Being a good surfer is not all about having long, luscious hair and an extremely short board. At surf competitions such as BUCS, judges are looking for style, speed, flow, difficulty, innovation and epic manoeuvres. 360s and hanging 10s are very much encouraged. Unfortunately, as competitor Leo Tyler found out, doing a backflip whilst bailing a wave doesn’t gain you extra points.
After a ten-hour mini-bus journey full of anticipation the previous day, the Surf Club was ready to conquer some Cornish waves. On a fine Friday morning with the sun and wind kissing our faces, wetsuits were zipped and boards waxed, as the Surf Club sent it into the sea. No boots were required in Newquay, a rare luxury for North-East surfers used to brain freeze and numb toes.
The first heats for our 7 competitors began on Fistral Beach. The conditions were not ideal – strong offshore winds and minimal swell. Despite the efforts of our best male surfers, who ripped, dipped, and flipped on their waves, they failed to make it through to the next round. The boys were beaten by the smallest of decimal points against talents from universities such as Exeter, Falmouth and Plymouth.
But not to despair, our sole female competitor Tabby Vause won her heat, advancing to the next round behind the roar of NUSC on the beach! But as our luck went that weekend, the waves at Fistral were blown out by even stronger winds on the Saturday, making it incredibly hard to surf, leading to Tabby's exit in the competition.
These results did not take anything away from the weekend, as Newquay was blessed by wicked waves at various beaches, glorious sunshine, and the sweet nectar of Rattler ciders. Cornish Pasties were scoffed in abundance, an army of Toon Surf Pirates raided the nightlife of Newquay, and we made allies and foes with other University Surf Clubs such as Leeds, Liverpool, Southampton and Aberystwyth. But most importantly, probably the greatest party wave in our Surf Club’s history was caught on the Friday. It was a truly incredible sight.
It was a wonderful weekend spent with fellow University Surf Clubs across the country, a weekend anyone took part in will never forget. We will definitely be back stronger than ever next year. If you’re interested in joining the Surf Club and would like to come on some of our next surf trips around the country and abroad, get a NUSC membership for only £20 on the SU website!