Tony Hawk snorkels in Manly during visit to Australia
VIDEO: Tony Hawk, the biggest name in action sports, has gone snorkelling in Manly and offered his best advice for young athletes.
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HE IS the biggest name in action sports — and Tony Hawk has just given a glowing endorsement of “beautiful” Manly.
In Sydney for Bondi’s Bowl-A-Rama this weekend, Hawk made the most of his Australian visit to go snorkelling at Shelly Beach on Friday.
Hawk, 49, who has 3.2 million followers on Instagram and was the first skateboarder to complete a 900 (two and a half rotations), told the Manly Daily he was enjoying the opportunity to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
“I love how it’s secluded here,” he said.
“It seems less touristy but it’s still very beautiful and very accessible — so I enjoy that aspect of it. It’s beautiful ... I’m excited to see the wildlife.”
Not surprisingly, the fearless athlete was not put off by the prospect of coming across sharks. “It doesn't bother me,” he said.
“Let’s not make that known to my daughter, though.”
During his visit, Hawk dined with his family at trendy beachside restaurant Boathouse Shelly Beach.
Hawk — whose achievements in the sport led to the skateboarder having a hugely popular video game series named after him — offered advice to young athletes.
“For the most part, you’ve got to approach it with confidence,” he said.
“You’ve got to believe in yourself and when you want to do these things, you've got to convince yourself that you’re capable of doing it.”
Hawk was greeted by Manly MP James Griffin, who described Hawk as “ an icon for a lot of young and old people up and down the beaches”.
“It’s great to have him here,” Mr Griffin said.
“He shot to prominence with the X-Games and shortly after that the PlayStation game came out.
“For a lot of people that was a great way to understand the skills he has got as a skateboarder.”