Shaping is a vocation

Surfboard shaper Nigel Semmens believes that making surfboards is more than just business.

Breeding averageness

The explosion of surfing as a business has changed the surfing landscape. Ex-professional surfer Nigel Semmens feels that it has had some unintended consequences.

Not football season

Former professional surfer Nigel Semmens remembers how he didn’t immediately take to the sport of surfing.

Surfboard or holiday?

Surfboard shaper and former pro Nigel Semmens remembers getting his first board and how it involved a tough decision.

Evolution of surf boards

Surfing through the seventies and eighties, shaper and former professional surfer Nigel Semmens has seen some major changes in the sport.

First competition

Surfboard shaper Nigel Semmens had a successful career as a professional surfer. Here he remembers some of those early competitions.

Brought to tears

Former professional surfer and shaper Nigel Semmens has had a tumultuous relationship with the sport. Here he recalls being brought to tears.

Surfing ironing boards

As a former British champion surfer, Nigel Semmens remembers how surfers in the UK didn’t have access to the same quality equipment that could be found elsewhere. Semmens later became a prolific surfboard shaper.