Who is Tristan Roberts
At just 19 years old, Tristan Roberts holds 5 South African titles and 2 World titles for bodyboarding. He knows the harsh effects that the sun on his skin and ensures that he gets the very best protection by using the Black Pearl range of Sun Protection Creams.
“Sea of Spa is helping me to attain these dreams and motivate me to be the best I can, by representing their brand all around the world through my travels.”
– Tristan Roberts
His Story
Two time World Bodyboarding Champion
I have been bodyboarding for 13 years , started at the age of 6 and fell in love with it since day one. I was born in Cape Town and moved to Hermanus in 2003 where I fell In love with ocean and saw myself being nowhere other than at the beach everyday from then on. I strive from goal to goal, by entering my first contest, to winning my first contest, to winning a South African Title, to winning 5 South African Titles and then to win 2 world Titles.
Bodyboarding has shown me things in the world which not many have experienced in a normal lifestyle. I have spent time living with different families, each with their own unique cultures and different living environments. I believe that this has all moulded me into the person I am today. I have ridden waves around the world and have had the opportunities to push my limits and I am looking forward to pushing those even more.
Most 19 year olds have the ordinary goal of achieving their degrees at university and moving on to contribute to the corporate working world. I, on the other hand am determined to put all time into the sport I love to become the Men’s world champion. I have lived a life which I have dedicated to bodyboarding for that reason. Sea of Spa is helping me to attain these dreams and motivate me to be the best I can, by representing their brand all around the world through my travels. Bodyboarding has taught me to grounded , that hard work leads to success and most importantly that your destiny is determined by you.
Tristan Roberts in the Canary Islands
Tristan Roberts in Tahiti
Tahiti has been a destination which I have dreamed of visiting since I was a little boy. Some of the worlds most powerful waves , which will truly determine if you know how to push your limits and be able to take a beating from all the oceans power put into a single wave. To do this you must be physically and mentally prepared. It’s grounding to see the oceans power and crystal clear blue waters surrounded by the tropical beauty of Tahiti. Each destination I go to is an eye opener and helps me stay humbled to carry on riding waves simply for the love of it.
Tristan Finds Treasure on the West Coast
After 30 hours of flying , I was soon to touch ground in South Africa after a long trip in Tahiti. I was connected to the planes wifi when I got a message from a friend who is a great photographer, asking me if I am home yet and want to go up the west coast with him the very next day. I had mixed emotions as I really wanted to get good waves , but thinking of the 6 hour drive I had to take on to get to the specific spot after crazy hours of flying just seemed too tiring to think of. I landed in Cape Town and gave it a days thought and finally decided to do it . I realized that it will probably be the last time I get the chance to go there before I leave to Brazil and that it would be good training for me before I take on the worlds best riders on the 15th of June. After a difficult night of rest due to jet lag , I got up the next day and met up with Allan to soon take on the road up the cold west coast.
Allan Horton Photography
We arrived at 3 am in the morning after getting lost amongst gravel roads and bushes surrounding us for as far as we could see , but finally found the right gravel road. It was full moon and the most star lit up clear skies one could imagine. We set up our tents and went to bed . When I woke up at 7:30am, I was stunned. Saw some of the best waves I had seen in a while with no one in sight. It was perfect , it’s what I would say was the perfect training ground. I was so eager on getting out there ! Had my cereal and was bouncing around like a kid who had one too many chocolates and just wanted to explode with excitement. The drive and effort to get there seemed like not enough effort when I saw the waves I had woken up to.
5 days on the West Coast
