The Octagon
Name: Steve McDonald, Stevo, Mucky
Age: 27
Job: Quantity Surveyor (don't ask)
Years Surfing: seriously for about 5
Habitat: Penarth
Boards: 2
Quiver: NMD Base 41" PE crescent tail, 7'6" Roger Cooper Mini-mal (ssshhh, it's just for those smaller summer days!)
Local Break: Porthcawl area - I try to avoid Rest
Places Surfed: All round South and West Wales, Devon, Cornwall, France
Favourite Surf Films: No Friends Series, Riding Giants
Worst Wipeout: Wasn't one single one but more the experience of the whole session, was in a 5ft shore break in France, ballsed the take-off got turned over a bit and a fin got ripped off and the tether snapped, thought I'd lost a fin which I had only bought the week before. Made my way back in and luckily found the fin bobbing in the water. Noticed the tether on the other fin was fraying, but "no worries" I thought, "I've got a spare set in the bag."
All tethered up again made my back out, tried to time the paddle out for between sets, missed the gap and a big un landed right on my head and ripped my fin off AGAIN, snapping the tether AGAIN, made my way back in AGAIN, only this time couldn't find the fin.
Spent the next hour walking up and down the beach looking for the lost fin, did eventually find it about 100m from where I lost it, but my session was ruined by then.
Favourite Manoeuvre: Getting barrelled
Favourite Surfers: Jeff Hubbard and "the gang"
Worst Surfing Habit: Pulling strange faces when I take off
Best Surfing Experience: Day after the whole "Fin" fiasco, went out at the same spot in similar (4/5ft barrelling shore breaks) conditions, managed to keep my fins attached and had the best surf of my life - Karma!!!
Weirdest Surfing Experience: Out in 3ft breaking off a sand bank in France, not heavy or anything, average paddle out - if you've got fins.
Was just out with my bro when a rotund German guy with a Walrus moustache who must have been about 60 turns up in the line up next to us on an old sponge board with no fins!
He managed to catch a wave and rode the white water straight back into the beach, he then turned round and paddled all the way back out again, we were well impressed with his tenacity! He was out the back for about 5 minutes when judging by his screams he was being attacked by a shark, turned out to be an extreme case of cramp though! We had had to push him into a wave so he could get back in again!
Other Interests: Play football, bass guitar, read a lot, going out with mates, chilling with my wife
Music: Rock with a bit of a funk edge mainly, though am well into those retro rockers Wolfmother at the mo
