Christian Surfers UK update us on their Jesus Surf Classic contest

Heather: Your organisation is called Christian Surfers UK. Who are you and why do you exist?

Phil: Christian Surfers UK is a registered charity and a member of the Evangelical Alliance. It has been reaching out to the surf community for over 15 years now.

Jayce Robinson

It's aim is simple, "To be a Christian presence and witness to the entire surfing community of the United Kingdom and Ireland". We consider the best people to fulfil this objective are the surfers themselves.

We have over 500 members from the Shetland Isles to Penzance, and from the East to the West coast of the Country. There are also around 14 core groups meeting fortnightly, or monthly.

Over the last 15 years it has been amazing to see how God has been using Christian surfers to reach the surf community. As a result we have been very encouraged to see many lives changed, and decisions made to follow Jesus and have a relationship with Him.

We also support the Christians within the surf community and are involved in other charitable work. The last two years have seen us involved in helping the Tsunami victims in Sri Lanka and we have led 5 short-term missions to the area, in conjunction with Tsunami Surf Relief UK, we have raised around £50,000, which has been used to fund numerous projects.

Heather: When I think of surfing I think of Australia, what sort of surfing community is there in the UK?

Phil: 70% of the UK and Irish coastline can be surfed and there are approximately 350,000 surfers around our coastline.

We all have many non-Christian surfing friends and one of our responsibilities in Matthew 28:19 is to go out and make disciples. We regard the beaches and skate parks of the UK and Ireland as our mission field. In John 10:10 Jesus commanded us to live life to the full and we believe we can combine our passions for Christianity and surfing in one organisation.

Surfing in this country is having a boom time at the moment, with many mainstream adverts and clothing brands jumping on the band wagon. For us this is a great opportunity to continue to reach out to this growing and exciting community.

Heather: What are the best beaches in the UK for surfing?

Phil: Everybody has their own views on this, and while some of the beach breaks are great in the South West and Cornwall, there are also some terrific breaks on the west coast of Ireland and the north coast of Scotland. Every beach on its day can be classic, but for me some of my favourite spots are on the west coast of Ireland and north of Scotland. While it is generally quite cool in these areas, the surf is worth braving the elements for!

Roger Knight

Heather: If someone wanted to start surfing, what advice could you give them and where could they go to learn the tricks of the trade?

Phil: If someone were interested in starting surfing I would first of all encourage them to give it a try. There is a phrase "only a surfer knows the feeling" and indeed, when you're sitting on your board looking back at the land you can see some amazing views of God's creation around you. Whether it is the setting sun, the wild life or just seeing the scenery from a different perspective. You also have the opportunity to ride a wave knowing it will only appear once and then die for good.