I was a teenager when surfing came to Wales. By the time I was raising my sons, a whole generation of surfers had caught the surf bug, traveled, partied, and left the UK for more favorable surf destinations like Australia and South Africa.
Once the sport’s culture was established in the UK, a young surfer they called Rhino came into the fold. James “Rhino” Thomas grew up near the Welsh capital of Cardiff and lived just a few hundred yards from one of the best local beaches, Rest Bay. From grommethood to multiple national titles, a wealth of travel experiences, and subsequent career working in the action sports industry, he grew to be such a strong character in the Welsh surf scene that Tom Curren wrote a song about him.
The following podcast has surf travel author and broadcaster Tom Anderson and Rob Blythe (two well known Welsh national surfers) interviewing Rhino, sharing stories and yes, how the Welsh legend ended up in a song penned by TC himself.
