Grishka Roberts was born in Newquay in 1967. His father was one of the pioneers of British surfing in the early 1960s. Inevitably Grishka was soon hooked too, and he remembers eating his dinner off his first surfboard at five years old. Grishka started competing at 11 and won the first of his many national titles at 15. From 18 he competed in European competitions and - after a great second-place finish - he decided to turn professional.
Grishka moved to Hossegor in south-west France - the surfing capital of Europe - and started to compete on the European professional circuit, backed by Quiksilver.
After 10 years in Europe's top five and extensive travelling worldwide, Grishka won the European professional title in 1989 and 1993 - an achievement that only three other Brits can lay claim to.