ABOUT SAM STARKIE

Born into a life in the outdoors by age 11, Sam had climbed all the highest peaks in the UK, all of the Fells of the Lake District and Wales and most of the Munroes of Scotland. He started kayaking when he was 7 and has since kayaked extensively throughout the UK and Europe. The combination of climbing, canyoning and kayaking lead him to work in water and develop skills in coasteering.

Having set up Vertical Descents Cornwall with extensive coasteering experience in UK, Portugal, Spain and France he helped to establish the National Coasteering Charter, and Sam was the first Regional Rep for Cornwall. He has been a surf coach for the past 14 years, kite surfing and teaching power kite sports for the same amount of time, and started paddleboarding 7 years ago.

For the past 4 years Sam has been guiding Surf Rafts (white water rafts in the surf and along the coast). This is a fantastic activity and has now lead on to development of ‘Monster SUP’ as a commercial activity where he offers guided tours along the coast and riding waves too.