The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Hardy northern surfers to catch wave on screen
They are some of the w o r l d ’s hardiest surfers in a normally tanned, glamorous world of sunkissed wave riders.
Now ahead of the Paris Olympics, the challenges of Thurso in Caithness will feature in a TV programme tomorrow in a series on the world history of surfing.
Keen surfer Ceitlin Lilidh presents the documentary.
Much more than a sport to the people of Tahiti where surfing was born, it is an expression of a culture, the people of the water and the Polynesians, she will show.
While much of the rich culture and history of the Polynesian people was almost wiped out, thanks to guardians like Tom Phaku Stone the traditions of dancing on wooden boards was passed on to future generations and to the rest of the world where it is now practised by tens of millions of enthusiasts.
What was an exotic distraction for westerners vacationing in Hawaii in the early 20 th Century exploded on the west coast of America as part of the burgeoning California beach scene. It didn’t take long for surfing to reach the cold Scottish shores as a brave few donned their swimming gear and makeshift surfboards.
From the super waves of Tahiti to the winter wave challenges of Thurso and the big wave events of Nazaré in Portugal, Ms Lilidh’s journey through surfing is a story of “s p i r i t u a l i t y, sport, celebrity, fashion and of course fun,” says BBC Alba.
In Gaelic with English subtitles Surfing: Marcachd an Tuinn/Riding the Wave, will air at 9pm.
The two -par t documentary is the latest series from produ cers MacTV, co-produced with French company Yami2 and directed by Jo h n Murdo MacAulay.
Margaret Cameron, MG ALBA director of content, said: “Surfing has taken the sporting world by storm
– so much so that it has now earned its place at the Olympics.
“After making its debut appearance at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, it’s now a firm fixture in the Olympic schedule. We’re excited to share the history of surfing with audiences across the country before we keenly watch how its next chapter plays out at the Paris Olympic Games.”
The Scottish National Surfing Championships is held annually in Thurso.
The competition, which has been running since 1973, is at one of Scotland’s prime surfing spots, Thurso-East, and is overlooked by the remains of Thurso Castle.
S c o t l a n d ’s fi r s t ever national surf contest was won by Bill Batten of
Edinburgh Surf Club, one of the original pioneers from the south- east of Scotland.
He won again in 1974 and 1976, with Andy Bennetts, also of Edinburgh Surf Club, taking the title in 1975. This early dominance by south-east surfers wasn’t to last, however, and since then the majority of winners have hailed either from the north or north-east.
Ma l c o lm Findlay of Fraserburgh won in 1977 and ’ 78, before picking up two more titles in the 80s and a fifth in 1995, in a remarkably lengthy career. Ian McKay of Sandend Surf Club also won five titles between 1979 and 1987, while the late Ian Masson of Broch Surf Club won a total of seven titles between 1990 and 1998.