19 December 2025
News
Feb
18
Welsh U18 Squad Put in the Hours at Tough Lagos Training Camp
Words and surf photography provided by Phil Sadler, with additional land-based shots by Trine Davies and Ali Jones.
The Welsh U18 squad travelled to Portugal recently for their annual winter training camp with one clear goal: get more vert and hit more critical sections.
While the team were hopeful the trip would be blessed by Iberian sunshine, conditions felt distinctly familiar as they alighted the plane in Faro amid 40mph westerly gales and sheets of rain. But the British weather only galvanised the squad, and everyone was frothing to take on the challenges ahead, get in the sea and score a few.
Lagos, home to some of the more sheltered breaks on the Algarve coast, proved the right spot for a productive week. The brief was clear: higher-scoring, more critical turns — quality over quantity. The squad members held this firmly in focus in every session, committing fully to pushing their performance levels.
Training breakdown
Heats ran daily to keep competition levels high and to bring intensity for the duration of the camp. Judges emphasised the importance of attacking big sections, and surfers responded accordingly, with performances that featured laybacks, floaters and critical end-section turns.
Welsh pro Seth Morris joined the camp to assist Head Coach Phil Sadler on the beach, and to expose the squad to a highter technical standard of surfing. Seth provided valuable insight with demonstrations on how to generate more vertical surfing, while his one-on-one coaching helped each individual to refine their technique and approach.
Throughout the week, surfers including Josie Hawke, Elijah Jones, Max Davies, Poppy Owen, Tom Oleary, Coby Williams and Luca Owen all showcased strong progression in critical manoeuvres. From laybacks and off-the-top turns to fully committed end-section finishes, the emphasis on performance surfing was evident.
Finals day featured tag teams, with guest Algarve local surfers Anton and Oscar joining the action. In the week’s final results, Tom O'Leary took the much-coveted win from holder Coby Williams, who finished a worthy second.
Thank you to all involved
The rain and wind continued throughout the week, but team met these challenging conditions with fire every time they got in the water, putting in the effort and the hours to make measurable improvements - truly great efforts all round.
Special thanks are extended to Seth Morris and Trine Davies for their support on this training camp, and to The Surf Experience for their superb accommodation, fantastic staff, local knowledge and hospitality.
