Speeding through the icy waves of the Moray Firth with the sea spray on his face was an adrenalin rush that changed Mark Boyd’s life forever.
Buzzing as he emerged from the waves with a small surf board tucked under his arm and endorphins flowing through his body, Mark knew it was a feeling that he would never let go of.
It was that exhilarating day 21 years ago that stirred something deep inside Mark, sparking his journey to become the reigning Scottish surf champion and Scotland’s most capped international surfer.
An addiction
“It’s an amazing feeling to be surfing,” said Mark, who lives next to the beach in Thurso.
“Just the feeling of riding waves is something pretty special and quite addictive.
“Surfing is my life, everything revolves around it.”
Living and breathing surfing
When Mark, 34, first took to the waters as a 13-year-old in the 1990s, surfing in Scotland was just slowly starting to take off.
Fast forward to today and the sport is riding on the crest of a huge wave as Wavegarden, Scotland’s first artificial surf park, is set to open near Edinburgh next year, while the sport makes its debut at this summer’s Olympics in Tokyo.
“Surfing is definitely more popular than ever,” said Mark.
“It’s great for the progression and development of the talent in the sport.”
Life’s a beach
Growing up with the waves on his doorstep at Sandend beach, it was only a matter of time before Mark swapped his skateboard and snowboard for a surfboard and wetsuit.
“It was pretty lonely really as there wasn’t really many surfers at the time.
“I was the only surfer at my school, you would only see the odd surfer at the weekend.
“I used to get my granny to sit in the car and watch me because I was scared to go out by myself.”
Surfing in Portugal
Persistence paid off for Mark as he eventually mastered the art of standing on a surfboard, giving him the confidence to compete at surfing competitions in Thurso.
By the age of 16, Mark was already travelling abroad to surf.
“I started going to Portugal by myself over the Christmas holidays and I also went to Indonesia when I was about 17.
“I started travelling by myself quite young as I wanted to go and surf waves all around the world and try and improve.”
Thurso: Surfing paradise
After graduating from Aberdeen University, Mark’s love of surfing inspired him to move to Thurso, where he works offshore.
Although surfing has taken Mark around the world, for him, there’s nowhere quite like Thurso.
“It’s always nice to come home as we can have waves as good as anywhere,” said Mark.
“Thurso is exposed to swells from the Atlantic so we get quite big waves through the winter.
“The Caithness flagstone reefs make the waves really powerful with good shapes.
“But it’s windy and freezing cold so you’re dealing with the elements a lot.”
Knocked unconscious
Over the years, Mark has experienced his fair share of accidents.
During one incident last year, Mark was knocked unconscious while out on the surf with a photographer.
“I was surfing a heavy barrelling wave, just a couple of miles outside Thurso when I knocked myself out on a reef, broke my nose and was unconscious in the water,” said Mark.
“When I came round there was blood everywhere but we managed to paddle in and went straight to hospital.”
Scotland’s most capped international surfer
But this failed to deter Mark as he continued to compete at the highest level.
“I love going to represent Scotland and going to the world championships, it’s a great experience with the rest of the team,” said Mark.
“We’ve been to Peru for the ISA (International Surfing Association) World Championships and we’ve also been to Nicaragua and Biarritz, so they’re always great trips.”
One of the highlights of Mark’s career so far was winning the Scottish National Surfing Championships in 2018 – a title he has retained.
“Looking to the near future, Mark, who is a committee member of the Scottish Surfing Federation, has plenty of plans.
“I’m keen to compete at the UK Pro Surf Tour and I also want to retain my Scottish title and hopefully we get the chance to go to the European champs next year with the Scottish team.”
Olympic dreams
After missing out on a spot at this summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games, Mark has instead set his sights on the Paris 2024 Olympics where the surfing competition will take place in the French overseas territory Tahiti.
“It would be pretty cool to surf there,” said Mark.
Asked what advice he would give to anyone keen to take up the sport, Mark said: “I’ve been doing it since I was 13 and I still don’t feel like I’m any good so I surf every day when I can.
“You’ve definitely got to dedicate your whole life to it.”