BEN Larg was just two years old when he caught his first big wave.
He maybe didn’t know it then, but it’s a feeling which would become very familiar to him as the now 19-year-old went on to become a professional surfer.
Larg (below) admits himself he didn’t come from a surfing family as such – his dad worked as a joiner and his mum was a nurse – but it was always an interest.
“My dad was into kite-surfing back in the day, but did go on to start a surfing school when I was born,” he explained.
Speaking to the Sunday National from Portugal, the surfer spoke about how he got his start in the industry, his career highlight and why Scotland’s new surf resort could mark the start of a new era for the sport.
Getting started
ORIGINALLY from Tiree in the Inner Hebrides, Larg caught that first wave aged two and by the age of seven, he was training every day.
From there, Larg continued to find success and was Scotland’s under-18 surfing champion when he was just 12.
“I think becoming a professional surfer just kind of happened by default,” he says.
“I knew I had specific places I wanted to go surf, like Portugal, and knew there was work I had to do to get there."
Perhaps his biggest highlight though came when he conquered his first big wave at Mullaghmore in Ireland at 14 years old.
It made him the youngest surfer ever to ride the notorious 30-foot slab.
“I’d never been on a big wave before and I was the youngest kid to do it so that has stuck with me,” he says.
In November 2021, Larg was invited by professional surfer Nic von Rupp to join him at Nazare, Portugal, where he continued his remarkable rise, riding a 40ft wave which ultimately led to a sponsorship from Red Bull.
He explained: “I’m more of a free surfer, so I travel around the world making content.”
The surfer has built up quite the following, with more than 14,000 followers on his Instagram page where he shows off what it’s like tackling some of the world’s toughest waves.
A particularly proud moment came when he was offered a sponsorship from Red Bull – something he’d dreamed of as a youngster.
“The first time I saw Red Bull and its athletes I think I was about eight or nine and this film called The Art Of Flight had come out.
“It showed snowboarders jumping out of a Red Bull helicopter onto a ski slope and I just thought ‘I want to do something like that’.”
Although Larg took a somewhat different route than snowboarding, he nonetheless secured sponsorship from Red Bull when he was 17 and has remained part of its surfing team since then.
Impact of Lost Shore
LAST week, Larg attended the unveiling of Lost Shore – Scotland’s new inland surfing resort located around 25 miles from the centre of Edinburgh.
The resort is home to a wave machine and offers lessons for surfers of all abilities, from beginners to those hoping to follow in Larg’s footsteps.
“When I was younger, I spent a lot of my time in Nazare and in Lanzarote. It was normally six months in Scotland and then six in [mainland] Europe,” he says.
“The thing is in Scotland, we don’t get a chance to surf so much in the summer. So to be able to train every single day with a facility like Lost Shore, it’ll push the standard of Scottish surfing through the roof.
“I’m excited for the future, especially now there’s a few younger kids coming through and hopefully that standard will end up at a world tour level.
“Maybe that could happen in the next 10 to 15 years which isn’t actually a lot in the grand scheme of things.”
Looking for advice
ANYONE who looks at Larg’s videos on Instagram would understandably be intimidated, likely wondering how it’s possible that anybody could conquer the waves he takes on.
But with the introduction of Lost Shore, he’s hoping to encourage as many people as possible to take up the sport.
“It can be really intimidating going to a beach and heading out especially when there’s good surfers there, even for me,” he says.
“I think the first thing is just getting in the water and having that confidence. Everybody has to learn.
“The water can be scary for some folk but especially at Lost Shore it’s a real safe environment and a great place to learn.
“If you can get over that fear and keep calm, you’re going to have a good time, that’s for sure.”
