Session of the Season // Northern Hemisphere Autumn // Jayce Robinson In West Cornwall
It’s been a fruitful autumn for surfers in the UK, if you were on it and knew where to go and when. At the end of November Porthmeor in St Ives saw a few days of action that captured the attention of British surfers, culminating in this absolute monster ridden to the bitter end by C-Skins’ own Jayce Robinson. If there’s ever a good day going down at Porthmeor then you can rest assured that Jayce will be all over it. He’s not nicknamed “The Prince of Porthmeor” for nothing. With the end of meteorological autumn coming only a week after this session, we didn’t have to go far to find our Session of the Season for the Northern Hemisphere autumn. Here’re the details from Jayce about what he’s calling “one of the best barrels I've ever had in this country”, and the perspective of photographer Nigel Aird:
Date: Thursday November 24th, 2022
Swell height and period: Roughly 5 meters at a 16 second period.
Wind direction and strength: south by south west 40 to 60mph
Location: Porthmeor, St Ives, Cornwall
Board: DHD 6’2” DNA
Wetsuit: C-Skins 5:4 hooded Rewired
Tell us about this run of swell…
There had been a few nice swells in the run up to this one , but for this particular one all of the elements aligned perfectly for Porthmeor – but only for an hour!
And this particular session?
Jayce: When I pulled up it was looking pretty damn big for Porthmeor! I hadn’t seen it that big in a long time, but what made it special was the strong offshore wind that was blowing the tubes wide open. There was a lot of water moving around and it was hard to make it out back. When the tide dropped a bit it became a bit easier, but soon the wind was to turn. Before it did though, I was lucky enough to get the best tube I’ve ever ridden out there, and also a few generous beatings to balance the books. It was a session to remember, that’s for sure!
Nigel: On this day I'd arranged to shoot a couple of locals on the breakwater, but the tide was a bit high and the swell wasn't really getting in there so I decided to walk over the other side of the island to check Porthmeor. It was solid and heavy with I think just three guys out, on account of the size. It looked really angry under the gloomy skies. I started shooting from the point on the northeast side of the beach and took a few shots, but then I saw Jayce pulling in and make a big one, and so I had to relocate to the beach on order to get the best chance of a good tube shot, looking into the barrel. It was drizzling with poor visibility but there was just enough light. I only spent a short time shooting on the beach that day as it was getting increasingly wet. As the rain got heavier I pulled the plug and scurried back to my car wet through.... and just in time before a proper torrential downpour. But not before capturing the wave of the day…
Can you talk us through this wave…
Jayce: Honestly, I wasn't expecting a wave like that at all. It felt like one of the best barrels I've ever had in this country. I saw this come in and had to go. I had air under my board at one point and thought I was definitely a goner, but I think that the extra bit of length from being on my 6’2” helped me to stay on and make it all the way along.
Nigel: I’d just shot a guy on a bodyboard taking a heavy drop and straightening out. Then I saw Jayce try a left but it wasn't a good wave. A short time thereafter, I started shooting as Jayce took off on what looked like a medium sized right but as it broke down the sand bank it got bigger. He pulled in and charged the section, surfing straight past a potential exit point and into the oncoming turmoil.
