IMAGE:^MARTI^ LARG
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CO.UK/TRAVELScotland’s under-18 surfing champion is no stranger to breaking world records.
Now, he’s the subject of an award-winning documentary, Ride the WaveBEN LARG
How old were you when you first started surfing?
The first time I ever surfed, I was about two years old. I
was on the front of my Uncle Sam’s board, and he held
my hands and stood me up. I was seven when I started to
surf every day — my dad helped me become the surfer I
am today.
What’s the surf scene like in Scotland?
Where we live, on the Isle of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides,
is really lovely. There’s excellent surf in the summer but
winter is brilliant, too, as we get great west swells. Tiree
has become a popular spot for surfers now that we’ve
opened a surf school, Blackhouse Watersports — more
and more people come every year. Aside from the surf,
it’s just a beautiful place to visit, with white sand beaches
and crystal-clear water. More advanced surfers head to
the north of Scotland, near Thurso. There are super nice
waves up there.
You’ve gained international recognition for your
sport. What’s been your biggest achievement?
Definitely surfing Mullaghmore in Ireland, one of the
world’s best places for enormous waves. I surfed a 30ft
wave there when I was 14 years old, and was the youngest
person ever to do that. It was by far the best moment
of my life. When I came off the wave, everybody was
cheering for me. I feel I have a special connection to
Ireland now. I just love surfing there — the coastal
scenery is incredible.
What’s been your most challenging moment?
I injured myself last year, in October — I broke my foot
and dislocated the metatarsals. I missed a whole winter
of training and surfing. I was gutted. But it just meant I
had to train harder this year for a comeback.Tell us about your new documentary.
We started the filming for Ride the Wave four years
ago — I was 15 when we finished. It’s quite funny
watching myself grow up and seeing how my surfing
has progressed. The film’s really helped me to get
recognised by good surfers — I never would have had
the opportunity to go and surf waves like Mullaghmore
without the support of the director. I hope something
comes out of the project — a good sponsor or something
like that — once it’s finished at the festivals.How do you prepare for big day of surfing?
If there’s going to be a big swell, I’ll get all my vests and
my wetsuits prepared the day before, make sure they’re
all dry and organised. And I have to make sure I get a
good night’s sleep, have a good breakfast and then try
to stay calm. If you’re nervous about something and
overthink it, in my experience something bad’s probably
going to happen. That’s pretty normal with every sport.
You don’t want to be scared of a big wipeout.Which are your favourite surfing destinations
around the world?
I love France — there’s a place called Hossegor which
has amazing surf and beautiful beaches — and there
are incredible, big waves in Lanzarote. I went on a trip
to Japan one year for the World Championships. It was
amazing there and so different to what I was used to.You’re inspiring a new generation of surfers. Who
inspired you when you were first starting out?
A Scottish surfer called Mark Boyd [two-time Scottish
National Surfing Champion]. He got me into big wave
surfing. He’s a real pioneer.What’s next for you?
I was in the north of Scotland recently, surfing this big
‘slabby’ wave with a professional big wave surfer, and I’m
keen to head out to Nazaré in Portugal soon. I’d love to
surf one of those really massive monster waves — that’s
something I’m looking forward to in the future.
INTERVIEW: NORA WALLAYABen Larg, now aged 16, is the subject of the feature-length
documentary Ride the Wave (2021), directed by Martin Robertson
and available online
ridethewavedocumentary.com^ @benlargsurf0456 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
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