Al Mennie was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the height of the ‘Troubles’.

A time when gunfire, terror and bombing filled the streets.

Al found surfing on the northern coastline and was intrigued by a mysterious

island that seemed to appear then disappear on the horizon.

 

The spirit of adventure ignited within the young flame haired kid as he

became obsessed with what lay beyond the local shores.

Armed with battered sea charts and an old friends’ boat, Al ventured

across peat bogs, battled unruly Atlantic currents, and befriended

the wild west wind that so often invited itself along for the trip!

Like many surfers’ dream, Al was in search of

isolation, perfection, excitement, and most of all adventure.

 

Al became a pioneer of big wave surfing in Ireland and to this

day takes on exploration missions and charges gigantic waves at the now

famous big wave spots around the island and many more uncharted locations.

The monstrous swell of December 1st 2007 at Mullaghmore Head blew the door

open to opportunity. Before long awards and invites to events around

the world came in taking Al on a path to meet and compete against

those that inspired him.

 

Al became one of the original pioneering team at the

now infamous location of Nazare in Portugal, home to the biggest waves in the

world. Al was part of the team that worked with Garrett McNamara in 2010

which lead to Garrett securing the world record for the biggest wave ever surfed.

 

Often, under arm power alone, Al paddles far offshore in the

cold Irish winter to lonely sea mounts in search of adventure.

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In Uncharted Surf, Al takes you with him, deep into the unknown.