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...

Morwenstow // Cream Teas // Coastal Wanderings

Last October, I made a trip further up the North coast in search of new coastal walks and a change of scenery from my usual North coastal suspects.

Whipsy // Autumn Swells

This isn't my usual post. My posts are usually upbeat and celebrating all the positives about Cornwall; the ocean, health, well-being, and all the good things that come with this life here in this beautiful place I am lucky enough to call home! I have been struggling mentally, emotionally and physically the last few months, for a number of reasons.

It wasn't until this night, after having been in the water, that I felt I could write about it. After countless nights of not being able to sleep until 2am/3am in the morning, and even then, consistently waking up throughout the night; I felt I could finally put something down. 

Long Weekends On The Cornish Coast // Part II // Porthcurno // Porthchapel // Logan's Rock

The following morning, we woke bright and early to the rumbling of a farmer parking his pickup behind the van, ready to deliver his free roaming cattle with fresh supplies for the morning. I opened the van's doors to be welcomed by a view of vast, green fields laden with fresh morning dew. I filled my lungs with the scent of crisp ocean air spilling through the open doors. 

Late Spring Evenings

The bank holiday weekend just gone, treated us to a couple of days of sunshine and swell, after an arduous month of a millpond ocean.

Long Weekends On The Cornish Coast // Part I // Kynance Cove

The long Easter weekend and May Bank Holiday weekend have provided me with more than the normal two days to get out the office and go explore more of the Cornish coast I don't normally get out to visit...

A Special Day On The North Coast

A few weekends back we were treated to a lovely few days of swell here on the North coast...

Chilly Nips // New Year Dips

There's not much to say about this day... Apart from the fact that it was a particularly freezing New Year's Day.

We were all a tad hungover. I think we may have all lost the plot a little. The wind was the strongest, iciest wind that had ever blown on these Northern shores (probably not, but it bleddy felt like it!) 

So we 5 idiots (4 idiots actually; Hayley was wise and remained fully clothed behind the camera capturing these shots on film) thought it would be a great idea to change into our wetsuits, don the bellyboards, and waddle down the slipperiest of mud-soaked slopes to the beach and nearly drown ourselves on the coldest day of the year (admittedly it was the first day of the year...)

A Crisp Cornish Winter

Let's face it, surfing in the British winter (pretty much the whole of the Northern Hemisphere's winter) can be a bit much at times...

But then again, when it looks like this...

Summer Days // Watergate Bay

As you will have seen from some of my previous posts, Clare and I upped the levels of stoke this summer. Despite working long hours during the peak season down here in Cornwall, we always managed to find the time to get in the ocean. We've had our fair share of early rises before a long ass shift or a quick power surf post-work catching the last of the day's waves before the sunset, all to wipe away the stresses of the day in an attempt to make us feel human again!

Early Morning In St Ives

These photos were taken the morning after the St Ives Biathlon. We woke early, a little too early actually… 5:30am to be precise. All to escape a fine from camping in the car park overnight. Unsure where to go or where would even be open at this time in the morning we parked up at Porthminster and stumbled down to the beach. Feeling a little scraggly from the free pint of rattler given to all competitors who successfully completed the Biathlon the night before, we stumbled onto the beach for the sunrise.