PHOTO MITCH NIBBS

Fun pits in the sun last weekend……Victorian Secret Slab
Fun session went down with my mate “Skeet”, “Mitch” took the shots and only a few tourists lined the shoreline.. Tune in the next few days, shots and story from a session at the same place not long ago….

No comments

All photos Dave Thomas, Bobby’s Camp “GLAND”
Land shot is of Shanza, water shot is of me, both pits at speedies section of Gland

Big south swell hits and i do what i say il never do, “follow the sheep and head somewhere super crowded”. But with calls like “looks like the best swell in over a decade” and “its gonna be 8ft freight trains”, plus its a wave that every surfer has to surf one day, how could i say NO to a nice easy trip to G-LAND.
A week after being in Bali, it was well and truly time to get out. Although it was heaps of fun chilling up at Canguu, living at the beach, hanging with good crew, eating great food and surfing fun beachies. Mix that in with a couple of nights in the heart of Kuta and losing a motorbike and G-land sounded like a great idea. My friend Shanza was flying over from oz the night before we were leaving, so i gave hime the deatails for the trip and he was on board frothing. His plan was simple. Land in Kuta 11pm, head to hotel, wake 530am, head to Gland. However it ended up going, land in kuta 11pm, check into hotel, head to strip, drink lots of arak, get to hotel at 445am, head to gland 530am hahaha.
The boat ride was an experience in itself. It was like we were on a special forces operation. 30 pro surfers (including Makua and Koa Rothman, Chalk, Dingo, Twiggy list goes on) and half as many photogs and filmers all descending on G land , all with the same thing in mind. While everyone scrambvled for the best seats for the 2 hour journey, Shanza scrambled to the toilet for the “dead man walking, i need to spew, passedoutwookie.com”.
We were staying at Bobby’s Surf Camp. Included with our accomodation was all meals and a few beers a day. The staff were great too and every afternoon was spent watching the sunset down the foreshore, sinking binnies, listening to tunes and talking riddles with some great people. The surf was pretty good, but because of the crowds, it was hard to get the good ones. You would take off on a 6-10ft outside peak known as launching pads, once it squared back onto the reef, you would pick your line through the down the line barrell section known as speedies.
By the end of the trip, even though i hadnt had what i was after in the way of memorable pits, the best times were the ones just chillin out meeting surfers from all over the world, watching the sunsets, punishing bintangs and beating Twiggy at pool hahaha (i was one shot away from pantsing him off the break).
Back to Canguu for some more chillout therapy with a fun sesh at Bingin thrown in and some great time spent with my friends Eddie and Claire who got married over there, CONGRATS guys..

1 comment

Indonesia is and always will be a paradise for surfers. Travel there in the months from May – October each year and you would be hard done by if you didnt get a barrell…
Nias has been on my to do list since i was a kid, so when a swell looked like it could offer some goods, i booked my ticket and started my jpourney to the island off North Sumatra. I was travelling with my mate Callum who decided to jump on the mission the night before i left. 35 hrs later we were stting in our accommodation at Lagundri Bay Happy Losmen (run by Rahel, local ripper) staring at the set up that enticed me into coming to this part of the world. The conditions were 4ft and light onshore, but the best day wasnt meant to be til the next arvo so after a solid feed and a couple of Binnies we hit the hay. Just before i nodded off, Cal says to me “Marti were gonna score pits i guarantee, i got a little spot up my sleeve”.
The next morning we wake to glassy conditions and the wave looking about 4-5ft. It really needed a stiff offshore to clean it up and we waited all day, but it only ever showed glimpses. It seems like the hardest part about scoring the wave is having those clean, groomed conditions. The swell started to pulse later in the arvo and while out surfing i bumped into my friends Mikala and Daniel Jones. They were on the same program as me, flying out here for the swell, hoping to get some great pits, but feeling a bit bummed about what we were getting. We decided if tomorrow wasnt any better, then we would hit the road and go in search, there were at least 50 plus surfers staying on the point, so anywhere uncrowded was a move forward in our minds.
On our second morning it was slightly bigger but still with that morning sickness feel to it. While watching the surf i bumped into a few of my booger mates from sydney.. Ewan Donnachie, Jem Cresswell and Jase Finlay. All seven of us had been checking this slab out that was round many corners for the last couple days and we all agreed today was the day we had the best chance of hitting it. It was a really intimidating set up, breaking at 6ft plus and right in front of dry coral ledge. There were two sections to it, with the end section being pretty much a closeout. Conditions werent in our favour, with a dropping swell, not many waves got ridden. But im defenitely hungry to hit it up next time. We said goodbye to the boogs, as they packed to head back to oz, while we planned the next part of our journey. Mikala and Daniel had had enough of Nias too, so Cal said it was time to pull out a couple of secrets.
We left Lagundri at 2 am the next morning. All i will say is, we had to use cars, boats , bikes and local villagers to get there. One night we stayed at the dirtiest hotel known to mankind. It was like thee ones you see in the movies. There was no air con or fans, it smelt like shit, was next to a mozzie infested stream of sewage that flowed threough the village and the beds had rat shit all over them. But it was all worth it the next day, when we finally found what we were looking for. Sure it wasnt 10ft flawless freight trains, but all we werew after was some nice clean pits in an area thats untapped, knowing your one in only a handful of surfers to have scored the joint, and its just you and your friends out. The next two days were spent trading 4ft flat bottom slabs and getting spat out of every wave. It was so glassy, as you were taking off you could see every inch of the razor sharp reef. Both Mikala and myself got up close with the bottom and came out with some nice free tattoos to the shape of claw marks all over our bodies. We were all so stoked Cal had shown us his little paradise, it definitely made our trip.
With more swells on thew horizon, i decided to head back to Bali to catch up with crew and refuel for the next mission…

No comments

I was going over some old files on my computer tonight and found this story i wrote for a trip i did into the jungle with Brad Masters. It was awesome fun and scored great waves. Ive included some shots also.

It was a Tuesday afternoon when I seen the swell on the charts. It was hitting Saturday morning and looked too good to pass up. It’s really hard to predict how good the waves will be at tropical places. Small storms can affect the conditions and what looked like a good day of surf can change within hours to onshore thunderstorms. The swell looked good and the winds were predicted to do the same, so the phone calls began. Mooney was the first. He’d already been keeping a close eye on the swell but could only afford to go if his filmer could make it along. The next 24hrs were spent bouncing back and forth between going and not going, finally the call was made and we were going to sit this swell out, due to the filmer having other arrangements. Due to secrecy, I can’t take just anyone. Wednesday arvo I checked the charts again, the swell had picked up and I knew this certain spot would have to be breaking. Back on the phone trying to hoax my friends into dropping everything and joining me, to no avail. By Wednesday night I was losing my shit. Who knows what this island could be offering on this swell. It could be pumping. Or it could be absolute dog shit. But I couldn’t just sit at home not knowing. Ten o clock wed night I booked a return ticket to the island paradise, solo. Later that night as I was laying in bed, I remembered talking to a photographer friend a few months earlier that had also been to the same island. So I called Brad up and told him my plan. He was on board before I even asked and now all we could think about was what awaits.
Whenever I head to this place, the night before I leave, I can never sleep. So driving to the airport at 430 isn’t the best idea. If it wasn’t for the safety bumps on the side of the road, I doubt I would have made that plane. Anyway I was soon startled when I heard on the radio the volcano was erupting in Indonesia and flights in and out of Jakarta were being delayed and cancelled. Fuck, all I could think of was arriving at the island a day late and missing the swell altogether. What a disaster that would be.
The amount of potential around these parts leaves you with countless possibilities. Stepping on ground where very few white people have been gives a warm fuzzy feeling in your body and thoughts flow freely through your mind. Adventure, exploration and pioneering are the main reasons I surf. These are all things that, to me, make up the perfect surf trip and coming to this part of the world touches on all these things. It’s not smooth sailing to get there. Five flights spanning 30 hrs, then the driving and boats. And once your there, it’s not five star accommodation. Try a hut in the back of a local malaria infested village with no mattress. (The last time I was here I contracted “Dengue fever”, which left me on a drip in hospital for a week). On the way to the village we stock up on rice, vegies, petrol (for the local fishing boat, soon to be our mode of transport) , water and coffee. When travelling to remote parts, the key is to keep things simple. Pack minimally but strategically and if you pack something (not medically speaking) you’re not sure whether you will use, then leave it at home cause most likely u wont. After checking in with the local Police we head off on the 4hr drive along the dirt road at about 15 km/h dodging waist high potholes, we notice a right hander I hadn’t seen break before. 4ft walls with the odd tube, nice little reef pass which definitely screamed potential. Most of this coast can only be accessed by boat, but there are still certain gems out there that if u looked harder enough through the jungle u might be surprised at what u will find.
Once at the village we set up camp in our shelter then walked down to the beach for a surf check. I see lots of familiar faces, same old men eating beetle nut under the same trees. Same teenagers walking into the jungle with their machetes. Same girls sitting in groups pointing and giggling at us and the same kids, supercharged on red syrup, following us down to the beach, showing off every chance they get. The locals go about their business with a serious concentrated look about them, but once u make eye contact and smile, the smile u get in return make s u feel at ease
Friday afternoon the surf is not very big and quite onshore so we decide to go for a short mission down the coast for a bit of search. From on top of a cliff we notice a fast right hander, some waves look amazing while others unsurfable due to the razor sharp coral protruding through the faces. We decide to call it a day and check it from the boat tomoro.The past two days of travelling have taken its toll on me and I fall asleep before finishing one page of my book.
My alarm rings at 5am, leaving us with enough time to get our shit together and sit down and enjoy my favourite drink (half cup strong coffee mixed with half cup condensed milk mmmmmmm) before it gets light enough to make our way out to the line-up. Once at the water’s edge we find the boat high and dry on the reef. The waves look fun, not as big as hoped but 4 ft perfection with no one around is hard to complain about. The main peak is one of the funnest waves I’ve ever surfed. An a-frame take off which u backdoor going left and slot into for as long as possible, depending on how much wall is on the wave. Some are a quick behind the peak, others it’s possible to get 10 second barrels. After getting barrelled at the main peak and a little nugget round the corner, we decided to head down the coast to where we spotted the right hander the day before. As we approached the line-up we could see it spitting and carrying on, but as we got closer we could see that it was leaning more toward the unsurfable side of things. Every now and then one would hit deep on the reef and it looked like you would have enough time to get out before it went dry, so I decided to give it a crack. Not really sure what caused it to change, but once we finally got out there, it was a complete close out. One set came through pushing 8ft, Brad reckons if I turned and went, it would have been a one way ticket to hospital. We waited another half hour hoping one would come through like the ones we seen earlier, but the wave didn’t come our way so we paddled back to the boat with our heads down, gutted, after having such high expectations. Saturday was meant to be the money day and it didn’t deliver. It was time to go on the hunt, so we sat up most of the night going through our potential options and planning our attack.
We wake on Sunday with a plan, surf out the front in the morning then go for a drive to the west side of the island to do a bit of searching. However the day starts off a bit pear shaped. Everyone’s heading to church and is looking down at us for not going with them. I proceed to tell them how that’s their religion, to go to church on Sundays, our religion is to surf. After a brief discussion they come to terms and respect what we do and realise we aren’t trying to change them. Once at the water we find our boat is nowhere to be seen, one of the locals starts going on about how the boats broken and it’s all our fault. They want money for a new boat and there not happy. Meanwhile the surfs pumping and all we could think about was getting out there and getting pitted. So within a couple of mins we have a small canoe, the size of a minimal and two frothing grommet locals ready to paddle us out. A couple of hours and twenty barrels later the tide fills in and we decide it’s time to hit the search.
The road was a disaster, due to some minor flooding, there were bits washed away and tracks going everywhere. It’s hard to believe travelling 10kms can take over an hour. If it wasn’t a thousand degrees you would contemplate walking. The scenery was beautiful. The jungle so thick that in parts, it would cover the road like a long lush green tunnel. We would be driving in the middle of nowhere then all of a sudden a local would scramble onto the road out of the jungle and ask our driver for a lift to the next village, it was classic. Our search dream was short lived when we rounded a corner and noticed the road had been replaced with a pool of mud about 20 metres wide. We watched a truck slip and slide through it, just making it to the other side. There was no way our car was going to make it and the driver wasn’t even thinking about taking the chance. So we turn around and make our way back to camp. On the way back we notice a little left, which we found on my last trip, was doing its best interpretation of a mini “green bush”. I looked at Brad and knew he was thinking the same, “no way I’m going to sit in this sweat pit car any longer, were out there”. It’s one of the easiest, funnest waves I’ve ever come across. A patch of reef about the size of a bus. The take off is more like a slab set up, deep water suddenly hitting super shallow. So it’s an under the ledge backdoor take off, tapering out into a running tube, before closing out onto an extremely shallow end section.
There were many times on this trip that I wished I had someone else surfing with me. Don’t get me wrong, I love surfing by myself, being able to catch any wave I deemed worthy. But there are times when you really want to share the stoke with someone and you want them to be on the same level. I’d go through stages. Barrel, paddle out, short chat with Brad, keep paddling to take off, then I’d sit out the back telling myself “this doesn’t seem real, it’s too good, I only ever dreamed of this”. Then the next time I paddle out, I get out the back and wish I could be hooting someone into the next set and they could feel the same stoke as I have been feeling…
Our last day, we spent the morning surfing the peak out the front. Brad finally joins me in the line-up, borrowing one of my sticks. We both were grinning ear to ear, even though it wasn’t as big as we were hoping, we were still in paradise and still feeling that distance from normality, which you get when travelling in remote areas. Packing up camp is always interesting when we come here as this is the time when we organise the money for the local people. We know the prices for everything they do for us and we pay them accordingly, while always throwing tips to the people that deserve it. But no matter how well you pay, they always want more and come up with the most random reasons why we should pay them. Anyway , this time it has to do with the boat they broke, then decided to blame us for. We had just finished packing our stuff when the boatman approached us talking there language quite aggressively. Our local friend interpreted what they were saying and it was something along the lines of , “pay us $500 for the boat damage or there will be trouble”. Well not only did we know that it wasn’t our fault the damaged there boat, but we actually didn’t have any money, and the closest atm was 4 hrs away. Once they heard this they became even more aggressive and me and brad started looking at each other, not knowing what was going to happen next. Our bags were packed, in the car, ready to go. So I was leaning towards a getaway. Our local mate however, knew that if the issue wasn’t resolved then it wouldn’t be the end of it. A minute later an old guy rocked up on a motorbike screaming at the two men who were hassling us. Our friend said that the guy on the bike was the village boss and he wanted the men to stop the confrontation. The men didn’t seem deterred and started yelling at us again. The old man proceeded to come into the house and pull out his machete, our friend said, “we go now, hurry”. So without hesitation we clambered into the car and waited. Our friend began telling us how the old guy was going to kill those two men if they didn’t stop, then a minute later, all three of the men walked out and approached the car. We apologised for causing such a scene and ended up giving them all our clothes to try and keep the [peace. Before we knew it everyone was smiling, shaking hands and we left waving to everyone out the windows.
That was one of the weirdest experiences I’ve come across and as we were driving , I didn’t really know what to make of it. It was extremely hot in the car, and it seemed that we were going much slower than the drive there. The driver explained that he didn’t want to take any chances with the potholes and damaging the car, as we had no money to fix it. Oh well, he knew the deal, so we rested our eyes and tried to sleep the remainder of our journey. I was awoken suddenly, banging my head against the window, after hitting yet another pothole and I’m sure glad I did. As I looked out my window, I could see the clearest turquoise coloured water and swell lines that looked to be over head high. In the distance I could make out the reef pass which we noticed on the drive there. It was pitting and spitting and my alertness jumped to 100%. we parked the car and I was out the back in minutes. I couldn’t believe what we had found, this a frame right hander that you could compare to cloud nine. I was sweating in the water from paddling so hard trying to get to the peak. The bottom was filled with the most colourful coral, but didn’t look real friendly to land on. The next 2 hrs was spent backdooring barrels and hitting perfectly shaped end sections. I was experiencing the feelings I touched on earlier, about wanting someone else out there to feel the beauty of the place, like I was. A tropical storm was approaching fast, which made the colours of the landscape seem surreal, sunny mountains, clear blue waters and a horizon that was as black as the sky can get. As I’m getting changed the drops of water start falling, 30 secs later its torrential downpour. We timed it perfectly and couldn’t think of a better way to finish off the trip. The last surf was a real highlight, it goes to show there are so many waves out there in this amazing world. This one island has given us a dozen perfect waves and we’re still finding them. And this is one island in a world where there’s thousands. I might not own a big house or flash car, but I have memories and experiences that will last a lifetime and I know very few people on this planet can say the same. Exploration is my lifestyle and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

1 comment

Cape Circus from Josh househam on Vimeo.

All photos Ben Newman. Vids by Josh Househam and Darran Franks

The east coast of oz has been going crazy this winter and last weekend i ventured up to Sydney to try duck under a few slabbing lips…
My friend Benny Newman picked me up from the airport with his mate Daz. They were super hung over from a big Saturday night, but were keen as to head over to Cape Solander to take some shots and shoot a few clips. We arrived into the car park at “OURS” and it was by far the most crowded i’d ever seen the arena there. Storm Surfers were shooting there stuff with RCJ and Tommy Carroll and the usual locals were out there getting amongst it. But for how many people that were watching the action, the lineup was pretty uncrowded. Throughout the day there were only a handful of people paddling (sometimes no one) and 2-3 crew towing..
I paddled a few waves to warm up, then “Bones” came over to whip me in. On my first wave it was a bomb, i hadnt really towed “ours” before, so i was a bit sketchy and how to approach it. Ended up hitting the step on take off thinking i had it in the bag, however when i landed my board stopped dead and i proceeded to face plant and get sucked over slamming into the bottom.
It was really slow all day, but when the good ones came it was great. The arvo glassed off and the swell got cleaner and we had an amazing session trading waves with Chalk, Dingo, Bones, Roo and Dom.
I was staying at Dingo’s pad that he shares with Parramatta Eels legend Reni Maitua Fuimaono and Ren’s girlfriend Nat. They were the best hosts ever and during the time i was staying there i met some really great people. Ren’s pad is just behind the beach with a full view of the coastline and the kid surfs pretty damn good too.
Dingo was being his usual self, waking up an hour before dark frothing for surf, we head round to Chalks and wake him, then load the bus for a mish down south. The waves weren’t as good as we had hoped, but we still had heaps of fun pulling into 4-5ft spitting rights and no one else around.
Overall was a great trip with good crew, fun waves and great food. Was great hangin in Maroubra and meeting the people and surfers that make up there community. Cheers everyone that i met and thanks for the hospitality…And big thanks to Reni and Nat and Dingo for lettin my crash at there joint, Bones for whippin me into some nuggs and Chalk for taking me surfing….

No comments

Marty Para from Jacob Wooden on Vimeo.

This is some stuff shot from my trip to NSW…..
Thanks “Woody” for the clips bro…And young Alex and Juggy for the shots. And thanks Mooney and Jug for the hospitality…
It wasnt 15ft pits, but it was heaps of fun and a lot warmer than back home.

No comments

Untitled from stugibson on Vimeo.

The last 5 days have been pretty hectic. Saturday we hit the eye of the storm and paddled huge surf down south (as you can see in my last post), then on sunday we had the funnest mellow session at one of Hobarts better point breaks (the clip of Dustin Hollick), where we had waves with multiple barrell sections. The weather ranged from 2-8 degrees with snow and hail storms and fierce 40-60 knot winds.
The swell then made its way up the east coast of Oz and Fiji was the place to be. The old bank funds weren’t treating me too good, so with reports of pumping surf in NSW, i decided to head to the Central Coast Monday morning. “Bones” picked me up from the airport, then we hightailed it to “Jugs” house and straight to the surf. The next coupla days was fun 4-6ft pits on both beachies and reefs.
Il be putting up a short edit and some shots from the NSW trip in a coupla days so stay tuned…….

No comments

All photos thanks to Scotty Bauer http://bauerphoto.com.au/

MIKEY’S TAKE

Intro

The world of free surfing has shown that our secret playgrounds are doorways of knowledge that lead us to becoming greater surfers. Learning and sharing how to get there, where to paddle out, what wave is best, the inches between the right take off and a costly mistake are all parts of surfing and what we want to be aware of. All this knowledge of being a surfer is priceless and can only be gained through time. It is the reason why we look up to those before us who inspire and create perfect lines on waves and they are truly the best surfers in the world; like ANDY.

Being connected to the land and the ocean is sometimes forgotten about as being a big part of the surfer lifestyle but in fact it’s the most unique part of what surfing is all about. Since the days when kings first encountered the ocean’s energy, to today as we search for the perfect wave. Surfing the perfect wave is like a dream and like the spiritual dream world is to the aboriginals- getting barrelled is like to surfing.

The image of perfection has been moulded into our mind’s, which leads us to yearn for it. Those of you who want it bad enough will wonder outside the box, off the beaten track and for us lucky enough, we will find these experiences in moments living as surfers. After all, those lost days travelling for less than average surf are made up for when finally rewarded.

The Trip

Our trip began with myself, Marti Paradisis and Lukas Street driving through the desert hours on hours, filling up tank after tank committed to getting closer to our destination. Marti is ‘KING CHICKEN’ driving the whole way and resisting anything otherwise. Through the night we luckily caught up with Scotty Bauer who we followed along dirt track crossings and treacherous pathways on our way inward. Ahead lay a sunken 4-wheel drive submerged to its windscreen in muddy water with a small tinny attached. The tinny appeared to be afloat as we spun past trying to mimic the exact tire tracks of Scotty. With a crazy evil laugh he punched through puddle after puddle, which somehow we managed to follow.

As the sun gradually arose on our arrival, so did the swell. It still wasn’t yet clear what we were in for over the next few days but regardless it was already feeling special. We were lucky enough to setup camp with local threaders Kerby Brown, Ry, Dino Adrian, Jam’o …. , Nath Brejnack along with Goldy resident Jarrah Tutton and visiting image creators & Mikey. It was the best campsite I had ever seen and located right along a beautiful beach and lagoon. Dino’s grey 70’s style caravan was sprayed with a large black peace symbol that set the scene. With shelter, dining table, bbq and fireplace we felt as though we were living it up old school with a cool hippy vibe. As the evening was upon us the swell looked like it was stacking up to the horizon. Blue arora’s bounced between the lines and into out a space as the night sky came alive. Although there was not much to see in the desert, talk of UFO’s, aliens, and murders kept us on the look out, under the brightest stars everybody told a few yarns before passing out awaiting the next day of waves.

The next day we awoke early to brew the coffee, suit up and make the very solid paddle out. The waves were mean, square and heavy. Breaking in shallow water so making it out the back and avoiding a set was nerve racking. The tight take off positioned everybody close and everyone took turns to dig into the sets and set a line threading down into the inside bowl. Some un-believable barrels were ridden with some really critical take off’s were taken. Ry on his first wave went down on a bomb unfortunately, hurting his knee as it jacked right up. I felt guilty as I called him into it, but Kerby ensured me he was making him go anyway. Those guys are fuckin funny, real cool and surf amazing. The sections of the wave just threw out wide the whole way down the line, with steps coming up the face of the wave. A reminder of the waves consequence was reported after news of a booger being scalped by the sharp reef and having to be rushed to hospital put things into perspective. Everyone shared the swell and picked up some amazing rides to remember and all day the waves were pumping, as it got glassier toward dusk.

It was like a dream, quick enough to blur but powerful enough to imprint on my brain forever. I started remembering how epic it was to be in a new place and learn everything about it, watch the local’s rule it knowing everything absolutely possible about the joint including where to go for the best Ice cream. We met up with more epic locals like Camel, who told us more funny unrepeatable stories followed by more surf. Just as it became all too evident to me this was what it was all about, meeting the people who inspire and sharing a really strong connection that exists with such a place. Evil, powerful, perfect for sure, but something else about the place, I don’t know if the colours of the red desert and blue water have anything to do with it or the fact that everything was so desolate yet alive. But, the fact was it was good to get a new perspective on life. After reading Flanagan’s book ‘Here on Earth’ and thinking about the world spinning at something like 1000+ kph, to get barrelled moving that fast against what is occurring must mean it is something like a warped vortex which is why I think it must feel so good.

No comments

All photos Andrew Chisholm

Shippies is a pretty consistant wave really. Sometimes when conditions look great it can be a complete hoax and other times it produces the goods when least expected. The 28th and 29th May was one of those days. Yes the swell was predicted to be pretty large, but the winds were looking horrible. My friend “John BONES Dwyer” came down for the swell so it was a pleasant surprise to be greeted with 10-12ft tubs unloading at the base of the big cliff. The usual suspects were amongst the barrell dwellers, James and Ty Hollmer-Cross, Danny Griffiths, Mikey Brennan, Jimi Mckean and Rudi Schwartz.. The “POM” came down to give it another try and actually got some nuggets, well earned considering he had to sit on the rocks and watch on the “day of days” a coupla weeks ago. Storm Surfers were in town doin there thing with there 3d cameras and Ross and Tom in the line up. Everyone got well pitted all day. A few crew hung around down south for the Sunday session which was another amazing day. A little smaller but just as clean and half the crowd. Those are the days that stand out. Just a nice crew with consistant waves and sunny skies. I told Bones he just experienced a rare occasion, most people who have there first sessions out at shippies are lucky to get it on, let alone two days in a row. He was the happiest man alive..
At the end of the day i grabbed my GO PRO out and whipped into a few… Theres also a coupla of clips from a trip i did down deep south with Sandy Ryan and Adam Morris, we scored 6-8ft left hand slabbers and had an amazing session. Check in soon for the shots and the stern Clip….. YEEEEEAAAAAW

1 comment

For more shots check out The Collective and theres plenty kicking round on facebook, ASL doing a feature next issue

 

I woke up Monday morning with one thing on my mind, “buoyweather”. Surfers like myself work in perculiar ways. We rely so much on predictions, it takes over our lives and consumes us whole. Surfing isnt like any other sport. Weather is our friend and our enemy. Thats why we feel like we are closer to nature than most people. We are at Mother Earths mercy and she will do as she pleases. There is nothing constant about it. It changes every second. Its not like a skate park, where the skater can mentally visualise each trick and where to hit each rail… In surfing every wave is different and you have to make split second decisions with in a blink of an eye… This happens in a normal surf session, so try to imagine what goes through your head when your faced with the biggest swell to ever it shippies, the most unpredictable wave on earth…

Tuesday May 17th 2011 will go down in history as the biggest surf ever ridden at Shipstern Bluff.. When the swell appeared on the charts i couldnt believe my eyes. 33ft 16secs with light onshore winds becoming more favourable as the evening progresses… It was , to this date, unheard of.  The predicted onshore winds were a slight worry but we were determined to give it a crack anyway..The next few paragraphs is my account of how it went down…

Tuesday morning we woke to howling onshore winds. But this was predicted so the let down was short lived. One thing was for sure though, the swell was huge.. We were getting reports that the Hobart Points were 3 ft, generally on a stern swell there feathering at 1ft. After some quick preparation checking our gear and packing the car, we were on the road by 8am. Id been checking the coastal observations all night and all morning and could see the wind was slowly turning around and becoming lighter, so once we got to the boat ramp i was pretty enthusiastic to get our shit together and get around there as fast as we could. There was lots of things happening in the ocean i hadnt seen before, like 1ft lines coming into the boat ramp and bombies breaking that ive never even seen cap before…

The teams were Rudi Scwartz/James Mckean, James/Ty Hollmer-Cross , the Pom/Danny Griffiths and Sandy Ryan/Myself. Me and Sandy headed off first because we were meeting up with the boat half way round to offload some boards. Once around at shippies we were met with the biggest mutated lumps of water ive ever laid my eyes on, we didnt see one makeable wave. It felt really different to the last time i was there. The danger vibe was predominant and i didnt want the nerves to get the better of me so i decided to give it a crack straight up. Sandy hadn’t towed before so the poor kid was under pressure to try get me in the spot. My first wave i dropped into a bit wide and tried to fade to get in the spot, once at the bottom i lost all my speed and tried to pull through the back. I ended up getting sucked over, first beatdown of the session, on my first wave.

It was extremely hard to work out the conditions this day, it was like the swell was too big for the reef. Each wave you towed into went below sea level and you had no idea where you were on the wave, it was a total mind fuck to surf. Normally you can tell where the take off is and where the step is, this day the whole wave was stepping out the whole way down the line. One set that came through would of had to be pushing 30ft. It doubled up and we all watched it in awe , as it proceeded to mutate and do stuff you would never imagine a wave could do. There was no possible way you could ride it and it was cringing thinking about someone being on it. Honestly no one could of survived that wave. After about 2hrs james and ty rocked up but still no sign of the others. They proceeded to tell us that Danny’s ski broke down and him and Pom were gonna walk in.After another hour Rudi and Mckean finally showed up. It was a bit offputting that neither team wanted to tow straight away, obviously the waves they were seeing didnt look inviting.

Sandy tackled it fearlessly. It was his first consequential surf since fracturing his neck 6 months ago but he gave it a solid crack. We tried to rig up a neck brace but it wouldnt fit under his wetsuit so we just tried to strap his neck up with a bit of tape. He said on his first wipeout he went over the falls trying to brace his head just hoping for the best. It all held together and he ended up getting some mad rides.

Charles Ward is a local bodyboarder whos turning heads in the booger world. He surfs shippies really well and is consistantly out there pushing himself every swell. He paddled out in the late arvo after standing on the rocks for over an hour waiting for a break in the sets to scramble through the pounding 10ft of whitewash rolling down the point. It then took him and hour and half just to get out the back to where the waves were breaking, due to a strong current dragging him into the middle of the bay. After his efforts and commitment i ended up towing him into one of the biggest pits of the day. He was so fucking stoked.

James and ty are really consistant surfers out at stern. We call them the “terrorists” cause they rock up in there hoods and masks, terrorise the session and make there way home, always getting the job done usually with one of them snagging wave of day. Tuesday was Ty’s day, pulling into an oversized pit that was as hollow as was high. It looked big on Tyler and he’s 6’4, so u know it must of been fucking huge..

Mckean and Rudi are the kamikaze patrol. Those two are just ruthless always frothing so hard and always racking up the biggest wave count. Mckean wiped out on a wave that was the ugliest thing ive seen happen out there. If it doesnt win a wipeout award il be very shocked. I was cringing when i watched the footage that night. Right on dusk  after the boat and most people had left, Rudi proceeded to drop into something incredible. As he hit the step i lost sight of him as the wave went below sea level. He didnt quite make it but it was a spectacular finish to an amazing, historical day.

Unfortunately Mikey , Danny and Pom couldnt be there with us but im sure there thirst for it has grown and they will be charging as hard as ever next session. That Tuesday 17th May 2011 is now a safe stored memory in the bank. It wasnt the best we’d surfed it but it was the biggest. To have it that size and offshore will be a dream that hopefully will happen another time. In the meantime we can sit back and be thankful no one got seriously hurt…..

Check these links out below for more media

http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2011/05/18/3220659.htm

http://www.surfline.com/surflinetv/primetime/biggest-shipsterns-ever_55884

http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2011/05/27/3229437.htm

http://www.surfline.com/surflinetv/primetime/biggest-shipsterns-ever-part-2_56109

http://www.soggybones.com/to-one-of-the-best-weeks-of-my-life-tim-bonython/

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/sport/gallery-e6frg7mf-1226064197062?page=1

6 comments