Welsh first for adaptive surf championship

Llywelyn Williams (left) with former world champion Mark 'Mono' Stewart at Adventure Parc Snowdonia.

Wales' Llywelyn Williams will take on former world champions in the first ever international adaptive surf championship to take place on inland waves.

Adaptive surfing is a growing international sport.

Williams, who lost his leg after a skateboarding accident, is a member of the Welsh Adaptive Surf Championship's organising committee.

"Surfing is in the blood of so many people living in Wales," he said

"I grew up surfing at local beaches like Porth Ceiriad and Porth Neigwl.

"I always wanted to see a Wales stop on the adaptive surf circuit, but the uncertainty of waves and unreliable weather was always a limiting factor.

"On top of that, access to beaches can be difficult for adaptive surfers."

The two-day competition will be held in north Wales on Friday 5, July and Saturday, 6 July.

It is being staged at Adventure Parc Snowdonia, an artificial wave pool which was built on the site of a former aluminium works in Dolgarrog in the Conwy Valley.

"It ticks all the boxes for us: guaranteed surf, fantastic food and accommodation, and world-class facilities in the most beautiful location," added Williams, who is from Abersoch.

"The international surfers coming here will get a real taste for Wales whilst seeing the great facilities that are on offer.

"Competing on consistent and reliable inland waves will make for a better competition, and the fact that spectators can get so close up to the waves makes it a much more interesting event."

Williams' fellow countryman Ethan Jolosa from Monmouthshire will also be taking part with the surfers competing in three categories - standing, kneeling and prone.

Former world champions Mark 'Mono' Stewart of Australia and Denmark's Bruno Hansen are among the 24 surfers - male and female - representing 13 nationalities.