On Saturday at Lost Shore Surf Resort at Ratho, two world champions held coaching sessions all day long.
This is the latest in a series of big moments for the resort which is now establishing itself as the place to be for anyone who is a would-be surfer or bodyboarder.
The two champs are brothers Jeff and Dave Hubbard who hail from Hawaii, and they are the most successful riders in bodyboarding history.
The Americans presented The Hubbards Pool Party, a landmark bodyboarding event. This was the first time the Hubbards have coached together at a UK wave pool, and those taking part got the chance to ride with them, receive coaching tips and also review what they did in a video analysis session afterwards to improve technique and confidence.
Jeff Hubbard is a three time World Champion and brother Dave is a ten-time Drop Knee World Champion.
Dave explained his technique to The Edinburgh Reporter: “We are happy to share our love of the sport with whoever wants to join us in the pool. This sport is either called bodyboarding or boogie boarding. There is a difference between surfing and bodyboarding, because we ride a different craft. Ours does not really have rules. You can ride it however you want – as long as you’re having fun you’re doing it the right way.
“The body board is about a metre long piece of foam, comes up to about your navel standing up.
“Drop knee specifically is crouching on the boards, so I have a knee and a foot on the board. It is somewhat upright and similar to the way a surfer would ride a surfboard.”
It’s so different ocean waves and a pool, and this Wavegarden technology is probably the best artificial wave technology that I have been able to ride. It’s really awesome. They can get some really cool features of the waves. In the ocean most waves are going to be a little different, and in the pool most waves are somewhat similar. So that is helpful for practising and training, and really getting a grip on manoeuvres.”
The Hawaiian said they were going to use the barrel setting during the coaching which would allow riders to “do some barrels and some tricks”.
Bodyboard Holidays founder, Rob Barber said: “Bringing Jeff and Dave Hubbard to Scotland is a huge moment for UK bodyboarding. They are two of the most successful and influential riders the sport has ever seen, and having them coaching together at Lost Shore is something truly special.
“This is the first event of its kind in Scotland and the UK. It gives bodyboarders an incredible opportunity to surf with two world champions, learn from the very best and experience one of the most exciting wave pools in the world.”
Last week members of Metallica used the resort for some downtime before their concert at Hampden. Rob Trujillo who plays bass for the band was riding the waves with drummer Mario Duplantier from Metallica’s support act Gojira. The pair visited Lost Shore Surf Resort, enjoyed a surf session and then relaxed before playing to a packed stadium.
Lost Shore spoke to Rob between waves. He said: “Surfing and music really go hand in hand, when you think about surfing, it’s very rhythmic when you’re on the wave. Back in the old days, I used to hit my board and come up with beats while waiting for waves. It’s a magnet for creativity… I believe that helped me with Kirk in Metallica, we came together through surf… I believe surfing is what brought me to Metallica.”
Irish Surfing recently confirmed the team will use Lost Shore Surf Resort as its National Performance Centre for Surfing and the Irish National Surfing Olympic Training Facility ahead of the 2028 Olympics. It is in Edinburgh that the elite athletes will train in Europe’s largest wave pool with its high performance training facilities. Both Senior and Junior Eurosurf squads and adaptive surfing competitors will travel to Lost Shore to use the wave pool and the specialist high performance facilities. These include the High Performance Room and SurfLab the first purpose-built surfing research and innovation facility developed in a partnership with Edinburgh Napier University.
The announcement comes at an important moment for Irish Surfing after a breakthrough year in which Gearóid McDaid became the first Irish surfer to win a European Open Men’s title at EuroSurf 2025. He won gold at Eurosurf 2025 in Santa Cruz, Portugal, and had previously trained in Edinburgh. He will defend his title at this year’s event and the championship is regarded as a key marker on the route to qualifying for the Olympics.
Surfer, Gearóid McDaid, said: “Having access to Lost Shore is a huge advantage for competitive surfers. The ability to repeat specific waves, focus on technical progression and train in a high-performance environment helps accelerate development and build confidence heading into competition. I know how much it helped me ahead of EuroSurf last year and I’m excited that future Irish teams can reap the benefits too.”
The collaboration will also support the next generation of Irish talent, including rising star Ruby Knox, who won bronze in the Women’s Longboard competition at EuroSurf 2025 and helped Ireland achieve its first-ever team podium finish at the championships.
Ruby Knox said: “This partnership is incredibly exciting for Irish surfers. Having access to a facility of Lost Shore’s quality gives athletes the opportunity to train consistently, challenge themselves and prepare for competition in a way that isn’t always possible in the ocean alone. It’s a fantastic investment in the future of Irish surfing and will help support athletes across different disciplines as we continue to grow and develop the sport.”
Andy Hadden, Founder of Lost Shore Surf Resort, said last month when this announcement was made: “We’re incredibly proud to be selected as the National Performance Centre for Surfing and Olympic Training Facility for Irish Surfing.
“This partnership is a significant endorsement of the world-class surfing, facilities and expertise that have been brought together at Lost Shore, as well as Scotland’s growing reputation as a destination for surfing and athlete development.
“From the outset, our ambition has been to create a facility that not only inspires more people to experience surfing, but also supports athletes competing at the very highest level of the sport. To play a role in helping Irish surfers pursue success on a global stage, including their journey towards LA 2028, is hugely exciting.”
Gavin McCrea, Head Coach of the Irish Surf Team, added: “We want to give Irish surfers the very best training facilities as we continue to develop our high performance development pathway programme.
“What makes Lost Shore particularly valuable is that it brings together world-class surfing, on-site accommodation,SurfLab and excellent international connectivity through nearby Edinburgh Airport, all in a single location. There are very few facilities anywhere in the world that can offer that combination, and it creates an environment where athletes can maximise every minute of a training camp.”
The pilot bus route from Edinburgh to Lost Shore provided by bus company Ember has now ended, and there is no direct public transport to either the resort or the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena for the time being.
