For most, the prospect of balancing on the crest of a 60 foot wave with nothing but shallow water and rocky reef beneath would be petrifying.

But one of the world’s most visually breathtaking and physically demanding sports is attracting participants from an unlikely source.

So imagine this: it's December and freezing winds are ravaging shorelines around the Irish coastline. The seas have become brooding and turbulent and weather systems, described by experts as ‘freakish,' are ripping across the North Atlantic toward the west coast of Ireland. While many residents of the seaside village of Mullaghmore, County Sligo, batten down the hatches for the impending meteorological onslaught, one chap, Al Mennie (27), decides it would be a good opportunity to partake in his favourite past time — big wave surfing.

Not to be mixed up with normal surfers, big wave surfers, in some cases, are dropped into the waves by helicopter and then dragged along the face of the wave by jet ski in order to develop enough momentum to stay on.

The nicknames of the world's top big wave locations are ominous reminders of the danger big wave surfers face. ‘Dungeons' in Cape Town, South Africa, ‘Cyclops' in Western Australia, ‘Shipsterns Bluff' off the coast of Tasmania and Peahi Beach, aka ‘Jaws' in Hawaii are to name a few.

Al said: “I always wanted to be a big wave surfer, ever since I was 13 years old and I watched a surfing film called ‘Monster Maverick's,' set at the famous Maverick's break in California. I remember saying to my brother after watching it that I wanted to be a big wave surfer when I was older.”

“I live in Portrush, so I'm close to the sea at all times,” explained Al. “This whole area on the north coast is surrounded by world class beaches.

He added: “Surfing in general is taking off in Portrush. When I first started, people only really came out for the waves during the summer months.

“It was only a hardcore few who would surf right the way through the winter.

“Now, more and more of the people you see in the water during the summer months are from Belfast. They're realising that they've got these great beaches just an hour up the road.

“With advances in cold weather wetsuits, people are also staying for longer during the summer months. You still see big crowds in the water right through to October.”

You'd be forgiven for assuming that big wave surfing is simply a more extreme version of normal surfing.

As Al explained, it's a far cry from catching a few waves on a Sunday afternoon: “Big wave surfing is an entirely different discipline. When you're preparing to ride a 60ft wave, you're not so much training to win as training to survive.

“You're placing yourself in a life or death situation. I don't really know why I do it, but I think what attracts me to it is the lure of pushing through the fear barrier. I enjoy the whole feel of chasing the big swell.”

He added: “I have had a few dicey moments in the past. On one occasion, at Mullaghmore, I fell off a 45 foot wave and was pushed to the bottom. My head hit the ground hard and the helmet I was wearing split completely in two.

“But this is all stuff we go through. The bigger the wave, the higher the consequences are going to be if you fall off. I have to expect things to go wrong and be prepared to get out of those situations and when it all comes together it's an experience and a feeling that you don't forget.

“You get so absorbed in what you're doing that you don't realise until afterwards the magnitude of what you've just done.”

With preparation being of major vital importance when tackling these giant walls of salt water, Al explained how he goes about his training: “You have to constantly stay prepared because you don't know when the right conditions will hit. I need to be ready to go at all times.

“The biggest thing I train for is being able to hold my breath for long periods of time. There's a big pool called Monk's Hole at Castlerock.”

He added: “When I reach the bottom of the pool I grab a rock to weigh me down and walk with it. This is practice for literally walking away from waves in case I get in trouble underwater.

“I also train by swimming after blowing out all of the air in my lungs. The biggest danger when big wave surfing is getting winded. I have to be able to swim even though I have no air,” he added.

Even though Al has had huge success surfing huge waves off the coast of Ireland, lately his career has taken him further afield, and finally, to the place where he's always dreamed of surfing ever since he was 13.

He's also become the first ever internationally recognised big wave surfer to hail from these shores. In a sport traditionally dominated by Australians, Americans and surfers from generally warmer climes, Al has fought against the grain to put Northern Ireland on the map, winning the Mananan Big Wave Challenge in 2003 and coming tenth in the world championships in Peru.

He explained: “Most big wave events and competitions around the world are invite-only. In a sport like this it has to be that way, otherwise you get people jumping into the water who aren't very experienced in the sport, and that's when accidents happen.

“To surf Maverick's was just amazing. I made the decision to go there when I was 23 years old — six months after my dad, Des, suddenly passed away after having a heart attack. Before he died he told me that if I was going to do something, then I might as well do it properly and that drove me and made me want to push further in the sport.

“Because of what my dad said, I immediately made the decision to surf Maverick's and started training four weeks later. I think what he said also helped my mum, Jenny, to accept what I do as she was worried about the dangers of the sport.

Al added: “Maverick's was such a great moment for me because I was surfing alongside all these guys that I used to idolise when I was a kid. I would read all about them in surfing magazines. To surf beside them was quite amazing.”

Al Mennie’s book, Surfing Mennie Waves, is out now priced at £14.95. Log on to: www.almennie.com