Student Windsurfing Association
The Student Windsurfing Association helps co-ordinate all UK student windsurfing and runs 3 ‘Core’ events, 3 ‘Wave’ events, Aussie Kiss (AK) and BUCS Nationals each year. These events are a huge social opportunity as well as an opportunity to windsurf. A core part of SWA events is socialising and making friends with students from other universities (unlike many other university sports). It is really easy to get to know people because everyone who goes has the same attitude and are genuinely friendly and welcoming. Everyone is there to have a good time.
The format for all SWA events is very similar. Like at all SWA events if you want to learn something specific, have a question or want some advice just ASK! You need to buy a ticket for all events, check out our step by step guide on how to buy them below. Considering everything you get it is an absolute bargain for a weekend of windsurfing, tuition, kit use, breakfasts, warm accommodation (camping at AK and BUCS), entry to clubs for 2 nights, and drink deals all for about £25 plus a fuel contribution. Specific details will change between events, so make sure you look out and ask for the details.
SWA Membership and Tickets Guide
Core Events
Each of the 3 core events is hosted by a university and each visiting uni is given a warm house, floor space and a host who will look after you all weekend and will more than likely actually cook the breakfasts and dinners that are included in the ticket. They will keep you (roughly) on schedule and get you out to the club, help introduce you to other universities and get the party spirits flowing at pres wherever they may be. You’ll need to bring a camping mat of some description and a sleeping bag.
Aussie Kiss
This student windsurfing festival is the biggest event of the year (around mid-October) with over 300 people from year to year who go, this is an amazing opportunity to windsurf, socialise and party with other universities. By the time AK comes around you will have been to several lake sessions and this is an opportunity to sail somewhere else, on different kit and attend specialist clinics for specific skills. If it is your first time windsurfing then that’s just as perfect, no prior experience is required as tuition is provided that starts from the very beginning.
Wave Series
This is a smaller and tight knit event, more focussed on more serious close competition windsurfing, there isn’t any formal tuition, so you need to be pretty confident about windsurfing on the sea so you can deal with the waves you’ll be competing on. That being said everyone will happily give you pointers and tips if you are new to the scene.
Typical Event Format
Friday night:
Arrive, meet your host/pitch a tent (if at AK or BUCS), register and get your wristband, start partying, go to the club/party tent
Saturday Day:
Free Sailing – go out and do your own thing, find some kit that is lying around that has been brought by other universities or borrow kit from the Boardwise van.
Beginner Tuition – takes you through from the very beginning, but the ratio of students to instructors often means less personalised instruction than we provide on Chew Valley Lake Trips.
Intermediate and Advanced Clinics – these focus on specific skills such as the fast forward formula, carve gybes, freestyle tricks and more recently foiling (if you’re lucky) they are more of a land theory session and it’s up to you to go out and practice during Free-Sailing sessions.
Kit can be borrowed from any of the universities, especially our own kit from Bristol and UWE, just take kit that is lying on the beach or take kit from people when they come in. Just remember it might be someone’s personal kit so check around and ask nicely before running off with it!
Saturday Night:
Fancy dress party! SWA doesn’t do half measures when it comes to fancy dress, and glitter only comes in triple measures. An absolutely mad night.
Sunday Day:
Free Sailing – same as on Saturday
Team Racing – as many teams of 3 can be entered from each university as we want so there’s no excuse not to race if you want to give it a go
Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced individual racing – as the division names imply, there’s racing for everyone, for specific details on the racing format see the racing section
Sunday Evening:
Pack up and go
Check out last years’ events at studentwindsurfing.com