Elena Hojas

Our next rider is from a country which is also home to a very good friend of mine and whilst I haven't surfed there that much I do have very fond memories of family summer holidays spent here.

The region is probably most famous for its spectacular prehistoric cave art, the most famous possibly being the cave of Altamira.

"Hello, my name is Elena Hojas, I'm 39 years old and I am from Cantabria, a region located in the north coast of Spain. I currently live in two places, in Cantabria on my days off and in the Basque Country the days I work.

I started bodyboarding when I was about 10 years old, I don't remember it exactly. Since I was born, I have always lived close to the sea and I used to go to the beach with my family. My father bought my brother and me a non-professional bodyboard and this was my first time riding a wave.

Shortly after, my brother and a group of friends started bodyboarding and I followed in their footsteps. We used to go to a beach break next to my house called Covachos. Most of the group were friends of my brother and almost all of them were boys. They were the ones that influenced me in starting in bodyboarding, at that time I got my first bodyboard which was a Bz. I don't remember the model but it was white with two blue stripes.

Spending time in a natural environment doing sports was my biggest motivation, during adolescence thou I left aside my bodyboarding for a few years, I wanted to go out with my friends and spend time doing other things.

I restarted bodyboarding when I met my current partner, Rubén Moro, in 2005. He has been the person who has influenced me the most to continue doing this sport which is his greatest passion.

It was the 90's and the only access to the pro's were the VHS videotapes and some hard-to-get magazines. I remember Mike Stewart the most who came to a championship on the beach of Liencres which is near my house. He came with Jay Reale and Paul Roach, as for girls, the one I remember is Marina Taylor, a DK rider from the Canary Islands.

My begginings were in Covachos beach that was next to my house. At home, I surf on many beaches and the one I like the most is Liencres, due to my job thou I spend a lot of time in the Basque Country where I usually surf on Sopelana's beaches.

I don't have favourite places in the world but many places I would like to go. I have surfed in Costa Rica and California and I really like to travel to the Canary Island in winter when it is cold in my city and the sea water is very cold, Canaries are a paradise at that time of year.

In any case, I think the best place to surf is where I usually go because I am more likely to find good conditions as I know the place well, swell directions and best winds.

Competiotion has not been a priority in my career. I like it as a sport and as a way to disconnect from the daily routine, It allows me to be in contact with nature and leave aside my personal conflicts. Last september I competed on the “Pirate Contest” held on Los Locos beach.

It was a surprise for me to get the first place, It was a great experience for me and I had a great time with the other competitors, I would also like to highlight the good organisation of this contest.

I work as a flight attendant for a Spanish airline and have done since I was 25, this job allows me to have time to surf and also to travel.

I don't have any sponsors, I currently use two bodyboards, a Science Rigby size 40.5 and a Deeply 5 size 40.5 as well. The Wetsuits I like the most is Rip Curl for the cold winters on the Cantabrian Coast. The fins I use are Viper and leash either Creatures or Thrash!

I don't buy a lot of bodyboarding brands clothing because there are hardly any to find at the stores near me. Most of it is sold through web pages I guess.

All kinds of music seems good to me to go surfing, I usually turn the radio on and then I choose what I want to listen at that moment.

I have been bodyboarding now since I was very young, this has allowed me to meet many people over the years, discover new places and be in direct touch with nature for most of my life.

I think the best way to spend my time is by the sea and I hope I can continue to do so for many years to come, thank you to all the wonderful people I have met along the way and thank you LidLife for reaching out to hear my story........

Photo credits include:

Rubén Moro

Juanjo Ruiz Cisneros

Richard Arenas

Cristian Kony

I would like to give a massive welcome to the Family to Chris King, originally from the Caribbean, born in Trinidad and Tobago but raised in Barbados.

He is now resident in the UK and has a super cool existing line of surf apparel and accessories and is working on a new Bodyboard line that will be available very soon.

Chris is a super talented artist, surfer and bodyboarder and draws all his own designs so please go check out @adren_clothing-official on Insta and Adren Apparel on Facebook.

Lets keep supporting those brands that support our sport....

With Winter upon us grab yourself 10% off SENNOSEN by clicking the pic of PLC to be directed to the online store, not only are they a brand supporting bodyboarding the suits are super warm, super comfy and super stretchy.