"I was sponsored by Bodyline for surfing when the opportunity came along. My current boss was working as both cutter and production manager, and he needed someone to come under his wing. I was lucky enough to secure a job that still allowed me to carry on as a competitive surfer – so that’s how I got into it, and I’ve been here ever since.

"My apprenticeship in apparel was about three and a half years, but it was maybe after the fourth year that it all started to come together. The first three years it was just a job, you were cutting wetsuits and so on, then all of a sudden it sort of clicked. Now I’m very passionate about making and designing wetsuits – it’s good fun!"

"Research and development! The old 'R and D' call comes out many a time when the waves are good – someone’s got to make sure that those wetsuits are rigorously tested! But seriously, the big thing is I’ve got a passion for surfing and it’s something that flows through to making wetsuits. I know how a wetsuit should fit and what people want out of a suit, so I can come back to work and try to create that.

"We might develop a range of suits for the season, and then we’ll learn a little bit more about the faults and strengths, so that next year we’ll redesign it and go from there. We’re forever looking for the perfect suit – some of our suits this season are pretty much close to it.

"In the end, the job’s all about meeting our customers' demands by getting people amped about going surfing. I couldn’t ask for anything more really."