30 years… so, where do we start?

I’m sat outside Plymouth Uni café in the sun chatting. You got a grant to go back then. I could surf loads, lifeguard for extra cash, and have time to travel. Someone asked me what my dream job was. I said, “working for a surfing magazine”. I’d never actually thought of it before, as there weren’t any to work for. Then they asked: “Why?” My response: “To inspire surfers to travel the world, give British and Irish surfers the coverage to get sponsors that would enable them to live their dreams like overseas pros, and tell the stories from home about local surfers doing remarkable things. The stuff you didn’t see in Australian or American surfing magazines. And to fight the water companies dumping sewage in the sea…”

Issue one of Carve was published in spring 1994 by Chris Power. Its aim? To get people stoked and to represent British and Irish surfing, like the US and Oz mags did overseas. I wrote about a trip to Portugal. Next year I joined full-time on issue four, as Assistant Editor and Ad Manager. Been here ever since.

So now it’s 30 years later. In that time Carve, its editors, storytellers and photographers, have all sought to stand by its original aims – documenting amazing travel stories, trying to get surfers to incredible places, and represent them. In 1994, British and Irish surfers were still seen as anomalies. “Do you drink tea and surf in the river?” Was a standard response. No one got why we loved surfing where we did. Waiting for breaks in weather systems, the raw brutal coastlines we inhabit, dark waters, endless storms, huge tides, no palm trees – it was all too confusing for those on tropical shores. Now coldwater surfing is a thing and coldwater swimming renowned worldwide as a major health kick. They still may not want to live here, but people get it.

It’s hard to pick out special moments over 30 years. There have been so many. Competitively, Russ Winter’s WCT charge and comeback, Spencer Hargreaves’ sunset barrel. Guts, Bleakers, Bearman and Skindog proving British longboarders are amongst the best in the world. Richie Fitz, Gabe, Cotty and Al Meenie kicking off Irish big wave surfing. Then Mikey Smith, Fergal Lowey and the rest of the crew pushing limits of surfing and creativity. And of late the charge of ISA world number two junior Lukas Skinner, and the younger UK crew determined to make a mark at a global level.

Then there’s the opening up of remote British slabs, some still barely surfed, proving we have world-class waves on our doorstep. Surfers Against Sewage, formed when environmentalists were seen as the great unwashed, legitimising the fight to save the oceans. The onward rise of home-based surf creatives, particularly the Irish, who are amongst the best in the world right now. The launch of SurfGirl to showcase women’s surfing in 2002, and the ongoing fight in a still largely misogynistic world. And too many funny times to even try to put down here.
But, most of all, we just like running shots and words from you and seeing what a journey it can send you on. Particularly now we are running shots of the third generation of surfers. Some lives have been saved, some incredible surfing has gone down, adventures have been had.

It’s been a lifetime of the collective trying to show the world your realities, values, skills and community. It has been a privilege. I think Mickey Smith’s words best sum up the experiences of all creatives involved along the way of the last three decades:

“If I only scrape a living, at least it’s living worth scraping. If there is no future in it, at least the present is worth remembering.”

30 years. Always for the love.

Steve 
Editor

Well, what an autumn that was.

I don’t think we’ve seen so much swell around so much of our coastline for quite some time. The highlight for many was Storm Cierán that, apart from battering the Channel Islands, seemed to produce all-time swells across the UK – from the South West to North Wales, to Bournemouth and the south coast, to Cromer and the North East, and even Scotland! What we love about putting together a print mag is being able to collate epic shots from the UK surf photo community and record these epic times for posterity. So, that’s what we’ve done, with a huge gallery celebrating our communal stoke.

Speaking of stoke and the hold it has over us, also in this issue, Tristan Bransby tells us his story of aqua addiction, which started when his dad – also an aqua addict – took him surfing at the age of just three. What’s interesting about this is that, not only is it a common thread that all of us will recognise, but it also reflects the changing demographic of surfing. For it wasn’t long ago that surfing dads were rare, but now Tris – at 42 – is out charging with his Pa. Not only is this commonplace these days, I think it enriches our culture. A while back rippers over 30 were rare, but now we have the full range from under 10’s through to surfers that can hold their own in their 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and even 70’s. Quite funny when you’re hanging down the beach and the topic of conversation can go from TikTok virals to hip ops in the blink of a cataract.

The autumn swell and the rich diversity of the surfing generations isn’t all we celebrate in this packed issue. We also catch up with Tom Lowe, who’s eventful 2023 has ended with an Eddie invite. A surfer born and bred in the UK, who has honed his skills in his homeland and Ireland, invited to the world’s most prestigious contest. What a a massive achievement.

Plus two of our favourite photographers – Chris Burkard and Luke Gartside – take us on the road. Luke reporting back from a European road trip through three wave-lashed regions, and Chris sharing his most valuable lessons learnt from a life of exploration in coldwater destinations. It’s not just about the places you go and the waves you ride, it’s the people you meet on the search , that makes surfing life so special.

Hope you enjoy!

Steve
Editor

Perception is an interesting thing.

The basic concept of seeing, hearing and sensory awareness that we all hold in common, yet which we all interpret differently. And so this issue is filled with differing view points of surfing. The first and most obvious is our 2023 Carve photo comp. Isn’t it weird that you can give five people the same camera and point them in the same direction of a beach or wave, yet they will all take a different photograph? The result and interpretation goes far beyond simply pushing a button. Photos almost reflect the soul of the photographer. You can see the diverse perspectives from page 86 (and from which we will be picking a winner). For a different outlook on British and Irish surfing, we also catch up with two people who have been travelling to the UK to get their surf fix. For years surfers have fled the UK in search of quality waves. But conversely, for a decade now, Wilem Banks has regularly left sunny California to chase British slabs – incredible waves that most of the surfing world will try to tell you we don’t posses here on our doorstep. Similarly, French photographer Arthur Picard visited Ireland and Scotland in search of heavy water. Not only does he shoot heavy waves, he also bodysurfs them. In fact, two of his favourite bodysurfing breaks are Pipe and Nazaré. On the back of a brand new audio and e-book, Jamie Brisick examines our obsession with surf travel since the release of The Endless Summer. And far from the dreams and influence of the Endless Summer, we also feature the grey juice of Lowestoft, an East Anglian surfing hub with a long, rich history of surf culture. All different experiences. All different perceptions of what surfing is. And yet, at their core, all the same. It’s what I call the ‘coffin lid surfboard’ principle. In years gone by, pre surfboard as we know it, people in Cornwall rode the whitewater on coffin lids, chasing the buzz of riding waves. At the same time the kids in remote Africa were riding wooden planks, fishermen’s kids in Peru where riding reed kayaks, and all across the globe people were grabbing flotsam and jetsam and using it to ride waves. Different crafts, different waves, different styles, different views – but ultimately the same buzz.

Pretty cool…

Steve
Editor

Hello, and welcome to issue 218!

And what a packed issue it is. While in the last issue we reflected on travel and the world that opens up before us after we ride our first green waves, I think in many ways this issue really highlights the widespread appeal of our shared stoke and experience. And also why we love sharing those stories.

We catch up with the surfing and shaping legend Maurice Cole, from Victoria, Australia, who tells us of his adventures, scrapes and achievements over six decades. Then a few pages later British and Irish groms including Josie, a 12 year-old triple champion from West Wales. And if you look beneath the surface, their basic loves and motivations are the same – to ride a few waves well. If you go down and hang around any local in Britain or Ireland, you can find the same thing – groms eloquently discussing waves and surf conditions on equal terms with septuagenarians, and even beyond.

In ‘Here Come the Crews,’ we set a world record by squeezing 28 surfers into an article on Indo boat trips. On board frothing surfers, surf dads and a couple teens from all around the UK. Usually, if these were shots of top pros we’d weed out the best and just run those, but everyone was so excited we couldn’t leave anyone out… Well apart from poor Tommy Benfield who caught Covid on the journey out and missed all the best sessions. (Our thoughts are with you!) Photography-wise we uncovered the story of Megan Gayda, who left home in Essex at 15 years-old to travel to Ireland. Her photos of huge waves now stand aside some of the world’s best ever photographers, whose shots and incredible stories feature our ‘Power of Three’ feature.

With such diverse circumstances, yet the single-minded quest of all who feature in this issue, I was trying to figure out what it is that sets our common experience apart, and why are all just chasing the moments, split seconds in, or on, waves that so profoundly touch and guide our lives in an evermore chaotic and angry world.

And all I could come up with is that it kinds of feels like flight, but really it tastes like freedom.

Steve
Editor

Travel. This issue is packed with it. It is without doubt one of the best things about surfing.

I remember, as a grom, my head being filled with tales of wonder by the crew hanging out at Tris surf shop after they’d returned from places like Morocco, Sri Lanka and Bali. How someone drove a Morris Minor from the UK to Colombo, of round the world yacht trips and waves like you’d never seen. I used to sit on the cliffs of Porthtowan and wonder what was over the horizon.

St Ives as it happened, but still, when you live in a valley with one road in and one road out and you don’t have a car, it kinda looked exciting!

Porthleven was my next aim. After bagging a ride I got my first surf there and I fell in love with the place. Then, on around the coast of Ireland, Scotland and beyond. My head is full of memories; laying in a tent listening to glaciers calving in the highest mountain ranges of the Andes. The sights and smells of Bali when it was a truly special place. Camping on a beach on a tiny island, off an island, off Tonga, just hanging out in the middle of the Pacific.

And then there’s also the people you meet, the on-the-road experiences, and of course the surf, which after all, drives us out of our comfort zones.

Some of our stories come from afar, some nearby, but all encompass the essence of adventure – which can be on the other side of the world, or like groms across the globe, just on the other side of the bay.

Dig in, we hope you enjoy, and maybe even plan a trip…

Steve
Editor