Why Surf? // Feature Article for Still Stoked

I recently wrote a piece for the lovely Alexa of Still Stoked called "The Reasons We Surf"

I’ve found myself all too often becoming so frustrated in the water where I’ve had to leave and call it a day. Other times I’ve been so frightened I worked myself into a mild panic attack; catching a wave to shore and waiting until my erratic breathing subsided and hands stopped shaking until I could paddle back out.

I had a particularly disheartening surf during the summer, where I couldn’t catch a wave and proceeded to be held under after a close out pummelled me to the sand bar, holding me under for longer than I would’ve liked. I came up spluttering and on the verge of tears of frustration. At the shoreline, I couldn’t stop thinking… Why exactly have I chosen this sport in particular? Especially when the rewards are seldom and few between.

Later that evening, I drew up a list of reasons why I surf and why I've dedicated much of my time to becoming a better surfer. I shared these views with StillStoked who was also keen to share my thoughts.Thank you!xx

If you are new to surfing and need a few suggestions to get you in there, or you are continually feeling exasperated in the water, then please feel free to have a little read. 

I hope this gives incentive to carry on surfing regardless. For me, the good reasons always outweigh the bad. 

Enjoy...

Madrugadas Salvadoreñas // Immersion Surf Magazine Feature Article

"The Woman's Voice of Surf"

I wrote a piece that's been featured on the online publication of Immersion Surf Magazine. 

So happy for my work to be published in this female focussed surf and adventure mag. I wrote about my experience traveling and surfing in El Salvador earlier this year. I fell in love with the culture, the climate, the waves and the people whilst over there. It's my dream to return and surf those waves once again. To reunite with the people I was so fortunate to have met whilst over there.

I wrote this piece to share the love of the country, but also share with other solo female travellers that it is a safe place to visit. It is safe if you act as any sensible traveller should. I encountered absolutely no trouble here. Just be wise and don't place yourself in difficult situations. 

Enjoy x

8 Ways To Nail Winter Surfs

The lovely Lexi from StillStoked got in touch with regards to writing a feature for her site. She wanted to know more about the surf scene in Cornwall, and with temperatures dropping with the shift in seasons, I felt I had to share my thoughts on this. It feels as though we've come straight out of summer, and thrown right into the icy claws of winter. 

I've been struggling with this as I love the heat and roaming freedom of hot, summer days, but I'm also loving the quieter line-ups and the cosy evenings beside the fire. I wrote this to keep us all stoked through winter with a few suggestions to make the transition that little bit more seamless...

 Image by Hayley Green

Sea Dips in the Mist // Kobe Surf Feature Article

A piece written for Kobe Surf in celebration of the release of the new Ocean Wanderer Collection and film, shot by Clare James. A stunning short bursting with love, laughter and good old fashioned cold water fun. We celebrate the joys of cold water swimming, playing outside and bodyboarding on a cold, grey summer's day in Cornwall. 

The new collection is designed for women of the water who yearn to explore, swim, surf and play on these shores whenever possible whilst brightening any grey, rainy day. The new collection uses Econyl; a company creating high quality materials from regenerated nylon, such as ghost fishing nets. Econyl collect harmful plastics from landfill and oceans. 

Feeling comfortable in the skin you're in whilst wearing clothing that aims to help change our natural environment into a healthier, happier place are two things I really give a shit about. Kobe encourages girls and women to embrace our beauty and imperfections and step out with confidence whilst embracing the elements all around us.

Misplaced Memories of a Cornish Summer

Sitting with Cornwall’s autumn evening rays resting on my shoulder, I recall the heatwave of summer. The two month heatwave drawing hoards of holidaymakers to Cornish coastlines. My restlessness accumulating with every surplus second spent indoors at work, craving to share the joy of the outdoors with everyone else. Agitation prevailing, I yearned for a day off to enjoy nature’s finest; to be in the ocean, submersed under water.

El Salvador // K59

The morning of departure from our base in El Tunco arrived. We rose at 5am, set the coffee on the stove, layered up with suncream, waxed the boards, sipped at the rich caffeine filled treat swirling around in our mugs, and made our way through the quiet early morning street of El Tunco. Only the birds singing their morning songs and the dogs hauling themselves off the roadsides accompanying our morning reverie.

We surfed until 10am, right after right peeling across the line up. Smiles plastered across our faces. We only stopped because we knew if we left early enough, we might be able to squeeze in another morning surf at K59 before the arrival of the midday wind. We caught our last waves in, bidding an ‘Hasta luego amigos, nos vemos otra vez, estoy seguro!” to Dennis and his mates. We made tracks back up the volcanic sand beach where the heat of the sun had already scorched the surface. We bought our last papaya juice and quickly packed up our board bags before the heat of the day kicked in. We were ready for a ride over to the next stop on our trip.

El Salvador’s Pacific coastline is littered with limitless rocky right hand point breaks. We had researched the breaks before we arrived, reading up as much as we could about the various spots; where was heaviest (Punta Roca), which break had the busiest crowds (Tunco) and where was quietest, but we still never really knew quite what to expect.

El Salvador // El Tunco

Clare and I learnt to surf together back at university 7 or 8 years ago now. We would head down to the closest beach, mid-winter, head to toe in neoprene. Wetsuits too big. Gloves laced with holes, barely keeping our fingertips warm. We learnt to surf on the North coast, catching a ride wherever possible from the south. Neither of us had a car, it was our first year of uni, we didn’t really have a clue what we were doing but we headed out in the walls of white water anyway. I still remember running Clare clean over on my 8ft swell board as if it were only yesterday!



We swore to each other we would keep on surfing. We were hooked. The bitterly northerlies, and relentless whippings from the cold Atlantic failed to deter us. We were addicted, and from these early winter days, we both knew we were in it for the long haul. We promised ourselves, repeatedly over and over again, that we would get better. We would keep trying, keep practising, never giving up. We wanted to get out back, paddle past that great churning wall of white water the Atlantic threw at us day in, day out. We wanted to travel the world for surf, seeking out new destinations, tropical surf spots we had only read about. These goofy teenagers in their hole-ridden, rented wetsuits made a pact between themselves.

No Two Surfs Are The Same

The weekend just passed was filled with surf, a little bit of sunshine (mainly fog) and friends a plenty. We started by kicking off the Friday evening with a fun surf under the grey skies at Watergate. The following evening, the waves were supposedly smaller so I swapped the 5"6 I had been trying the previous night and took out my 6"10 mini mal at Penhale. The sea fret rolled over onto the north coast, covering the beach in a thick layer of fog.

One Day // Porto De Mos

The photos below were taken on an unforgettable day. This was from one of the shorter trips I was fortunate enough to take to the Algarve, Portugal, at the beginning of December 2017. The mornings were crisp, yet still a firm few degrees warmer than the Cornish shores around this time of year. 

We had a couple days of rain and strong winds as a large swell hit the West coast...

Portugal // A Solo Adventure

Last year, before the summer crowds descended upon Cornwall, I hopped on a short flight from Newquay to Faro for my first solo surf trip to Portugal. I left with the intention of seeking out new waves, to dust off my shorty wetsuit and feel the warmth of Portuguese sunshine on my bare skin. I was hoping for an adventure, an opportunity to explore, to eat Pastel de Nata's fresh from the bakery every morning, to stroll down cobbled streets in the warmth of an early summer evening's breeze, to wake early and surf a new break every day, and to ultimately, meet some new people along the way...