Woolacombe's Brian Watts celebrates 90th birthday by surfing
Brian Watts celebrating his 90th birthday on Combesgate Beach - Credit: Tony Freeman Images
A much-loved Woolacombe man celebrated his 90th birthday by going for a surf on Combesgate beach.
Brian Watts, a founder member of the Ilfracombe and North Devon Sub Aqua club, formed over sixty years ago, has already been recognised as one of the world's oldest sub aqua divers.
A retired motor mechanic he is well known for his skills in renovating and restoring items recovered from local ship wrecks and has even in the last year written a book about the shipwrecks around the Woolacombe and Mortehoe coastline.
Brian regularly walks around the headland at Morte Point and can often be seen chest deep in water on the beach below catching lobsters and crabs.
It was therefore no great surprise that to celebrate his 90th birthday he picked up his belly board to surf the breakers on Combesgate beach below his house.
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When asked why he just replied: “Well I went surfing on my 80th birthday so I thought I might as well do the same every ten years. I might make a few more surfing trips to keep in practice before my 100th.”
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