8 Minuten Lesezeit
What initially drew you to surfing?
Did a family member or friend have an infectious passion for being in the sea? Was it a striking picture in a magazine, and you just knew that was the life trajectory for you?
However you first laid eyes on surfing, we all have a unique story that got us into this captivating and life-changing sport. Often, our surfing fantasies are propelled by the idea of stunning tropical climates, beautiful palm trees, and warm, bathwater-like sea temperatures. It can take you to new countries, cultures, and communities.
But for some, there are dream surf locations of a different, and colder, kind.
Closer to Norway than London, at the tip of Scotland, lies Thurso East. Home to a community of surfers that live for the icy temperatures and heavy waves, they get in the water, whatever winter throws at them.
The 2025 London Surf Film Festival Shortie of the Year winner, No Place Like Home by Dryrobe® videographer Gabriella Zagni, captures these hardy and dedicated Scottish surfers who live for the opposite of these visions of ‘paradise’ we’re often used to seeing in films and magazines.
For Scottish surfer and video creator Malcolm Anderson, it was a local legend called Pat Keiran who helped fuel his obsession with surfing in the 80s, after Keiran gave Malcolm and his friends some old surfboards, getting them hooked.
‘We had no Internet for inspiration back then or anyone to teach us, but a group of us from school all grew up learning to surf together. We would pass around VHS tapes of surf movies and watch the pro surfers while dreaming of surfing warmer waves.’
Growing up amongst a small crew of local surfers as young groms, Malcolm and his mates saw the established, local surfers charging on bigger days at their local break, Thurso East, and on other reefs, using them as motivation and inspiration. ‘There were also a few surf contests held in Thurso back in the day, and visiting surfers and pros would often join us in the lineups.’
Malcolm has been chasing winter waves with multiple Scottish National Surf Champion Mark Boyd, also known as Boydy, for the last 15 years.
Starting life as a skater, Boydy first got into surfing through his friend Mike MacWatt's Skate-Surf-Snowboard shop, ESP, in Elgin, where he spent his youth. ‘It soon made me realise that the beach where I grew up was good for surfing, and it was a natural progression from there.’
Fast forward a few years, six-time Scottish Women’s Surf Champion and three-time Scottish Women’s Longboard Champion Phoebe Strachan caught the bug after a surf lesson near her home in Edinburgh. ‘I soon started working there washing wetsuits,’ she said. After attending the Scottish championships, she was completely inspired by everyone participating, and she decided then that she wanted to be the Scottish champion.
The love for Thurso East amongst the trio is huge, and both Boydy and Phoebe describe it as their favourite spot. ‘We do get some really good and powerful waves at home, and Thurso-East is such a special wave to me because it has so many characters. ’ Boydy explains, ‘The wave itself has really shaped my surfing.
From a super hollow, powerful right-hander to surfing big and onshore, where it feels more like surfing a beach, Phoebe believes it’s ‘excellent for improving all aspects of my back-hand surfing. It is also a great place for people to come and watch and film from the warmth of the surf hut or their car, so surfing is quite accessible even in a remote part of the world.’
‘I’m probably biased, but there is no place like home,’ Malcolm agrees, ‘Thurso and its coastline on a good day is easily my favourite place to both film and surf.’
Outside of Thurso, where’s the most scenic place they’ve been in Scotland? Boydy explains, ‘Malcolm and I don't generally stray too far from home when surfing in Scotland, but I love surfing on the Caithness coast. On a nice day, nowhere beats surfing on the flagstone reefs backed by the cliffs.’
However, surfing in Thurso during the winter is a harsh experience, with short days packed full of wind and snow.
With air temperatures in the negatives and water temperatures at around 5-6°C, it can be much colder around Thurso East due to the river, which can sometimes freeze over, resulting in chunks of ice in the lineup. ‘It really isn’t a place for the faint-hearted,’ Phoebe explains.
For Malcolm, being out of the water can feel more uncomfortable than being in the water. ‘When I’m filming, it’s the wind chill that is the worst, and if it’s snowing or more likely raining, this can get very cold on the fingers as I operate the camera.’ He appreciates having a Dryrobe® changing robe for these moments, though. ‘Standing in -0ºc, the Dryrobe® is an absolute essential bit of kit for me, keeps me warm, dry and sheltered from the wind.’
He explains, ‘I guess it’s easy to film on a nice sunny beach somewhere with lovely lighting, blue sky, and maybe a cold drink to enjoy, but filming in a downpour of rain with howling winds and freezing temperatures is a whole different challenge and one that excites me as a filmer.’
‘Getting a good surf clip where the lens isn’t covered in rain spots and the tripod isn’t shaking from the wind is always a bonus. There are also restrictions on usable daylight hours, which can be as little as six hours a day in winter. Planning surfs around tides and daylight is essential; you can’t wait for better lighting, you just have to shoot.’
As you’d imagine, sessions tend to be short and sweet in the depths of winter. Phoebe explains, ‘The first duckdive of a session is always brutal and often surf sessions can’t be more than a couple hours before everything goes numb.’
But over the season, ‘You definitely get used to surfing in the cold and learn ways to deal with it,’ Boydy says, ‘like keeping warm before or in between surfs. A Dryrobe® Advance certainly helps!
But what keeps the motivation up in the cold and unforgiving weather? For Phoebe, there are a couple of key contenders: ‘I guess the waves are the ultimate motivation, but if there is a crew of you motivating each other, it definitely helps.’ Boydy agrees that the right crew definitely helps, ‘Surfing with good waves with friends definitely makes the experience much more bearable.’
Malcolm’s take? ‘We are blessed with some world-class waves around our coasts, so dealing with the cold is a small price to pay to score epic days. There’s also the element of finding waves on those days when the swells are pumping; the backdrop of winter makes it more special.’
Like most good things, it can have some serious consequences if you get it wrong. No Place Like Home captures a significant moment where Phoebe and Mark surf a secret heavy slab, making Phoebe potentially the first female surfer to ride it.
A small day doesn't make it any less heavy or shallow, explains Boydy. ‘I was really impressed with Phoebe's commitment and how well she handled it for the first time, as it's a really intimidating spot with an incredibly tricky takeoff.’
‘Having two of my best mates, Boydy and Finn, in the water with me, cheering me on, was a perfect introduction, and they definitely encouraged me to give it a go.’ Phoebe recounts. ‘Having a surf captured on camera is always a bonus too!’
Malcolm, Phoebe and Boydy are unified in that the Scottish surf scene is thriving. Malcolm believes that the opening of Lost Shore Surf Resort, surfing will ‘only continue to grow and become accessible to more people.’
‘It’s super tight-knit, and everyone knows everyone,’ Phoebe describes. ‘I really like the scene in Scotland, and I don’t think there are many like it in the world.’
With such a vast and diverse coastline, Boydy would like to spend more time exploring some of Scotland's more remote islands for surfing, if given the opportunity. Malcolm mirrors his view, ‘Scotland has such a long coastline, most of which is unexplored as surfers yet, not to mention all the islands we have,’ explains Malcolm. ‘As lineups get busier, people are looking to surf breaks that maybe have never been surfed or thought to be too dangerous, until now, and that is exciting.’
Phoebe is a big fan of the Outer Hebrides. ‘There is something special about those islands, and they are just stunning. But really, there is no place like home for me, and it’s probably what stops me from seeking waves in warmer climates.’
Published on December 16, 2025