Meet the Team
Find out why our coaching is described as "feel good"
The Gather & Glide Story
Welcome to Gather & Glide, the surf academy created for you by the coaches Allannah & Sam. They met over 10 years ago coaching together and and bonded over their shared love of surfing, and not taking life too seriously.
Allannah bringing the technical and shortboard aspect and Sam bringing the mindfulness and longboarding aspects. They unite as a team to create both technical and also holistic side to their courses.
Combined they have 26 years of coaching experience
Above all they are dedicated to bringing people together and welcoming people into the community.
Allannah (32)
Director / Course Leader
In the water, you will probably hear her before you see her, and that's not because she stands at 5ft tall
She has an infectious laugh and has some cringe dad jokes up her sleeve, making her super fun to surf with.
Born & raised in Newquay, Cornwall, Allannah learned to surf from the age of 14.
Allannah has also competed on the UK pro tour, had several sponsors, has surfed some of the worlds best waves and has made several TV appearances, but you will have to ask her about those...
Allannah has now been coaching worldwide for 16 years, including places like Indonesia, Mexico & South Africa and loves nothing more than to travel and to share her love of surfing with others.
When she's not surfing, you will find her in the mountains snowboarding or in a mosh pit somewhere as she is an undercover metalhead and loves live music.
'" I want to show people that surfing is for everyone, nobody owns the ocean and its there for us to enjoy. Its the one place you can really let you inner child loose, having so many benefits for our mental & physical health through play"
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Sam Sunshine
Director / Course Leader
You will usually find Sam perfectly perched with toes over the nose, Longboard lover
She has since landed the cover of SurfGirl magazine, had countless articles published and has had sponsors such as Surfdome & Watershed.
Sam is one of the UK's top female long boarders, She is a pleasure to watch, humble and in 2021 ranked 2nd on the BLU surf tour and has also placed in WSL (World Surf League) events such as Board Masters.
However Sam believes in community over competition and all she really cares about is making a positive impact in our line up, spreading positivity, supporting each other and helping to keep perspective and presence in surfing. Surfing for her being a way to experience connection and joy after surfing to prove her worth for many years.
Having mainly coached and taught women to surf she understands how we learn and what limitations we face as women. What can hold us back and how to navigate frustrations and guilt in surfing to maximise progression and improve the joy.
In her spare time, she is an accomplished artist, creating art inspired by the sea, culture and her experiences that she has had whilst traveling the world surfing some of the worlds best waves.
Our Guest Coaches
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Our Coaching
We keep our groups small with only 8 people per course, with three coaches, so we can effectively help and advise everyone.
We have a mix of technical theories and open conversations about surfing. We believe improving your surfing isn't just in the technique but also in the mindset. Our ethos is to give you the permission to play and encourage learning from and supporting each other.
Our technical theories use demonstrations, videos, images, on land practice and in water exercises. We have created our curriculum through years of experience and critical thinking combining them in a way that's easier to understand and digest.
"Fantastic and knowledgeable surfers, they're also approachable, encouraging and understand the challenges that less experienced female surfers face"
Anna
(Longboard course 2021)
"The best part of creating these courses is the bringing of amazing people together and watching the progression"
Sam - Course Leader
