
A short movie from Friday afternoon at Compton Bay.
Sep 05, 2010 | Categories: Surf Blogs, Surf Videos, The Noughties | Tags: "jason swain", 360, 360 degrees, aerial, air, blackley, Chris Mannion, compton, Compton Bay, Freshwater, freshwater bay, history, IOW, IOW Surf Club, Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Surf Club, joe truman, longboard, mal, mini mal, MOVIE, paul blackley, people, Ross Williams, Scot Gardner, stoked, surf, surfboard, Surfer, surfing, swell, The Noughties, video, waves, wetsuit, wightsurfhistory | Leave A Comment »

Friday saw the peak of the swell and Compton became as busy as I’ve seen it in a long time. A lovely glassy early morning with many of the girls getting their fair share of the waves and one guy out with a very old school, looking belly board. Joe Truman grabbed a few nice ones as did Andrew Tyrrell amongst others too.
Sep 05, 2010 | Categories: Surf Blogs, Surf Videos, The Noughties | Tags: Andrew Tyrrell, blackley, blog, compton, Compton Bay, Girl, Girls, history, IOW, IOW Surf Club, Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Surf Club, joe truman, longboard, paul blackley, people, photo, photographs, stoked, surf, surfboard, Surfer, surfing, swell, The Noughties, waves, wetsuit, wightsurfhistory | Leave A Comment »

South coast surfers spend long flat summer days dreaming of September swells arriving from far-off tropical storms and hurricanes
Sep 03, 2010 | Categories: Surf Blogs, The Noughties | Tags: "jason swain", back-light, back-lit, blog, compton, Compton Bay, history, IOW, IOW Surf Club, Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Surf Club, joe truman, longboard, Paddle Board, Paddle Boarder, people, photo, Sept, September, silhouette, stoked, SUP, surf, surfboard, Surfer, surfing, swell, Swell lines, The Noughties, waves, wetsuit, wightsurfhistory, wipe, Wipe out, Wipeout | Leave A Comment »

The start of September and we have a lovely little swell to get us all back into water. This morning I got up early and was in the water before 6am, although not first in the water as 5 guys went running past me at speed desperate for waves. Still a little wait between sets but like they say, ‘good things come to those who wait’. Shaun Jones came down with a jet ski to practice some tow in surfing. Keep practicing Shaun, at least it kept us amused, in between sets.
Sep 03, 2010 | Categories: Surf Blogs, Surf Videos, The Noughties | Tags: blackley, blog, compton, Compton Bay, history, IOW, IOW Surf Club, Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Surf Club, joe truman, longboard, out, Paddle Board, Paddle Boarder, paul blackley, people, photo, Sept, September, stoked, surf, surfboard, Surfer, surfing, swell, Swell lines, The Noughties, Toby, waves, wetsuit, wightsurfhistory, wipe, Wipe out, Wipeout | Leave A Comment »

I have been told a story about Paul Taylor, Dave Grey & Chris Salter once doing a trip to the west country. At the end of the trip and time to think about returning home they realised that they were all skint, totally penniless. The boys soon came to the conclusion that the only way [...]
Sep 01, 2010 | Categories: Surf Trips, The Seventies | Tags: 1970's, 70, 70's, archive, Chris, Chris Salter, Christopher, Christopher Salter, compton, Compton Bay, Cornwall, Dave, Dave Grey, Gray, Grey, Home, IOW, IOW Surf Club, Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Surf Club, Money, Paul, Paul Taylor, people, photo, photographs, Sale, Salter, Sold, stoked, surf, Surf Trip, Surfer, surfing, Tayler, Taylor, The Seventies, waves, West, West Country, wetsuit, wightsurfhistory | Leave A Comment »

Soon after this Al was surfing Porthleven with Dean Winter when he went too deep and got smashed into the reef. Al ended up quite battered and bruised and with broken ribs. A Pregnant Julie and Al had already decided to move back to the Island and at that point Al was desperate to get as much surfing in before they left. So even with broken ribs and feeling quite sore Al continued to surf, paddling into waves with one arm until they left for the Island.
Aug 18, 2010 | Categories: Surfer Profiles | Tags: 1950's, 2cv, 4 fin drive, 60’s stylemasters, Al Reed, alan reed, aMY rEED, archive, Ataxia, Ataxia type 6, Bare Knuckle Boxer, Bare Knuckle Boxing, Barney, Barnstormers, Barrels, Beau Young, Bert, Bert Spencer, Blackthorn, Blackthorn Cider, Brighstone, broken ribs, Captain, Catweasle, Cerri Williams, Chapter, Chris Jones, chronic pancreatitis, Cider, Clean, Commodore, compton, Compton Bay, Cornwall, Corset, Custard Point, Dave Gray, Dave Grey, Dean Winter, Duane Desoto, DVD, East Cowes, East Wittering, Fistral, Freshwater, freshwater bay, Glassy, Grange Chine, Guy Leverton, history, Hotdoggers, hypothermia, In The Sun, interclub championships, IOW, IOW Surf Club, Island Myland, Island surf movies, Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Ferries, Isle of Wight Surf Club, Israel Paskowitz, Jeremy Robinson, Jill Fryer, Joel Tudor, Johnny Fryer, Julie Reed, Ladies Hotdoggers Team, largest ever surfboard, Les Reed, Lifeguard, lifeguards, Lifestyle, Lightning Bolt, Log, longboard, M.M.Y., Mark Neville, Marsh Mellow Yellow, Martin Spencer, MMY, Mohawk, Mount Wise, MOVIE, movies, Naby, Nat Young, Navy, Newquay, Newquay Surf Board Company, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Nodes Hill Holiday Park, North East, North Fistral, Nose Rider, Ocean Magic, Offshore Sports, Olive Saunders, Only fools and horses, Oxbow, Oxbow Longboard European Tour, pancreatitis, people, Perranporth, photo, photographs, Popout, Porthleven, portrait, Prince of Wales, Prince of Wales Pub, punk, punk rock, punk rocker, Quad Fin, Ray Hutchings, Record Breakers, reef, Robert Weaver, Robert ‘Wingnut’ Weaver, Roger Butler, Roger Mansfield, Russell Winter, Sailing Regattas, Sam Lamiroy, Sandown Bay, Saunton, session, sessions, Shanklin Pier, Shore Surf Club, Sid Vicious, South Coast Championships, South Fistral, Spencer Morgan, Spiked, Spikes, Sponsored, Steve Winter, stoked, surf, surf movies, Surf Trip, surfboard, Surfer, surfing, Susan Reed, swell, swells, Takuji Masuda, thruster, Tristan May, TV12, UK Nose Riding Championships, UK2K, Vit Sea, Vitamin Sea, Wales, waves, wetsuit, wightlink, Wightlink Ferries, Wightlink Ferry, wightsurfhistory, Wingnut, Winter | Leave A Comment »

Isle of Wight Surf Club movie made in the very early 1970′s by Annie Macpherson
Footage from Compton, Niton and Freshwater Bay starring Roger Cooper, Dave Salero, Roger Backhouse, Dougie Saunders, Sid Pitman, Keith Williams, Tony Macpherson, Pete Brown, Magic ‘Cosmic’ Surf, Dave Jacobs, Brian Hill and others.
Aug 15, 2010 | Categories: Surf Videos, The Seventies | Tags: 1970, 1970's, 1971, 1972, 70's, Annie Macpherson, archive, Brian Hill, Castle Haven, compton, Compton Bay, Dave Jacobs, Dave Salero, Dougie Saunders, Freshwater, freshwater bay, history, IOW, IOW Surf Club, Island, Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Surf Club, Keith Williams, longboard, Magic 'Cosmic' Surf, niton, people, Pete Brown, preview, Roger Backhouse, roger cooper, Sid Pitman, stoked, surf, Surf Club, surfboard, Surfer, surfers, surfing, Tony Macpherson, waves, wight, Wight Surf History, wightsurfhistory, wightsurfhistory.co.uk | Leave A Comment »

Al Reed in the County Press for his 3rd place in the 60′s Stylemasters
Aug 09, 2010 | Categories: In Print | Tags: 40, 60's Stylemasters, Al Reed, alan reed, archive, Arreton, Black Da Cat, board, compton, Compton Bay, county press, Da Cat#, Freshwater, freshwater bay, history, IOW, IOW Surf Club, Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight County Press, Isle of Wight County Press Newspaper, Isle of Wight Surf Club, isle of wightr county press, longboard, Mickey Dora, Mickey Dora Black Da Cat, newspaper, North Devon, people, photographs, portrait, Rich Emerson, Rob Wright, Saunton, stoked, surf, Surf Trip, surfboard, Surfer, surfing, The Nineties, The Noughties, waves, wightlink, wightsurfhistory | Leave A Comment »

A great shot of Lennie Parker was used in the Isle of Wight – Island breaks 2000 official guide. Len now lives in Florida but regularly gets back to the Island and catches up with a family and friends.
Jul 15, 2010 | Categories: In Print, The Noughties | Tags: archive, compton, Compton Bay, Freshwater, freshwater bay, history, IOW, Isle of Wight, Len, Len Parker, Lennie, Lennie Parker, longboard, Parker, people, photo, photographs, stoked, surf, surfboard, Surfer, surfing, The Noughties, waves | Leave A Comment »

During the early sixties it wasn’t just the boys enjoying the waves, there were some pretty hardcore girls surfing on the Island with no wetsuits or leashes too.
Mar 29, 2010 | Categories: The Sixties | Tags: 1960, 1965, 1967, 1968, 60, 60's, Aston Martin, Atlantic, Atlantic Coast, Bournmouth, Bude, Champion, compton, Constantine, Cornish, Cornwall, Crantock, Fistral, freshwater bay, Galway, Girl, Girlfriends, Girls, Ireland, Isle of Wight Surf Club Secretary, Judy Bull, Kimmeridge, La Hinch, leashes, Lynmouth, Marazion, Merry Hughes, Mini, niton, Ocean, Oil Spill, Oil Tanker, Oiltanker, Prah Sands, RAF ST Mawgan, Renuyle, Rita Long, Rolls Royce, Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin, Shigo, Split Screen, Split Screen VW Van, Steephill Cove, Sue Backhouse, Sue Ellis, Sue Ellis (Backhouse), Supertanker, Susan Backhouse, Susan Ellis, Sweeney's Hotel, Sweeney's Oughterard House, The Sixties, Torrey Canyon, Ventnor, Victoria Freer, Victoria Pickering, Watergate, Wendy, wetsuits, White City, Whitecliff Bay, Women, Woolacome | Leave A Comment »

I think by now everyone will have heard the news, or maybe even had a look themselves, at the recent landslip along the military road
Mar 25, 2010 | Categories: The Noughties | Tags: "jason swain", closure, compton, council, IOW, Isle of Wight, Military Road, photo, photographs, road, The Noughties | Leave A Comment »

During the early 1960’s a group of friends had started to hang out on the cliff tops between Ventnor beach and Steephill Cove. These bored teenagers soon began to focus their attention on the ocean. The Island at that time still had many unexplored pockets of coastline or so it felt to this group of friends. The ocean soon became their playground.
Mar 25, 2010 | Categories: The Sixties | Tags: 12ft wooden surfboards, 1960, 1960's, 29 Spring Hill, Archie Trickett, archive, B&W, belly board, belly boards, bellyboard, bellyboards, Biarritz, Bilbo, Bilbo surf shop, Bob Head, Cascades, Colin Burgess, Colin Hicks, compton, Compton Bay, European Championships, France, Freshwater, freshwater bay, Geoff Gardner, Geoff ‘Ned’ Garner, half inch thick wetsuits, history, homemade 12ft wooden surfboards, homemade skateboards, Hutch, IOW, IOW Surf Club, Isle of Wight County Press, Isle of Wight County Press Newspaper, Isle of Wight Surf Club, Joel de Rosnay, John Ainsworth, Kevin Digweed, Lillywhites, Little Stairs, Little Stairs beach, longboard, Mike Hutchinson, Mike ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson, Ned, Newquay, niton, Paint Spot, Pat Morrell, Paul Coleman, people, photo, photographs, portrait, Rod Sumpter, Roger Backhouse, Russell Long, San Diego Surf Championships, Sandown, Skateboard, Skateboarding, skimboard, skimboarding, Steephill, Steephill Cove, stoked, Sue Ellis, surf, Surf Trip, surfboard, Surfer, surfing, Ventnor, waves, wetsuit, wetsuits, Wight Water, wightsurfhistory, wooden belly boards, wooden surfboards, woodwork teacher, ‘Old Joe’ | Leave A Comment »

“one of those days that will be etched in everyone memory as being one of the best swells anyone has seen for a long time”
Feb 13, 2010 | Categories: The Noughties | Tags: 6 February 2010, 6/2/2010, 6th February 2010, Al Reed, alan reed, big, blackley, compton, Compton Farm, Epic, Freshwater, freshwater bay, joe truman, Mick Thomson, Military Road, paul blackley, perfect, Rex Haines, Roger Backhouse, Saturday, saturday 6th, Ventnor | Leave A Comment »

‘Best be Ready’ from Tube News “I’ve seen it good here. I remember, it was an August Sunday, one of those days when it seems everybody goes to the beach. This place was packed. The sky was that deep blue you associate with a clean and dustless atmosphere; it was sweltering, the sun a fireball, [...]
Feb 08, 2010 | Categories: In Print, The Eighties | Tags: archive, autumn, compton, history, IOW, Isle of Wight, longboard, stoked, surf, Surfer, surfing, swell | 3 Comments »

This is a piece written by Steve Williams for Tube News which was published by Wessex Surf Club in 1985. A Pre-Gran Slick Era Report From Sea Area Wight by Steve Williams Winter on the Island was confined mainly to the first three months of the year. A reasonable menu of waves – from ankle-snappers [...]
Feb 08, 2010 | Categories: In Print, The Eighties | Tags: archives, compton, freshwater bay, history, IOW, IOW Surf Club, Isle of Wight, Isle of Wight Surf Club, longboard, steve williams, stoked, surf, Surfer, surfing, williams | Leave A Comment »

Here is an excerpt about the Isle of Wight from Roger Mansfield’s new book ‘The Surfing Tribe’ A History of Surfing in Britain’ Roger Backhouse and his friends Mike Hutchinson, Sid Pitman, Ben Kelly and a handful of others are attributed with being the first island residents to start surfing in 1964. They picked up [...]
Jan 28, 2010 | Categories: Surf Blogs, Uncategorized | Tags: Ankle Leash, Balsa, Bay, Ben Kelly, board, compton, Cosmic, Cosmic Leahes, Cosmic Leash, Derek Thompson, fibreglass, Freshwater, Glyn Kernick, History of Surfing in Britain, I.O.W. Surf Club, IOW Surf Club, Isle of Wight Surf Club, Johnny Fryer, Keith Williams, longboard, Masters, Mike Hutchinson, Rob Ward, Roger Backhouse, roger cooper, Roger Mansfield, shaper, Sid Pitman, South Coast, South Coast Champion, surfboard, Tad Ciastula, The Surfing tribe, Ventnor | Leave A Comment »

Were you surfing on the Island during the 1970′s? Tell us your stories and send us your images.
Jan 28, 2010 | Categories: The Seventies | Tags: 1970's, 70's, compton, Compton Bay, IOW, Island, Isle of Wight, Pitman, Scene, Shore, Sid, Sid Pitman, Sidney, surf, Surf Club, Surfer, surfing, The Seventies, Wessex | Leave A Comment »

Were you surfing on the Island during the 1980′s? Tell us your stories and send us your images.
Jan 28, 2010 | Categories: The Eighties | Tags: blackley, compton, IOW, morte hoe, paul blackley, roger cooper, stoked, surf, surfing, zippy stick | 1 Comment »

January 2010 sees the project to document and celebrate 50 years of surfing on the Isle of Wight get underway
Jan 22, 2010 | Categories: IOW surfing through the decades, The Sixties | Tags: B&W, compton, history, longboard, ned gardener, people, photo | Leave A Comment »