Santa Cruz Shootout, Rest Bay, Porthcawl

Anybody wishing to see how four of the world’s best professional surfers – fresh from 10-ft Hawaiian breaks – adjust to British conditions should get themselves to Porthcawl, Wales this weekend. The “Santa Cruz Shootout” will see Matt Archbold, Shaun “Barney” Barron, Matt “Rat” Schrodetz, and Ford Archbold take to the waves at Rest Bay, Porthcawl on Saturday, in a contest whose winner will secure a trip to Hawaii.

The event is being run by Santa Cruz in conjunction with Simon Tucker, four times British Surfing Champion. Tucker’s Surfing Academy at Rest Bay teaches everyone from beginners to experts, and another well-known Porthcawl local, surfer and writer Tom Anderson (whose Riding the Magic Carpet has just been published), is set to be one of those pitting his abilities against ultra-rippers Archbold & co.

“Conditions are small at the moment, but we’re expecting decent surf over the weekend,” says Anderson, who went surfing with Archbold earlier this week. Archbold, who hails from San Clemente, California, is commonly regarded as one of the most innovative, aggressive and inventive surfers on the planet. “Even in small Welsh summer surf, he was tearing it up,” confirms Anderson.

For more information on Santa Cruz see www.scskate.com. The Simon Tucker Surfing Academy is on http://www.strongbox.uk.com/tucker