New champions were crowned at the Puravida-MiPost Welsh National Surfing Championships 2026 at Freshwater West over the weekend.

Langland Board Rider’s Patrick Langdon-Dark topped the podium in the Men’s Open, while Josie Hawke of Pembrokeshire Surf Club (PSC) won the Women’s Open title.

Thanks to its infrastructure that supports event live streaming, Llantwit Major is the usual venue of choice for the Welsh Nationals, but swell forecasts turns organisers’ eyes towards Pembrokeshire this year, and we were not disappointed.

Business was finalised across all other categories at Fresh West, where solid southerly swell and sunshine made for an outstanding three days of competition.

On the Friday (day one), senior rounds got underway in 4-5ft surf with brisk offshores making for challenging conditions. Nevertheless, the sea was torn to shreds by Men’s Open heats which culminated in a final notable for its absence of 2025 Welsh champion, Eli Perrins-Davies. Despite storming through his early heats, the Channel Coast Surf Club (CCSC) youngster couldn’t quite find his rhythm in the semis and failed to progress.

Click for all podium pics from all three days

MO The final was, however, still stacked with QS talent. Former Welsh champion, Logan Nicol (CCSC) built solid scores executing powerful roundhouse cutbacks and gouging buckets out of a series of reeling rights in a fluid performance. Last year’s GB Cup finalist, Euan Buick (PSC) registered points on a few outside bombs, while LBR’s Elliot Barton put on a high-octane display to notch up a combined 13.33, pushing him into the silver-medal position.

No-one could match the surgical precision of Pat Langdon-Dark. On a stand-out wave he stuck like glue to the pocket, seamlessly linking vertical re-entries with deep bottom turns to impress the judges and draw cheers from the beach.

Besides the gold medal, PLD also hit an 8.33, the tournament’s highest single wave score matched only by PSC’s Harry Cromwell. Both surfers took home an equal share of the £500 prize for Wave of the Welsh, sponsored by Barti.

Pat said:

“It was a good day. Thank you to everyone for coming down. It felt like the old days coming down to Fresh on a sunny spring day. It was nice to see all the kids down here a day early. I’m going to stay down for tomorrow and watch the groms heats tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for supporting and for coming down. I’m stoked!”

WO Last year’s champion Emily William’s decision to not compete in this year’s Welsh meant the Women’s Open crown would change hands in Fresh West. Indi Lynch (PSC) did really well to transfer training successes onto the competitive stage, opening with a five-point ride that pushed her to the top of the leaderboard. However, she struggled to find a second meaningful score and couldn’t capitalise on her advantage.

Last year’s UK RipCurl Grom Search champion, Hawke needed no second invite, attacking the waves with characteristic determination and power. Her final combined total of 13.17 was enough to secure the Women’s Open crown, moving Indi into second place with 7.43 overall.

The talented Katrina Roth-Gale (LBR) carved up inside ramps with rail-to-rail surfing, reminding us why she’s one to watch for the future. The U12 European champion ended her campaign on 6.2 combined and the bronze medal. Sindia Sosdian (Channel Women Surf Club) came in fourth with 4.33 points, followed by PSC’s Georgina Lewtas on 2.

Josie said:

“I was quite nervous going into it because it was quite a stacked crew, especially with Kat because she’s absolutely ripping, and obviously Sindia from Llantwit. But honestly, the waves looked so fun and you could just see those lefts peeling. I had my eye on them and I was so excited to just go out and get some. So, I kind of forgot about the heat when I was out there and I was just surfing.”

W35 Lewtas and Sosdian were in action once again for the Women’s Over 35 final, and it was latter’s turn to clinch victory, finishing on a 6.27. Georgina Lewtas took second place, and Elen Jones (PSC), third.

Sindia said:

“Loads of wind here, we were all out there trying hard and it was just all about locking in those rights and lefts. I just managed to get a long right which I surfed super conservative, and that kind of got me through the heat.

“I’m so stoked to see all the women out here in the Women’s Open, the Longboard open and across the other divisions. It was a bit blustery so we all tried to be strategic with the current, so we would use that to get out as opposed to trying to head straight back out when you got a wave in. I’m just stoked.”

WLB The Women’s Longboard final saw Sosdian cement her second win of the day. Her experience came through as she hunted down shoulder-high walls that were subsequently navigated skillfully. Fresh from appearances at last month’s BLU Tyneside Classic, Amelia Dickinson (CLUB) and Georgina Lewtas cross-stepped their way to second and third place respectively, while Elen Jones took the remaining podium place.

Sindia said:

“It’s great, I love being here at Fresh West because you get to see the younger surfers coming through; the Open was stacked with the junior rippers, and we had the Longboard heats too. For me it’s about seeing a lot of the women surfing together. I’m stoked to get the Longboard win.

M35 The Men’s Over 35 division brought together old adversaries and made for a gripping final. Harry Cromwell (PSC) was the standout performer, local instinct conducting him to the right place at the right time. His seasoned display garnered the £250-winning 8.83, which alongside a 5.33 produced a podium-topping total of 14.66. Ryan Thomas (PSC) marauded a series of sections to secure the silver medal, just short of his club rival. Channel Coast’s Craig Bright took the bronze with 11.33 overall, and former GB surfer Lloyd Cole (LBR) came in fourth on 8.53.

Harry said:

"Quote goes here"

M40 In the Men’s Over 40 the finalists spread in search of a peak amid slacker mid-tide surf. Mark Vaughan (CCSC) pulled into a few right handers out back but failed to nail down a winning total and finished on a combined 4.37. Ageless Greg Owen (Welsh Coast Surf Club) stayed busy throughout, building to a 5.36 that would prove sufficient to claim the division’s crown. Gareth Bennett came in third and Lloyd Cole (LBR) fourth.

M50 Vaughan had a chance of payback in the Over 50s, but it wasn’t to be. In training for this year’s European championships, Owen’s competitive edge showed; the rip saw from Rest Bay followed up a number of solid re-entries with layback hack on his way to a final combined total of 10.33. Mark Vaughan did better than his previous final to finish in second on 7.76. Phil Sadler (PSC) and Craig Burrows (WSF) ended their campaigns in third and fourth respectively.

Greg said:

“I got the results! Today, the waves were difficult. You could see where the right waves were, but you were fighting the tide and the current. If you could get where you wanted to be, you’d find mechanical waves, which was nice, so long as you had enough energy remaining to surf them!

“In the Over 50s, I’d had two alright waves, and I thought ‘Right, I need a good one now.” I knew Mark Vaughan was probably in the lead at that point – it was on 18 minutes gone. I paddled out the back, I thought ‘Right, you got two minutes left, you can’t really hang around. Just take anything!' And a good one popped up, and I thought ‘Right, I’m going’. It offered me two manoeuvres, and I thought ‘What a gift!’

Commenting on doing a double over old adversary and friend Mark Vaughan, Greg said:

“Mark is an amazing surfer. I notice he’s had 13 Welsh titles prior to this, and I’d had ten before this event. So now I’m up to 12 but he’s still got one more than me so I’m still on the hunt!”

MLB Welsh longboard international, Evan Rogers came into the Welsh Nationals already with silverware in the bag having come first at the Men’s Open up in Tyneside. The Saltburn man put momentum to good effect and wasted no time in stroking into a host of set waves. Rogers laid down measured knee-drop cutbacks, moving top-to-bottom on solid rides, notching his overall tally up to a final-conquering 11.5.

Gower’s Oscar Arnold put together a sophisticated exhibition to carve into second place, just ahead of local talent Elijah Jones (PSC) who claimed bronze. Craig Nicol’s foray into Welsh Nationals action saw the Channel Coast Surf Club cruiser reach 3.6 overall and the fourth place on the podium.

BB In a combined Men’s and Women’s Bodyboard final, Tai Jackson (Welsh Bodyboard Club) got the barrel rolls flying on bowling waves generated by a fun inside bank. On her first Welsh Nationals outing, Sally Howells got stuck into the action and put in a great effort to finish in second place.

Tai said:

"It was really good, tricky conditions but it was fun as the tide dropped back a bit. It was windy but pretty bowly in there, managed to get a couple of barrel-rolls in so I’m happy with that. This will be my second Welsh Bodyboarding champion, so hopefully I’ll get another one next year.

Sally said:

“It was a super fun day – the first time I’ve entered a comp. Tai was awesome; I loved it”

Click for all podium pics from all three days

The wind dropped and the swell tempered overnight to produce a better organised set-up and strong waves for the Welsh Nationals day two.

U18G The U18 Girls got proceedings underway and it was a showcase in Welsh talent. Demonstrating great character, Katrina Roth-Gale got over her Women’s Open disappointment by opening her account with a 4.77. The Langland prodigy added a further 1.33 to take her overall points haul to six – enough to land the gold. Local Indi Lynch (PSC) sent her board north of the lip to put together an eventual 5.33 combined. She finished just ahead Josie Hawke, who’s more accustomed to the higher view from the steps. Improving all the time, Summer-Marie Moore (Welsh Coast Surf Club) capped off a good campaign to narrowly fall into fourth place on 4.84.

Katrina said:

“It went really well. The waves were quite fun but there was a hell of a sandbar. I’m super chuffed. The waves were on the sand bar; it was very heavy and dumpy, but you could get some really nice runners.”

U16G Hawke managed to reassert herself in the U16 Girls final, taking apart the high-tide peelers at Fresh West and slicing her way to 11.84 and the gold medal. Kat Roth-Gale was always in the mix but didn’t pin down the score she needed in the dying minutes, ending on 6.37. Third and fourth places were taken by Alma Buick (PSC) on 4.94) and Florence Curran (PSC) on 2.6.

Josie said:

“I wasn’t feeling that great after the heat before, but I was pleased to go out there and get some nice waves. The banks were starting to work a bit better so it was nice to get some good ones. I got a decent left and then a couple of rights, so yeah, I’m stoked.”

U18B Standards stayed high for the Boys U18 finale, with LBR’s Max Davies' confident display earning top honours. The Langland grom’s vibrant all-out approach betrayed time spent under the supervision of coach, Patrick Langdon-Dark. Elijah Jones gave everything as always, his combined 8.33 landing second place. Pembs and Swansea shared the spoils in the remaining places, with Ryan Croucher (LBR) coming in third, and Fyn Bell (PSC) fourth.

Max said:

“It was tiring; non-stop paddling, but I managed to pick up a few on the corner where the sandbank was. I just did a couple of turns and I’m happy with that. I’m so happy but so tired but I’ve got another heat coming. In one place, I did a quick turn, I think there was some spray on it and I dropped down going so fast, and then thought ‘I’ve just got to hit it’, so I did a bottom turn and just hit it and came down, I was like ‘I made it!’ so I was pretty blown away by myself. I managed to do it, so it’s great!.

“I just want to say thanks to dad, Pat, and John Purton for making my board.”

U16B The Langland show continued in the U16 Boys final through U18 champion Max Davies who sustained technical ability with solid fitness. Davies stuck two great scores to reach a category-winning 11.26. Fellow club member Monty Cole spent time rail on waves that took him through to the inside en route to the silver medal. Ryan Croucher (LBR) and Ollie Phillips (CCSC) both put in a shift, finishing on 6.5 and 5.47 respectively.

Max Davies said:

“Pretty hard final – a lot of paddling. There’s a couple though to catch, but I managed to get a few out back, I got a few, did a few turns and managed to get the win. I’m quite blown away by it! One wave I had, I had one turn and I thought my feet weren’t going to stick it, but it all came together, I got my board back and landed it, did a little claim and I was happy with that.”

U18BLB Bowling waves at high-tide created awkward conditions for our junior loggers, but each finalist dug deep. The contest turned into a two-seahorse race as the final developed, with Elijah Jones and Oliver Molyneaux (both PSC) both deftly sewing drop-knee turns into waves breaking in a rush. Perhaps owing his edge to experience, Jones registered a combined 5.66 and succeeded in retaining his 2025 category crown. Molyneux was unlucky not to get the win this time around, finishing his campaign on 5.17. Will Proctor (WCSC) worked hard but couldn’t quite source wave faces with high scoring potential, coming in third, followed by Bryn Bailey (WCSC) in fourth.

Elijah said:

“It was fun out there overall, but not too fun for a longboard heat as it was quite shorey and kind of dumpy. I found a couple of corners and got one little nug at the end, so I’m happy. The wind went onshore and the waves doubled up in places, so it was tricky, but I’m stoked.”

Fog cleared on the morning of the Welsh Nationals day three to present glassy waves in the 2-3ft range pulsing into the bay, allaying pre-contest fears that the surf would fade completely. The U14s had the perfect canvas to get stuck into competitive surfing, and they didn’t disappoint, exhibiting commitment and technical ability that impressed onlookers and judges alike.

U14B It was to be Ryan Croucher’s day. Another Langland grom, Croucher stroked into a set wave early on, executed a great bottom turn and set up for a critical lip-smash which he then backed up with a good roundhouse cut back. The stand-out ride prized 6.83 from the judges and was followed up by more good surfing that built Ryan’s house to 12.33 come the final hooter. Once again Monty Cole was all over it, throwing spray from neat off-the-tops and demonstrating smooth rail work to raise his final tally to 11.63. Just behind in third place was Ollie Phillips (CCSC) on 9.03, and Bryn Baker (PSC) on 8.10. This was a high quality, closely contested final that spoke of exciting futures in Welsh surfing.

Ryan said:

"Yeah it was really tricky, I had a tough heat. I was super nervous going into it. The waves were really fun. My best wave was the right-hander going in at first, I just hit the section and got a six for it."

Just when we thought we’d seen the best, the U14 Girls came back into the fray. It was that girl again, Katrina Roth-Gale picking up her second win of the tournament, closing her account on a 10.66. Summer-Marie Moore came so close and stayed super busy throughout the final, working waves through to the shallows and building to an overall 9.64. Alma Buick (PSC) banked 4.17, coming in third place, but her endeavours across the weekend saw the Pembs grom take home the juniors’ ‘Most Improved Surfer’ award in memory of Paul ‘Spyder’ Ryder.

Katrina said:

“I’m really happy, I was quite excited going into the final and I’m super happy to win. It was really fun in there – it was super wedgey and I got a few nice ones.”

Thank you

In summary, the Puravida MiPost Welsh National Surfing Championships were completed in superb surfing conditions across three days of outstanding competition at Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire. Waves were at their biggest on the first day, tempering nicely as the wind dropped through day two, before ramps tailor-made for U14 shredding on the Sunday.

Wind conditions on the Friday were challenging, but with our QS surfers the helm, all athletes adapted superbly well to give judges, spectators and supporters Welsh wave-riding masterclass.

WSF Director Mark Vaughan said:

“Big thankyou to National Trust Wales and Pembrokeshire Council for helping us out at the last minute and allowing us to use Freshwater West as our back-up venue. Thank you to Phil Sadler for helping out with the organising, also to Tim Aylett, Craig Burrows, Steve White, Craig Nicol and WSF Chairman, Huw John. Also thanks to Jamie Bateman at Surfline for guiding us through the weekend’s swell forecasts.”

Huge thanks also to our sponsors: Puravida Boardriders, MiPost, Mystic, Welsh Coffee Co. and Barti.

Congratulations to all entrants and huge thanks to all involved.

Check out all the highlights reel from The Welsh 2026 here.

Full Results
 

JUNIORS

U14 Boys

1st        Ryan Croucher (WCSC)                       12.33

2nd       Monty Cole (LBR)                                11.63

3rd        Ollie Phillips (CCSC)                            9.03

4th        Bryn Baker (PSC)                                 8.10

U14 Girls

1st        Katerina Roth-Gale (LBR)                   10.66    

2nd      Summer-Marie Moore (WCSC)           9.64

3rd        Alma Buick (PSC)                                 4.17

U16 Boys

1st         Max Davies (LBR)                               11.26

2nd        Monty Cole (LBR)                               7.34

3rd        Ryan Croucher (LBR)                          6.5

4th        Ollie Phillips (CCSC)                            5.47

U16 Girls

1st        Josie Hawke (PSC)                               11.84

2nd      Katerina Roth-Gale (LBR)                   6.37

3rd       Alma Buick (PSC)                                 4.94  

4th       Florence Curren (PSC)                         2.60                

U18 Girls

1st         Katerina Roth-Gale (LBR)                   6

2nd        Indi Lynch (PSC)                                  5.63

3rd         Josie Hawke (PSC)                               5.10

4th         Summer-Marie Moore (WCSC)         4.84

U18 Boys

1st         Max Davies (LBR)                               10.67

2nd        Elijah Jones (PSC)                               8.33

3rd         Ryan Croucher (WCSC)                     7.03

4th         Fyn Bell (PSC)                                      2.47

U18 Longboard          

1st         Elijah Jones (PSC)                              5.66

2nd       Oliver Molyneux (PSC)                      5.17

3rd        William Procter (WCSC)                    1.83

4th        Bryn Bailey (WCSC)                            0

SENIORS 

Men’s Open

1st         Pat Langdon-Dark (LBR)         17.20

2nd        Elliot Barton (LBR)                  13.33

3rd         Logan Nicol (CCSC)                 12

4th         Euan Buick (PSC)                     9.73

Women’s Open

1st         Josie Hawke (PSC)                  13.17

2nd        Indi Lynch (PSC)                      7.43

3rd         Sindia Sosdian (CWSC)          4.33

4th         Georgina Lewtas (PSC)          2

Men’s Longboard

1st         Evan Rogers (CCSC)                11.5

2nd        Oscar Arnold                           6.10

3rd        Craig Nicol (CCSC)                   3.6

Women’s Longboard

1st         Sindia Sosdian (CWSC)           6.27

2nd        Amelia Dickinson (WSF)         6

3rd        Georgina Lewtas (PSC)           4.5      

2nd        Elen Jones                                2

Men’s Over 35

1st         Harry Cromwell (PSC)            14.66

2nd        Ryan Thomas (PSC)                13.06

3rd         Craig Bright (CCSC)                11.33

4th         Lloyd Cole (LBR)                      8.53

Men’s Over 40

1st         Greg Owen (WCSC)                5.36

2nd        Mark Vaughan (WCSC)          4.37

3rd         Gareth Bennett                      1.3

4th         Lloyd Cole (LBR)                      1

5th        Stephen Phillips (CCSC)          0

Men’s Over 50

1st         Greg Owen (WCSC)                10.33

2nd        Mark Vaughan (WCSC)          7.76

3rd         Phil Sadler (PSC)                    2.37

4th         Craig Burrows                        1.3

• Pembrokeshire Surf Club Paul ‘Spyder’ Ryder Award: Alma Buick (PSC)
• Barti Wave of the Welsh: Shared between Patrick Langdon-Dark (LBR) and Harry Cromwell (PSC). Highest scoring wave: 8.33