Carve Magazine Issue 215

Carve Magazine Issue 215

Carve Surfing Magazine

Carve Magazine Issue 215

The new issue is out. You can get it delivered to door for by hitting this link here.

Welcome to issue 215

This issue takes us right around the globe and back home again. From the editors ‘OG’s’ – the Aggy boys – tales of survival in a remote paradise found, to Luke Garside’s words on the lure of the worldwide joyride we call surfing, and Richie Fitzgerald pioneering giant waves in the Cold Water Eden of Ireland. 

Conor Flanagan describes how he found solace swimming out and shooting immense waves after an injury prevented him from surfing them. We also have amazing coverage from places classed as ‘less glamorous’ surf spots, but are no less loved by our own surf communities. Christian Jones takes us beneath the surface of surfing around Plymouth, Simon Buck shows us around the people and places of Cromer, and Carve’s 2022 photo winner, Sean Pritchard, refers to his ‘Hiraeth’ (Welsh for homesickness) and nostalgia for your homeland. Plus we have some of Simon Hickie’s incredible shots from around Cornwall. 

Paradise is where you find it

Carve Magazine Issue 214

Carve Magazine Issue 214

Carve Surfing Magazine

Carve Magazine Issue 214

The new issue is out. You can get it delivered to door for by hitting this link here.

Welcome to issue 214. Another volume of Carve dedicated to getting you stoked on the stories from the British and Irish surf community, but mainly to encourage you to run away from most 9-5 responsibilities and make the work/ life balance work in your favour!
If there is one thing I love about putting together the mag it’s stories of random happenings that lead to success. In this issue we have two. Firstly the story of a surfer from St Ives who’s life choices and a random Christmas gift from his mum led to the invention and subsequent runaway adoption of dryrobe® as a national fashion. It’s a hell of story and one that has a lot in common with many surfers and the entrepreneurial spirit that chasing tides and swells breeds. The second is how a lad and his girlfriend from Bude have ended up running one of the world’s most famous surf camps. They just went away for winter and end up as the bosses at HT’s. Bleddy brilliant.
The other great thing about print is that we get to properly showcase the amazing photo talent of the UK and Irish surf communities. We kick off with a former Porthleven grom who now shoots his home break with style, and we have our annual photo comp. We had hundreds of entries this year and it’s just a pleasure to go through them all as they come in, although pretty tough choosing which ones to feature. Digital is great for many things, but showing off class photos, not so much.
This issue we also have a lot to amp you up on the travel front now that the world is pretty much open. Cue stories from remote WA and NZ, to a bunch of lads from South Devon going on their first trip to Nias and a crew scoring to a luxury yacht trip in the Maldives complete with bio luminescent dolphins.
So dive in, and get inspired!

Steve 
Editor

Carve Magazine Issue 213

Carve Magazine Issue 213

Carve Surfing Magazine

Carve Magazine Issue 213

The new issue is out. You can get it delivered to door for by hitting this link here.

“They all do the same, only their names change honey You can join their club if you’re born in to money.”

Sam Fender, Hypersonic Missiles

It’s a weird world out of the water at the moment. Fortunately when I’m Out Of Office I tend to be either in the water or out of signal and staring at the water. It wasn’t something I was particularly aware of until recently when someone said: “You still here?” It was two foot onshore and I’d been at my spot for four hours. Time just passes. I watch the waves – the way they break, the different wave patterns and fetch. The way the swell hugs sandbanks or travels down the coast. I watch the wonder of kids who see the ocean for the first time. The joy of the groms and learners going straight on foamies in the whitewater. The fishing boats out at sea going about their work following the diving birds. I look for dolphins and clues as to why one tide with little swell can change a whole beach of sand. I wonder how the ancient Polynesians navigated the oceans by the stars, and observations of birds, ocean swells, and wind patterns; all passed down through memories and by word of mouth from generation to generation. I wonder why tiny moments of time spent wave riding, swimming or just absorbing salt-heavy sea breezes can have such an impact on our lives? Why can we all remember our first wave, tube (if you are lucky), sunrise and sunset sessions? Or even that kinda shitty turn in two foot surf that made our day? I think we are all connected to the ocean to various extents. And at the same time our coastal distractions disconnect us from from what goes on ‘inland’. It gives us a sense of release and perspective of what matters. Time and tide wait for no one, but our ancient connections are highly preferable to the politics and economics of 2022. And it reminds us how lucky we are just collecting memories in a mad world.

“All the silver tongued suits and cartoons that rule my world, Are saying it’s a high time for hypersonic missiles.”

That may be, but I’ll mainly be out of signal.

Steve
Editor

Carve Magazine Issue 212

Carve Magazine Issue 212

Carve Surfing Magazine

Carve Magazine Issue 212

The new issue is out. You can get it delivered to door for by hitting this link here.

Reasons to be cheerful…

Great things things are happening in our surfing community at the moment and we’re reflecting this in our latest issue of Carve. There’s a really good crew of groms around the UK with both talent and stoke. Some travelled long distances from Scotland and Wales to compete in the Rip Curl Grom Search in Newquay this spring. This issue I asked a bunch of them some pretty non-taxing questions, and surprisingly their teenage grunts revealed some eclectic music preferences amongst other things. Ahead them is a really good bunch of British surfers that have made a great start to 22 on the WSL Qualifying Series. Over the start of the year we had reports coming back from European comps that the Brits were shredding. Now they’ve bonded and are supporting and pushing each other. And as any coach will tell you, when that happens performances rise. We have a good feeling about the group and caught up with them for a chat. The most westerly Inner Hebridean island of Tiree is just 12 miles long and 3 miles wide, and it’s home to one of one of Europe’s hardest charging 16 year-olds – Ben Larg. In the winter of 21/22 Ben overcame a serious injury, got himself fit and charged some of the Atlantic’s heaviest waves. His remarkable story is on page 60. North Devon is now a World Surfing Reserve! An amazing story of persistence and hard work has led to the protection of the coast and surf breaks in one of the jewels in the UK’s coastal crown. One of its founders, Ben Hewitt, examines what it means and why it’s important. Also this issue Gabe Davies give us the lowdown from Tynemouth – one of Britain’s most unique surf towns; James Wilkinson caught up with the world’s most renowned shore break photographer Clark Little; we head to the Baltic; Al Mackinnon takes us on a top secret surf trip and much, much more. Of course, it’s been a weird year in so many other ways, but in our surf world it kinda feels like some really good things are happening! 

Steve
Editor

Carve Magazine Issue 211

Carve Magazine Issue 211

Carve Surfing Magazine

Carve Magazine Issue 211

The new issue is out. You can get it delivered to door for by hitting this link here.

When I was a grom and living in the then ‘Badlands’ of Porthtowan, I did a few surf lessons for Johnny at Tris Surf Shop. As much for fun as for the extra dollar. I remember one day a mum from the Midlands booked in her son who was about eight. As I was going down the beach with him she told me to be careful because he had poor eyesight. I was like: “He’ll be fine!” To which she replied: “No, I mean his eyesight is really impaired.” What I soon found out is that she really meant he was pretty much blind. Being an optimistic type I didn’t really take on the ramification of this much. I was just happy to get the grom in the sea. And as it turned out, he was probably the most natural surfer I ever taught. As soon as I pushed him into his first wave he was up on his feet. Which was a surprise for me, and for the other learner surfers and stray bathers jumping out of the way as he cruised past, happy as Larry. I did a lot of shouting that session. Not just, “go left go right,” when he was riding the wave, but more to let him know where he was when he finished each wave a long way down the beach! Best surf lesson ever – he was amazing! But there wasn’t much support to get physically challenged kids in the ocean back then, and he had to go home to Birmingham the next day. Probably never surfed again. Over the years I always wondered what he could have achieved. Roll on the years and I started to hear of a young, visually impaired surfer charging down at Porthtowan. Luckily her family were open-minded enough to get her support and she thrived in the ocean. So much so, that now Melissa Reid is a three-times World Champion! I’m stoked someone was there to encourage her, and it’s even better that I’m in a position here at Carve to be able to share her story this issue. I guess the two things that make this story relatable is that no matter our abilities or challenges, we are all searching for the same thing – that feel of glide. And the second is that we never know where our first wave will take us.

Pretty cool.
Steve
Editor

Carve Magazine Issue 210

Carve Magazine Issue 210

Carve Surfing Magazine

Carve Magazine Issue 210

The new issue is out. You can get it delivered to door for by hitting this link here.

Winter
A little while ago you may recall that I wrote our ‘Exit’ about winter’s powerful hold on our coldwater souls. Last issue, in fact. Well, I’ve changed my mind now. Call me fickle, but while we did have one spectacular swell this autumn, the dark nights and northerly wind chop have me yearning for warmer climes. I mean, I did like winter, and indeed gave a speech on how cool coldwater surfing was to a puzzled surfing industry a decade or so ago. But now, every time I go down to the beach there are wild swimmers jumping into rips and trying get coldwater shock. And ice cream headaches. What are they about? Wim Hoff may like them, but it’s not for me. No we, well more ‘I’, should be a surfing nomad chasing endless summers! Well, more winter swells with warm water. I’m thinking Indo. Maldives. Barbados. Sunstroke, dehydration, burned calves, wax rash on your inner thighs. Warm water surfing is in! Squeezing lime into reef cuts… Yeah, too far? Anyway, onto this issue and what a start to winter it has been. We have a full gallery from right around the UK and Ireland, plus young Ben Larg charging Scottish slabs, and we interview the winner of our 2021 photo comp. Travelwise we have a chap who toured the coast of Europe by bicycle, a trip to Baja, and the culmination of a seven-year ocean adventure by yacht in search of uncharted islands. We also get the rundown of Bude from one of its ubiquitous locals, Joss Ash, and catch up with Ben Skinner – who got us all staying up late to watch him place second at the mighty Malibu!
Enjoy!
Steve
Editor