Surfing Australia

Coaches

The Surfing Australia HPC use a wide range of Australia's finest, fully accredited coaches to ensure your surfing is benefiting from the best advice and training techniques.The HPC is the leader in producing surfing champions because of the quality of it's coaches. The following HPC coaches are available at the HPC:

Name: Gary Cruickshank
Role: HPC Head Coach
Qualification: Level 2 Surfing Australia coaching accreditation
Coaching Experience: 11 years working all over the world and with all different level surfers from ASP World Tour Surfers to the local surfers trying to take their surfing to the next level
Background in Surfing: 4 years surfing on the Australian Pro Surfing Association (APSA) and three years on the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP)
Coaching Tip: Speed is the essence of great surfing

Name: Josh Fuller
Role: High performance surf coach
Qualification: Level 2 Surfing Australia coaching accreditation
Coaching Experience: 6 years
Background in Surfing: Started competing and pursuing a professional career at a national level at age 18, after which continued onto competing on the pro junior series and the WQS including specialty events such as Pipe and Teahupoo. Self managed and self promoted career turned to photo shoots and wave hunting for the last 5 years of a 10 year career. Now running a learn to surf school at Cabarita and coaching at Surfing Australia HPC.
Coaching Tip: Good advice can come from anywhere. Take it on and work hard at it. It wont come easy so if you want it - be prepared to work for it!

Name: Samba Mann
Role: High performance surf coach
Qualification: Level 2 Surfing Australia coaching accreditation
Coaching Experience: 5 years
Background in Surfing: Samba is a current professional surfer. He competes on the WQS and when he was on the Pro Junior series he was in the top 3 from 1999 to 2001. Samba was U/18 New South Wales Junior Champion in 1997 and competed in the Australian National Team at the ISA World Titles in 2000
Coaching tip: A good bottom turn is the most important thing in surfing 

Name: Chelsea Hedges
Role: High performance surf coach
Qualification: Level 2 Surfing Australia coaching accreditation
Coaching Experience: 5 years where Chelsea has coached in Japan, at Manly Surf School and assisted with coaching at Roxy Surf Jams.
Background in Surfing: 9 years competing on the ASP World Tour, ASP Women's World Champion in 2005 and ISA World Champ 2010
Coaching Tip: A good bottom turn is the key to good surfing!

Name: Clancy Dawson
Role: High performance surf coach
Qualifications: Level 2 Surfing Australia coaching accreditation, diploma of sports management (surfing studies)
Coaching Experience: 4 years
Background in Surfing: 4 years surfing on the World Qualifying Series (WQS)
Coaching Tip: Don't be afraid to go for big airs and be a progressive surfer

Name: Craig McGarry
Role: High performance fitness coach
Qualification: Ass. Dip. Fitness & Recreation, Dip. Fitness & Recreational Management, Dip. Remedial Massage, Cert. Exercise Rehabilitation, Cert. IV Fitness
Training experience: 22 years fitness training experience including 8 years HPC Training and Program Development.
Background in Surf Training: Personal training and rehabilitation of WCT, WQS and Pro Junior athletes.
Training Tip: Find alternative training methods that you enjoy and be consistent with them.

Name: Nam Baldwin.
Role: Co founder of B.E.T, Breath Enhancement Training with Devon Baskerville.
Surf Related Training Experience: Trainer of CT surfers mens and womens, WQS surfers, Surfing Australia teams, Sponsored Big Wave riders, Longboard camps at HPC, BodyBoard camps at HPC, Billabong team camps, Trainer of elite coaches in the surfing industry.
Background in surf training: Breath Enhancement Trainer for surfers wanting to gain superior confidence, focus/mental composure & physical conditioning in big wave conditions, competitive surfing or free surfing.  Basically teaching you the best ways to deal with any form of stress experienced in relation to surfing whether that be mentally or physically.
Coaching Tip: The first thing that changes when you're stressed is your breathing, learn to breathe better & you'll find your other mental & physical training will be greatly enhanced too.

Gary Cruickshank working with a surfer on the beach

Gary Cruickshank surfing Uluwatu

Josh Fuller in action

Samba Mann rips into a forehand snap

Craig leads a spin class

Chelsea Hedges in action at the ISA World Surfing Games where she claimed gold for Australia

The HPC only use Australia's finest fully accredited coaches who work hard to boost your surfing ability

Nam Baldwin running the Breath Enhancement Training (B.E.T)