Surf Information Pack

Thank you for choosing Donegal English Language School, please find below information which will help you with your stay with us.

Surfing

As much as we love our green country the weather can be unpredictable so we recommend the following items:

Waterproof jacket
Two swim suits/trunks
Two towels
Warm clothes, jumpers, jackets
Three pin adapter (for charging phone lap top etc)

Insurance

It is compulsory to have a European Health Insurance Card/E1 11. This is free for all European countries and will cover any doctor or hospital appointments in the case of any medical issues. For all non European Citizens please take out private medical insurance.

Transfers

If opting for collection from Dublin airport

Collection: On entrance of arrivals in Terminal 1 please make your way over to the right. You will see a sign saying Meeting point. Under or around this sign will be a Donegal English Language School representative with a sign waiting to meet you. In Terminal 2 please make your way over to the right at the Spar shop under or around this sign will be a Donegal Language School representative with a sign waiting to meet you.

If opting for public bus from Dublin airport

There is a direct bus from Dublin airport to Ballyshannon every two hours.

To arrive at the bus stop walk out of arrivals from terminal 1 and cross the road, go through the tunnel and you will see a spar shop on your left, walk outside and to the left is the bus stop. Please go to bus stop number 7.

To view the bus times please click here.

We then offer free transfers from Ballyshannon to Bundoran between 10am and 8.00 pm daily.

For transfers outside of these times we can arrange a taxi for you. The taxi fee is around €10

If opting for collection from Knock airport

Collection: On entrance of arrivals the Terminal is very small so will see the driver waiting for you with a Donegal Language School sign.

If opting for public bus from Knock airport

There is a direct bus from Knock airport to Bundoran 6 times a day. To view the bus times please click here.

We then offer free transfers from West End bus station, Bundoran daily.

If traveling by car

Below are directions to the residential centre and Donegal Bay Holiday Homes. Please phone me on 00353876008205 when you arrive in Sligo (30 minutes before your arrival in Bundoran) so we can arrange for someone to meet you at the centre and show you the accommodation.

The address is Donegal English Language School, West End Bundoran.

GPS directions here

Latitude:
54.47723169132
Longitude:
-8.299827573183
Sea level:
6 m

Arrival is anytime from 4 pm onwards

Baggage

Each airline has individual baggage weight restrictions. Please adhere to and leave room in your bag for presents going home. We have had experiences of students paying up to €100 for excess baggage and don’t wish to see this happening again.

Accommodation

The students stay in our superior residential accommodation which is situated less than one minutes’ walk from the Atlantic coast, 5 minutes from the language school and 5 minutes’ walk from the town centre. Zephyr Lodge has 7 en suite rooms with a well equipped kitchen and sitting room. Zephyr Lodge accommodates 6 to 12 students. Students are offered a twin/triple room.

A private room can also be offered at an additional fee. Full board included. You can view pictures of the accommodation here.

Host Family

If opting for host family, a private room, Full board Mon to Fri and half board Sat and Sun. If you are not within walking distance of the school, your family will bring you each morning or we have bikes on a first come first served basis.

For Class

Course books are provided please bring the following:

A copybook
Pens
Smartphone/notebook – some classes are digital so please bring.

Class start times are generally 9.30 am but these times will be confirmed on your day of arrival.

Laundry

Laundry facilities are available in the residential centre if your stay is over 2 weeks. Please arrange a day once a week with your host family for laundry.

WIFI

WIFI is available at the language school, residential centre and is also available in most host families.

What happens on my first day?

Arrivals for students are generally on a Sunday. All students are welcomed to DELS, shown to their accommodation followed by a short introductory meeting. This meeting will go through the first day and any questions that may arise.

On the first day of school, students take a test covering reading, writing, listening and speaking to ensure that they are placed in a level most suitable to them.

If the students have opted for one of the activity packages, their chosen sport takes place in the afternoon/morning depending on level.

Student Coordinators are on hand to help and assist all students through their first day.

What to Expect – Surfing

Equipment

We provide all the surfboards, wetsuits and boots for your surf lesson. We have changing facilities with hot showers and we give you a hot drink afterwards. We also transport you from the surf school to the beach and back in our minibus. All you need is a towel and swimsuit.
We use 4/3mm suits in summer and 5/4/3mm suits in winter.

Boards

We have a range of different boards that you can try on the surf lessons. We have regular Swell foam boards that are ideal for your first few sessions, and then we have more advanced soft boards that you can try as your skills progress. We also have a range of hard boards that you can try, such as NSP, Circle One and Powersource.

Lessons

Lessons take approximately 3 hours. Time in the water is usually 1 ½ hours, the remainder being allocated for getting wetsuits, transport to and from the beach, and introduction to the equipment.

Beaches

We use several local beaches for our surf lessons. Tullan Strand in Bundoran is our main beach in the summer as it nearly always has waves. If Tullan is flat it is likely that all other beaches in the area are also flat. When the swell is big we sometimes use Rossnowlagh or Streedagh. Rossnowlagh has the gentlest waves but can be exposed to the wind. Streedagh has more powerful waves and offers good protection from W and SW winds. Both beaches like mid to high tides. On a really big swell we use Mullaghmore beach, which has good wind protection.

Instructors

All lessons, for all levels, are supervised by instructors that are qualified by the Irish Surfing Association. All our instructors are experienced surfers who know the local waves intimately. All instructors are qualified beach lifeguards.

Lesson Numbers

Groups are kept to a maximum of eight people to each instructor for beginner adult and a maximum of 6 for improver and academy lessons.
Please talk to your instructor if you need any help or advice.

Looking forward to meeting you