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Before I started surfing I remember as a kid reading a magazine article about some surfers riding the Severn Bore. It wasn’t at all what surfing was about as far as I was concerned (although as a non-surfer what did I know?), but it certainly captured my imagination - in much the same way as it still captures the imagination of so many non-surfers today.

And quite a few surfers too.

But just what is it about the Bore that’s so fascinating? Sure, it gives you a chance to get your name in the Guinness Book of Records, but it’s not exactly Hawaii. It’s actually a combination of factors that attract surfers to the world’s longest wave (the record goes to Dave Lawson who cruised some 4 kms along the Severn on September 27 1988).

Colin Wilson of the British Surfing Association has also had one of the longest rides on the bore, and describes it as “A unique experience. There’s nothing else in surfing quite like it - you’re surfing in the middle of the English countryside, it’s usually really quiet because the wave only breaks in the early morning or late evening, and it can be quite daunting listening to it approach - I’ve known people to get out of the water because it sounded so huge!”.

However, you’re unlikely to ever be faced with anything over head high as the bore rounds a bend in the river and bears down on you. You’ll also be faced with a small army of other wave riders, including those twin fiends of the surf, kayakers and body boarders, not to mention assorted water-borne debris such as sticks, small logs, dead sheep and rodents, messages in bottles, etc.

The media love the bore - there are always camera crews and reporters there on the biggest bores, not to mention plenty of spectators hanging over bridges and slipping down river banks. Sometimes the media even get it right for a change - as Matthew Engel said in The Guardian recently, ‘The more you think about the Severn Bore - of how it links with the sun, and the moon, and the rolling Atlantic, and nature that man has not yet managed to change, tame or ruin, then the more dramatic it seems’.

The best waves tend to be near the bank, which adds another hazard - overhanging tree branches. It makes quite a change to wipeout as a result of being hit by a tree. However, if you do wipeout as long as you have a fast boat or a car you can race upriver and catch the wave again. As Colin says “With a boat you can spend an hour or more riding the wave on and off”. He also says that there can be quite good sections in places, maybe even the occasional little barrel, although the more water there is in the river the poorer the quality of the wave - so give it a miss after heavy rains.

Another strange phenomena described by Colin is that of ‘surfing backwards’. This can happen when the flow of water downstream actually prevents the bore from moving upstream for a short while, thus if you look at the river bank you’ll appear to be stationary or even going back downriver. Weird!

In fact ‘weird’ is perhaps the best way to describe the Severn Bore. Riding it is surfing, for sure, but not as we know it. It’ll never compete with ocean waves in terms of sheer excitement, but if you want to try something different it’s worth considering - and unlike anywhere else in Britain, this is one wave that’s pretty much totally predictable.

Boring Facts
The Severn Bore is the second largest tidal bore in the world (the largest is the Tsien Tang in China, which is said to get up to 25’ high and can be heard 14 miles away). The bore occurs as a result of Atlantic tides being funnelled up the Severn Estuary to create a wave.

The largest bores occur on 25 days a year, in the morning and evening, with biggest bores on tides over 32’.
The biggest bores occur around the equinox, and maximum bores occur one to three days after new and full moons.

The size of the bore is increased by:
- Strong S-SW winds, especially out at sea
- Low barometric pressure
- About 2’ of fresh water below Gloucester
- The channels of the estuary being well scoured

These factors may result in the bore occurring earlier than scheduled.

The bore is bigger at the bank than in mid-stream. It can get up to 6’ mid-stream, but around 3’ is more common.
The bore was first ‘surfed’ in the 1930’s in boats returning upriver on an ebbing tide. It was first surfed on a board on July 21 1955 by a Colonel Churchill, using a board brought over from Oz. It first appeared on TV in September 1959.
The best waves are usually between Minsterworth and Lower Parting, Stonebench on the east bank being the prime location.

You’ve got a better chance of getting a long ride if you use a longboard. Wetsuits should be the same as you’re using in the sea at the same time of year as you take on the bore.

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