Lukas Skinner is putting British surfing on the world map

Tide is turning — At 15, the waveriding prodigy became the first British surfer to win the prestigious Rip Curl GromSearch International Final. In 2024, he became the first UK surfer to win Cornwall’s Boardmasters Open in 22 years, and defended it the following year.

This story is originally published in Huck 84: It Starts With Us – The 20^th Anniversary Issue. Order your copy now or join Club Huck+ to make sure you never miss an issue.

The road to success for teenage surfing prodigy Lukas Skinner hasn’t always been smooth. Both of the Boardmasters wins came after injuries had forced him away from the waves. Nowadays, if there’s a chance to chase swells around the globe, Lukas is on it. But Cornwall is where he earned his stripes with surf club Newquay Boardriders, and he wants to put UK and Cornwall surf on the map. The ultimate ambition is gaining silverware in the 2028 Olympics.

Ahead of his participation at the YETI Pro QS 4000 at the Boardmasters Open – where he finished with in second place – we caught up with Lukas to talk about his journey so far, the setbacks he’s overcome, and his ambitions for the future as he continues to push British surfing onto the world stage.

Did your family history in the sport make you feel like you were always going to surf?

With dad [Ben ‘Skindog’ Skinner] being a 12-time European champion that was a booster, but it was something which was never forced. I am happy I am a surfer. He makes all my surfboards, comes to all my events, coaches me, and has so much knowledge. He’s always by my side, same as mum, I have a really good support base.

Can you remember your first wave?

I don’t remember anything from before I was five, but there was one surf in particular at Perranporth, my local beach. At high tide there is a big rock in the middle with a swimming pool on it called Chapel Rock, but between there and the cliffs there is this full right hander – one of my best mates Isaac and I used to go and surf that when it was big and stormy.

What made you want to compete?

Watching dad get a big result, you’d see the boost in adrenaline and excitement. I wanted that feeling, plus I’ve been really competitive my whole life. I used to skateboard as well, and it got to the point where I had to pick one or the other, and I knew it would be surfing. That was a big turning point for me.

“The Olympics is a massive goal for me, but I also want to fly the flag for Cornwall.”

What were the injuries before Boardmasters like? 

The year before I won, I was sitting on the beach with a broken foot and a boot on, that was one of the moments where I was thinking I’d come back next year to win it. I trained really hard and I won. The next one I came back with no expectations, I was just grateful to be back in the sea. All of a sudden I was in the final again and I won. The motivation I get from the injuries is probably the best thing that has happened to me.

How have the wins changed your life in surfing and out?

A lot changes, after every win you come back home and you find people who maybe haven’t watched a lot of surfing have got completely behind you. It’s a bigger crowd every year and some of those who don’t really watch surfing are now my biggest fans. That definitely showed at Boardmasters last year – the crowd on the beach was insane. Getting different fans across the country has been a big one – having fans around the world has also been cool.

If you weren’t surfing, what would you be doing?

Maybe skating because I loved it so much when I was younger, the skate community in Cornwall is so massive, it was so fun when I did that. Maybe a golfer if I possibly could. If surfing wasn’t an option I’d love to be behind the scenes in surfing, helping people out, and doing what dad does, making people happy in the sea.

Are the 2028 Olympics the goal? 

The Olympics is such a massive goal for me to put England and GB on the map, but I also want to [fly the flag for] Cornwall. It’s such a special place for me and to take that round the world with GB would be an absolute dream. That’s the goal – to make the Olympics and get a medal.

Jack Dennison-Thompson is a freelance journalist. Follow him on Instagram.

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