PROFILES - AL REED

2011 V-Dub Island Surf Competition Winner

Al Reed is one of the winners of last year's V-Dub Island surf competition, as well as British Longboard Masters Champion. He'll be back in 2012, and can also be found on the V-Dub Island stage with his band Special Bunch…

Al Says:

Dad was one of the original lifeguards on the Isle of Wight in the 1950s and a real beach boy. As a result I literally grew up on the beach. In the Summer we would spend most days in the water or on the sand, swimming, diving, making sandcastles or playing cricket on the beach. He taught me how to swim and body surf without the aid of a board and it was a natural progression for me to take up stand up surfing aged 12. My sister gave me my first board for my 13th birthday, a 7ft lightning bolt pop out in yellow with a red lighting bolt on the deck. I'll never forget that board or the fun I had trying to get up and ride the waves at Sandown Bay.

Surfing became an obsession as my ability progressed and I would drop everything if there was a chance of going. Fast forward a few years and my girlfriend and I went to live in Newquay We managed to get a flat overlooking Fistral beach and made some great friends down there who we still keep in touch with. I would spend around 8hrs a day in the sea if it was at all possible and the bigger the waves the bigger the smile on my face.

When Julie got pregnant, we decided to return to the Island as both our families lived here and we felt we needed the support. It was then I started competing in surfing contests in earnest and surprised myself as to how well I actually did. Without going on about it, I have a stack of trophies, but my real inspiration was just travelling to where the decent waves were just to surf. Now I am in the masters divisions (that's over 40s) and have a few injuries which slow me down a bit though mentally I am still as gung-ho as I was at 17 and I still love to see and surf big clean waves as much as ever.

Last year I even won the British Longboard Masters Championship title, the icing on the cake for me. My Dad died this year just before his 81st birthday but I am glad he gave me the gift of playing in the sea, he was my hero and I dedicate my life to his memory.