Cornwall beach hosts postponed English surfing championships

This year's English National Surfing Championships are finally taking place in Cornwall.

Having been postponed due to Covid, the three-day competition at Watergate Bay near Newquay will see 160 surfers competing for medals over 15 divisions.

Surfing was in the Olympics for the first time at this summer's games in Tokyo - and interest in the sport is growing all the time.

Hannah Brand, from Surfing England, said: "It is fiercely competitive. It's a friendly rivalry, but at the end of the day there are big titles at stake.

"For some people there are sponsorship agreements waiting on this, and also places in Team England and places in the British team. So it does have a huge importance to it.

"Being in the ocean is hugely exciting. It's unpredictable, you don't know when the waves are coming, where they're coming. It's wild."

The competition continues over the weekend. At the the end, the podium places will be decided and medals handed out.

Seth Morris from Pembrokeshire in Wales is a veteran of competitive surfing.

"I've competed here quite a lot, it's a great beach for competition," he said.

"They've got consistent waves, there are plenty of waves on offer this weekend."