Coast…what? – Coasteering! The combination of coast and mountaineering may not be a familiar term to you – but this shouldn’t stop you from trying this physical mixture of water sports and climbing at some point. It’s primarily about fun, dexterity and thrill rather than trying to be a new discipline for the next Summer Olympics.
Just like many other sporting innovations, the invention of coasteering is ascribed to some adventurous Brits who weren’t satisfied with climbing cliffs in South Wales up and down but also wanted to try it in a “transverse” direction. Coasteering is said to have started in 1980 but there is no evidence of who was the first “transverse climber” where and when. Since the 1990s, coasteering tours have been offered on England’s south coast. For example, tourists can go coasteering in Dorset, and in Wales as adventure and outdoor trips for an adrenaline rush.
But let’s look at the basics first: what is coasteering exactly?
In order to go coasteering, you’ll first need a suitable coast. It should be rocky and ideally steep, rugged, with bays, sand, protruding rocks and boulders. Fissures, too, small caves and gorges are also part of coasteering – in short, an interesting rocky section of coast rather than an endless sandy beach with dunes.
In theory, you can try coasteering at a lake with a rocky coast, but you’ll only get the true coasteering feeling from the waves and the tides of the sea. The tides make coasteering particularly exciting and create variety and new challenges.
During coasteering, you follow the coast line – in the water, along the water’s edge or on the coastal rocks. This involves swimming, climbing and perhaps even short passages of diving, or jumping from cliffs and ledges. At the end of this adventure, you’ll leave the coast line via a bay or a climbing passage.
Coasteering is not necessarily a group activity but it’s generally offered for groups. The major advantage is an experienced guide who knows about the depths of the water, tides and currents. This significantly increases safety during coasteering. If you’re very familiar with a section of coast line, you can go on an excursion with friends. As with mountaineering or ski touring, the following applies to solo trips: if you’re going by yourself, you have to be very confident. But since coasteering is much more fun with others, the question of a “solo trip” doesn’t often arise.
To sum up – this is what you need for coasteering:
- A suitable coast with rocks by the sea
- Some friends who fancy water sports and climbing
- A guide or a group of like-minded people who know the area
The right equipment for coasteering trips
For coasteering, you should adapt your equipment to the weather and water temperatures. Excursions are basically possible in any season and climate zone. The colder the water, the thicker your wetsuit (in short “neo”) should be. Without going too deeply into the extensive subject of wetsuits (find all the important information about that here): your suit should be around 4 mm thick in cold water. The surf suit will not only protect you from the cold but also from wind, UV rays and not least from your skin coming in contact with sharp cliffs, shells or sand.
In addition to your wetsuit, you’ll need a pair of sturdy, water-resistant shoes. You may wish to use old trainers or neoprene shoes for surfers. Surf shoes are insulated more effectively, of course, but they don’t provide as much stability. Canyoning shoes (e.g. these) are probably the best choice – but not everyone has a pair of those. Non-slip outdoor shoes with additional neoprene socks are also a good alternative. The choice of shoes will largely depend on the water temperature, the length of the excursion and the level of climbing difficulty.
You’ll also need a conventional climbing helmet and a life jacket to stay safe during coasteering. The helmet should be robust and easy to care for. It should ideally have a hard shell and not much padding that takes too long to dry. A helmet for water sports, such as kite boarding, wake boarding or wind surfing should be suitable. Your life jacket must fit well and should be able to support all your body weight.
In short – you’ll need the following equipment for coasteering:
- Wetsuit suitable for the relevant water temperature
- Appropriate shoes
- Climbing helmet
- Life jacket
When booking a guided tour, you don’t generally need to worry about equipment because the tour operator will be able to provide it in the right size for you.
Who is coasteering suitable for?
As a “fun activity”, coasteering is a pastime for “anyone”. Even though there are some easy routes suitable for older children or families, what coasteering providers offer is mainly aimed at older youths, young adults and older people who have stayed fit. That means: anyone who is happy to go on a hike lasting around three hours and includes climbing passages and some swimming, who may have been climbing before or has been on a via ferrata is ideally suited to being a budding coasteerer. The minimum age for guided groups is often 7 or even 12.
Depending on the difficulty, this may include passages of abseiling, canyoning elements, sliding or cliff jumping. Jumps from a height of 3 to 10 metres from ledges and cliffs into the sea are quite common. These highlights (at least the high jumps) are usually optional on guided tours, meaning you don’t have to join in to complete your route. You should discuss the characteristics of the route with the local guides so you’re aware of the challenges you can expect and how long (exhausting) the excursion is likely to be.
As a bonus, you’ll get all over muscle ache for the following few days after your first coasteering trip.
Coasteering areas – where can I try coasteering?
“Classic” coasteering in the UK is available in Wales, England and Ireland. But also France (Brittany & Normandy) as well as Norway are great for climbing trips along the coast line. If you prefer warm temperatures, you may wish to consider various Mediterranean islands (e.g. Majorca, Sardinia, Corsica, Crete and many more), Greece or Portugal for your coasteering adventure.
In theory, you can do coasteering almost anywhere in the world. But there are many dangerous coastal sections with reefs, currents and other maritime hazards.
Coasteering in Pembrokeshire, the most western tip of Wales and the official birthplace of this activity, is offered as a guided tour with different lengths and difficulties (e.g. 2.5 – 4 hours). In addition to the sporting challenge, budding coasteerers also learn a lot about local flora and fauna, the sea and coastal characteristics. Sometimes, you have to take a rubber dinghy to the starting point. Doing this lets you see places that you would not normally be able to reach, and all that from a completely new perspective. This makes coasteering much more than just a natural aqua park for adrenaline junkies. It’s also a welcome change for many climbers and surfers.
