My Scarborough Day - with Steve McNamara

At 10am we open up. We look at the state of the sea to see what we can do safely and decide on the day’s offering.

The best conditions for learning to surf are small, 1-2ft waves because you can really practise your technique.

If it’s super-flat, the good thing is that we’re all trained to give kayak or paddleboard lessons too.

We’ve had the business since May 2020.

I was in a well-paid, nine-to-five job as safety director for a global paper-making company, then during lockdown, we talked about wanting to work together as a family.

One day an estate agent called, saying my offer on a surf shop had been accepted.

I thought it was a scam, but my wife had seen the shop for sale and put in an offer.

I’d never surfed in my life but our son Bobby had done for years and he came into the business too.

We have three full-time instructors – Chris, Tilly and John.

Chris came to a charity session in 2021 and soon started working in the shop.

He’s now fully qualified.

Tilly also began in the shop.

She’s a natural with people and we put her through the course.

John, who has 30 years’ surf experience, is our senior instructor.

Nobody knows North Bay like him. They all get five-star reviews.

We have several shop assistants in their teens who are our future instructors.

I qualified this year and became the oldest person to take the ISA Level 1.

All of us are lifeguard-trained and every couple of weeks we do some sort of rescue – open water swimmers, dogs.

We’re an extra pair of eyes.

The first lesson is at 10am and in summer there’s not much time between lessons – we teach up to 800 people a week.

Groups, through our watersports clubs, are Tiny Tunas for three- to five-year-olds, Little Tunas for fives to eights and Big Tunas from eight to 15.

We also have Surf Sisters and Silver Surfers.

A children’s group lesson costs £12.50.

Between lessons we maintain the wetsuits and boards, sort out equipment and welcome each group.

We designed our own clothing range called Old Man Jones which makes great gifts – hoodies are the biggest seller.

The name is a nod to Zoe Jones (the female line is Miss Jones), the brilliant instructor-of-instructors from Saltburn who has trained us all.

During summer we run mental health and wellbeing sessions which are free of charge and don’t require a medical referral.

Local companies have offered to support it and this year we’ve had 400 people at a free-of-charge lesson.

We also get people with disabilities in the water.

Our older son is a rehabilitation expert and a great source of info.

We’ve worked with a charity called LimbBo and had 20 people in the water who are missing a limb, for instance.

In winter we’re super-careful about the weather but we’ll have people in the sea over Christmas.

Winter closing is 2pm but if it’s quiet we may pack up earlier and go surfing ourselves.

In the evening I take work home but that’s part of owning a business. It’s full-on but none of it feels like a chore and I’m surrounded by young, vibrant people.

When I read negative things in the press about young people I wish they’d come and meet our surf instructors.

Business is going well through word of mouth and we love it.

We see dolphins, whales, otters and seals. It’s just fantastic to be on the sea.

See dexterssurfshop.com for more.

Interview: Yolanda Carslaw