Last weekend, anger and sadness erupted in the United Kingdom surf scene.
During the Great Britain Cup at Thurso, Scotland – a surf contest hosting teams across the UK, from England to Wales to Scotland to the Channel Islands – a few men paddled out during the women’s semi-finals. They have been accused of dropping in on the competitors, verbally abusing the women, and nearly drowning one of the competitors.
One of the names frequently brought up during the incident was Ian Battrick. Our friends at WavelengthMagazine hit up Battrick in the wake of the incident, who claimed: “I was surfing the second peak and ended up colliding with someone. I hadn’t done anything wrong and saw people arguing, so I paddled in.” Now, Battrick is telling his side.
Following the incident, a police investigation is reportedly underway. But here’s Battrick, after a soliloquy on his love for surfing, explaining what happened from his POV:
“During the recent surf competition, I made a mistake. The event was still running, and I chose to paddle out when I shouldn’t have. It was selfish and thoughtless. I didn’t think about how that might affect the competitors or those who had worked hard to make the event happen. I take full responsibility for that choice. It was wrong, and I’m deeply sorry to anyone who felt disrespected or upset because of it. I can’t take it back, but I want to make clear that it came from poor judgment, not bad intention.”
Related: UK Surf Contest Canceled After Female Competitors Harassed
As for the accusations, Battrick stated: “In the days after, rumours began spreading online — stories that I had assaulted people or verbally abused others in the water. None of this is true… I’ve spoken with the police because the harassment has become serious, but more than anything…[claims of a competitor that] was physically shoved and threatened with a fist raised by someone from Jersey. The Police were present and observed all these events as they unfolded. I have provided a statement and am cooperating fully with them.”
Many of the comments on Battrick’s post were positive, supportive.
Meanwhile, GB Surfing issued another statement, stating their continued collaboration with authorities regarding the events, and affirming that the organization, “does not condone abuse of any kind from any surfers. We remain committed to working with our partners to ensure surfing continues to be a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive sport for everyone.”
As previously reported, the contest has also been rescheduled to resume at a later date.
Related: Rip Current Sucks Surfer Half-Mile Out to Sea in UK (Video)