Aerial view of surfers in Cornwall for International Surfing Day

© Matt Cooper/Gallery Stoc

Surf’s up. Everybody's gone surfin'... Surfin' Cornwall

We're riding the waves in Cornwall for International Surfing Day, an unofficial event held annually on the third Saturday of June celebrating the sport of surfing, surf culture and the sustainability of ocean resources. Cornwall is considered the surf capital of the UK. Both the north and south coasts catch plenty of swell from the Atlantic, drawing newbies and professionals with waves to suit all abilities. It's said that the surfing boom took off here when four young Australian lifeguards brought their new fibreglass boards to Newquay in 1962. They sailed from Sydney in search of work, but in their time off they amazed locals, who were still on wooden boards, with their surfing skills, sparking a surf culture in the south-west of England.