On October 26, the Great Britain Cup, a surfing event at Scotland’s famed Thurso, was rudely interrupted by a group of surfers who paddled out during the women’s semifinal. Now, Ian Battrick, who was involved in the debacle, has publicly apologized for his part in it.
“During the recent surf competition, I made a mistake,” Battrick wrote on Instagram. “The event was still running, and I chose to paddle out when we were told we could, maybe I shouldn’t have. It was thoughtless. I didn’t think about how that might affect the competitors or those who had worked hard to make the event happen. I take full responsibility for that choice. It was wrong, and I’m deeply sorry to anyone who felt disrespected or upset because of it. I can’t take it back, but I want to make clear that it came from poor judgment, not bad intention.”
Battrick, a devoted surfer from Jersey, Channel Islands, U.K., is known for his cold-water exploits, So devoted, in fact, that he started his own wetsuit brand called Luna Surf.
“Surfing has been my whole life — not just a sport or a job, but something that’s shaped who I am,” he continued. “The ocean has always been my place of peace, my community, and my compass. I’ve spent years working within the surf world, building a life around tides, wind, and the quiet joy of being in the water. I’m an introvert at heart — happiest when things are calm, when I can quietly do what I love.”
That statement is slightly at odds with what he’s accused of being involved in. After Battrick and the others paddled out into the contest lineup, the Scottish Surfing Board said that, “Abuse directed at female competitors led to the premature suspension of the event on safety grounds, and event organizers were forced to seek assistance from Police Scotland. Such behavior is completely unacceptable and runs counter to Scottish Surfing’s values of Innovation, Care, Inclusion and Excellence.”
In the wake of the disturbance, the event was suspended and the decision was made to run the rest of it at a later date, and possibly at a different venue. Police are now involved, and they are investigating. By most accounts, Battrick isn’t a person you’d expect to paddle out in the middle of an event and stir the pot.
“When I saw this story popping up on my feed yesterday with your name front and center, I certainly was rattled,” wrote Noah Cohen, a Canadian professional surfer from Tofino who works as Rip Curl’s sports marketing manager. “There are layers to the discussion around why you felt like you deserved to paddle out I am sure, and those are probably best dissected at a later date, with cooler heads. But you very clearly made a poor judgment call in that moment, and it’s good to see you owning up to that here.”
Cohen went on to acknowledge that the angry internet mob might be fanning the flames, especially when it came to Battrick’s role.
“All that said, there was no part of me that believed the majority of what I read (screaming, dropping in and deliberately assaulting competitors), as I know that that is not at all in your character,” he continued. “As someone who has seen you come to my home turf, as well as witnessed you surfing in many other locales around the globe, respect has always been a cornerstone of your approach, and you always aim to leave places better than you found them. Hopefully all can learn, heal and move forward, and understand how damaging it can be (in both directions) to scream through online forums without hearing both sides of the story.”
Battrick claimed that there was an agreement with the North Shore Surf Club that non-competitors were allowed to surf after 3 p.m. It seems unlikely, however, that the organizers would have agreed to let freesurfers into the lineup during an active competition, which is what happened. When the scuffle went viral, Battrick was the focus of much ire.
“What’s happened since has been heartbreaking,” he said. “In the days after, rumors began spreading online — stories that I had assaulted people or verbally abused others in the water. None of this is true. There were livestreams running and people all around, yet these stories kept growing, changing shape with every post. Watching your name and your character twisted into something you don’t recognize is a kind of pain that’s hard to describe.”
To his credit, Battrick did own up to his error in judgment. But the hate he has found himself on the receiving end of feels — to him, at least — misguided.
“I can accept being called out for any mistake I have personally made,” he explained. “I deserve that. But what’s followed — the hate, the name-calling, the lies — has gone far beyond accountability. I’ve had hundreds of messages and comments from people I’ve never met, many of them cruel and deeply personal. People have felt afraid to speak the truth because their words are deleted or shouted down. It’s been overwhelming.”
Battrick is cooperating with the police investigation and working hard to get his side of the story out to the world.
“I am fully aware of the perception most people have of me, I have heard many stories in the past of myself that are untrue and I can just laugh and shrug it off,” he wrote. “But this I cannot, and need to say my side of the story. For something that I haven’t done, and no evidence of, I find it alarming the amount of hate and hate crimes that have gone viral online. Of which most of this has come from my home island… I am most certainly not against competitions, because I sponsor them. Over the last decade I have sponsored Scottish surfing events, the Scottish Surfing Federation, along with many men, women, children and also the North Shore Surf Club. I am committed to resolving this constructively and respectfully. I ask the community to refrain from harassment and allow the proper processes to run their course. I respect the athletes — especially the younger competitors— and I regret any upset caused.”