Joe – Head Surf Instructor

Hello! My name is Joe Hobson. I am one of the founders of Star Surf Camps where I have been the head surf instructor for four years and am now the UK manager. This business was founded upon our passion for teaching surfing. There is truly nothing better than introducing people to our sport for the first time and seeing the stoke on their faces as they get their first waves. Even though I no longer have the super-human energy to spend season after season teaching surfing, my passion remains the same. In my free time, I still volunteer in surf classes with the wave project, teach my wonderful girlfriend when we are both off work and jump into lessons when visiting our surf camps around the world.

I also manage our online surf school, an amazing and free resource open to everyone to help improve their surfing. Send me a video of you surfing, popping up, paddling or even just your stance for free tips and advice. Should you want impartial advice on surf equipment, travel destinations for your next surf trip or even a second opinion on a board or wetsuit you have found online, just drop me an email and I will usually reply within 2-3 days. I am neither a professional surfer nor a nutritionist or fitness fanatic, but if there’s a question I can’t answer, we have a whole team of amazing people here at Star Surf Camps who probably can – many of them are also featured in the videos and articles here in our online surf school. Should I not have an answer to your question you can bet these guys will!

I look forward to hearing from you guys! Happy surfing and share the stoke.

Richard – Head Surf Instructor

My name is Richard Morris and I’m the European Surf Manager for Star Surf Camps. I first surfed in France about 5 years ago on a Uni field trip with Plymouth University where I studied Applied Marine Sports Science. I instantly fell in love with the powerful beach breaks and, of course, Café Gourmand. If you love coffee and you love desserts, imagine a whole selection of delicious mini desserts laid before you all accompanied by the sweet bitterness of french coffee – magnifique!

I phone home regularly these days which, I think, is one of the reasons why I have such a beautiful life – all thanks to moms and pops. The family split when I was young so I spent my weekends together with my twin on my dad’s boat, filling our time with humble things, crabbing, playing music, swimming or sailing. I remember once catching 56 crabs, and we let them go on the pontoon and watched them find their ways back home, plopping into the sea one by one. Week days with mum were school days and the weekends became all about going surfing. Soon enough it was all about surfing. 

I went to University with my girlfriend at the time, mostly because I could surf there. A few thousand pounds of debt, some broken hearts and a couple of badass songs about the whole thing later, I find myself today surfing in France and a singer/ songwriter to be (www.richardmorrismusic.com). So, lucky, all’s turned out for the best and, in hindsight, it was actually one of the best times which shaped my life for the better and for the future. Funny story, I once got sent out of a lecture for turning up in my wetsuit, only to then get a text message from my tutor saying, “Was it any good?!”. After doing my penance of long nights in the library and eating pesto pasta, I did actually finish my degree with a 1st Class Honours and also walked out the door a RNLI Beach Lifeguard, Sailing Instructor, Windsurf Instructor and Surfing Instructor. 

I spent the next few years heading up a team of instructors at a Watersports Centre on the Isle Of Wight, then ran away to Sri Lanka for 8 months to finally spend the last summer season as the Head Instructor of Carcans. At some point between those things (and in no particular order), I partly burnt my face off jumping fire skipping ropes at the Full Moon Party in Thailand, skied off a mountain with a parachute (twice actually), took a selfie with a monkey, grew a beard, had another girlfriend #letsnottalkaboutit and joined the wonderful Star Surf Camps team. Yew! 

Look, I could tell you forever all about how I love surfing because the ocean makes me feel gooey and I love watching the sun go down and listening to Jack Johnson, but truth be told, surfing makes me feel wild and everyone here at Star Surf Camps shares the surfing passion for their own personal reasons! I’m super excited that I’m one of the chosen few that get to show you what all the fuss is about! 

 See you this summer!