Perranporth Beach in Cornwall is ideal for bodyboarding; discover the three main places right near the beach where you can rent equipment for £10 a day.
What is Perranporth Beach like?
Perranporth Beach is one of the most popular beaches on the west coast of Cornwall. Eight-and-a-half miles south of Newquay, Perranporth is renowned for its surf, although it is unusually family-friendly. There’s a wide expanse of sand, with the southern section set deep back as streams form a lagoon.
Surfing at Perranporth
Providing conditions are friendly – and the Atlantic swells can make it too dangerous to get in the water at Perranporth, it’s an excellent place to learn to surf. Three surf schools are licensed to teach here.
Five great things to do while you’re in Cornwall
- 👻 Feel the chills in the abandoned cells on a hugely atmospheric tour of Bodmin Jail.
- 🌱 Explore the world’s largest indoor rainforest at the Eden Project.
- 🎬 Discover the Beyond Paradise filming locations around Looe on a specialised tour.
- 🐬 Spot dolphins, seals and porpoises on a RIB sealife safari from Padstow.
- 🏄 Hit the surf in Newquay with a two hour surfing lesson.
Hiring a bodyboard at Perranporth Beach
If you don’t want to go the whole hog, however, you can have plenty of fun at Perranporth Beach on a bodyboard. If, of course, you have a bodyboard.
Mercifully, it’s pretty easy to hire a bodyboard at Perranporth Beach if you just want to play around in the sea.
Stoked Surf School
The first option for bodyboard hire at Perranporth Beach is the Stoked Surf School behind the main beach car park. It specialises in surfing, but has plenty of bodyboards to hire out for £10 a day.
Outback Surf Shack and Alcatraz Surf Hire
Nearby, the Outback Surf Shack at 1 Beach Lane is a good spot for buying cheap buckets and spades, but it also hires out bodyboards. The price, again, is £10.
Nearer the surf at the end of the promenade, Alcatraz Surf Hire is a popular spot to get a coffee, but it also does surf hire, with body boards again costing £10 for the day. It’s below the cliffside Alcatraz Coffee and Cocktail Bar.
All prices are correct at the time of research and writing in August 2025, but are subject to change in the future.
More Cornwall travel
Other Cornwall travel articles on Planet Whitley include:
