Surfing every single day for a year is a pretty tough challenge.
Doing it through British winters, school commitments and relentless conditions is something else entirely. We caught up with Cornish surfer Isaac Friend. Driven by a simple idea to help other young people, this up-and-coming surfer has turned a daily ritual into a growing fundraising mission for BBC Children in Need. From pre-school dawn surfs to post-session edits late at night, the project is as much about resilience and consistency as it is about wave count — and it’s already gathering serious momentum.
Why did Children in Need appeal to you as a charity to support?
I knew I wanted to do something for kids - because I’m one, but couldn’t decide which charity. I thought of Children in Need because they fund a huge amount of projects across the UK. Everything from supporting kids who are grieving to projects tackling racism and bullying, youth theatre projects, arts and young carers. So raising money for Children in Need means we raise money for all of those things. They also raise money by people doing challenges. The woman on the radio that ran (Sara Cox), the guy on the bike (Matt Baker) and the lockdown PE guy (Joe Wicks) have done things to raise money, and people like Stormzy have donated big-time money to them. It's a trusted charity.
What gave you the idea to surf every day for a year?
I knew people have surfed every day for a month for the Wave Project and SurfAid and thought that was really cool. I also saw Nathan Smith, who surfed every day to improve his surfing and did an edit to show his progress and improvement. I think he did 125 days straight or something like that - so I thought I will aim to combine all of it, charity, surfing and doing an edit every day.
How much have you raised so far?
I set a goal of £3650. On GoFundMe I think I am up to about £1400. I also started a JustGiving page because you can donate £2 on there (it’s £5 minimum on GoFundMe, which I didn’t realise when I set it up - well, when my mum set it up). I think we have about £30 on there. So I’m stoked to have raised nearly £1.5K so far. I hope to smash the target. That would be amazing.
How do people contribute?
People can follow the links on my Insta, Facebook and TikTok profile. People don’t have to donate to get involved though. They can just watch my edits for, like, 60 seconds, they can share, like, comment or follow - it all contributes and makes a lot of difference - especially to me when I’m putting on a cold wetsuit, in hail and surfing in terrible waves.
What has been the hardest thing about it?
Sometimes it’s hardest going in when it’s horrible weather and terrible waves. I've had to do a couple of surfs in the dark when I had to go on a school trip or training camp and have been travelling all day. But sometimes it’s hardest when I’ve surfed all day cos I’m training or the waves are mental, and then I’ve had to do an edit when all I want to do is chill. I’ve also had to use some money I saved and earned for an editing app and bought a camera for POV filming, which is a bit of a bumper. Although it’s worth it.
Has anything surprised you so far on your mission?
What’s been amazing is the fact people have got involved. I think Day 3 had, like, over 100K views and nearly 9K likes. I definitely think people like to see me when I’m struggling. That day it just started hailing a couple of minutes after I set off. My voice was cracking and I had to carry my board over my head to the sea. It’s also sick that nearly 30% of my followers are outside the UK, in places like Australia and New Zealand - I mean, I know they love surfing over there, but I didn’t expect to be cheered on by people at the other side of the world. It’s mental.
Worst surf?
Probably one of the ones on my foamy. Don’t get me wrong, some of the foamy sessions have been amazing, especially some of the ones I’ve filmed on POV when there’s been amazing sunset, like day 5, but some of them are just brutal.
Best surf?
There’s been a few. Day 71 was an unexpectedly amazing day in Bude where the waves were huge. I was doing some training with Barnaby on my backhand and it was magical. Another was Day 67! when I was competing at the Junior Pro at Croyde. I got to surf and hang out with my mates, and although I didn’t surf my best in the final, I caught some great waves during the comp and felt like I surfed them well.
Not bad, to be fair!
How many wetsuits and boards have you been through so far?
I got a couple of amazing boards from Skindog before I went to the Junior World Championships in Peru, and thankfully I haven’t smashed them up or outgrown them yet. Wetsuits are standing up to the use. Although I got super excited because it was sunny on day 89, so I put my 3:2 on - had a brain freeze - won’t be doing that in the UK for a while.
Anything else to add?
Just a huge thank you for all the support I’ve had so far - means a lot. Please tell friends, family, even strangers to get involved. I seriously need to get in the sea now because I haven’t been in yet - looks like it might be pumping!
