On December 18th, 1989 approximately mid morning the last contender fell with out a struggle - Dave MacAulay had been the last possible hope of stopping the world's first Great British World Surfing Champion.

Martin Potter, born and bread in North East England but lived most of his life overseas was to fly the British crown in a place many thought they would not see it for decades. On top of the surfing world.

I personally remember that day very clearly, a telephone call from Hawaii to say that Martin had won the world champion and to a young adult who just lived for surfing that was great news, at last I could say I was a British surfer and be really proud of it! No more crap about surfing in Britain at last we had made the top of the world.

Martin aged just 23 had at last taken the crown he had wanted for over a decade! In the challenge for the title he had invented the "air" with a twin fin board. He travels so fast down the line even now in his mid 30's that the poor little twin fin just can not hold the water line..... What many surfers now take for granted Martin Potter a British surfer started and was regarded as totally extreme.

Over the years Martin has been called an OZ, a South African but the truth is he is totally English and proud of it. Just ask him and he will say that he is British and a Jordie at that. So why did the British surf magazines not cover him, well we shall never know but it may have something to do with not being based in Newquay all the time!!!! sound familiar...... The fact is even Surfer magazine got his nationality incorrect claiming he was South African, and yet he competed under the GB!!!! amazing.

We all talk about Russell Winter but lets take a look at Martin for a moment. He finished 8th in his first Rookie season on the ASP tour against the likes of Curren, Carroll and others......From 1984 onwards his search and destroy method gave him no first among equals status with Carroll, Curren and Occhilupo...

Now Martin Potter is back on the Masters tour. Yep the British son has returned to limelight after disappearing from the limelight, or so it would seem although that has never been the case.