Micah wins out on adopted home turf
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AN Australian pro surfer had nothing but praise for Caithness when he took one of the top titles on the British Surfing Calendar.
Micah Lester (31), from Gold Coast, took the top honours in the UK Pro Surf Tour Scottish Open held at Thurso East.
The Australian, who can claim it was a local victory as he currently resides in the town, beat tough competition which included some of the top surfers in the world.
In the final on Wednesday he got the better of Gordon Fontaine, from France, Tom Butler, from Newquay and Sam Smith from Newcastle.
After picking up a cheque for £2000, Micah partied into the early hours to celebrate.
"I was ecstatic to have won the event and had a good time later that evening with friends," he said. "I also won the event the last time it was held up here in Thurso, so it is a place which has some good memories for me.
The conditions for the event were fantastic as there was a really good swell which produced some great waves.
"Some of the surfers made some poor decisions regarding which of the waves they wanted to break for the event. But the great thing about this venue is the waves are always of a good standard.
"There was some tough competition during the day and there were some rough winds which made things tricky. But I am pleased with how I performed and that I managed to pick up the win."
All five rounds were held on Wednesday at Thurso East which is recognised by professionals as the UK’s top surfing venue.
Organisers said that the huge waves were perfect in the morning with the offshore wind helping to create perfect clean barrel waves .
The wind changed direction for the semis and final and created messy waves which made it difficult for the surfers.
No stranger to success, Lester has won major titles in the past, including the UK Pro Surf Tour championship in 2006 and the UK Triple Crown Championship in 2009.
A full-time professional, he left Australia to move to Cornwall where he worked as a coach for the British junior surfing team for a number of years.
He gave up his job to concentrate on competing professionally and has taken part in several tournaments around the world.
In September he moved to Thurso where he currently shares a house with local professional Mark Boyd who works for the Scottish Surfing Federation.
He said that he decided to move to the Far North as he ranked Thurso East as Britain’s number one surfing venue.
"Cornwall is nicknamed the surfing capital of the UK, but the waves compared to what you get up here are tame," he said. "The standard of conditions you get up here are just ideal of competitive surfing.
"Thurso East is probably the number one surfing venue in Europe and when conditions are right it is world class."
Lester will be taking part in two more super series events this season, both in Newquay later this year.
