What do you do: Surf, eat, sleep, school, homework, surf….. pretty much! I’m also a Mourant Ozannes team rider for Jersey Surfboard Club, a team rider for Nutz-life, part of the Surf Solutions Grom Squad, a member of Jersey Aquatic Rescue Club oh and I like to go skateboarding with my mates!
School: Victoria College.
Favourite ice cream flavour: Chocolate.
Favourite animal: My dog Barley – she’s a leonberger.
Favourite food: Fajitas.
What would you wear to a fancy dress party: Er, probably board shorts!
Favourite surfing expression: Stoked is probably the expression I use most at the moment. There are loads you’ve only got to go down to the Splash to hear them all!
Favourite thing about Jersey: It’s the beaches and the sick surfers we have locally.
Favourite song: At the moment – Majestic Casual Mixtape (chapter one) – DJ BlueSky.
When did you start surfing: Just before I turned eight.
Where has been your favourite place in the world to surf or where would your dream place be: So far, Ribeira Grande in the Azores has been my favourite. My dream place(s) would be Hawaii (especially Jaws) and Indonesia.
You’ve just won the Under 14’s English Surfing Federations National Championships. How did you prepare for the competition and what does winning the title mean to you? I’ve done a lot of training with my UK coach Joel Gray since December and my local coach Matt Chapman. I try and put in to practice everything they teach me, especially when it comes to competition strategy. I got a new board from Ryan Herve, Nutzlife the day before the Nationals, which is longer and has more volume in it. The waves on the day were quite small and I was able to work the board harder. Winning the title was huge for me, something I never believed would happen given the competition I’m up against in my age group.
Where and when was the favourite moment in regards to surfing, so far:
Definitely the English Nationals, a couple of weeks ago in Watergate Bay and last September coming 2nd at the British Nationals in Fistral.
What’s coming up on the surfing calendar that we should be looking out for: I’ve just done a night surf competition during May Bank Holiday weekend, which was on the UK Pro Surf Tour Calendar. It was held at Fistral, Newquay and the beach was lit up with floodlights. This was a new experience for me and was great be fun. I’ve also got the Boardmasters in August and the British Nationals in September. I’m really looking forward to these as some of our best surfers in Jersey are also competing.
You’re obviously still at school, does surfing feature in your future plans?
Yeah, I’d like to work in the surf industry ideally become a pro! I don’t think I could ever be far away from the sea.
Do you have a top tip for aspiring sports people? Yeah – one of my surf instructors (George Solh) wrote on my very first board ‘you’ve got to believe it to achieve it’ – he’s right! Also train hard – practice, practice, practice….
How can people get involved in surfing in Jersey: It’s really important to learn about beach safety before you go in the water. If you’re a grom then join Jersey Surfboard’s Club Mourant Ozannes Surf Academy. Also go to one of the surf schools down at St Ouen’s Bay – they’re all really good, it just depends what part of the beach you like to hang out.
