The World Bellyboard Championship is a celebration of how surfing began in Britain more than a century ago.
Surfers of all ages gather together on Chapel Porth beach near St Agnes with wooden belly boards to ride.
Surfers from as far away as New York, Denmark and Australia have taken part in the event in previous years.
Now in its 8th consecutive year, the event is organised and hosted by the National Trust.
The event has gone truly global in recent years with entrants from Australia, New York, San Francisco and British Virgin Islands.
Robyn Davies, contest director
The celebration of all things connected with the art of traditional wooden board riding is held on the first Sunday in September.
Two friends came up with the idea for the event in 2002, to remember a holidaymaker from London, the late Arthur Traveller, who used to bring his wooden board to Chapel Porth every year.
Keen surfers Chris Ryan, who's the National Trust Car Park Attendant at the beach, and Martyn Ward, an RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor, have seen their creation take off from its small beginnings.
Robyn Davies, contest director and NT surf guru says, "The World Belly Board Championship celebrates all that is good about surfing! This event brings a communal stoke factor back to an ever growing sport.
The National Trust feel it's really important to highlight the pressures put on the coast and the beaches and what better way of doing this than by dusting down your old plywood stick, grabbing your brand new shaped model or unveiling your homemade creation and heading down the beach for a whole load of fun!"
The first surfers in Britain are believed to have been soldiers returning from the Great War in the 1900s. Stories of surfing from South Africa, Australia and Hawaii led them to copy the Hawaiian wooden 'Paipo' boards, which had no fins.
When Captain James Cook and his botanist Joseph Banks sailed into the Hawaiian Islands in 1778 they recorded sightings of natives riding waves stood on wooden boards.
Records show that it wasn't until the late 19th century that Hawaiian surfers travelled to California and ridden waves.
More info: http://www.bellyboarding.co.uk/
Thursday
Vibram Five Fingers Footwear
For those who crave the sensation of running barefoot but want the protection and grip afforded by running shoes, Fivefingers are the solution. Those who have used them are truly converted to this new way of running, feeling more in tune with nature and reaping the benefits of improved balance and agility.
Vibram Five Fingers are available from Chelston Direct.com
Five Finger footwear can be used for a variety of activities from fitness training and yoga, to running and trekking, to kayaking and sailing.
Vibram Five Fingers are available from Chelston Direct.com
Five Finger footwear can be used for a variety of activities from fitness training and yoga, to running and trekking, to kayaking and sailing.
Monday
Surfing on the Lincolnshire Coast
When thinking about surfing we think of far flung exotic beaches, not necessarily the Lincolnshire Coast.
According to the Lincolnshire Surf Club it's a growing sport with more surfers being seen in Lincolnshire.
The Lincolnshire Surf Club was established in 2006 to bring together the growing band of surf enthusiasts enjoying the Lincolnshire beaches.
These include traditional stand up surfers but also body boarders along with kite and wind surfers.
Matt Strathern from the Lincolnshire Surf Club said: "The club's primary function is to bring together like minded individuals. Lincolnshire and the North Sea isn't readily associated with surfing but with regular Northerly groundswells and prevailing SW offshore winds the conditions here can be good."
According to the Lincolnshire Surf Club it's a growing sport with more surfers being seen in Lincolnshire.
The Lincolnshire Surf Club was established in 2006 to bring together the growing band of surf enthusiasts enjoying the Lincolnshire beaches.
These include traditional stand up surfers but also body boarders along with kite and wind surfers.
Matt Strathern from the Lincolnshire Surf Club said: "The club's primary function is to bring together like minded individuals. Lincolnshire and the North Sea isn't readily associated with surfing but with regular Northerly groundswells and prevailing SW offshore winds the conditions here can be good."
Thursday
Chelston Direct Introduces New kigo footwear Styles to European Market
Chelston Direct has added kigo footwear to their offerings, becoming the first retailer in Great Britian to carry the newest style lines. kigo footwear is eco-friendly minimalist shoes that are stylish enough for everyday wear and durable enough for wet or dry athletics and outdoor activities. The company is gaining increased awareness as durable, versatile footwear, especially among active individuals.
kigo footwear shoes are designed with lightweight, water-resistant materials and a slip-free flexible outsole, which offers a protected barefoot feel when worn. The design also creates easy portability. A unique foldable outsole and compressible materials make the shoes ideal for transitional footwear, travel or sport activities.
kigo footwear shoes are designed with lightweight, water-resistant materials and a slip-free flexible outsole, which offers a protected barefoot feel when worn. The design also creates easy portability. A unique foldable outsole and compressible materials make the shoes ideal for transitional footwear, travel or sport activities.
SeaSpecs Now In Stock
The SeaSpecs Extreme Surf Sunglasses have now arrived.
All SeaSpecs come with Polarized lenses and offer 100% UVA & UVB protection.
They feature an easy adjustable and comfortable secure strap, keeping your sunglasses on your head during extreme watersports.
SeaSpecs feature a full wrap-around frame offering complete protection from sunlight and sea spray from your eyes.
Visit our shop at http://www.chelstondirect.com/seaspecs-extreme-surf-sunglasses.html
Testimonials
Owning and operating a full time surf tour operation, I surf on average between 4 and 8 hours per day, and at 29 years old I have already suffered from multiple bouts of long-term sun blindness and have a pterygium encroaching on my iris. Ever since I started wearing SeaSpecs, however, my eyes have been perfectly fine. Matt Rott at "Sidedish" - Kosrae, FSM.
What a great product! I am a 62 year old surfer and have been looking for this type of eye protection, and your SeaSpecs are perfect. Chuck MiddletonSan Onofre Beach (Dog Patch)
All SeaSpecs come with Polarized lenses and offer 100% UVA & UVB protection.
They feature an easy adjustable and comfortable secure strap, keeping your sunglasses on your head during extreme watersports.
SeaSpecs feature a full wrap-around frame offering complete protection from sunlight and sea spray from your eyes.
Visit our shop at http://www.chelstondirect.com/seaspecs-extreme-surf-sunglasses.html
Testimonials
Owning and operating a full time surf tour operation, I surf on average between 4 and 8 hours per day, and at 29 years old I have already suffered from multiple bouts of long-term sun blindness and have a pterygium encroaching on my iris. Ever since I started wearing SeaSpecs, however, my eyes have been perfectly fine. Matt Rott at "Sidedish" - Kosrae, FSM.
What a great product! I am a 62 year old surfer and have been looking for this type of eye protection, and your SeaSpecs are perfect. Chuck MiddletonSan Onofre Beach (Dog Patch)
Riding the waves in Morocco's surf capital
As Abdul Nasser Ouahad walks out of the water and up a sandy Moroccan beach the thing that stands out most on his white surf board is the word "Moor".
Morocco may not be the first place that springs to mind when one thinks of a surfing paradise.
But Mr Ouahad, in his 30s, is one of a new breed of sports entrepreneurs in the North African kingdom.
He is combining his love of the waves with the benefits that come from having a monarch who is a fan of water sports.
Abdul Nasser Ouahad learnt how to surf by joining a royal sports club "I began surfing when I was young," says Mr Ouahad, who runs Explora - one of the most popular surfing shops in the Moroccan coastal town of Essaouira.
"I joined one of the royal sports clubs here.
"In those days it was the only way of learning how to surf and being able to borrow a board."
Nowadays there are companies all along the bay of Essaouira offering tourists the chance to buy or rent all the kit needed to surf, kitesurf or windsurf at a low price.
First discovered by Europeans for its year-round waves and wind which favour different types of surfing depending on the season, the beach in Essaouira stretches the entire length of the town.
Although it has more than a mile of golden-yellow sand because of the constant wind blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean, it is not a place to lie and sunbathe for hours at a time.
The hip crowd sit in the beach-front cafes and sip soft drinks.
And the music they listen to is more likely to be Gnawa, a deep soulful sound derived from sub-Saharan Africa, than the Beach Boys.
For the last few years, the town has been cashing in on the world's surfing fraternity as the waves can vary from half a metre in summer - safe for beginners - rising to three metres in the winter.
Essaouira's winds gust from two directions, so the waves vary in size Hassan Quessan, who is the Moroccan co-ordinator of Union of Open Air Sports Centres, feels that warm weather and the safety offered by the bay has helped win Essaouira the title of "Morocco's windsurfing capital".
"We offer training for would-be kitesurfers from Europe," he says.
"But we don't only get beginners. The conditions appeal to those at an intermediary level and those with experience.
"We bring groups over from France on package holidays."
You get more help here than elsewhere because the residents of Essaouira are so friendly. Some of the profits from the water-sport tourists are channelled into getting local Moroccan children interested in the water.
Primary school groups and youngsters from orphanages are encouraged to get their first taste of the sea under the watchful eyes of trained Moroccan monitors.
They learn to swim and are taught about the marine environment as well as initiated into ecological awareness and safety.
Morocco may not be the first place that springs to mind when one thinks of a surfing paradise.
But Mr Ouahad, in his 30s, is one of a new breed of sports entrepreneurs in the North African kingdom.
He is combining his love of the waves with the benefits that come from having a monarch who is a fan of water sports.
Abdul Nasser Ouahad learnt how to surf by joining a royal sports club "I began surfing when I was young," says Mr Ouahad, who runs Explora - one of the most popular surfing shops in the Moroccan coastal town of Essaouira.
"I joined one of the royal sports clubs here.
"In those days it was the only way of learning how to surf and being able to borrow a board."
Nowadays there are companies all along the bay of Essaouira offering tourists the chance to buy or rent all the kit needed to surf, kitesurf or windsurf at a low price.
First discovered by Europeans for its year-round waves and wind which favour different types of surfing depending on the season, the beach in Essaouira stretches the entire length of the town.
Although it has more than a mile of golden-yellow sand because of the constant wind blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean, it is not a place to lie and sunbathe for hours at a time.
The hip crowd sit in the beach-front cafes and sip soft drinks.
And the music they listen to is more likely to be Gnawa, a deep soulful sound derived from sub-Saharan Africa, than the Beach Boys.
For the last few years, the town has been cashing in on the world's surfing fraternity as the waves can vary from half a metre in summer - safe for beginners - rising to three metres in the winter.
Essaouira's winds gust from two directions, so the waves vary in size Hassan Quessan, who is the Moroccan co-ordinator of Union of Open Air Sports Centres, feels that warm weather and the safety offered by the bay has helped win Essaouira the title of "Morocco's windsurfing capital".
"We offer training for would-be kitesurfers from Europe," he says.
"But we don't only get beginners. The conditions appeal to those at an intermediary level and those with experience.
"We bring groups over from France on package holidays."
You get more help here than elsewhere because the residents of Essaouira are so friendly. Some of the profits from the water-sport tourists are channelled into getting local Moroccan children interested in the water.
Primary school groups and youngsters from orphanages are encouraged to get their first taste of the sea under the watchful eyes of trained Moroccan monitors.
They learn to swim and are taught about the marine environment as well as initiated into ecological awareness and safety.
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