ALAN ATKINS, veteran surfer who has called Byron Bay home for the past 20 years, has just won his 10th national surfing title.
Last week, Alan – a stalwart of the Byron Bay Malibu Club – won the Over 65s National Surfing Championships in Coffs Harbour.
There was a good shoulder-high swell running into Coffs for the heats, but it had started to fade for the finals last Thursday, he said.
In the big event Alan fell off a few waves after a good early ride, but he was able to pick up a bigger wave in the last minutes of the final to snatch victory.
“You have to fight to the very end, until you hear the final siren. You just never know,” he said.