Richard – Head Surf Instructor
My name is Richard Morris and I’m the European Surf Manager for Star Surf Camps. I first surfed in France about 5 years ago on a Uni field trip with Plymouth University where I studied Applied Marine Sports Science. I instantly fell in love with the powerful beach breaks and, of course, Café Gourmand. If you love coffee and you love desserts, imagine a whole selection of delicious mini desserts laid before you all accompanied by the sweet bitterness of french coffee – magnifique!
I phone home regularly these days which, I think, is one of the reasons why I have such a beautiful life – all thanks to moms and pops. The family split when I was young so I spent my weekends together with my twin on my dad’s boat, filling our time with humble things, crabbing, playing music, swimming or sailing. I remember once catching 56 crabs, and we let them go on the pontoon and watched them find their ways back home, plopping into the sea one by one. Week days with mum were school days and the weekends became all about going surfing. Soon enough it was all about surfing.
I went to University with my girlfriend at the time, mostly because I could surf there. A few thousand pounds of debt, some broken hearts and a couple of badass songs about the whole thing later, I find myself today surfing in France and a singer/ songwriter to be (www.richardmorrismusic.com). So, lucky, all’s turned out for the best and, in hindsight, it was actually one of the best times which shaped my life for the better and for the future. Funny story, I once got sent out of a lecture for turning up in my wetsuit, only to then get a text message from my tutor saying, “Was it any good?!”. After doing my penance of long nights in the library and eating pesto pasta, I did actually finish my degree with a 1st Class Honours and also walked out the door a RNLI Beach Lifeguard, Sailing Instructor, Windsurf Instructor and Surfing Instructor.
I spent the next few years heading up a team of instructors at a Watersports Centre on the Isle Of Wight, then ran away to Sri Lanka for 8 months to finally spend the last summer season as the Head Instructor of Carcans. At some point between those things (and in no particular order), I partly burnt my face off jumping fire skipping ropes at the Full Moon Party in Thailand, skied off a mountain with a parachute (twice actually), took a selfie with a monkey, grew a beard, had another girlfriend #letsnottalkaboutit and joined the wonderful Star Surf Camps team. Yew!
Look, I could tell you forever all about how I love surfing because the ocean makes me feel gooey and I love watching the sun go down and listening to Jack Johnson, but truth be told, surfing makes me feel wild and everyone here at Star Surf Camps shares the surfing passion for their own personal reasons! I’m super excited that I’m one of the chosen few that get to show you what all the fuss is about!
See you this summer!
