THE SURFER
“What’s on my Christmas list? A long swell and a light offshore wind to smooth out the sea’s surface,” says Nick Tiscoe, 39, from Newquay, Cornwall.
His Christmas Day is first spent shepherding doughty dippers from the nearby Scarlet Hotel in Mawgan Porth, then he dons a thick wetsuit, hood, boots – even gloves sometimes – to hit the icy waves with his board.
“It honestly doesn’t feel too cold,” he says. “I feel more sorry for the morning’s swimmers who are just out in thin costumes and a Santa hat. I surf every day of the year, so I have all the kit and stay warm whatever the sea temperature.
“If conditions are good, there’ll be quite a few surfers out – especially if they’ve got a new board or wetsuit for Christmas and are itching to try them out.
“Surfers are quite a selfish lot – like me, they can surf all day, but you do find on the 25th that the family pulls quite a lot of them home. Boxing Day on Fistral Beach, however, can be really busy – people feel they’re off the hook.”
Pro surfer and coach Tiscoe, who runs The Surf Club Cornwall in Mawgan Porth, is lyrical about the appeal of being out on the sea. “It’s an amazing feeling,” he says. “You’re at one with nature, away from all the stresses of modern life – politics, the digital world – and it’s all free. Winter can be great on the Atlantic.”
Before you feel sorry for Tiscoe’s wife, Maddie, he does atone when he finally gets home. “I used to be a chef, so I’m hands-on when it comes to making the Christmas meal – even though it has to be timed around the tide tables!”
thesurfclubcornwall. co.uk