Forget the sandy shores of Cornwall or the gnarly waves of California, this is surfing Norfolk-style.

Retired teacher Zip Pain, of Brundall, has been surfing off the east coast for more than a decade and recently filmed himself surfing off Winterton-on-Sea, complete with a sou'wester on his head and a ukulele in his hands.

The 52-second clip of the 59-year-old father-of-three playing the uke while surfing was picked up by an advertising company and is now being featured in a US television advert for Guitar Centre, the international musical instrument chain with more than 280 stores across America.

The short video was just a bit of fun - it was the first time Mr Pain had ever tried strumming a tune while catching a wave, but it could earn him some money if the advert, released to coincide with Independence Day on July 4, proves popular.

'I started surfing when we took the kids down to Cornwall one summer and they had lessons,' said Mr Pain.

'The first year we sat on the beach with a coffee and watched, but the next year I thought I'd give it a go.

'Now I'm retired I go out as often as I can. It's like being a child in a home-made go-kart; a complete thrill. You feel as if you're travelling at 90mph.'

Mr Pain, whose daughter Alice Jackson taught surfing while on a gap year in Bali, uses surfing website www.magicseaweed.com to know when the best waves are on their way.

'Ideally you need a storm up high in the north sea near Scotland which will send a big pulse wave south, it's got to come from a fair distance,' he said.

'You need fine weather and a light breeze. The conditions weren't wonderful when I did the video, but that was just a bit of fun.'

An avid guitar and ukulele player too, Mr Pain has a penchant for making 'whimsical' videos with silly songs. When contacted out of the blue about the Guitar Centre advert, he thought it might be a scam but after digging a little deeper then agreeing a contract, he was delighted with the end results.

'It's really great; maybe it'll get a few more people in Norfolk on their surfboards,' he said.

While Cromer and East Runton and some of the nearby 'secret spots' are probably more popular with east coast's stalwart surfers, Mr Pain prefers Winterton because it 'has so much going for it'. It's also where his 91-year-old mother used to holiday in the 1930s.

As for surfing as a hobby it keeps him fit and healthy after fighting off cancer a few years ago. Mr Pain, who had a sarcoma tumour in a right arm muscle, needed reconstructive surgery and six weeks of radiotherapy to beat the disease.