James Ibbotson

Freestyle Kayaker, Nottingham, England

I’ve been around water all my life, from learning to swim, trying to surf in the sea to kayaking in rivers. My passion for water is everything. No matter what the time of year, the weather or the temperature you’ll find me splashing around in some water somewhere. For me kayak freestyle is one of the best ways to have fun on a river. I find a sweet bit of white water and throw down on it, seeing what tricks and moves i can do. Through the sport i have met so many of my awesome friends. In 2015 i travelled out to Ontario, Canada, for the kayak freestyle World Championships. Here i met so many awesome people with the same passion for water. Competing there was one of the best memories i have. I managed to have so much fun and came away as the top British paddler, 3rd European paddler and the 10th in the world. 2016 sees the European Championships, where i hope to improve on my result and come away with a nice piece of shiny metal. More importantly however, i hope to make so many more awesome memories.

SurfEars plugs allow me to hear everything going on around me. I can hear my coach on the side, buzzers in competitions and, most importantly, my friends hassling me from the bank!

James on Vimeo