Photographer who revealed 'secret' wave location has 'surf snitch' sprayed on car

A surfers braves the cold of the Cornish winter waves in Polzeath, England. A photographer has faced backlash after posting images of a 'secret' surf break. Photo / Getty

A photographer had his car vandalised and been branded a "surf snitch" after revealing the location of a "secret" wave in the UK.

Ben Landricombe, 36, claims to have been threatened after he shared his pictures of a rare swell that breaks only three times a year.

His images were used in his local paper and prompted an angry response from the surfing community for "giving away the secret".

Wow I've been threaten and everything tonight for doing a story on surfing , first thing there's 2 types of people in...

Posted by Ben Landricombe on Sunday, 7 January 2018

Landricombe, who describes himself as a "mellow surfer", said he has even had messages from someone threatening to "beat him up" over his actions.

He said the problems have escalated and he has now had the words "surf snitch" spray painted in large letters on his car bonnet and had his tyres slashed.

Landricombe initially photographed the spot in Plymouth Sound, Devon, last Saturday but said he did not think he would provoke such an angry reaction.

He said: "It was an accident and I just wanted to try to show some cool angles of the wave. I'm not a bad guy. I sort of wish I never took the shots, but a lesson learned. It's got way out of hand.

"I'm a mellow surfer with good vibes and then you get these angry surfers who punch the water and scream when they make mistakes.

"The problem is that in the surf lately there's far more anger than good so it's making surfing a bit unpleasant."

Landricombe, from Plymouth, said he has been ridiculed by some in private messages on Facebook.

He added: "They said they were going to beat me up. I thought 'woah chill out'. They're acting like they own the ocean."

But Landricombe added that he would never encourage anyone to try out the spot as it is difficult and dangerous to surf there.

He said: "I think it is the most dangerous wave in England. You've got to know what you're doing. It is super rare, it probably only happens about three times a year.

"It needs all the correct elements are working at the same time to produce these beautifully perfect waves - the correct wind, the correct swell - when that happens, beauty happens. There are usually about four or five guys out there when it does happen."