It may be a far cry from California - but Richard Gregory has braved the waves to capture a surf subculture.

The mature student has spent two years on his labour of love as part of his MA studies.

People will be able to see the end result when his film is shown on the big screen tomorrow.

Richard, 43, an in-house designer for Brighton University and surfing fanatic, has just finished an MA in sequential design and illustration - or storytelling in layman's terms.

The tale he chose to tell was the hidden world of surfing in Brighton and, for 18 months, come rain or shine, he strapped a camera to his board to get shots from every angle, both in the water and out.

His final project, called Not California, is a series of five short films shot at different surfing spots - the Palace Pier, West Pier and marina in Brighton and Shoreham Harbour.

Richard, of Elm Grove, Brighton, has now put the short films together to create a mini-documentary being shown at the Duke of York, Preston Circus, at 11am.

The result is a beautifully crafted film revealing sides of the city people may not have seen.

In the West Pier film, Brighton's towering flats and hotels rise out of a dawn mist behind a lone surfer on a cold February morning.

Richard said: "I chose surf culture because I think it's a hidden story and I'm interested in hidden subcultures.

"There's a big surfing community in Brighton but not many people know about it."

Richard came to Brighton 18 years ago from his native Essex.

He took up surfing seven years ago and is passionate about it, campaigning as a director of Surfers Against Sewage for cleaner seas.

He said: "I love surfing and I feel I've captured my passion in these films - what it looks like and feels like to surf."

Richard got the idea for the name of the project from a woman on Brighton beach.

He said: "I was out surfing one winter morning by the West Pier.

"It was freezing and, as I passed this woman, she looked at me pityingly and said 'It's not California'. It stuck in my head."

He now hopes get funding to extend his project, filming the different surf points around the UK.

You can experience Brighton's surf scene on www.notcalifornia.com