Other Sport / Surfing
Pioneering research shows mental health benefits of surfing
Pioneering academic research showing the mental health benefits of surfing has led to a partnership with The Wave to expand the study.
The research by University of Bristol postgraduate student Ariane Gerami is the first of its kind to be carried out at an inland surfing facility.
Ariane hopes to scale up the findings from her master’s degree in nutrition, physical activity & public health with a doctorate study.
is needed now More than ever
The initial study saw a ‘virtual surf booth’ capture responses on video to assess the experiences of a group of women who took part in a six-week surf course at The Wave in Easter Compton.
Results showed that the women’s mental wellbeing significantly improved. Other benefits were reduced anxiety, increased confidence and feeling positive.
Ariane said: “Seeing this research project scale such amazing new heights is like a dream come true.
“Watching the participants smiling and growing in confidence with each surf session was a really rewarding experience and it was also a powerful illustration of what surfing can bring to mental wellbeing.
“I’m looking forward to building on this evidence to gain a fuller understanding of the relationship between surfing and mental health, and the potential wider advantages of this invigorating physical activity.”
The pilot study involved 15 women, who used an online tool to capture their experiences and feelings which generated scores in mental wellbeing at the start and end of the surfing course.
Bristol-based organisations ActiveBeing, AID Box Community and Open Minds Active took part in the project.
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Charlie Hartley-Hodge from ActiveBeing said: “The impact on mental wellbeing has been clear for all participants; the sense of achievement, boost in self-esteem, confidence, happiness, connecting with the water, the light and each other means that we would walk away feeling refreshed and having had space for ourselves and for our brains to be purely in the moment.”
The Wave founder Nick Hounsfield added: “The power of water and waves to make us feel better is at the heart of why The Wave exists.
“It is so important for us to support the growing body of research looking at blue health and particularly the positive mental health impact of surfing and blue spaces.
“These initial findings are exciting, and we can’t wait to work with the University of Bristol to enable even more extensive research in this area.”
Main photo: The Wave
Read next:
- England’s adaptive surfing competition returns to Bristol
- Glamping site set to open at The Wave
- From homelessness to dreams of becoming a lecturer
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