Alastair Mennie

Big-Wave Surfing (Paddle In)

I didn’t plan to become a big wave surfer or even realise I was becoming one. It was a natural progression, something that seemed normal to me.

I remember sitting watching a big wave surf film when I was 13 with my brother and saying “I want to be able to surf one of those waves some day - one of those big 30 footers”. It became a reality for me. I love big stormy seas. Living in Castlerock made it necessary for me to paddle through and deal with big lines of white-water before being able to catch a wave ‘out the back' So, getting beaten around by waves at a young age was something I was used to. I gradually surfed bigger and bigger waves all through my teens at all the places I knew of but it wasn’t until I turned 22 that I really took a huge step out of my comfort zone. I made my first trip to Mavericks then and from that moment forward I realised those giant waves exist at home and I wanted to ride them.