Tynemouth is a coastal town in northeast England, about a five-and-a-half-hour drive north of London. Yet even here, where beaches face the brunt of the North Sea, there is a proud surf scene. Louis Thomas-Hudson and his family own Tynemouth Surf Co, a surf shop and school that operates in the shadow of the ruins of a medieval castle.
“The northeast is an epic place and we get some amazing waves when it’s on but it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted in the winter months,” Louis tells me. “I’m mainly based at home throughout the summer months but spend most of the winter chasing waves. I mainly base myself in Nazaré in the wintertime but do strike missions if the charts look good elsewhere.”
The 27-year-old must have been paying close attention to those charts last winter when he pulled the trigger on a strike mission to Ireland. It was there that Andrew Cotton towed him into this stretched-out wall at Mullaghmore. Louis nearly got smashed by the foamball and a nasty chandelier, but made it out into the channel and into a 2024 SURFER Big Wave Challenge entry.
“My wave in Ireland was definitely a sketchy one but a wave I was stoked with,’ he said. “It was coming up towards mid tide and most of the guys had gone in. Cotty asked if anyone wanted one more and I said ‘I’d get one more.’ We went out and waited for a set and a bomb set came through. I remember being on the rope thinking, ‘Holy shit this one looks big.’ There was another team in front with priority going for this wave but they made a mistake and the guy fell which left the wave open to us. Last minute Cotty shouted, ‘Go go go!' and whipped me into it at the last minute. I made the drop and was thinking ok let’s just stay on my feet and set a good line.
“I came through to the inside bowl and saw the lip starting to come over me, however, it looked quite chandeliery and I remember thinking my only option is to pull in, but thinking I was about to get obliterated. After that I just held on almost waiting for the impact of getting drilled,” Louis laughed. “Somehow I managed to pull up enough and make it out into the channel where my friends Ben Larg and Sam Howard were shooting. It all happened so fast and I remember thinking, ‘Holy shit I’m glad I made that.’ An epic moment and one I’ll remember forever. Thanks to the Irish crew for sharing their waves with us, and to Cotty for whipping me into that one.”
Related: Video: Big Wave Surfers Paddle Into Massive Bombs at Mullaghmore
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