Surfing in Brighton is often like skiing in the Sahara. The will is there but the right conditions are not.

The icy spring water off Brighton Marina, with little wavelets, cannot be compared with the big, billowing, warm waves of Australia or California.

But there are plenty of people attempting the impossible down there and an increasing number of them are women.

The good thing about surfing in Sussex is that if you can do it down there, you can catch a wave anywhere.

Maybe that's why, over the years, Sussex surfers in general and Brighton surfers in particular, have fared well in national and international championships.

The rising popularity of surfing also means it's time tourism bosses considered whether they can offer them more help, such as proper parking near their favoured beaches