Sam Bleakley

I am a freelance writer and professional surfer from Sennen, West Cornwall, in the UK, sponsored by Biomimetics Health. I specialise in surfEXPLORE projects with renowned photographer John Callahan and have undertaken groundbreaking trips to the likes of China, Algeria, Liberia, Kenya, Oman, South Korea, Palawan and the Maluku Islands. Surf writing has led me to visit over fifty countries. My roots, however, remain in Penwith, where I live with my family above Gwenver beach, close to Land's End, the westernmost tip of England - next stop Novia Scotia. I have an MA in Geography from Pembroke College, the University of Cambridge, and I am researching a part-time PhD in Travel Writing with University College Falmouth (Coastal Transitions Project & Performance Writing Research Group).

My new book, Surfing Tropical Beats (Alison Hodge Publishers, Penzance here), explores the wide belt around the Equator, where the paradoxical red hot and cool blue of surfing, and the often icy logic of preparation for challenging travel, form a matrix from which springs a distinctive kind of writing as performance. Surfing Tropical Beats is also available in Mandarin Chinese with the Hainan Publishing House, Haikou.

My first book, Surfing Brilliant Corners, details a decade of extreme global surf travel, illustrated by John Callahan, as we journey to the likes of Mauritania, locked in political strife, where landmines litter access to some of the best waves on the planet; and Haiti, which captures my heart and makes it race as if falling in love.

Please explore this extensive presentation of words, photographs and videos. Find up-to-date news about related surfing, writing and exploration projects on the Sam Bleakley Blog. Follow Sam Bleakley on Facebook. Videos can be viewed on the Sam Bleakley YouTube Channel. Contact by email: sambleakley@yahoo.com