The teenage Scot surfing the world's big waves
- Published
A new film charts the rise of young Scottish surfer Ben Larg, who is earning a reputation for tackling some of the world's biggest waves.
"I think the first time I ever surfed I must have been about two years old, on the front of my Dad's surfboard," says the 17-year-old from the Isle of Tiree.
From his early ventures into the surf as a toddler, Ben has gone on to compete for Scotland at European and world championships.
When he was 14 he become the youngest person to surf the 9m (30ft) waves that crash into the coast at Mallaghmore in south west Ireland.
Ben later went on to ride another monster of between 18m (60ft) and 21m (70ft) off Nazaré in Portugal, where enormous waves have been generated in the past by severe Atlantic storms that battered Scotland.
A young Ben with his parents Iona and Marti
Ben, whose parents Marti and Iona are often among his spectators, admits to fighting nerves as he prepares to ride giant waves - some as wide and tall as three double decker buses parked in a row.
"When you're out the back and you're super, super nervous and you're paddling on to one of those waves there's so many things going through your head," he says.
"But as soon as you stand up it all clears and you are just focused on trying to survive.
"I don't know how fast you're going down one of those waves, but it must be like 40mph."
Ben surfing a monster wave in the new film
New film Ride the Wave was three years in the making and charts Ben's exploits from the ages of 12 to 14.
It is a debut feature documentary from Bafta-winning director and producer Martyn Robertson, and will be released in UK cinemas from 9 September.
Martyn, who grew up with Ben's father in Fife, says: "In the film we pick up Ben's story when he is 12 and just been crowned the under-18 Scottish surfing champion.
"The film follows Ben and his father initially going around the world to different competitions, trying to become a champion surfer.
"For various different reasons that play out in the film, Ben decides to change direction and instead of competing takes on a massive cold water wave in the south west coast of Ireland."
Martyn adds: "I suppose I wanted the film to observe a young boy being propelled to adulthood in a really explosive way."