I’m originally from Devon. Growing up there I remember the smell of tomato plants in my grandparents greenhouse, exploring icy rock pools, the drive home from all day on the beach and feeling knocked out by the salty air. The taste of scones and jam and my first sip of local cider in my teens!
I first got into surfing around the age of 10 I used to watch my father and my “cool” cousin Tim on their long boards and think one day I’m going to be like them.
My local break now is Llangenith in Gower South Wales. I moved here for work 5 years ago and fell in love with its empty beaches and endless breaks all over the peninsular. The locals scene here is super friendly and unpretentious.
The best thing about living in Wales truly are the people. I have made friends here that I can call family. Also I feel I’m getting away with robbery when you pay for a pint! Cost of living here and the work life balance is a big thing.
My day job I work In medical aesthetics for a private cosmetic clinic so my day can vary from phlebotomy work within theatre to resurfacing and correcting skin issues with lasers. I love the variety my Job offers and the different types of patients I work with. A typical day for me would be first thing taking my dog for a run on the beach I’m lucky to live ten mins from my local break so I then can have a quick surf before work!
Keeping fit and healthy is really important to me I try to add variety. I’m not really a fan of gyms so I try to take my fitness outside. I do yoga everyday and sometimes anywhere I can even if it’s 10 minutes so I can stretch out my muscles and keep them flexible as I find this really helps with preventing injuries in the surf. On flat or blown out days I love to take out my mountain bike and ride the local trails my dog always comes along too so it’s great cardio for the both of us!
My favourite foods to eat have to be curry I love curry it’s definitely a Welsh thing which I totally had to embrace! I’m nearly 3 years vegan so I’m always experimenting in the kitchen with different ingredients and alternatives. The one food I could happily survive on it’s peanut butter, I love it on celery.
Tunes I listen to before a surf really depend on my mood if it’s a big choppy winter session I need to get pumped for I would listen to something upbeat like funky house and if it’s a small summer session I love Metronomy and Arcade Fire.
My guilty pleasure is coffee. It has to be good fresh coffee. I take great pleasure in making myself a proper filter coffee first thing even if it’s 5am it’s like a ritual and sets me up for the day.
Finally if I could have one superpower it would be to talk to animals…well my dog Bodhi so I could ring him when I’m at work to see how he is ha,ha!
