best bodyboarders from 9 European Nations, all three bodyboarding divisions being won by Euskadi (the Basque country, north Spain).

The island recieves swell from deep areas of low pressure that track across the northern Atlantic. Perfect conditions will see a deep low low in the Atlantic, with a blocking high pressure system sat over the UK sending offshore Easterly winds through the English Channel (see picture above right). During the Winter months the low pressure systems become much more intense, and tend to track right over the Island bringing severe gales or occasionally storm force winds. These lows bring with them huge swells that batter the Islands west coast, creating totally maxed out unrideable conditions, however these swells provide excellent waves on the Islands north and south coast instead.

Being 100 miles south of the UK, the Island is blessed with milder conditions than anywhere else in the British Isles. In the summer the sea temp can rise up to 19 degrees celsius, so if your tough enough you can get away with a pair of boardies, however most will wear a 3/2 steamer or shortie. During the summer months the surf gets incredibly crowded, with sometimes up to 8,000 beach goers heading to the Islands 5 mile long west coast, known as St. Ouen's Bay. In the Winter months the crowds almost disappear as the sea temperature plummets, usually to about 8 celsius, but on rare occasions as low as 5. Despite hundreds of bodyboards being sold in the Island each year, the actual number of "hardcore" bodyboarders is relatively low, with perhaps only about 30-50 that will actually see out the Winter months. The standard is pretty good though, with Jersey bodyboarders achieving top 10 finishes at previous European Championships, and both Colin Crowther in 1992 and Clint Loake in 2000, have finished runner-up in the British Championships. Scott Harben has won a British Bodyboard Club event in England.

Surprisingly most of the local bodyboarders recieve more publicity outside of the Island then within, this is possibly due to the Islands strong past surfing history. The local crew feature regularly in the UK's top bodyboard magazine Threesixty, and Scott has appeared in a couple of bodyboard videos, including a section of him at Pipeline, Hawaii.

To find out more about Jersey there are some good Jersey links on the links page.