Drawing on the vernacular shaped by such photographers as Leroy Grannis and Jeff Divine, I have created a personal and idiosyncratic body of work. No one person's experience is inclusive; by positioning myself on the periphery of surfing I aim to underscore the limitations of a single observer, whilst emphasizing the structural components of the Tynemouth community, reasserting the position of the relationship between surfers and non-surfers, and hopefully allow you to reflect upon how we each find and create communities based on our shared passions.

The geographical landscape coupled with environmental stresses was a major issue around which the surfing community has developed itself: it was through the pollution of the water that Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) became involved in the area, leading to Tynemouth becoming a Blue Flag beach. This helped Tynemouth gain recognition from the greater surfing community and encouraged local community members to get involved with beach clean ups. Over the latter years individuals from both social networks have also attended the Xperience festival and the British National Surfing Championships.