Meet The Team

Aiur

Aiur is one of the most exciting and progressive surf kayakers in the world. Hailing from the Basque Country, he’s known for an aggressive, highly technical style, attacking critical sections and taking to the air in both High Performance and International Class kayaks.

After dominating the junior categories, Aiur has carried that success into the Open class, becoming a World and European Champion and continuing to push the limits of what can be done in a surf kayak.

Where are you from?
Lezo, Basque Country.

Favourite place to surf?
I love long, powerful waves with plenty of different sections. Mundaka and Pantín are two of my favourite places to surf, but my local beach, Zurriola, is always a great place to get on the water.

Achievements

• 2025 European Champion – Open HP

• 2025 European Champion – Open IC

• 2024 World Champion – Open HP

• 2024 World Champion – U23 HP

• 2024 World Champion – U23 IC

• 2024 World Team Champion – Basque Country

• 2022 World Champion – Junior HP

• 2022 World Champion – Junior IC

• 4th place – Open HP, 2022 World Championships

• 2021 European Champion – Junior IC

Tell us something people might not know about you?
I play the alboka, a traditional Basque musical instrument, as well as the saxophone.

What drives you?
I want to keep pushing the level of surf kayaking and show people just how much is possible in a kayak.

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Edu 

With decades of experience across almost every discipline of kayaking, Edu is one of the most experienced and respected paddlers in surf kayaking. From international slalom and expedition kayaking to freestyle, waveski and multiple surf kayak world titles, kayaking has taken Edu all over the world.

Today, he plays a key role in developing the Basque surf kayak team, combining his huge depth of experience with a passion for coaching, progression and bringing new paddlers into the sport.

Where are you from?
San Sebastián, Basque Country.

Favourite place to surf?
Anywhere uncrowded with good friends and big, glassy waves. I love El Confital and a few secret spots around the Basque Country.

For people who don't know, what is your role in the Basque Team?
Orchestra man! I help wherever I can and try to make everyone on the team a better surfer. We train together, analyse video, work on technique and, importantly, encourage new people to discover surf kayaking.

Tell us something people might not know about you?
My kayaking journey started when I was 10 years old, and I haven't really stopped since.

I spent more than a decade as a member of the Spanish Slalom National Team and have paddled rivers around the world, including Chile, Nepal, New Zealand, Uganda, Zimbabwe, the USA and Costa Rica.

I've also completed a three-month sea kayak circumnavigation of the Iberian Peninsula, competed at five Freestyle World Championships – the first back in 1993 – and competed internationally in waveski, including finishing second in the Masters category behind 11-time World Champion Rees Duncan.

My first Surf Kayak World Championships were in Costa Rica in 2005, and since then I've been fortunate enough to win multiple world titles.

The results and adventures have been incredible, but the best part has always been the people. Kayaking has allowed me to travel the world, build lifelong friendships and share the water with people who have the same passion for the sport. That's what keeps me coming back.

Where do we start with Odei?

A true waterman, Odei is at home on a wave whether he’s in a surf kayak, waveski, on a surfboard or a SUP. Combine that with a background spanning freestyle, slalom, whitewater and canoeing, and you have one of the most naturally talented and versatile paddlers in the sport.

Odei has been competing at the highest level for years, progressing from Junior World Champion to becoming a multiple Open World Champion. His surfing is precise, powerful and explosive – equally comfortable throwing huge aerials above the lip or disappearing deep into the barrel.

His results speak for themselves. More than a decade of success at the highest level has established Odei as one of the outstanding surf kayakers of his generation.

He might be one of the quieter characters on the beach, but once he gets on the water, his surfing does all the talking. We’re incredibly proud to have Odei as part of the Hobson Kayaks Team.

Where are you from?
Donostia, Basque Country.

Favourite place to surf?
Cobblestones, Sumbawa.

Achievements

• 2025 European Vice Champion – Open HP

• 2025 European Vice Champion – Open Waveski

• 2024 World Champion – Open IC

• 2024 World Vice Champion – Open HP

• 2024 World Team Champion – Basque Country

• 2022 World Champion – Open HP

• 2022 World Vice Champion – Open IC

• 2019 World Champion – Open IC

• 2019 World Vice Champion – Open HP

• 2019 Santa Cruz Paddlefest Winner

Mathew 

Mathew is one of the UK’s leading surf kayakers and a familiar face on the international competition scene.

Originally from Dungannon, Northern Ireland, Mathew started kayaking at 11 before finding surf kayaking through the Northern Ireland development squad. Since then, years of training, competing and chasing waves have taken him from British titles to the podium at the World Championships.

A powerful and technical surfer, Mathew is constantly working on his surfing and equipment to find more speed, control and performance. That commitment paid off at the 2024 World Championships in Argentina, where he took bronze in both Open HP and Open IC.

Away from his own competition surfing, Mathew is also heavily involved in the wider surf kayak community, helping organise events and sharing his knowledge and experience with other paddlers.

Where are you from?
Dungannon, Northern Ireland.

Favourite place to surf?
Easkey Left – although Tullan Strand will always be up there too.

Achievements

• 2024 World Championship Bronze – Open HP

• 2024 World Championship Bronze – Open IC

• 2024 World Championship Team Bronze – England

• 5th – Open HP, 2022 World Championships

• Three-time British Open Men's Champion

• 9th – Open HP, 2019 World Championships

• 2016 Irish Open Winner

Marc proves that you don't have to start young to take surf kayaking a very long way.

Having first climbed into a kayak well into his 30s, surf kayaking has since taken Marc around the world. Now based in Bude, Cornwall, he has spent years competing internationally, chasing waves and splitting plenty of his water time between the UK and Santa Cruz, California.

A multiple British Masters Champion and World Championship medallist, Marc has also mixed it with the Open field, including making the Open HP final at the legendary Santa Cruz Paddlefest.

More than anything, Marc is a passionate ambassador for surf kayaking. Whether he's competing, organising events, travelling or simply getting out for a surf with friends, his enthusiasm for the sport is infectious. We're proud to have him as part of the Hobson Kayaks Team.

Where are you from?
Originally East London, where there wasn't exactly a lot of surf! I moved to Brighton in 2001 and started messing around in kayaks in salt water for the first time.

From there, I found myself travelling further and further west in search of waves – both in the UK and the US – before eventually moving to Bude, Cornwall, in 2014.

Along the way I've spent several years living in Santa Cruz, where I was lucky enough to surf almost every day with some great friends and some incredible surfers.

Favourite place to surf?
I love steep, heavy, rampy beach breaks. Moss Landing and Waddell Creek around Santa Cruz are two very special places to me and can be genuinely world-class on their day.

My home beach, Crooklets in Bude, can be every bit as fun and heavy as those Northern California spots. It's also home to some of the best surfers of all disciplines in the UK.

Achievements

• 4× British Masters HP Champion

• World Championship Bronze – Masters HP

• Multiple World Championship Team Silver Medals – England

• 2× Open HP Finalist – Santa Cruz Paddlefest

For many people in surf kayaking, Dessie needs very little introduction.

A multiple Irish and European Champion, Dessie spent years competing at the highest level, consistently finishing among the best surf kayakers in the world. But for Dessie, surfing has always been about far more than competition – it’s a way of life.

After stepping away from competitive surfing in 2009, the focus shifted towards family, friends and the endless search for great waves. From his very first experience kayaking in the ocean, the surf has always drawn him back – particularly the hunt for big waves, hollow sections and that elusive perfect barrel.

Now a dad of three boys, Dessie still has the same enthusiasm for getting on the water and exploring the coastline that he had during his competition years.

“Some of my best memories and friendships have happened because of kayak surfing. I’m still trying to bag that perfect barrel. That’s the beauty of surfing – no matter how good your last wave was, nothing beats the buzz of hunting out that next great wave.”

Where are you from?
Castlederg, County Tyrone.

Favourite place to surf?
Sligo and Donegal – but I’m always looking for that next spot.

Achievements

• 16× Irish Champion

• 3× European Champion

• British Champion

• Consistent top-five finishes at World Championship level

Fun fact
Dessie once shared the waves in Ireland with three-time surfing World Champion Tom Curren.