A former Wymondham High sixth-form student has been crowned as the young king of the waves.

Tom Bennett-Lloyd, 18, from St Clements Hill, Catton, returned from Cornwall on Sunday, October 30, after having been crowned as the British Youth Wavesailing champion for 2011.

Wavesailing is a demanding and extreme form of windsurfing, combining the wave-riding and jumping skills of surfing with the wind sailing of windsurfing.

The former Norwich School pupil honed his skills on the Norfolk Coast before travelling the country and visiting abroad. This year he achieved two first places and a second place in the British Wavesailing Association Championship youth series of competitions, held in Wales, Ireland, Scotland and England.

Tom could not compete in Ireland due to A-Level exams, but still maintained enough of a lead to take the championship.

Mr Bennett-Lloyd said: 'I've been doing it for a while now and it feels really good to have got somewhere and have a real achievement from it.'

Mr Bennett-Lloyd – who has lived in Norwich all his life – has been riding waves since age five, when his father, an environment manager for Norwich City Council, took him surfing.

'Norfolk is a great place to go windsurfing and for being on the water, the conditions are not too challenging, it's a good place to learn,' he said.

'Hickling is a good place, they are a good bunch there. And wavesailing here is pretty amazing, we do get good conditions. At East Runton we have a chalk reef and waves form up really nicely and swell in the right direction.'

Do you have a world-beating skill? Call Joe Wilkes on 01603 772474