Thurso East is 'perfect stage' for Scottish Surfing Championships
Thurso East has been described as "the perfect stage" for the Scottish Surfing Championships ahead of this year's event over Easter weekend.
Scotland’s top surfers will be vying for honours, with members of North Shore Surf Club again likely to be prominent. The Thurso-based club had a clean sweep across six categories in last year's championships at Brims Ness.
Phoebe Strachan will be looking to take the open women's title for a fifth time.
Last year’s masters champion, Mark Boyd, will aim to make it three wins in a row in that category. He will also be hoping to claim his fourth open men's title after coming second to Craig McLachlan – who also won the junior category – in 2023.
Boyd said: “I'm really looking forward to competing in this year's event as there is such a high calibre of surfers coming through really pushing the level of surfing in Scotland."
Competition divisions this weekend include open men, open women, masters (over 35) and Grand Kahunas (over 50). The longboard division will take place at Pease Bay, near Dunbar, in April and the juniors will compete in Tiree later in the year.
The event is overseen by the Scottish Surfing Federation (SSF). The 2024 championships are supported by EventScotland’s National Events Programme and will be broadcast live online and on the SSF Facebook page.
SSF director Jason Simpson said: “The Scottish Surfing Championships have been going for more than 50 years now and it is always one of the highlights in the Scottish surfing calendar.
“Thurso East is an incredible location to surf and will provide excellent conditions for competition as well as a memorable spectator experience. We have a really strong field this year in all of our categories and are expecting some great rivalries.
“We are hugely grateful to all of our partners and sponsors for their support which will ensure this weekend will be a brilliant event.”
Paul Bush OBE, director of events at EventScotland, said: “EventScotland is delighted to be supporting the Scottish National Surfing Championships through our National Events Programme. Events play an important role in our communities by offering us the chance to come together and share memorable experiences while also bringing social and economic benefits.
“Thurso East will provide the perfect stage for the championships, and I wish everyone competing over the Easter weekend the best of luck.”
The championships will run from Friday until Sunday. Spectators are encouraged to watch the action from the event site or the pier.
The event is supported by Jacobs and NRS Dounreay.
This year’s championships could also act as qualification for the Scotland team in the 2025 ISA World Surfing Games.
