A new series of ocean and wildlife lovers starts tonight on Netflix. “Our Oceans narrated by Barack Obama is a five part series.
“Our planet’s five oceans are driven by a single, all-powerful engine: the “Global Ocean Current”, a thousand-year phenomenon that links their diverse ecosystems into one giant lifeforce, fuelling existence as we know it. From the tiny, tenacious cuttlefish to the gracefully enormous blue whale, every ocean-dwell- ing creature relies on that current to provide the resources they require to survive. A lonely puffin awaiting his mate in the North Atlantic is linked to the bioluminescent spectaculars off Southern California; bottle- nose dolphins in the Indian Ocean frolic in the same waters as polar bear cubs in the Arctic. As the current flows past clownfish circling colourful coral reefs in the Western Pacific to the frigid Antarctic ice floes of chinstrap penguins and crab eater seals, it carries with it valuable nutrients, newborn life, man-made dangers, and hope for the future.
Narrated by President Barack Obama, this five-part documentary from Freeborne Media — the Emmy Award-winning team behind Our Great National Parks — takes viewers on a 75,000-mile cruise across and beneath the oceans as they are today, giving us unprecedented access to some of the most unexplored realms of our planet. Using cutting-edge scientific research and newly-developed underwater filmmaking technology, the series overflows with stunning action sequences, eye-popping drone footage, intimate seabed closeups, and countless never-before-seen animal behaviors: Sea bream playing tennis? Hump- back whales staging heists? An octopus packing heat? It’s a literal deep dive into the emotional, relatable lives of the most magical, resourceful, and resilient creatures on Earth, as they face new challenges and develop astounding skills made necessary by the changing waters around them. Our Oceans invites us to care about these plucky heroes, with whom we’ve got a surprising amount in common — and not a moment too soon, as their fates are inextricably linked with our own.
EPISODE 1: PACIFIC OCEAN
Covering almost a third of our planet, the Pacific is the largest and deepest ocean on earth, and the Global Ocean Current brings it to life. Underwater volcanoes deposit stones on a coral reef where clownfish dads fastidiously clean their eggs before the current flows to Japan, where cuttlefish change color to impress the ladies. Hump- back whales in the Pacific Northwest take advantage of man-made salmon fisher- ies to stage elaborate dinner heists, while forests of giant kelp protect the redwood trees on the shores high above. As pods of spinner dolphins pirouette above the waves of the Central Pacific, the Gulf of California plays host to a ballroom of signal blennies staging an epic dance-off; meanwhile, sharks are having a meetup of their own, magnetically drawn to underwater mountains that erupt to form new para- dise islands. From sea turtles surfing alongside tourists to sea lions chasing tuna right out of the sea, the powerful volcanic force of the Pacific fuels a cast of extraordinary creatures, all of whom must learn to adapt to its powerful and unpredictable energy
Kye Wilkinson was surfing Emerald Beach with crew, when an estimated to be 15-foot, great white shark shunted his board and continued to range the line-up.
The 2024 Rip Curl GromSearch International, covered by Sun Bum, wrapped up in Bali today with incredible waves and hifi performances at Pererenan Beach, solidifying its reputation as the premier event for young surfing talent around the globe. The event saw the UK’s Lukas Skinner successfully defend his title in the 16 & Under Boys division, while the USA’s Eden Walla claimed victory in the 16 & Under Girls.
Lukas Skinner’s journey to the final was nothing short of extraordinary. Along the way, he scored a perfect 10, showcasing his exceptional skill with a flawless alley-oop into a carve, finishing with a clean air reverse. In the nail-biting final, Lukas faced off against Spain’s Dylan Donegan, pushing the limits of competitive surfing. Lukas was trailing for most of the final, but caught one of the biggest waves of the day at the end, launching a huge straight air to seal the deal with a 9.33.
“Man, it means the world to me,” said Lukas. “Dylan had me on the ropes. We both got two eights, and he scored higher on both, but I knew I had to go big on my next chance. I’ve been struggling to beat Dylan all year—he pushes me so much—and I’m stoked to finally get him.”
In the 16 & Under Girls division, American Eden Walla emerged victorious, overcoming an in-form Ziggy Mackenzie from Australia in the final. Eden’s composed performance in the high-pressure format was a testament to her poise and talent. “I think my dad was more nervous than me, but the man-on-man format is nerve-racking,” said Eden. “It was such a cool experience surfing in this CT format, and I’m so happy with the win.”
Another highlight included surf legends Steph Gilmore, Molly Picklum and Rosy Hodge taking over commentary on the live webcast for the day. The trio had plenty to talk about, including Spain’s Carla Morera placing equal third in the girls division at just 13 years old, and Aussie Ben Zanatta Creagh throwing elite rail surfing all day, to make it to the boy’s semi finals.
The Rip Curl GromSearch International is more than just a competition; it is a launching pad for future professional surfing stars. Two-thirds of current Championship Tour (CT) surfers are former GromSearch competitors, underscoring the event’s significance in shaping the careers of some of the most successful surfers of all time.
A few years ago we featured an article on a project making surfboards from seaweed, Charlie Cadin is back. This time with the help of bees, could this be the way forward to reduce the environmental impact of surfboards?
“I have made a resin from beeswax, it’s the only 100% bio-based and fully biodegradable resin on the planet, disappearing in one month when buried. This reduces the environmental impact hugely, and when combined with a wood or recyclable foam core the possibilities are cool. The biggest thing to me about this project is that it is so simple and cheap to do, hopefully encouraging people to try making their own boards, as glassing can be scary at first.”
There is something happen right now in the British surfing community the like of which we have probably never seen, and that is a huge rise in the number of groms surfing, and at a really high standards. Not only are the numbers and performance growing, the surfers are coming from a large number of ’hubs’ and they are all connected from the top of Scotland to the south of Cornwall, and from west Wales to east England. Competitive yet supportive.
It is quite something to see! And with an approachable role model like Lukas Skinner leading the the way it is only going lead to good things with competitively, but more importantly on a social and community level.
Will Bailey investigates the rise and rise of groms clubs.
In recent years British Surf clubs have undergone huge changes. The days of exclusive, male dominated clubs, prioritising socialising over surfing are fading fast, replaced by an era of inclusivity, skill development, and elite young talent. Today’s groms are already at the standard of past professionals by the age of 10, and are setting new standards for British surfing.
In the past older surfers viewed groms as an annoyance, inexperienced children filling up the lineup, lacking etiquette or skill. For years, these attitudes slowed youth development, framing surfing as an adult lifestyle rather than a structured sport for all ages. This mindset effectively restricted young surfers progress, limiting the potential of British surfing’s next generation.
However, (fortunately) the culture has shifted. Gone are the days of the grom abuse and bullying. Surf clubs increasingly recognise the importance of youth, valuing their enthusiasm and potential to drive the sport forward.
As groms, we all experienced the dreaded ‘grom abuse’. Strangely and slightly concerning but it was kind of a right of passage, to be expected and tolerated.But now, as a Dad I’m more than happy to see the complete turn around in the attitude towards groms/ children. They are welcomed with open arms, generously given preference, allowed to go on any wave they choose, and basically have the support of any and every lineup, well most lineups! Don’t drop in on a grom or you’re dead!
Supporting and encouraging junior surfers has become central to club goals, recognising that the strength of any surf club lies in its commitment to developing and protecting the youngest members.
Younger members, and their parents, represent the future of the club and its community. If junior members don’t feel valued or can’t see opportunities for growth, they’ll naturally gravitate towards other sports or clubs that provide a stronger sense of connection. This scenario is common, but it is avoidable, with the right approach.
However, surfing in the UK poses unique challenges that set it apart from other sports. Unpredictable ocean conditions, the cold, and a lack of controlled environments make it difficult to organise structured activities, which is a key factor for engaging young surfers and their families. Creating a sense of continuity and building enthusiasm for a sport that often requires braving cold water and inconsistent waves is tough. Recognising this, British surf clubs have begun focusing on building an inclusive environment that keeps the sport fun and enjoyable, socially engaging, and encouraging for young surfers.
There are clubs out there all over Britain that are over coming these problems and growing the member numbers month on month.
But it’s no easy task. It takes a huge amount of organisation and funding. The clubs rely on volunteers and fundraising for the majority of their support. So effectively the more members a club has the stronger it will become, and the British surf clubs have exploded in member numbers.
Clubs like the Newquay Boardriders. Established in 1969 by the late John Owen and Neil Harris, they have weathered decades of change to become one of the UK’s finest surf clubs. Today, the club is thriving, with record high participation and a new generation of young talent coming up through the ranks.
Newquay Boardriders has produced world class athletes before, Luke Dillion, Russ Winter and Spencer Hargreaves stand out, but the current momentum suggests an even brighter future.
Among the rising stars is Boardmasters Men’s and Junior Champion Lukas Skinner, whose impressive performances have drawn admiration from the global surfing community. Lukas competes at a world class level, with extraordinary consistency and remarkable competition stats. His success sets a new benchmark for the club’s younger surfers, inspiring them to reach for the sport’s highest levels. NBR has seen record success in recent years with junior members claiming the majority of national titles and filling team England spots to represent the country, among those are British women’s and junior champion Lauren Sandland, English and Ripcurl Grom Search Champions, Sunny Ingram (U16), Lila Skinner (U14), Harvey Waters (U12) and Ellie Hickie (U12) just to name a few.
The club’s reputation extends beyond the UK. It is now recognised internationally as an excellent club. In January 2025, Newquay Boardriders will make history as the first British surf club invited to the prestigious Usher Cup competition at Snapper Rocks in Australia. Where Lukas Skinner, Fynn Gillespie, Jowan Pegg and Lauren Sandland and Team Manager Mikey ‘Sheriff’ Durkin, will represent the club and Great Britain at the highest international level.
The club attributes its success to the dedicated Committee members and local businesses who are involved. The club is fortunate to receive funding for projects, from our young women initiative and giving them a space, while also providing financial help to our top athletes to compete internationally and give opportunities to members to gain qualifications and further their career prospects.
By introducing children to surfing from an early age through weekly Grom clubs, training opportunities with top level coaches,water safety, fun social events and running fundamental grassroot level surf contests, such as the Northshore Pro Cadets. Which sees competitors from as young as 4 through to 13 battle it out in their divisions over 3 events throughout the year. These contests are pivotal in the development of our Groms and gives them access to learn everything they need to become our future champions. Competitions like these would not be as successful without the vast expertise of the people volunteering and running them, including NBR Vice Chairman, UK pioneer surf legend and top judge Gary Collins and British, English and UK Pro Tour Champion Zoe Sheath, who has been the club’s Contest Director for all of NBR’s events for the last several years.
Broch groms
At the other end of the country there is the Broch Surf Club situated in Fraserburgh on the North East coast of Scotland. It is another UK club that has seen a surge in grom participation and high performance levels on the junior front.
Local Broch Surf Club surfers such as Lola Mitchell (16), Callie Cruickshank (14), Gabriel Noble (14), Sebastian Ballantyne (13) and Kai Cruickshank (12) have achieved UK podium successes across the high profile junior events such as the Ripcurl Gromsearch and Boardmasters and are all current Scottish Junior Champions in their respective age categories.
Callie Cruickshank by Leigh Brown/ Only fins
It wasn’t so long ago that you could go up to Scotland and there might be a handful of local surfers surfing to an advanced standard. Now, in Fraserburgh in particular, the groms are shredding, competing and winning against the best young athletes in the country.
They’ve really done something right. I spoke with Russell Cruickshank, and again they have focused on the younger members. Just like in England, the national body of Scottish surfing (the Scottish Surfing Federation) have organised a series of junior surf events throughout the year. Each event is hosted by a local surf club and focus on youth participation and performance development.
These junior surf events are run at an exceptionally high standard with all judging, officiating done by ISA qualified judging panels, online live score support and use of priority boards (from U12 years upward) It has provided a fantastic platform for the youngsters to progress into the sport of competitive surfing.
These events don’t cost a lot to host, most of the funds can be raised easily through local councils and businesses, but they take time and commitment. This input from the clubs has paid dividends with the results, member numbers and the development of Scottish surfing .
Broch Surf Club do a number of training sessions and club surf trips around Scotland to support their elite grom crew. Training sessions and trips focus on trying to find the best waves, fun and some performance feedback sessions through video analysis. It’s all voluntary run supported by the older surf crew from the area. Over the whole of the UK, Scotland is definitely on the fastest trajectory with results, talent and club members. It really is an exciting time to be a Scottish grommet.
A Welsh club that has seen a major change in direction change is Pembrokeshire Surf Club. It lay dormant for several years, and has now been reformed by Welsh Junior Team Coach, Phil Sadler. Phil runs Pembrokeshire Surf School and has merged his already establish sessions with the club. Numbers have jumped from 10’s to 100’s. They run weekly training and coaching sessions, competitions, and provide a fun competitive pathway for the juniors. To date the grom coaching programme has provided the juniors for over half of the Welsh team, for the last five years. Surfers such as Josie Hawke (14) 2024 U14,16,18 Welsh Champion, Euan Buick (18) 2024 U18 Welsh Champion, 4th in U18 GB Cup in Jersey. Seth Reed U18 Welsh Longboard champ.
Senior club members such as pro surfer Seth Morris and seasoned competitors Ryan Thomas and Georgina Lewtas regularly offer to help inspire the groms at training sessions. They along with other volunteers are what helps push the club forward.
Phil runs the coaching at cost price so it is affordable and encourages the kids to come weekly. The main focus is on fun and educating the kids in all aspects of surfing, and then as they progress a more structured approach. Exploring different breaks, using all types of boards, skating, photo and video analysis and regular fun comps. What the club is doing has had a massive effect on membership numbers and also the standard of surfing coming from West Wales.
Monty Cole
Brody Reay
Another thriving community surf club is Budewaveriders which was founded 12 years ago by Martin Reay, Lee Norman and Charlie Green. Over its time its seen current GB surfers Stanley Norman and Ellie Turner progress through the junior section of the club. Alongside these hugely talented short boarders, current WSL longboard tour competitor Emily Currie has also progressed through Budewaveriders comps and sessions.
The club prioritises grass roots development of young surfers with beginner and intermediate sessions, with the recent addition of their new advanced development squad coached by X-Big Wave Tour female charger Tammy Smith from South Arica.
Betsie Reay
Their crop of young surfers coming through the ranks include Issac Friend and Coco Arthur who both train with the England squad along with rising new talents including Betsie Reay who is ranked 2nd on the Junior Surf Series. With inspirational role models like Jobe Harris, giving their time back to the club as coaches and judges, the new school of groms from Bude are aspiring to be like their heroes and take it to the next level.
British surf clubs show a shift toward inclusivity, youth engagement, and skill development, fueling a new era for British surfing. Clubs like Newquay, Bude, Pembrokshire and Broch embody this transformation, providing structured pathways from beginner to elite levels. By prioritising junior members, these clubs ensure that young surfers feel supported and inspired to pursue the sport, despite the challenges posed by unpredictable conditions and physical demands.
As Newquay Boardriders makes its historic appearance at Australia’s Usher Cup, it reflects a new global respect for British surf clubs that are now recognised for talent and reputation. British surf clubs are shaping the next generation of surfers to reach new heights not only in competitions but also cementing a life long love of the sport, securing British surfing’s future on the world stage.
