Off the farm, into the water

Ezra Holmes, 20, who works on his parents’ Taieri farm, catches a wave at Brighton Beach last night during the weekly Surfing for Farmers event.

It was his first time taking part and while surfing took a bit of practice, it was fun once he got the hang of it, Mr Holmes said.

It was a good to chance to catch-up with people he had not seen for a while — any problems on the farm were well out of mind, he said.

"There was a seal — you were more worried about that."

Volunteer co-ordinator George Heenan, of Dunedin, said the national programme had been running at Brighton for about eight years and still attracted newcomers as well as regulars.

A group of volunteers trained farmers in surfing basics, he said.

"It’s more about getting farmers away from farms and the stress of it all. It gives them ... a reason to go and try something new."