The Uni Surf Invitational Comes to the Spring Classic

The UK’s brightest minds, biggest partyers, and keenest surfers set to battle it out in North Devon.

It’s such a genius idea, it’s a miracle it hasn’t been done before. The inaugural Uni Surf Invitational will gather the brightest minds of the nation for a varsity surf challenge on the North Devon coast, offering a welcome addition to the Wavelength Spring Classic, a surf, music, and ride culture festival that runs from 1-4 June 2023.

Running with a similar format to the Spring Classic Surf Invitational, the judges will assess wave quality and style, with points given to those having the most fun. In the running is four team members (two male and two female) from each of Bristol, Exeter, Fal Surf, Oxford Brooks, Swansea, and Brighton Universities.

“The Exeter Uni Surf Club is super psyched to be coming to the Spring Classic this year,” said Flo Marks, competitor and Coaching Secretary. “We can’t wait to watch the UK’s best surfers take to the water, support our Exeter competitors battling it out against other university talent, and chill out, listening to the music and, maybe, even heading to the skate mini ramp.”

Flo pointed out that the EUSC is one of the biggest surf clubs in Europe with over 500 members. Its team for the Invitational includes talented grom Kitty Brewer and Annie Page, an Under 18 British SUP Champion. The club organises weekly surf trips to some of Devon and Cornwall’s best breaks, seeing a recent ‘South West Society Surf Varsity’ competition, as well as trips abroad to Morocco and Portugal. Or I suppose you could always join the Chess Club…

However, Charlie Adams, Captain of the 300-strong Swansea Uni Surf Club and one of the country’s oldest, is taking a different approach. “With a large and very diverse cohort, we see ourselves as more of a drinking club with an afterthought of actually going surfing,” said Adams. He said the Spring Classic comes at the end of a long third year, and just after the exam season.

“Although we’re fresh back from a surf trip to Portugal, we’re all feeling pretty unfit from 18-hour library sessions,” he laughed. “So expect Bexon-style cruising rather than any Italo-style full rotes.” This a fair warning, though we are not quite sure who was expecting full rotations on some 1960s logs. Maybe some of the team members with double-barrel surnames perhaps?

The Uni Surf Invitational will be held on Friday 2nd June, meaning all the team members, and supporters will have the entire weekend to take in the incredible music, glamping, firepit feasts, skate ramp demos, and rewilding workshops. Now, while asking the students to make the early morning cold water sessions or trail runs might be a push, it’s hard to think of a better environment to celebrate a hard year of studies, or a place to forget the accumulated debt.

Tickets are selling fast, so we’d advise all the students interested in having a good time, in a spectacular ocean setting, with like-minded people, to get in quick. This is one University Challenge, you don’t want to miss.

Tickets are flying out! Grab yours now to secure a place at the Spring Classic party!