The unprecedented swell at Fistral beach in Newquay gave rise to an ad-hoc surfing contest yesterday.

Britain’s top surfers made the most of huge waves off the Cornish coast thanks to the tail-end of Hurricane Gordon, which created conditions to test and thrill competitors at Fistral.

The Gold Rush Big Wave Contest was arranged at short notice by The British Surfing Association (BSA) with special permission from the RNLI. Surfers were able to take advantage of the 8ft (2.5m) swell at Newquay’s Fistral beach. Three Cornish surfers made the final heat, with Scott Eastwood from Jersey taking the first place title.

Tony Good the surf contest director said surfers were delighted with the conditions: “We were forecasting 6ft-plus and we’ve actually had double overhead waves,” he said. “The guys are really stoked to be out there and we’ve probably had the best waves for a contest ever held in the UK.”