Wales now has a female World Surf Kayak Champion... Beth Moore!

What club are you from?

I’m not currently a member of any kayak clubs although I am a committee member for Surf Kayak Wales. 

How did you get into paddling?

I used to take my disabled mother to a local seaside spot in our tatty old camper for regular day trips and so in 2017 I bought a cheap second-hand Sit-On-Top to do a bit of fishing, rock-hopping and exploring. I soon wanted a bit more performance and swapped the SOT for a plastic Dagger Charleston Sea Kayak. When I bought the Charleston I was very scared of any wave over 6 inches and so I forced myself into the surf to try to beat my fear. At that point it became clear that a good roll was essential. I found a Dagger Axiom 8.0 to learn to roll in. It was a bit too small for me but did the job. 

In learning to roll, I had some help from Tony, another regular at our seaside spot and experienced kayaker. Seeing my enthusiasm for kayaking, Tony ended up giving me a composite NDK Romany LV Sea Kayak which, after a few repairs, became, and still is, my main sea kayak and a source of many adventures. 

I soon started surfing in my Axiom which I very much enjoyed but in early 2018 I attended a surf development day where I had the opportunity to try a composite specialist surf kayak with its flat planning hull, hard rails, and weighed a fraction of that of the Axiom. It was a revelation, and I was hooked. I surfed through the lunch break and the organisers didn’t quite have to prize me out of the boat at the end of the day, but it was close.  Later in the year, after saving hard, I bought a surf boat and three days later, while still very much getting used to the new boat and with only the sketchiest grasp of the rules, I competed in my first competition: the Welsh Open…and came last, but it didn't stop me.

Why do you love surfing so much?

It’s partly about overcoming fear and enjoying the exhilaration of doing it anyway; it’s about having some control in the wild surf environment. For example, taking a big drop from the top of a big, fast-moving wave while wedged into a hard railed and unforgiving surf boat is daunting; but the experience of shooting down the face of the wave at speed, putting in a hard bottom turn to climb back up the face of the wave for a top turn and then doing it again - is simply amazing! Getting it wrong, wiping out and getting beaten-up by that same wave is at best unpleasant so getting it right is really good (and at times, less painful).

What does it mean to be World Champion?

When I went to pick up my first surf kayak I was chatting with Tim Thomas, the owner of Ride Surf Kayaks, and he asked me what my goals were. Given that I had my first competition in a few days I replied that I’d like to be Welsh champion. Knowing that I’ve exceeded that goal is just amazing, especially given that I started paddling in my late forties. What’s even better is that I used that first surf boat in my final in the Worlds.

For those that don’t know, there are two classes of surf kayak. There’s the Short Boat or High-Performance Class which must be 2.75m or less and may have fins and the Long Boat, sometimes called the International Class which must be 3m long or greater and may not have fins. I came first in the Women’s Masters Short Boat and second in the Women’s Masters Long Boat class. 

What has it been like being a female in the sport?

A bit lonely at times TBH. Surf kayakers in general are a bit rare in my part of the world but, apart from my regular surf partner, I’d occasionally encounter the odd male paddler in the surf but never any women. The first time I met another female surf paddler was at the 2018 Welsh Open.  I can count the regular female Welsh surf padders that I know about on the fingers of one hand, but they’ve been massively friendly and supportive, as have the English women paddlers that I know. This year has been really great, though, as the Welsh team has pulled together, and we’ve got to know each other quite well. The Surf Kayak Wales committee has been running development days to bring new people into the sport and training days for the team. Keep an eye on https://en-gb.facebook.com/WalesSurfKayakingpage/  if you would like to join the fun!

What are your future goals?

I’m going to continue surfing for fun and for practice. I’ll also be helping out in future development days where I hope to see more women and girls enter the sport. 

I’d love to defend my title in Argentina in spring 2024 but as I’m an un-paid carer, so it’s a matter of counting the pennies. I’d love to say ‘Hi’ to any sponsors out there.