Lets work on your next wave

Shannon Ainslie

Oct 1

3 min read

From Jeffreys Bay to Portugal & Norway: Taking My Surf Coaching Back to Europe

I’m heading to Portugal & Norway this month — coaching at a private surf retreat in Portugal, then spending 10 days coaching and speaking in Norway.

The next few weeks are going to be a bit of a change from my normal routine here in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa.

I’ll be swapping the long right-hand point breaks of J-Bay for Europe as I head to Portugal for a private surf retreat, followed by 10 days in Norway, where I’ll be doing some surf coaching and giving two talks.

And I’m looking forward to it.

From Jeffreys Bay to Europe

Jeffreys Bay is home for me now and it’s where much of my coaching through FixMyWave takes place.

It’s an incredible place to coach because the waves expose so much about a surfer’s decision-making.

Where you sit. Which wave you choose. Where you take off. The line you choose. When you accelerate. When you turn.

A small decision made early on a wave can completely change what becomes possible several seconds later.

That’s one of the things I try to help surfers understand:

The wave already told you what to do — you just heard it late.

But good surf coaching shouldn’t only work in perfect J-Bay waves.

Different waves create different problems — and that’s one reason I still love travelling and coaching surfers in different parts of the world.

First Stop: Portugal 🇵🇹

I’ll be spending 10 days in Portugal working with surfers during a private surf retreat.

Retreats give us something that’s difficult to achieve in a single coaching session: time.

We can surf, review footage, identify patterns, make adjustments and then go back into the water and try again.

Rather than looking at one turn in isolation, I can start looking at the whole picture.

Why did you choose that wave?

Why were you in that position?

Where did your speed come from — or disappear?

Did the turn go wrong at the turn itself, or did the problem actually begin three decisions earlier?

That’s the kind of coaching I enjoy.

Then I’m Heading Back to Norway 🇳🇴

After Portugal, I’ll be spending 10 days in Norway.

Norway was a big part of my life and coaching career, so I’m really looking forward to seeing familiar faces, getting back into some cold water and hopefully scoring a few good waves.

During the trip I’ll be giving two talks and I’ve also opened a limited number of spaces for private surf coaching in Norway.

I’ll be working with surfers on areas such as wave selection, positioning, speed, technique, turns, timing and decision-making.

And yes — after living in Jeffreys Bay again, I may need a moment to remember what putting on all that neoprene feels like!

Not in Norway? Send Me a Wave 🌍

One of the reasons I created FixMyWave was because coaching no longer has to depend on us being in the same place.

You can be surfing in Australia, Taiwan, California, Portugal, South Africa — or anywhere else — and send me footage of your surfing.

I’ll analyse what is happening and help you understand what you can work on during your next surf.

Sometimes what a surfer thinks is the problem isn’t actually where the problem started.

A turn might feel wrong because of the technique.

But it could also be because you didn’t generate enough speed beforehand.

Or because your bottom turn put you in the wrong place.

Or because you chose the wrong section.

Or because the decision you needed to make happened three seconds earlier.

Surfing is problem solving under pressure.

The better you become at recognising those problems early, the more options you have on the wave.

Want to Work With Me?

To celebrate the Europe trip, I’m offering 15% off surf coaching and online surf video analysis until 14 October 2026.

Use code:

FixMyWave7

If you’re going to be in Norway, you can enquire about one of the limited in-person coaching sessions.

If you’re somewhere else in the world, simply send me a wave through FixMyWave and we can work on your surfing remotely.

And if you’re planning a trip to Jeffreys Bay, I’m back coaching here in South Africa too — including in-water coaching, surf filming, video analysis and personalized coaching for intermediate, advanced and competitive surfers.

Let’s work on your next wave. 🌊

Shannon AinslieFixMyWave.com