If you’ve ever travelled away from our shores and got talking surf then it’s inevitable you’ll have faced a variant of this question, often delivered with utter disbelief:
‘Are there waves in the UK?’ ‘You get surf there?’ ‘You’re a “British” surfer?!’
This question is often delivered with a snort of derision. Implying that you really don’t know what you’re on about because you don’t come from a ‘surfing’ country like the USA, Australia or South Africa. Well. We do. So ner. If you need proof just point them to this handy video or the photos below to visually aid your response.
We live on a damp collection of rocks clinging to the edge of Europe. Geographically insignificant they maybe, but these islands full of ideas, spirit and a mongrel mix of people from the whole planet have punched above their weight when it comes to contributing to global culture for centuries.
We’re open minded, tolerant, funny and self depreciating and I think we’re this way because of the weather. You have to have a solid sense of humour to put up with the British weather.
In all my travels I’ve never come across a nation as singularly obsessed with the weather as we are. Maybe it’s because we get a lot of it. Sure everyone in the world gets weather 24/7 but we are subject to more flavours of it, on a daily basis, than most. It’s all to do with our positioning. The sentinel on the edge of the continent. We’re the vanguard that the forces of the Atlantic weather systems strike first (sorry Iceland you’re not counting as Europe here as you’re technically just a ruddy big volcano covered in ice sat on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) and it’s the stoicism and grit that comes from facing the world’s stormiest ocean that’s shaped our character. Not to mention making us and our ancestors some of the finest seafarers ever to have graced the brine.
Our weather is a four way tussle. That’s why it’s so changeable, so inconsistent, so infuriating and so ruddy difficult to forecast accurately.
A popular science TV show illustrated it well using four packs of rugby forwards. The Atlantic is one scrum coming from the west bringing the warm, damp weather, another pack is the Arctic front trying to bring the cold, another the continental types bringing the warmth and good coffee from Europe and lastly the aloof eastern pack bringing Siberian cold in winter and balmy warmth in summer. It’s a four way shoveathon all at the whim of the jet stream. It’s no surprise that our Met Office is the original and one of the most advanced and pioneering in the field. It’s also no surprise that when you stare at your weather app forecast for your town right that second and it says ‘sunny’ while it’s actually pissing down outside is standard.
Weather forecasting is vital in times of peace and war for safe transit of ships and planes. It’s even more vital for us surfers. Without it we’d be stuck with ‘going to the beach every day with our fingers crossed for surf.’ Sure some of you lucky buggers that live right on the coast do that anyway but for the masses that don’t live on the edge of the salt the weather is the key to happiness.
Just try it. See how many times you check the weather, or talk about the weather each day. We’re obsessed with it. And I for one think that’s awesome.
Shots from Fistral this afternoon. Angus Scotney hacking and the rest line-ups from one of those days everyone thought would be a bit bigger and better…
Nixon have taken their legendary Surf Challenge event from the shores of the Basque Country to Norway, Iceland and everyone’s favourite part of the Risk board: Kamchatka. This year they’ve allowed the crew a change from hooded 6mm suits and snow on the ground by venturing to China…
Despite a small swell, the riders managed to make the most of the last two days, scoring beachbreaks in front of a deserted gigantic touristic complex – a huge ghost resort which apparently gets full in the high season (December to March) when Chinese rich tourists want to escape the cold of the mainland. It’s still a bit of a shock to see a beautiful area like this destroyed by such concrete constructions: hotels, huge towers, marinas and yacht clubs…
Strange things are afoot with Ian Battrick in Fortitude, sorry, Iceland… Some class visuals in this eye opening, or should that be third eye opening, edit.
As Batty says: Dreaming within a dream? A few fleeting visions, taken from several months living in a car around Iceland.
My Road Series / Nic von Rupp / Two Islands – Vol II
The Hawaiian Islands are known as the proving ground for any surfer thriving for a professional career.
Due to its constant and heavy surf, every year the surfing community returns for the winters on the North Shore of Ohau, ready to take a piece of one of the world’s most perfect yet dangerous wave, Pipeline.
In Two Islands, the second of four episodes of My Road Series, Nic von Rupp shares his perspective of the busy and active North Shore and what it takes to have the opportunity to surf at Pipeline, to then visit the neighbor island of Maui where he meets Albee Layer’s home, a laid back hippie town that still holds it’s crowd-less jewels.
The contrast between these Two Islands and it’s stories is what sets the tone for this informal documentary co-featuring Albee Layer, John John Florence, Vasco Ribeiro, Matt Meola and many others.
The surf has been pumping on the west facing coasts of Britain and Ireland. Whilst we’ve been enjoying super fun beachies this has been happening over in Co. Clare. A certain Mr Dorian flew over to hook with Sancho and the local shams for a mega session at the Cliffs and Rileys. Hit the links on the Insty shots to give the crew a follow.
