History and the Team

 

We are experts, not just in surfing but in training, we work to our own standards .. developed from a lifetime of running activity tuition. Our sessions provide far more information than many other surf schools, presented in a clear and logical sequence and broken down into easily understandable sections. We have developed training programmes for national teams, individual world champions and fun sessions for first timers!

 

Masterclass surfing is the surf school developed from "West Wales Windsurfing " in 1984 and run by Pete Bounds. Surfing since 1965 when the sport began to takeoff in the U.K. and was booming in the U.S. along with the West Coast surfing music of the Beach Boys. Pete was one of the original trailblazing travelling surfers exploring the world looking for the perfect wave.

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The experience gained in the next decade led to a high level of ability and saw Welsh Champion Pete representing his country and winning international events. He captained the winning British Team in the European nations event in Portugal in 1979, surfed at 3 World Championships and various professional events worldwide, surfing against individual world champions in man to man heats. 2005 British (age-group) Champion, 3 times Welsh National Surfing Champion. Pete has also represented Wales at numerous international windsurfing events in the Masters division.

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In 1984 in Dale, Pembrokeshire he co-founded one of Wales’s first multi watersport centres. Teaching surfing at Newgale since 1984, Pete has had a 35 year career as a professional watersports coach and trainer of instructors for various watersports and safety qualifications. His previous large watersports centre in Dale, Pembrokeshire, built up a national reputation as a U.K. centre of excellence running many of the R.Y.A s highest level skills and instructor training in windsurfing, sailing and safety.

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Along with business partner Nial Watkin Rees he established Dale as a venue for national level competitions hosting U.K. Championships including the Olympic windsurfing class U.K. nationals, PBA pro windsurf tour events and 13 Welsh national title events and has been event organiser for the Celtic watersports festival windsurf event and now the "LOST COVE SURF AND MUSIC FESTIVAL"

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Since 2007 he has downsized and returned to his Surfing roots to concentrate on coaching his favourite sport and has spent time as Team Wales surfcoach for both senior and youth squads and is an ISA international surf competition judge.

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He is also a qualified Marine Safety professional, advising and running safety boats and marine safety training for Civil Engineering projects, oil and gas terminals, nuclear power stations etc. and driving camera boats for film and Television work including features for the BBC/ RNLI on beach safety.

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Pete is also a professional photographer with an innovative approach which has seen his pictures published on the covers of many watersports magazines, national daily newspapers like The Times and magazines like FHM, and in advertising and PR shoots for companies like Marks and Spencer, Fat Face and Animal. He brings the same application to his coaching role with Masterclass surfing:

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"my personal rewards are day to day job satisfaction and a massive sense of achievement from seeing a bunch of kids all surfing in standing up or coaching a city professional through their first successful turn on a green wave."

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In recent years many of Pete's first clients from the 80's have returned to bring their children for tuition.

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Included in these is new team member and surf instructor Tristan who's windsurfing father has been a client of Pete's for many years and has recently learnt to surf with Pete.

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Tristan is a qualified surf instructor and fanatical surfer with great skills in both long and shortboard surfing and several years experience coaching watersports. He is returning to Pembrokeshire following a Winter sailing in the Gulf of Cortez in Mexico.

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