Pip Staffieri was an ice-cream seller in Newquay. He was inspired to build a board around 1940 when he saw a picture of Hawaiian's surfing in his dentist's encyclopaedia and some time later was spurred into action after the chance vision of a beautiful wooden surfboard on a Cornish beach.
Eric Powell
Eric Powell tried belly boarding at the age of 9 in Whitley Bay. In 1962 he saw a stand-up surfer in Guernsey and decided to make his own hollow board.
Roger Mansfield
Roger Mansfield was born in Newquay. He learned to surf aged 6 and was British Surfing Champion in 1970. He curated the 'Surf's Up' exhibition in 2004 and wrote 'The Surfing Tribe - A History of British Surfing' in 2009. He is Research Consultant for 'The First Wave'.
Roger Berry
Roger Berry began belly boarding with his dad Ken in the 40s on boards they made from coffins. They saw photos of stand-up surfing in a May 1954 issue of National Geographic and crafted a hollow board without plans that winter. They were some of the first stand-up surfers in Guernsey.
Jeremy Oxenden
Jeremy Oxenden listened to the Beach Boys and started surfing when he was 3 or 4 years old. The photo is of Nigel Oxenden, Jeremy's grandfather who founded the Island Surf Club St Ouen’s Bay Jersey in 1923.
Jeremy Oxenden
Jeremy Oxenden listened to the Beach Boys and started surfing when he was 3 or 4 years old. The photo is of Nigel Oxenden, Jeremy's grandfather who founded the Island Surf Club St Ouen’s Bay Jersey in 1923.
Ian Wishart
Ian Wishart pioneered surfing in Scotland with Bill Batten and Andy Bennetts in the late 60s. Together they formed the Scottish Surfing Federation. Photo by Andy Bennetts.
Dot Long
Dot Long lives in Newquay and has been bellyboard surfing for over 50 years.
Dot Long
Dot Long lives in Newquay and has been bellyboard surfing for over 50 years.
Norman Frost
Norman Frost joined Porthtowan SLSC in the late 1950s. He founded Swell Surf Products, building surfboards that were easy to learn on. He is now a Director of Sustainable Composites, creating surfboards made of more eco-materials. He is married to Pip Frost.
Alan Duke
Alan Duke grew up in Northern Ireland. His first experience surfing was bellyboarding on an ironing board. Other people were surfing plywood boards but the first time he saw a real board was in a Colgate advert on TV.
Norman Frost
Norman Frost joined Porthtowan SLSC in the late 1950s. He founded Swell Surf Products, building surfboards that were easy to learn on. He is now a Director of Sustainable Composites, creating surfboards made of more eco-materials. He is married to Pip Frost.
Chris Jones
Chris Jones started making surfboards in Newquay in 1965 when working at the Bilbo surfboard factory. He was a competitive surfer winning the English, British and European titles in the same year.
Gwyn Haslock
One of the first women surfers in Britain Gwyn Haslock bought her first board in 1965/6 (aged 21) and surfed every weekend from then on. She had a car and drove from her home in Truro to Tolcarne in Newquay. Her first wave was caught on a 10ft board called Big Bertha.
Gwyn Haslock
One of the first women surfers in Britain Gwyn Haslock bought her first board in 1965/6 (aged 21) and surfed every weekend from then on. She had a car and drove from her home in Truro to Tolcarne in Newquay. Her first wave was caught on a 10ft board called Big Bertha.
Pete Ash
Pete Ash moved to Cornwall in the late 1960s aged 12. He got into surfing through his father who had been posted to Australia during the war and brought boards and surfing ideas back to postwar Britain.
Dave Griffin
Dave Griffin and his friends were some of the first people to regularly surf in St Ives. They began in the early 60s as teenagers, partly inspired by the st Ives Surf Life Saving Club.