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Australian born surfer and shaper Chops Lascelles was already a familiar face on the Queensland competition scene before he arrived in Cornwall in the early seventies. Here he describes his first experience competing in the UK.

Discovering Newcastle

Chops Lascelles recalls competing in waves all over Britain in the early days. He thinks it’s a shame that competitions travel less now.

How did they turn them?

Chops Lascelles started shaping boards in Britain after being exposed to the business through his brother, a board shaper back in Australia. Here he describes how he made his first boards…

Wild West

Chops Lascelles recalls how arriving in Cornwall in the early 70s felt like being on the frontier, but he soon fitted into the emerging surf scene and was very much part of it as it changed over the following decades.

Cardboard wetsuits

Chops Lascelles moved to Perranporth from Australia in 1974 - he was shocked by the UK’s much colder water and the wetsuits weren't really up to scratch. He considers here how far wetsuit technology has advanced and how it has changed the sport.