An Abersoch man has won a prestigious surf photography competition.

Phill Boyd beat off stiff competition to claim the top spot in this year’s Carve x Offshore photography competition, organised by Surf Magazine and Sharp’s Brewery.

Phill made the seven-hour journey down to Newquay, Cornwall to take part in a celebratory evening at The Slope Beach Bar and Kitchen to celebrate the end of the competition. Adorning the walls were 15 of the very best shots from British surf photographers. The location was the perfect spot as Great Western Beach has been considered to be the original centre of British surf culture since the 1960s.

As part of the prize, Phill will be featured in Carve issue 198 with his photo and an interview on how he captured the perfect moment. In addition, Phill received an Offshore ‘ultimate beach bag’.

Phill said of his photograph: “It was the first of the proper winter swells to reach us in north Wales around mid-December. I arrived around sunrise and most of the locals had sought out more sheltered spots but the Davies-Hughes brothers, Eilir and Urien, were in. The boys struggled to catch many waves early on in the strong winds, but after dodging many of the closeout bombs, Eilir was lined up to take the wave in picture cheered on by younger brother Urien.”

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops and online on Thursday