The winner of the Carve x Sharp’s Offshore Pilsner surf photography competition was announced at The Slope Beach Bar and Kitchen in Newquay.
Sharp’s Offshore pilsner, launched in 2018, is inspired by Cornwall’s passion for surfing and those rare moments when the wind turns offshore, creating perfectly clean waves. With this in mind, Offshore was the perfect brand to combine with Carve on this competition.
Adorning the walls of The Slope were the 10-15 of the very best shots from British surf photographers based all across the globe. The location was the perfect spot as Great Western Beach has been considered to be the original centre of British surf culture since the 1960s.
Competition was tough with amazing shots coming in from right around the UK and Ireland (see the gallery inhale latest issue of Carve) but the winning shot hand-picked by Sharp’s ambassadors and the Carve team and was taken by Phill Boyd from North Wales. He had made the seven hour journey together with his two young daughters to Newquay to take part in the evening.
Phill will be featured in Carve issue 198 and received an Offshore ‘ultimate beach bag’ – a branded backpack with cool section for keeping his cans of Pilsner at their refreshingly cool best, a Dick Pearce belly board, a signed copy of Carve’s book ‘Incredible Waves’, a complimentary 12 month Carve or SurfGirl magazine subscription and additional branded Offshore items such as a cap, jacket and beach towel.
Steve England, Editor in Chief at Carve, said: “We had a great evening celebrating the announcement of the winner of the Carve x Offshore photography competition. We love celebrating British talent whether they are surfers or photographers. That is what Carve is all about, showcasing our unique surfing culture. Thanks to all the photographers who submitted their pictures, and particularly to Phill who drove down here to celebrate with us. And of course big thanks to Sharp’s for sponsoring the event. They are an amazing local company to work with.”
James Nicholls, marketing controller at Sharp’s Brewery, said: “Our longstanding relationship with Carve is one that we’re absolutely thrilled about and we couldn’t ask for a better partner for our Offshore pilsner, which takes name from the perfect surfing conditions. When our team of ambassadors sat down to select our favourite shots from the photography competition, we found that it certainly wasn’t an easy task. In the end, we selected Phill’s photo because he had perfectly captured that feeling of the wind going offshore.”
All images from the Carve x Offshore surf photography competition are featuring in issue 197 of Carve..
The British team and Irish teams are off to Miyazaki, Japan for the ISA World Surfing Games. The event runs from 7-15th September.
The British team are
Jay Quinn, European and British Champion
Jayce Robinson, English Champion and 2nd British Cup
Nathan Elms 3rd British Cup.
Peony Knight 4th place European and British Champion.
Ellie Turner. 2nd British Cup, multiple English Titles
Kitty Brewer 3rd British Cup, Jersey
Coaches Dave Renaud, Gwen Spurlock
Manager Minnow Green
Travel and assistance has come from the new Aspiration Fund through UK Sport and this has taken a great burden off the athletes and management team not having to fund raise !
The Irish team are Gearoid McDaid, Owen Murphy, Ayesha Garvey, Grace Doyle and
Shauna Ward.
Followers can watch live coverage through link below: isasurf.org/events/world-surfing-games
Hopefully everyone can get behind them.
“Due to this being an Olympic Qualifying event the team are super excited and have been training extra hard!’ said Minoow ” They will be surfing against top WSL competitors like Kelly Slater, Gabriel Medina, Carissa Moore. Stephanie Gilmore, Courtney Conlogue and 17-year-old Caroline Marks.”
Full list of CT surfers on teams are
Australia
Men: Ryan Callinan, Julian Wilson, Owen Wright
Women: Stephanie Gilmore, Sally Fitzgibbons, Nikki Van Dijk
Brazil
Men: Italo Ferreira, Filipe Toledo, Gabriel Medina
Women: Tatiana Weston-Webb, Silvana Lima
Costa Rica
Women: Brisa Hennessy
France
Men: Jeremy Flores, Michel Bourez, Joan Duru
Women: Johanne Defay
Italy
Men: Leonardo Fioravanti
Japan
Men: Kanoa Igarashi
New Zealand
Men: Ricardo Christie
Women: Paige Hareb
South Africa
Men: Jordy Smith
USA
Men: Kelly Slater, Kolohe Andino, Connor Coffin
Women: Caroline Marks, Carissa Moore, Courtney Conlogue
With just over one week to go and just over 100 registrations already, plans are moving at pace for this very popular surf Festival weekend in North Devon Christian Surfers UK are pleased to be hosting the 27th running of the Jesus Surf Classic, with around £2000 in prize money, taking place at its traditional venue of Croyde Bay, North Devon over the weekend of September 14th and 15th 2019. Traditionally, this event attracts over 130 of the UK's top surfers, who compete in its eight categories starting with the under 12s right through to the over 35s division. Weather permitting, the event will also include the very popular Big Move skate contest on the mobile skate park. As always, a big thank you goes to Parkdean for allowing us to run the event on their beach. Places are rapidly filling up, so if you haven't booked make sure you do as the last few years we had to cap the number of entries. Click through to the entry portal link here:
This year the event clashes with the British team at the ISA world surfing games in Japan (all the best to the GB competitors) which means there are more opportunities for fresh winners in the main categories at this event. As well as the contest itself, there is always a great vibe around the marquee with refreshments, BBQ, live music and surf movies. Check out the edit from last years event.
This year we are also linking up with the ‘Wave project’ and if competitors or spectators have old surf gear (Boards, wetsuits, leashes or good condition clothing, that they want to donate they can bring along and we will ensure that the local wave project team collect them and make good use of them, to help support their work.
Check-in for all those competitors who will have registered will be 8 am at the Parkdene Beach carpark (North end of Croyde), for what we hope will be a fantastic weekend of surfing.
In addition for your diaries Polzeath in North Cornwall will host the 12th Jesus Longboard Classic which grew out of the Jesus Surf Classic when its popularity made it impossible to run the event over one weekend, will be held over the weekend of October 12th and 13th. As usual, first-class hospitality and a warm welcome from our partners the Tubestation await all surfers and supporters. With over £1000 worth of prizes, competition levels will be high within an event that has a great community spirit. More details will follow in the next few weeks.
As always, Christian Surfers wants to thank in advance their partners who help to organise these events, and obviously a huge thanks goes to all the Christian Surfers volunteers who run them, and the fantastic support that the events get from the competitors and support crew.
For more information on the work of Christian Surfers, and all the latest news on events, either log on to the Facebook page – Jesus Surf Series CSUK, or the website christiansurfers.co.uk or e-mail [email protected]
Lukas Skinner set the early tone with this massive boost in Heat 1 Day 1
Great Western Beach in Newquay provided the amphitheatre for the first stop of the GromSearch UK Series.
Surfing England made the decision to switch from the main location of Watergate Bay due to the large end of summer swell and what a great move it turned out to be. The swell rolled in, the sun popped its head out and the Slope Beach Bar provided great hospitality.
Reen Bowden boosting with Newquay as the perfect backdrop
Action was hot from the very first heat to the last and the 75 entrants displayed the depth of talent in the UK juniors right now. Lukas Skinner lit up the beach with several crowd inspiring airs in the first heat of competition and throughout the event but still was pushed into 2nd place by a rapidly improving and solid display by Reen Bowden.
In the 12’s girls it was great to see surfers travelling from as far as Wales and Newcastleto compete but in the end it was local Newquay surfer Eva Blackford who took the win. Another local Megan Webb took the U14’s girls title and in the U16’s Welsh sensation Alys Barton proved she is simply unstoppable in the GromSearch. Last years’ series winner still has fresh memories of competing in the World Finals in Costa Rica and is again in the hot seat for a qualifying spot this year.
Welsh sensation Alys Barton continued her total domninance of the Grom Search with yet another win
The boys U14’s was a particularly strong field and in the final it was Max Miller-Cooley who selected the best waves and executed them well for a solid win over Guernseys Tom Hook, a resurgent Gabe Llewellyn and a ripping Jed Wood. Stanley Norman came into the event as top ranked U16 and his intentions were clear with the win firmly in his sights from heat 1. With a big air reverse in the final he sealed the deal over an impressive Sam Hearn, Kieron Smith and Alex Townsend. His move also delivered him the Smith Optics Move of the Event award. Stan now sits in prime position for the golden ticket for the World Final Qualification.
U16 Winner Stan Norman also took out the Smith MOve of the Event with this big rotation
All attention is now towards the final deciding event in Jersey scheduled for 7/8th September where the series champions will be crowned. The U16 Boys and Girls overall winner gets the golden ticket to the World Final. In addition the 2,3,4,5th placed U16’s Boys and Girls qualify for the European Final.
U16 Boys
1- Stan Norman
2- Sam Hearn
3- Kieron Smith
4- Alex Townsend
U16 Girls
1- Alys Barton
2- Belle Betteridge
3- Tegan Blackford
4- Lauren Sandland
U14 Boys
1- Max Miller Cooley
2- Tom Hook
3- Gabe Llewellyn
4- Jed Wood
U14 Girls
1- Meghan Webb
U12 Boys
1- Reen Bowden
2- Lukas Skinner
3 - Heath Gillespie
4- Nikita Petrov
U12 GIRLS
1- Eva Blackford
2- Willow Harlyn-Smith
3- Ava Perry
4- Kaja Millward
Smith Optics Move Of The Event
Stan Norman
Lauren Sandland lining one up in the Girls 16s final
Jed Smith part of a stoked and solid bunch of Welsh entrants
GromSearch Division Winners Alys Barton, Eva Blackford, Megan Webb, Stan Norman, Max Miller Cooley
Grom Search selfie session
Grom came from all over the UK including youngest competitor Summer Marie Moore from Wales
Great Western tucked right in Newquay Bay provided a great venue to kick off the Grom Search series in the UK
Dylan Leo Robinson showing the stoke that Grom Search is now famous for
Bethan Davies made the long trip from Newcastle to be part of the stoked competition
How Eddie Aikau became legend. Waimea lifeguard, arbitrator between the Aussies and Black Shorts, and the man who paddled into legend gets the hilarious, yet respectful drunk history treatment.
Brum joins the wave tub race with plans for a WaveGarden. Press release below.
Planning application for £25 million Birmingham wave park lodged
Park to feature a 5.4-acre Wavegarden Cove® surf lagoon, outdoor heated swimming pool and hub building
Estimated to create 100 full-time equivalent jobs and attract 250,000 visitors p.a.
Project has backing of top surfers, Olympian and National Governing Body – Surfing England
Birmingham is set to become home to the UK’s most landlocked wave park after plans for a new £25 million facility were revealed today (30 August).
The planning application lodged by Emerge Surf is for a 15-acre site, approximately seven miles to the east of Birmingham’s city centre at Coleshill. Features include a 5.4-acre surf lagoon, powered by Wavegarden’s Cove technology, an outdoor heated swimming pool, a perimeter track for Onewheel self-balancing electric skateboards and a 1,600 sq metre hub building.
The park will be named Emerge Surf Birmingham and will also be home to a surf school, surf shop, café and restaurant, multi-purpose fitness studio, physio and massage room and children’s play area.
With the closest surfable ocean waves more than 100 miles away, this new facility will be a haven for landlocked surfers and those keen to try the sport for the first time.
Situated in North Warwickshire, described by the Chief Executive of North Warwickshire Borough Council, Steve Maxey, as “one of the most dynamic economies in the country,” the wave park will be easily accessible from the M6 and M42 motorways with more than 7.6 million people within a one hour drive of the venue and 27 million within two hours. It is also close to Birmingham Airport, Birmingham International Railway Station and the future HS2 Interchange Station, making it an extremely exciting destination for local, national and international visitors.
Emerge Surf Birmingham is expected to create 100 full-time equivalent jobs, attract around 250,000 visitors a year and deliver an annual economic boost of between £18 million-£21 million to the region.
Current World Surf League Big Wave World Champion Grant ‘Twiggy’ Baker is on board as an ambassador for Emerge Surf, alongside the UK’s top professional surfers Peony Knight and Luke Dillon. Olympic gold medallist Tessa Sanderson CBE is the park’s non-surfing ambassador.
Initial plans, subject to planning approval, show construction commencing late this year and the park opening in spring 2021.
Steve Price, Founder and CEO of Emerge Surf, said:
“It’s an incredibly exciting time in the development of surfing. The mental and physical benefits of the sport are increasingly understood and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will hugely increase levels of interest and participation. In parallel, the significant strides made in wave pool technologies have the potential to make the sport accessible to all.
“Our vision is to not only provide a world class surfing experience for surfers of all levels, but also a wide range of complementary activities. We are proud to be developing the UK’s most landlocked wave park with the support of our partners, Wavegarden, Surfing England, Surf Life Saving Great Britain, The Wave Project, Future Motion Inc and Seaholm.
“We’re confident that bringing a little slice of the ocean to Birmingham will deliver a positive social impact and boost mental and physical wellbeing. In addition, we’re very keen to work with local schools not only to teach children to surf, but also to offer swimming lessons and instruction in water safety.”
Emerge Surf Birmingham will work in partnership with national governing body Surfing England to deliver certificated surfing tuition and with registered charity Surf Life Saving Great Britain on a wide range of courses for water safety. It is also partnering with The Wave Project to deliver therapy through surfing to local children suffering with a range of mental health issues.
Ben Powis, Operations Director at Surfing England, said:
“There has never been a more exciting time to be involved in surfing. We are in the midst of an artificial wave revolution which will bring our sport and our passion to a whole new audience. Emerge Surf Birmingham is absolutely part of the revolution and we are stoked to be supporting them as their plans develop to bring a world class facility to the Midlands.”
Fernando Odriozola, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Wavegarden, said:
“We are extremely excited about Emerge Surf’s plans for Birmingham. As a landlocked city with one of the largest market catchments in the UK, there is a great opportunity to introduce the thrill of surfing perfect waves to a whole new generation of surf enthusiasts.”
