Team Rider: Chris Webb

It all began for me growing up in the NE of England. I grew up in a village called Tynemouth, always in sight of the sea but completely unaware of a hardcore surf scene within the village. It wasn’t until a family holiday to Cornwall that I was introduced to riding waves.

I was instantly hooked & got my first surfboard in late 1986 followed by a Swell Bodyboard, I divided my time in the water between the two. I was fortunate enough to start surfing with a group of very competitive lads and very accomplished local surfers. We skated on flat days and chased down any ripple the North Sea could throw our way.

I am still yet to travel extensively but I have travelled to Hossegor in the south Of France several times.My family moved to North Devon in 1991 and Croyde became my local surf spot. This is where I started to experiment with many different forms of wave riding. I rode shortboards, longboards & bodyboards, any excuse to be in the water, especially those heaving Croyde low tide barrels.

I spent many winters away travelling during my time in North Devon, visiting the shores of Central America, North & South Africa, Indonesia and throughout Europe, sampling some of the world's best surfing spots.

Competition has also been a huge part of surfing for me, enabling me to travel to new surf spots. I have been lucky to see the best surfers first hand and to test my own competitive goals. Travel is something I have been into since a lad in the NE.

Long boarding has been my main discipline and I have been competing since 1995. I’ve surfed in the Hotdoggers surf club league since 1998, which I won in my first year & the BLU (British Longboard Union) reaching several finals and having my best end of year ratings in 2004 finishing 4th & in 2010 finishing 8th. I have also competed internationally at the Biarritz surf festival, against the worlds best. An amazing experience.

In 2002 the opportunity arose to do a degree course at Cornwall Collage. I headed west, settling in Portreath & escaping the increasing crowds of North Devon.

I still surf every kind of craft. When its tiny I am on my 9’6” log or 4’3” fish, head high & peeling it is the 5’10” quad fish or 6’2” thruster. When the surf gets overhead, ledging, shore breaks or reefs then I’m on my 41.5” bodyboard, there are no boundaries. The right kit for the conditions.

When I was a kid and went to the park I didn’t just play on the swings or the slide or see-saw, I played on everything & that’s how I view riding waves. Whatever the craft, I am out there! I am as passionate about wave riding today as when I was a boy, freezing my butt off in the North sea.