European Championships 2025

What a week at the European Surf Kayak Championships in Easky.

The ocean delivered everything we could have hoped for, with conditions building through the week to provide world-class surf. The standard of surfing was the highest I have ever witnessed — a true showcase of where our sport is heading. I felt an enormous sense of pride seeing so many of the kayaks we build performing at the very top level.

What stood out to me most was the professionalism of the athletes. It’s clear that people are training hard, pushing themselves, and raising the bar for surf kayaking worldwide. Huge credit goes to the organisers for running such a smooth event — the live scoring and streaming really lifted the championships, opening it up to an international audience.

It was inspiring to watch the world’s best risk it all in powerful high tide conditions, throwing down on double-overhead waves with style and commitment.

It was also fantastic to be able to share the revolutionary new plastic Eclipse at the event. I’m excited about what this boat means for the future of our sport — opening up access in a way we haven’t seen before and giving more people the opportunity to experience surf kayaking at its best.

On a personal note, this was my first competition in three years. It’s been a journey of regaining fitness, losing weight, and shaking the rust off old skills — and it feels great to be back. I’m looking forward to getting more time in my Vulcan and training hard for the upcoming World Championships, which we’ll hopefully see return to Easky in 2027 with the same level of professionalism and passion.

Here are some of my favourite images from the week

Words - Christopher Hobson

#HobsonKayaks