Woodies SurfShop

Woodies opened in Portrush in 1989 as Atlantic Dive & Surf, before narrowing its focus from diving equipment to surfing, skateboarding and watersports gear under its current name. The shop sits on Main Street between East Strand and West Strand, the two beaches most local surf lessons and hire trips launch from. Alongside retail sales of boards, wetsuits and skate gear from brands including Gul and Santa Cruz, the shop hires out surfboards, wetsuits and paddleboards by the day for visitors without their own equipment. Staff give advice on which of the two strands suits conditions on a given day, drawing on decades spent surfing the same stretch of coast. It remains under independent ownership rather than belonging to a national surf retail chain, and has operated from the same Main Street premises for the greater part of its history. Opening hours run six days a week, with Tuesdays closed out of season.