Carve Magazine Issue 226

Two of Britains best para surfers have set up fundraisers cover the cost of competing internationally.

Peg Bennett missed some comps last year due to the costs.
“With what I have spent on competition so far and looking at the year ahead to do all the competitions I really need to it will be around 8.5K . To do all of the tour competitions this year would be around 15k.

“Last year I missed out on representing England at the ISA world championships due to a last minute invitation onto the team and a lack of time to raise the funds .

“I have already attended two events France (Brittany) and Portugal (Algarve) of the Para Surf League world tour 2024/25 and would love to attend the final 2 in Peru (Lima) and Spain (Câdiz). As part of Team England we are hoping to attend the European Para Surf Championships in September ( date and venue still to be confirmed) and the ISA World Para Surf Championships (date and venue still to be confirmed).

Added to this the added cost of specialised equipment such as boards, surf prosthetics and such it is becoming harder and harder to actually compete at the level I want to.”

I have a just giving page set up and any and all help is much appreciated.

Zoe Smith is a Para Stand 2 athlete (below-knee amputee) representing Surfing England, current ISA World Champion, a British Champion, and a two-time English Nationals Champion.

“Competing at an elite level in adaptive surfing comes with significant costs, including:
• Specialist Surfing Equipment – Custom surfboards suited to different event conditions.
• Prosthetic Maintenance – My surfing prosthetic costs £11,500, with annual maintenance expenses of £3,000–£5,000. A single liner costs £600 and lasts 2–3 months.
• Coaching & Support – My coach travels with me to provide essential therapeutic treatment and assist with heavy equipment.
• Travel & Accommodation – Flights and accommodation for international competitions and training.
• Training & Coaching Costs – Regular training sessions to stay at the top of my game.

“I am seeking sponsorship and fundraising support to help me continue competing at the highest level, representing the UK on the world stage. Any support, big or small, will help me reach my goals and inspire the next generation of adaptive surfers.”

Making waves this spring, SURF! opens at National Maritime Museum Cornwall – a major new exhibition exploring the history and cultural impact of surfing in Cornwall.

Celebrating the culture, craft, art and activism of Cornwall’s surf scene, the exhibition documents a century of Cornish waveriding. From the wooden bellyboards of the 1920s made by local coffin makers, to charismatic stand-up surf pioneers of the 1930s and 1940s, through to the birth of the surf industry in the 1960s, iconic longboard artworks in the 2000s, to the para surfing World Champions of today, SURF! provides a unique deep-dive into how Cornwall has evolved into ‘the California of the UK’, becoming a breeding ground for world champion surfers and multiple creative industries, from board-building to wetsuit production, magazine media to filmmaking and fashion.

Surfers in Bude in 1950 Photo: Alex Williams collection SURF NMMC

Curated by surf academic Dr. Sam Bleakley, the object-rich exhibition will feature a vast array of artefacts with exciting human stories and hidden histories sourced from private collections around the UK. Many of the objects, including some of the world’s most valuable surfboards, original tools, photographs, videos and artwork, have never before been on public display.

Highlights include 100 surfboards that collectively tell the story of 100 years of Cornish waveriding, from early 4-foot wooden bellyboards to pioneering eco and adaptive boards of the future. Among them will be boards that have played a key role in Cornish surfing history, including those used by global surfing champions, such as Robyn Davies, Pegleg Bennett, Charlotte Banfield and Ben Skinner. Measuring in at an impressive 37-feet, the original record-setting world’s biggest surfboard will be displayed, able to carry 15 surfers at any one time. A testimony to the impact of surfing on culture more broadly, there will also be a display of original artboards, including the first-ever public exhibition of Damian Hirst’s stunning butterfly board on loan from the Maia Norman collection. Other artboards from renowned artists, such as Polly Morgan, Paul Smith, Julian Schnabel and Nina Blake, will also be featured, alongside a beautiful poetry-engraved wooden board from award-winning Cornish boardmaker James Otter.

BSA women’s surf club Photo: Ester-Spears BSA, courtesy of Alex Williams collection SURF NMMC

Harking back to the surf industry’s emergence in the 1960s, audiences will be invited to step inside a recreation of Newquay’s original Bilbo Surf Shop, a hub of the Cornish surf scene, before peeping into an original 1965 VW Transporter campervan brought to life with the sounds and smells of the 60s. Further surf ephemera will include a selection of iconic surf posters from the past 100 years, spanning everything from sport to travel and tourism to cinema; a selection of vintage swimwear and wetsuits from the 1930s-1960; an array of surf magazines; iconic vintage surf photography. There will also be a presentation of the first and only surf film narrated in Cornish, made by musician, filmmaker and champion bodyboarder, Mickey Smith.

As well as surf culture and aesthetics, the exhibition will also explore the politics of surfing. While tensions once existed between surfing and wider tourism, with surfing banned on some Cornish beaches (thought to attract the ‘wrong kind’ of tourist), today waveriding is hugely significant to Cornwall, generating £150 million per year for the county. Surfing is also playing a key role in driving blue health and surf therapy initiatives, as well as environmental activism.
Cascading into the exhibition space will be a specially commissioned six-metre wave sculpture by artist Abigail Falls, made of recycled plastic bottles, a homage to Cornish marine conservation charity Surfers Against Sewage and their work fighting to protect the oceans.

Izzy Henshall Photo: Luke Gartside SURF NMMC

Running until 2027, SURF! is a celebration of a unique pastime that has transformed Cornwall over a hundred years into a place of aspiration, art, and the buzz of the new. The exhibition will be accompanied by an ambitious programme including Museum Lates, lectures, film events, and surf art and craft workshops. Sam Bleakley, surf academic and curator of SURF!, said: “Cornwall has been shaped by the ‘cool’ of surfing for over 100 years. With its convoluted coastline, wide open to Atlantic swells, the region has become a breeding ground for blue health, art and activism. Cornish surfers were pivotal in founding Surfers Against Sewage in 1990 and in 2010, the NHS piloted the world’s first surf therapy programme in Cornwall, The Wave Project, which helped progress world champion para-surfers like Charlotte Banfield. It is no longer simply surfers against sewage, but surfers for sustainability and for public health, spearheaded by the blue health movement that calls for us all to reconnect with ocean-based activities and keep our shared coastline clean. SURF! will not only be an inspiring journey through Cornwall’s surfing heritage, but a sensory feast, celebrating the enormous impact of waveriding in Cornwall”.

Grishka Roberts Photo: Alex Williams SURF NMMC

Richard Doughty, Director of National Maritime Museum Cornwall, said: “SURF! explores how surfing has shaped Cornwall’s coastal communities and perceptions of Cornwall’s identity, how it is challenging stereotypes of disability and how it is changing public attitudes to water safety and the marine environment. At its core, the exhibition extends and deepens our commitment to genuine cultural co-creation, platforming different and diverse stories which celebrate the rich cultural, social, and environmental impact of surfing in Cornwall, as an innovative form of sustainable leisure, tourism, fashion and blue health.”

Grab a copy of the latest issue of Carve, issue 226 for more on the exhibition.

Tya Zebrowski has just extended her contract with Rip Curl until 2028. The young French surfer, who will celebrate her 14th birthday on March 9, is one of the brightest prospects in both European and global surfing.

“I’m so excited for this new adventure with you, all the way to the Los Angeles Olympics and beyond. Thankyou for giving me wings to fly, for fueling the fire inside me. The best is yet to come… More search, more fun,and the dream tour (aka the CT) ahead!” said Tya Zebrowski after signing her contract extension.

Since its inception, Rip Curl has been dedicated to supporting young surfers. The brand launched theGromSearch in 1999—a global event showcasing young surfing talent across seven regions worldwide. Thecompetition culminates in an international final, bringing together the champions from each region. A truelaunching pad for future global stars of the sport, it has seen surfers like Gabriel Medina, Italo Ferreira,Stephanie Gilmore, and Tyler Wright, all finalists in this prestigious competition. Tya Zebrowski won theEuropean GromSearch final in 2024.

This talented surfer, with roots in both Landes and Tahiti, also benefits from Rip Curl’s international support, including access to world-class facilities and coaching. In January, during the first event of the ChampionshipTour at the legendary Pipeline wave, she stayed at the Rip Curl Pipe House to train on the waves of Hawaii’sNorth Shore, alongside Molly Picklum, Tyler Wright, George Pittar, and Samuel Pupo, all members of the WorldChampionship Tour.

“Since I was 9 years old, you’ve been by my side. The trust you’ve given me is so much more than just a sponsorship—it’s a true surfing family. A solid support system that pushes me to give my very best. A team manager who’s always there, always caring, guiding me through every wave” , she added.

“We are proud and thrilled to extend our partnership with Tya. Even though she is still very young, her progress in the past few months has been remarkable. She aims for very big goals, and it’s crucial that she feels supported and can fully focus on her athletic career,” said Yann Martin, Team Manager Europe at Rip Curl.

In 2024, the young surfer claimed victory in three Qualifying Series events – the circuit that allows surfers to earn points to qualify for the CT – in just two months: Newquay in England, Pantin in Spain, and Anglet in France. Her win in Anglet came right after her triumph in the Rip Curl GromSearch U16 category and the Surf de Nuit event.

Following that, during her very first Challenger Series event (the gateway to the World Tour) in Ericeira, Portugal, in October 2024, she secured an impressive second place, losing only to Australian Sally Fitzgibbons.

With this contract extension, Rip Curl reaffirms its commitment to supporting the most promising young talents in surfing. Tya Zebrowski embodies the future of the sport, and Rip Curl is proud to stand by her side on this incredible journey.