At 14, Neil Cameron was invited on holiday with a friend’s family to Yamba where he first saw surfing and began his love affair with surfing. He then began surfing at Rainbow Bay in Coolangatta. But, Neil says ‘in those days ‘surfing was associated with outcasts and criminals. ‘ This was before sponsorship, and mainstream attention turned the sport into a lucrative global industry and the cool factor.
Undeterred by the poor reputation, and on his first surfboard, a Malibu – Ken Custom Neil practiced surfing in the Brisbane river, catching waves off the cargo ships. Then, when Neil and his friends were old enough to drive, they would go anywhere to find the waves. ‘There were no mobile phones or surf cameras back then’ Neil said you would rely on previous knowledge and visual cues such as swell direction, wind, and tides. After graduating to short boards Neil competed and won 3 titles – QLD, NSW and the Australian Titles.
Nowadays, Neil likes to surf anywhere where the waves are -saying that the Pass at the moment has one of the best banks ever.’ He enjoys surfing at Brokenhead, often paddling out just on daybreak.
He says winter is a great time for surfing when all the conditions also coincide. February, March, and April are also fabulous times for surfing.
His tip is to take surfing lessons if you have not surfed before.
Neil moved to Byron Bay 40 years ago, where he started in the building industry, contributing to an in-depth knowledge of building. During this time he studied, practiced, and taught Chinese martial arts earned a 5th-degree black belt. Neil says his passion for martial arts was more about character development than the actual exercise.
Neil is an accomplished sales agent, having sold over 1000 properties in the Byron Bay region. He says, ‘The market we are experiencing is ‘unprecedented,’ and at this stage, it looks set to continue for the next 12 months. Neil works closely with his wife Janis and says meeting Janis is the best thing that ever happened for him.
And it is possible to avoid winter altogether, thus creating an ‘endless summer’ in Byron Bay – contact us now for sales, rentals, or holiday units.