Scottish Longboard Surfing Competition – Nationals and Lowland Championships
Last weekend we celebrated longboarding in a big way at Pease Bay during the Scottish National and Lowland Longboard Championships.
This was the first time the Scottish Surfing Federation had held a separate Scottish Longboard Nationals away from Thurso. It was a brave decision and it paid off. The event attracted the largest entry ever for a national longboarding competition in Scotland, with 47 competitors in the national event alone.
Even better, the weekend saw the highest number of female and junior longboarders ever competing in Scotland.
Changing Surf Conditions at Pease Bay
Competitors arrived on Saturday morning to a very typical east coast forecast. The surf chart suggested a mix of poor and good conditions throughout the weekend.
Over the two days the waves ranged from a 1ft messy swell, which forced a temporary pause in the competition, to clean A-frame waves in the 2–3ft range.
This meant surfers had to adapt quickly as conditions changed. Many heats were about surviving tricky waves and finding the best opportunities. By the time the finals arrived in the evening, the surf had improved and provided the best conditions of the weekend.
Junior Longboard Finals
The girls under 18 final was one of the closest heats of the entire competition.
Sixteen year old Sylvie Christopherson (Belhaven Surf Club) led early with smooth surfing, flowing turns and confident cross stepping. Midway through the heat Rosie Moore (BHSC), aged 14, moved into the lead with two well chosen waves and stylish footwork.
However, on the final wave of the heat Annie Herd (EBSC, 17) delivered the longest and most complete ride to take the win. In the end only 0.4 points separated first and third place, showing just how tight the competition was.
Annie now has the opportunity to represent Scotland at the European Junior Championships in Portugal later this year.
The boys under 18 final was equally competitive. Tam Hood (BHSC), Charlie Pugh (BHSC), Ansel Parkin (BHSC) and Fin Clark (EBSC) produced some of the best surfing of the weekend.
The heat featured powerful cutbacks, floaters, cross stepping and even a few hang fives. In the end Fin Clark’s local knowledge of Pease Bay helped him secure the win, with Tam finishing second, Ansel third and Charlie fourth.
Considering many of these juniors only started longboarding properly in 2023, the level of surfing was extremely impressive.
Scottish Women’s Longboard Final
The women’s division crowned a brand new Scottish longboard champion, as this category had recently been introduced to the national championships.
Megan Mackay (Aberdeen Surf Club) continued her excellent form from earlier rounds. She chose the best waves and combined smooth turns with confident cross stepping to take the title.
Iona Turner (BHSC) finished second after a strong performance, while Hannah Sharp (BHSC) placed third and Ingrid Morrison (OSC) finished fourth.
The standard of the women’s surfing was widely recognised as the highest ever seen in a Scottish longboard final.
Scottish Men’s Longboard Final
The men’s final created a classic contest between experience and youth.
Juniors Ansel Parkin and Fin Clark faced experienced surfers Fraser Reid from Fife and Sam Christopherson (BHSC).
The younger surfers held their own, and Ansel delivered one of the standout moments of the event. His perfectly timed hang five in a critical section of the wave secured the title at only 15 years old, making him the first junior to win the Scottish men’s longboard championship.
Fin Clark finished second, with Sam Christopherson third and Fraser Reid fourth.
The Lowland Longboard Championship
To keep the welcoming atmosphere of longboarding alive, organisers also ran the Lowland Longboard Championship alongside the national event.
This allowed international surfers to compete alongside Scottish competitors.
The men’s international field produced the highest standard of competitive longboarding ever seen in Scotland, with surfers travelling from the USA, the Netherlands, New Zealand, England and even Slovakia.
In the women’s Lowland final, Scottish surfers dominated the podium. Megan Mackay secured her second title of the weekend, followed by Hannah Sharp in second, Iona Turner in third and Rachel Kimbell-Jack in fourth.
The men’s Lowland final saw two international standouts put on a spectacular performance. Billy Ansty from Newcastle won the event with a brilliant display of classic longboarding, including cross stepping, fades, hang tens and even a barrel on his final wave.
Johannes Meijer from the Netherlands, last year’s champion, finished a close second after another impressive performance.
A Weekend to Remember
The competition ended with sunshine, clean waves and a fantastic display of longboarding.
With the level of junior talent coming through, the future of Scottish longboard surfing looks incredibly bright.
Thank You to Everyone Involved
A special thank you goes to Dan and Iain (BHSC) and Brendan (SSF) for their organisation and energy throughout the event.
Thanks also to the judging team, the St Andrews crew, event stewards Jo, Kirsty and Stewart (BHSC), and beach lifeguards Martin and Owen (EBSC). A big thank you as well to Mal Anderson for filming the full competition.
Finally, we would like to thank the sponsors who helped make the event possible: Finisterre, Vision Events, Coast to Coast Surf School, Lost Shore, FAR Cabinet Makers and Verdant Leisure.
All photos below are credited to Mal Anderson.
