Not at all, at least not if you have an instructor. And having a basic level of fitness helps as well. While advanced surfing moves and boards can take years to understand and master, the basics of how to get on a board and catch a few waves are simple enough. You can get the gist of it in a day and you’ll be decent at it within a month with regular practice.

There are a few things you can do to make things easier for you. Chief among them is making sure you get a beginner-friendly board. You can ask around at your local surf shop Cornwall to see which boards they’d recommend for a beginner, or get one from a website like https://madwatersports.co.uk/.

The other thing you can do is make sure you give yourself enough time to learn and to work with a seasoned instructor. You may have a friend who knows how to surf and wants to teach, but being a surfer doesn’t give you teaching experience. An instructor will know how to talk you through common issues beginners run into.