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JUNE 2013ISSUE #2

P: (07) 5477 7899 | E: [email protected] | A: 122 BRISBANE ROAD MOOLOOLABA, QLD 4557 | SHOP ONLINE 24/7 WWW.BODYBOARDSHOP.COM

SHANEACKERMAN

PHOTO: BEN SOWRY

P: (07) 5477 7899 | E: [email protected] | A: 122 BRISBANE ROAD MOOLOOLABA, QLD 4557 | SHOP ONLINE 24/7 WWW.BODYBOARDSHOP.COM

SHANEACKERMAN

PHOTO: BEN SOWRY

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“ I’ve ridden Todd’s boards since we were kids, the thing is - I don’t have to worry, ever.

Todd’s built my boards for the waves i ride, they never let me down, simple.”

- Matt Rushton

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“ I’ve ridden Todd’s boards since we were kids, the thing is - I don’t have to worry, ever.

Todd’s built my boards for the waves i ride, they never let me down, simple.”

- Matt Rushton

Download current orderform at qcdboards.com - Call us on 02 4365 5584

Ewan Donnachie sitting pretty inside a dreamy South Coast cylinder. Photo: Steve Wall.

ISSUE 2

EDITORIAL:Editor: Russell QuinnArt Director: The Common GoodWeb Designer: The Mealings

PHOTOGRAPHERS:Mark Thompson, Mark Howlett, Cameron Mackie, Chris Burns, Daniel Sykes, Russell Quinn, Matt Mollison, Ben Wells, Steve Wall, Grant Peters, Leroy Bellet, Artemi Glez, Dahn Colman, Mathew Tildesley, Miguel Nunes, Sean Collins, Corey Wyatt, Sasha Specker, Josh Tabone, Matt Viesis, Shane Griffiths, Addi Roberts, Ben Jackson, Jack Sherriffs, Jake Seabrook, Jason Smith, Lee Kelly, Louis Heath, Marc Ashdown, Mike Egan, Mitch Coslovich, Sam Venn, Tom Young, Jye McDonald, Adam Duffy.

WRITERS:Adam Quinn, Jack Dobinson, Michael Chapple, Russell Quinn, Declan McMullen.

ENQUIRIES: [email protected]

SUBMISSIONS: [email protected]

ADVERTISING: [email protected]

Cloak & Dagger Magazine is self-published four times a year in Sydney, Australia.

The publisher will not accept responsibility or any liability for the correctness of information or opinions expressed in this publication. All rights are reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in whole or part, without the prior permission of the publisher. Enjoy this magazine for what it is, and respect the photographers that help make it happen.

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Josh KaiheSam StrachanShaun PyneReece Fowler

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Ewan Donnachie

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There comes a time in every bodyboarder’s life when they come to the realisation that they are no longer ‘chasing it’. Of course, there will be many different interpretations of what ‘chasing it’ entails, but for the purpose of this story we will assume that it means surfing is your top priority in life, and you will go to extreme lengths to score waves, regardless of the consequences.

For me, this moment came just recently, during a trip to the south island of New Zealand with my older brother Adam and good mate Murray. While surfing wasn’t on the top of the agenda for this brief vacation across the Tasman, we were certainly aware of the potential of the place and took our boards over for good measure. After a few days of sightseeing, we decided to head south to the bottom of the island to try our luck at a notorious right-hand reef break. Following a six-hour journey in our oversized tourist beacon (Jucy rental van), we eventually came to a dirt track, which we proceeded to follow for another 30 minutes until we arrived at the location.

As we made our way to the check spot, we glanced over at the wave to see a large set unload on the reef, groomed by the howling offshore winds. Our initial reaction was to throw our arms in the air and scream like a bunch of schoolgirls. But as we continued to watch it over the next 15 minutes, we saw several wash-through sets as well as the occasional mega-pinch.

It soon dawned on me that this was my ‘moment’. The moment where I

had to decide whether or not I was still ‘chasing it’. We were essentially at the bottom of the earth, in icy, Antarctic conditions, with wet wetsuits, howling winds and a large, angry ocean before us. We were at a physical and metaphorical fork in the road, and a decision had to be made. Do we suit up, brave the freezing conditions and continue the chase, or do we retreat to the van with our tails between our legs and high-tail it to the nearest alehouse?

With the sun quickly setting, an anxious standoff took place between the three of us – each man not wanting to admit defeat and accept that we were far beyond our limits as casual freesurfers. It was a tense few minutes, but in the end no one was brave enough to call a spade a spade. Instead, one by one, we all slowly returned to the van, each of us accepting what had just taken place, but quietly content with the decision.

I’ve done some stupid things in my time as a bodyboarder. Some have paid off, while others have ended in a heap. But one thing that hasn’t changed is the reason I began bodyboarding in the first place – pure enjoyment. It’s easy to lose sight of this and to start taking things too seriously. That’s when the fun ends for me. So from here on in, I surf purely for the enjoyment factor. Although this one ‘chase’ ended abruptly, there were plenty more fine offerings from the wave Gods in New Zealand for us casual freesurfers, but you’ll have to wait till Issue 3 for that.

Russell Quinn - Editor

THE DAY I STOPPED‘CHASING IT’

Ewan Donnachie (rider): For the most part, living in Sydney is pretty hellish for bodyboarding. Cronulla has the vast majority of reefs, but has its own issues surrounding goons claiming the ocean as their own (and I’m not referring to the Island). The Northern Beaches is particularly difficult, as not only are quality booging breaks few and far between, but its awkward geographic positioning makes trips to greener pastures time-consuming and energy-draining. You have to make the right call - be it north or south? The margin for error is slim and if the wrong decision comes about, it’s difficult to rectify. By the time you reach said location, you’re effectively locked in, regardless of what reports start filtering in from other areas. To then head in the opposite direction is usually a futile race against time and changing conditions, exacerbated by heavy traffic and the fact you’ve been awake since 2am. Such movements hardly ever end well. That initial call is

crucial! On this particular morning, a very last-minute decision was made between Steve and I to head north. On this particular morning, that decision was the best one we could have made.

Steve Wall (photographer): Around five hours prior to this moment in time, Ewan and I had awoken in anticipation of a trip south out of Sydney. However, a spontaneous decision saw us travel north instead, arriving at our destination in the dark hours of Sunday morning. With a solid swell and dropping tide, the clock was ticking on this particular patch of reef, with no more than a handful of waves ridden before we were back in the harbour. To top off the unexpected sweets of the morning thus far, we treated ourselves to a delightful waterfront breakfast whilst watching the local pointbreak well and truly on the pump. Diamonds amongst the rough!

ON THE COVERPhotos by Steve Wall

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CONTENTS

20 - 21. ON THE COVER24 - 40. FEATURE FRAME41 - 42. CLOSE CALLS43. NEK WORD44. THE DISGRUNTLED LAB45 - 49. BLOKE & SWAGGER51 - 60. PAUSE61 - 70. HAWAII71 - 76. DOUG SMITH PROFILE77 - 100. SAMOA101 - 104. AN EXPOSE OF THE BAY105 - 114. MARK THOMPSON PORTFOLIO115 - 116. NEOLOGISMS117 - 118. UNDER THE CLOAK121 - 146. MOTHERLOAD

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1.

Jase Finlay, New South Wales. Photo: Sean Collins.“Supers is one of my favourite waves, but the last year or so I’ve only

surfed it in the perfect swell direction. Since my bad ankle injury, and since Damien Martin broke his back at the spot, I have left it to others when it’s not perfect. This day was junky. A few good ones and a few death ones. I took my time and only chose the ones that would allow me to get out of them at the end. This one was perfect but really intense.” – Jase Finlay.

2.

Chris James, Tasmania. Photo: Mathew Tildesley. “I’d been out there for about six hours prior to this wave. I’d had no

breaks in that time. It was the only bomb that didn’t get towed so I made a last minute decision to have a dig. Both my legs cramped up and I

just had to try and push over the ledge. That wave was moving so fast and gave me a solid beating. I can’t wait to head down again and give it

another go.” – Chris James.

3.

George Humphreys, Western Australia. Photo: Dahn Colman. “This day had a rather eerie vibe about it. Early in the morning, Lewy

Finnegan came off the wrong way on his first wave and injured his neck. He was miraculously escorted to shore by dolphins and was then taken

by an ambulance to hospital. Thankfully he was okay and so was George, after this massive invert into the flats.” – Dahn Colman.

4.

Angel Navarro, Gran Canaria. Photo: Artemi Glez. “This morning was good but certainly not the heaviest I’ve seen it.

There were a few amazing barrels to be had though. It’s an honour to photograph one of the best and most complete waves in the world, being surrounded by good atmosphere and great riders like Angel

Navarro.” – Artemi Glez.

5.

Mitch Tomkins, New South Wales. Photo: Russell Quinn“Mitch Tomkins burns faster than petrol. Pale skin with freckles and red hair to match. I wouldn’t be surprised if God spat on him after piecing

this guy together. Anyway, this still doesn’t explain the reasoning behind the hat because this guy spends more time in the tube per session than

most. Making the tube, well lets not go there…” – Todd Barnes.

6.

George Humphreys, Western Australia. Photo: Dahn Colman. “Shooting water at this particular wave isn’t as easy as this photo portrays.

It’s super hard to be in the right spot every time. You are constantly fighting huge volumes of water moving and not just from one direction, but almost every direction. I was lucky enough to link up with this flip of

George just before the onshore winds came up.” – Dahn Colman.

7.

Thomas Robinson, New South Wales. Photo: Russell Quinn. “Everyone knows how well Thomas surfs Blackrock, so when he paddles

out you know you’re in for a show. On this day the tide was super high and the bowls were few and far between, but the Corpse managed to find a

few vertical walls to throw some serious rail-to-rail heat.” – Russell Quinn.

8.

Hugo Pinheiro, Portugal. Photo: Miguel Nunes. “This is pretty much your ideal tow beach. It almost always has a long

left, enabling a good read for the driver to get the timing right. On this particular day the weather was perfect and the swell was around three

meters. It took about 45 minutes to prepare everything, initiate the session and find a strategic position with a good background (the city behind is

Lisbon, capital of Portugal).” – Miguel Nunes.

Inverted Bodyboarding owner Ben Wells recounts the wave that almost changed his life.

I headed over to the Island on what was really an average looking day based on the charts and swell direction. Considering it’s a 20-minute paddle, I’m not sure why we even decided to go out. But it was Good Friday, the weather was amazing, and I had just installed the extended GoPro mount on my board, so I was really keen to try and get some footage.

The swell was hovering around the 2ft mark and it was clean, crystal clear water, but it was also the most crowded I have ever seen this place in over 10 years. The wave itself wasn’t anything noteworthy, but I was

getting impatient with all of the people in the water and made the decision to go the next set wave no matter what.

As it turned out, the wave was a bit straight, I freefell to make the first take off section and got barreled. The swell direction of the day also creates an inner, shallow, quick barrel that I had the opportunity to make, so I took it. The wave made me high line it, so I adjusted my rail, however the next thing I knew I was being thrown over the lip, head first into the sharp rocky, coral bottom.

After hitting I wasn’t really too phased - it’s not the first time I have hit the bottom there. But then I noticed quite a bit of blood in the water and when I moved my hand to where I

had hit, I could feel a gaping hole in the side of my skull and soon realised it was a lot more serious than I first thought.The next part is a bit of a blur, but my mates all rushed straight over to help and get me out of the waves. I was extremely lucky that at the exact same time of impact, the Surf Lifesaving jet ski was doing its routine run passed. I don’t think I would have made the paddle back to shore.

After what felt like an eternity, I was placed on the jet ski mat, with one of my best mates, Charles (who luckily is studying to be a doctor) sitting on the back. I was losing a lot of blood very quickly and about half way through the ride I came close to passing out.

CLOSE CALLSWords and photos by Ben Wells

I was just really lucky to have Charles there; he is great in these situations and kept me focused and conscious.

I was taken to emergency but the end diagnosis was actually pretty good, considering upon arrival there was so much talk of brain damage, paralysis on my left side, loss of eyesight and a nostril that may not be recoverable.

They had to operate to remove a substantial amount of rock and coral that was lodged in my skull. I had just over 40 stitches covering my head and face and a shattered nose (they had to rebuild my nostril and septum). Aside from the fact my future modeling aspirations might have to take a back seat for a while, I am really lucky that the direction of the impact meant that none of the rock

and coral did more permanent damage.

The scars are healing well. I do still have some ongoing issues with my nose that will hopefully sort themselves out in time. I was only out of the water for about four weeks, but it might be a little longer before I make the trek back to the Island.

“I could feel a gaping hole in the side of my skull and soon realised it was a lot more serious than I first thought.”

My full name is… Elliot Mark Butler. But I also respond to… chugs, butters, chuggernaut, chug dog billionaire, butchug and chugga. My actual age is… 18. But most people think I am… older. I currently reside… in Murwillumbah (Mordor). But I’d prefer to live in… anywhere that has a beach within walking distance. Bodyboarding is… ride the barrel and get pitted, so pitted. Money is… hard to come by. I become emotional when…

arguing or under pressureI’ve always wanted to… act in a movie. Love is… feeling a deep emotional connection for someone or something, I think. Drugs are… good, bad, and ugly. Fashion is… couldn’t care less. The only purpose alcohol serves is… there’s a couple but probably warming the body on a chilly night.My dream job is… to be David Attenborough. I have never told my parents…but my mum will probably read this. I secretly

love… wildlife documentaries. There is nothing I hate more than… people being negative. I become panicked when… Jye McDonald is driving around on his learners. The last time I checked I was… in a caravan in Western Australia. I will always regret… not getting some chicks number I met on the plane. One thing people don’t know about me is… when I eat, it sounds like a bomb going off.

N E K W O R DWith Elliot Butler.

Photo by Jye McDonald

Whether it’s carving the face of your local or choosing what face will become your next profile picture, much skill and thought needs to be put in to execute the desired result. Let’s face it, social media might just lower our society further and further into turmoil, but if it’s there, lets do it properly.

Before I provide my years of expertise on this matter, I will start off by saying most of you make me violently ill. In particular, those males aged fewer than eighteen – your Internet style is repulsive! I will liken it to you taking off on a left-hander and having your hands set for a right – all kinds of wrong. So here it is, the short and sweet version. The four Do’s and Don’ts of social media for bodyboarders, in no particular order.

Do: Write-off your mates. They are your friends so this is not bullying. It’s also the best way to try your hand at humour, if you are still struggling in this department.

Don’t: Take yourself too seriously. There is always real life you can fall back on.

Do: Be selective in your pictures. If you think you’re ripping in or out of the water, then have the shots or framies to prove it.

Don’t: Post empties of waves or a shot claiming an all-time session directly after it. This will lead to all of your mates asking “where/when was this”, and it just starts a chain effect of annoying posts and arguments. If it’s

a good spot and a good session, and you want to surf it tomorrow without people there, cool your heels on posting shots, no matter how tempting it is.

Do: When you stumble across something cool, don’t be afraid to share the love. Simply finding a rare clip of Hardy surfing from years back might give you some mad props with your fellow crest riders.

Don’t: Under no circumstances will you ask for a ‘like for a like’ or a ‘share for a share’, or certainly not a ‘like for an inbox confession’. This is the lowest form of social media behavior and shows you are not hanging around living breathing people nearly enough.

Do: Have a wide variety or friends and acquaintances (without going too over the top). Bodyboarders are some of the best people I’ve met with forming networks that are advantageous for both parties.

Don’t: Get into slanging matches with people that don’t matter. If you don’t know them personally, there’s a fair chance they are just taking great pleasure in winding you up just because they can.

So there you have it – a sure-fire way to stay ahead of the game and not fall into the trap of Internet ruin. Just remember, in times of Internet hardship you could just always jump in the water and surf, or if worse comes to worse, throw your laptop in with you.

T H E D I S G R U N T L E D L A BSaving Face: A Must Read Guide for all Internet Tube Riders

Words by Jack Dobinson

BLOKE & SWAGGER

JAMES PAGEPortrait by Matt Mollison

B L O K E

Define: A man with an oversized gut, who sits on an esky, while watching his most prized game of AFL.

Automobile: Ahh the ol’ beast. She’s a 1996 Ford Fairmont, loves a good beating here and there, and is currently running with half a muffler due to the old corn on the cob track. She’s a beaut!

Beverage: The old frothie isn’t too bad on it’s night. Other than that, Pasito after any surf is always the goods.

Chicks: I love a fit, tanned brunette with tatts, who loves to travel and doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty.

Mates: One of my closest mates, Chase Burns, who I usually surf with has been floating on the Sea Sheppard for the past three months. We recently trekked down west for his first surf in five months and ended up out at 6 - 8ft Luna’s. Needless to say he killed it!

Photo by Chris Burns

Photo by Russell Quinn

Define: The majority of the surfers in Victoria are kooks and weekend warriors, walking around like they own the joint. Not too much swagger down here.

Bodyboarding: Clean lines and tight style. Needless to say I’m far from it.

Colours: I’m currently riding an I.D Board with a copper deck and white slick. I’m suited in a Zion 4/3 and using the last pair of Churchills I own.

Dance Moves: The Juicy Wiggle. Enough said... it makes chicks moist.

Tunes: Justin Bieber before a surf and a bit of Beethoven afterwards. Haha anything really. Bring Me The Horizons new album has been the goods of late.

Sponsors: Zion Wetsuits and Bruno’s Wood Factory, the soul owner of Totem Brand. He supplies some good quality woodies.

S W A G G E R

Portrait by Matt Mollison

Photo by Daniel Sykes

ADAM DUFFYREO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL.

P A U S E

GRANT PETERSNEW SOUTH WALES

JAKE SEABROOKSOUTH AUSTRALIA

SEAN COLLINSNEW SOUTH WALES

RUSS QUINNNEW ZEALAND

STEVE WALLNEW SOUTH WALES

TOM YOUNGCANARY ISLANDS

RUSS QUINNNEW SOUTH WALES

Kaiwa Ma at picturesque Pipeline. Photo by Matthew Mollison

COUPED up in our Alexandria office, on the outskirts of Sydney, I violently flick through the hundreds of images from the Hawaii season just passed, waiting for something to blow my mind. I’ve never been to Hawaii, and to be quite honest, as a grom I never took much notice of the coverage of the famed North Shore.

Sure, it’s where the world’s best riders converge to jostle for the

world’s best waves, in front of the world’s best photographers. But that’s not what Cloak & Dagger is about. This magazine is based on the premise that every image must justify its existence, regardless of it’s subject or origin. There’s no space, or money, to give you a 20-page puff piece with lifestyle shots of kids on bikes and romantic sunsets.

Lets be honest here, the 2013 season in Hawaii wasn’t the best.

In fact, many of the gents featured in the pages that follow will declare that it was the worst season they have ever endured. So we have selected just a handful of images that best represent the 2013 Hawaii season, as seen through the eyes of five photographers. – Josh Tabone, Corey Wyatt, Matthew Mollison, Matt Viesis and Shane Griffiths. There’s also a few tales in there to give it that, how should we say it… artificial puff.

Damien King goes out with a bang.Photo by Shane Griffiths

George Humphreys / Josh TaboneYoan Florantin / Shane Griffiths

How was this year’s season in your eyes? It was okay but nothing really that special. It never really got super big this year. You’re an observant man to say the least. What is it like watching a new batch of humans descend on the North Shore every year in increasing numbers? It’s always intense when everyone arrives on the North Shore and descends on Pipe. Overpopulation anywhere leads to tension as space and resources get stressed. As someone with such a deep connection to the wave, what do you think when you see acts of violence and hostility towards people at Pipe? Most of this action is a result of people’s anxiety and ego. On the other hand, Pipe is the most deadly wave in the world, and there

are actually good reasons people get aggressive. Were there any young riders that truly stood out this year in terms of style and performance? JB Hillen stood out with big boosts every time he surfed Pipe. Tanner McDaniel really pushed it for a 13-year-old. Also the young lady Alexandra Rinder was impressive to watch. You’ve witnessed a lot of Pipeline sessions in your time, both in the flesh and subsequently in the bodyboarding media. In your opinion, which photographer has best documented the action in Hawaii over the years? Vince Cavataio. He has been doing it for over 30 years and is still out there.

Angelo Faraire makes a lucky escape. Photo by Shane Griffiths

Hawaii this year was pretty uneventful, but the one thing that stood out for me was my first heat in the comp. A few months prior, dad had mentioned the idea of making a detour in his work travel plans to come and watch me in the comp, but we didn’t know if he’d actually be able to time it. Anyway he did, and Pipe started to pump right on time for my round. My sponsors were there too. So there I was in my first heat as a contracted world tour rider, surfing pumping Pipe with Novy, Skipp and Lachie, and a lot of important eyes watching me. All three of the guys got the first set and no one scored under 7.5. I sat there patiently waiting my turn. I waited, and waited, and waited but nothing came, and I didn’t want to waste priority on something shitty. There was a minute to go and I was

like “oh well, 0 point heat total, not the best start to the year, sorry guys”, but had to laugh. Eventually it came down to 15 seconds remaining and I saw the vaguely sloping shoulder of a backdoor wave. I somehow blocked Novy from getting the left (I should claim that it was tactical but it was a happy accident), and ended up getting a good backdoor pit about a second before the buzzer. It felt so good I couldn’t help throwing up a claim, the first one I’ve done since my dad filmed my first ever barrel. I needed an 8.4 and ended up getting a 9.5 and made it through the heat. It felt extra good to have everyone on the beach, including my dad and sponsors, all pumped up on what had just happened.

Nick Ormerod:

Nick Ormerod in a moving waterfall.Photo by Corey Wyatt

This year I was asked to represent Australia to judge the Pipe event. I was stoked as I felt I was going there to work when the comp was on and any photos I got in between would be a bonus. I guess it was also relieving in a sense that it was an all-expenses paid trip for me, and therefore I just shot what I wanted, how I wanted. I experimented a lot, sometimes shooting entire sessions in slow shutter, both in the water and on land. I also spent a lot of time at Keiki. It’s like a photographers fun park. The water is crystal

clear and it barrels all day, everyday. I also had the opportunity to venture around the island, which was a huge change from the North Shore vortex. Shooting with Skipp in some of the bluest water I’ve ever seen and swimming with hundreds of tropical fish and turtles at Hanamua Bay was insane. Overall it was a pretty dogshit season wave wise, but Hawaii is just such a lush place and no doubt I’ll be back to roll the dice again next year.

Josh Tabone:

A historic win for Beeps.Photo by Josh Tabone

This year’s Hawaii season was one of the worst I’ve experienced since I’ve been traveling there, which is 10 years now. It was really windy, rainy and not much swell. To save ourselves from boredom we were mucking around at Keiki a lot. This one afternoon though it was pretty solid and Sam Bennett hurt himself.

He got his head pushed between his legs. We were worried he had back damage and we had to call an ambulance. He was fine but that was the highlight action wise. Otherwise it was a pretty uneventful season (minus Ben winning).

Michael Novy:

Michael Novy picks off a heavy one before dark.Photo by Josh Tabone

Pierre Louis Costes:

After the Pipe final, me, my girlfriend and some of our friends went to Turtle Bay Resort to a reggae concert. It was kind of over by the time we got there, but the security guard let us in for free for the last 30 minutes. I met my friend Tahurai from Tahiti who was staying with Jamie O’Brien. We hung out for a while and ended up partying at his place singing karaoke

until 2 am in the morning, then we kept on partying until 5 am with some other friends. It was a pretty unexpected way to celebrate a Pipe final haha. I had a pretty good season even if the waves were not amazing. I got a tattoo on my arm on the last day to remember it.

PLC finds himself a rather rotund Hawaiian cave.Photo by Matt Viesis

For the whole Hawaii season I was staying (along with filmer Michael Jennings), with a family at Waimea. Every morning and afternoon, we would collect our cruiser bikes and ride to the Pipe stretch to test our luck against the prevailing easterly winds. Along the way, we would pass a mobile pizza van called ‘Impossible Pizza’, which was generally parked across the road from Foodland at Sharks Cove. The smells emanating from within were truly ridiculous. I’ve been to huge wood oven Pizza restaurants that don’t smell half as good as this tiny, simple van. For some unknown reason however, the pizza van had the strangest business hours I’ve ever heard of. 3 – 7pm! Figure that one out, if you can. They were

not only too late for the lunch crowd, but shut up shop the moment you felt like dinner. On countless evenings, Jennings and I would milk the final rays of afternoon light and cycle home, ravenously hungry. We would pass the van and its intense aromas would have our dehydrated, parched, salty mouths watering instantly. We would pin it home, quickly shower, grab a 20 and fly back down the road… only to find the van boarded, bolted and very closed. My frustrations were equal only to my utter confusion at how this ‘business’ was still actually IN business. Either way, after many failed attempts, we eventually understood why it was called ‘Impossible Pizza’.

Ewan Donnachie pumping for speed at Pipeline.Photo by Josh Tabone.

Ewan Donnachie:

Before we even got to Hawaii we had already heard that our mate JP Slupik had $15K worth of camera gear stolen from him on the island of Kauai. When we all heard about that we were just thinking, “fuck I hope he has travel insurance”. We were all still super keen to get over there but it did dampen the mood a little considering JP had nothing to shoot with anymore.

After Ben won the comp everyone was pretty keen to celebrate. A few daytime beers watching the comp lead us back to our place where some drinking games began. As the night progressed we all decided to leave the room and head over to Dan Worlsey’s house where a few of the Saffas were celebrating Spex’s victory. At about 12 o’clock our mate Wil Coxon bailed home quickly to grab his phone, but was shocked to discover that our room had been broken into and the whole place had been turned upside-down. He rushed back and told us the news. He was freaking out when we first saw him because he had a flight in four hours and everything he had packed and ready to go was gone.

We were all pretty pissed by this stage so the reality of what was going on hadn’t really kicked in yet. While we were waiting for the police to arrive we realised that pretty much all our valuables were gone. Spencer and Wil’s Macbook Pro’s, two 7D cameras and lenses, a whole bunch of all our clothes, Tom’s new iPad and hard drives. The policeman rocked up and attempted to dust for fingerprints but had no luck. Apart from the fact that there was clear evidence of forced entry on the back door there were no leads. To be honest, he didn’t really seem too surprised, as he made it clear

that he dealt with this kind of stuff regularly on the North Shore.

We ended up finding the crowbar and a trail of items the thief had left on his rush out of the house so we decided to do some investigating of our own. Our place was right on the beach so we walked down to the sand to see if we could see anyone or anymore of our gear. When we got down there we saw track marks from Wil’s bag on the sand from where the dude had dragged it along the beach. We followed that for about 200m until it lead us up the rocks and onto the footpath. We noticed a whole bunch of clothes in a bin on the side of the footpath, an old shirt, ripped shorts and a pair of worn out shoes so we assumed the guy had got changed into some fresh new clothes and went on his way.

This dude had just cleaned up with about $15,000 worth of gear and we were fucked. Wil couldn’t get on his flight the next morning and we had lost so much stuff that couldn’t be replaced, which included all of our photos and footage we had gathered from the trip. By this stage we were all just so ridiculously happy that each one of us had travel insurance because without it we would have been up shit creek. It pretty much goes without saying that no matter where you’re travelling it is always a necessity get yourself travel insurance. 99% of the time you are probably going to be sweet and not need it, but if something does go wrong and you don’t have it you are seriously in a world of trouble. This whole experience would never stop any of us from going back to Hawaii, but I guess you’ve just got to be pretty careful and switched on to what’s happening around you.

Guy Williment:

Photo by Sacha Specker

Doug Smith speaks of his childhood, death threats, life lessons and what lies ahead.Interview by Russell Quinn

Photo: Leroy Bellet

GROWING UPMost people think I was born and

bred in Port Macquarie, but I actually grew up in Sydney. I moved to Port

when I was eight, but didn’t start bodyboarding until I was 15 because

I was obsessed with video games. I was a little fat kid that played games all day. I was fully overweight. I used to wake up, not have breakfast, and play the Playstation until 1pm in the

afternoon. I loved Final Fantasy. I still do now actually – I just know how to

control myself.

CHANGEI remember one day I was playing Final

Fantasy as usual, and it way a really nice day outside, and I just thought

to myself “I have to get outside.” So I went down to the beach and went for

a surf. I got my first ever barrel and I was frothing so hard. I started drawing

barrels everywhere – at school, on desks and in my books. I was

obsessed. I sold my Playstation and all of my games and just started surfing. I lost all of my weight instantly just from

surfing. It worked out well because then I met Benno [Sam Bennett] and Chase [O’Leary], and I’m still friends

with both of them today. So if I didn’t start bodyboarding, I’d probably still be a fat nerd. I probably would have

got a job in I.T or something. I’m stoked I didn’t though.

IDOLSThe first comp I went in was at

Lighthouse Beach. I remember the waves were pumping and I won all of

my heats, and in the final I came third. Mitch Rawlins came first. At the time I was obsessed with Hardlyfe 1, and I

remember I was fully comparing myself to Hardy growing up. Like, in his first

comp he got fifth, and in my first comp I got third. So I was like “Yes, I’m one

step ahead of him!”

LIFE LESSONSIt was my first year of competing and we were in Western Australia for the Nationals. We met this guy at the local caravan park where I was staying with Sam Bennett, Corey McLean and another guy Patrick. Anyway, Patrick was good friends with this guy that lived at the caravan park. I asked him if I could have a drive of his car, and he said “Yeah no worries”. So I hopped in and we were driving around the caravan park – the owner was in the passenger seat with his daughter in the back. As I went to turn a corner I hit the accelerator instead of the brake and I drove straight into a brick wall, and the wall collapsed onto the car. The baby in the back was screaming her head off. The car was a complete write-off. I was absolutely shitting myself. I thought I was going to be in so much debt. The owner of the caravan park came out to see what had happened, and the guy that owned the car actually took the blame for me and said he was driving, so I didn’t have to pay anything.

SCHOOLIESI finished school when I was 17, but I didn’t go to schoolies like the rest of my mates. I was surfing Breakwall one day and Simon Thornton was out, and he asked me if I wanted to go to Tahiti the next day. So I was like “Shit, okay lets do it”. I remember getting home and telling mum and she just flipped out. Anyway we got to Tahiti and on the second day Chopes was solid. It didn’t look that big at first because there was no one out. When I was paddling up to the wave I was thinking “this looks so much fun”. But as I was getting closer and closer, I realised just how big it was. But yeah it was just me and Thorto out for ages at 6-8ft pumping Teahupoo. It was incredible.

WILD TIMESFor my 18th birthday we had a pretty big party at my house in Port Macquarie. My Mum was travelling around Australia at the time so there was no one home. This guy that lived next door was a bit crazy, and I remember Kingy pissing in a beer bottle and making this guy skull it, without him knowing. It was crazy. I think he skulled like three bottles of Kingy’s piss. He had no idea what it was, he just thought he was drinking beer. Anyway we all went out in town and came back home later to find the same guy laying naked under my mate’s car.

DEATH THREATSI used to work as a pizza delivery boy at Eagle Boys. One night I got a callout to this really dodgy area near Port. So I went out there and it was an old apartment with no lights on or anything. It looked pretty suss but I thought I’d get out and investigate. As I walked up to the house I noticed that there was no furniture in the apartment, so I knew something was up. I ran back around the front and jumped back into the car. I had the phone number of the guy who called, so I started calling that and then all of a sudden this guy just appeared next to my car window. Next minute, he grabs the phone out of my hand and takes the keys out of the ignition and says “this is a holdup”, and held a knife to my throat. I wasn’t sure if he was joking, but he asked me to hand over my bum bag, which was full of the night’s takings. He held the knife closer to my throat and yelled “give it to me or I’ll kill you.” So I handed it over and he threw my keys back and ran off. The police ended up finding him later on. I got the front cover of Port newspaper “Delivery Danger”.

CHILEDoing the Chile Comp last year was pretty surreal. One minute you’re watching the comp at home on your laptop, and then the next minute you’re there surfing against the world’s best. It was incredible. I remember in the trials I just started getting really comfortable with the waves and I wasn’t really noticing who I was surfing against. I was just having so much fun getting barrels and rolling out. I remember in the finals I was up against Kingy and I said to him, “It’s a pretty fun wave hay”, and he didn’t say anything back to me. He was so serious. I got into the main event and saw the draw and I was up against Pierre, Tamega and Novy. That was a wake up call, but it was such a good experience. I got 3rd in the trials and 23rd in the comp.

THE FUTUREI think the competition side of bodyboarding is really dying. The biggest event in bodyboarding nearly got cancelled this year, companies are going bankrupt, and I heard that a few of the other major events this year might not be happening. You wonder what’s going to happen next year. At the moment I’m loving freesurfing. I’m surfing with some really good people and it’s really pushing me. For the next few years I can see myself falling into the freesurfing side of things, as much as I love comps, and winning. Bodyboarding is never going to be a massive sport, so we might as well enjoy the perks of living in such a wave-rich country.

Photo: Grant Peters.

Photo: Russell Quinn

Photo: Mark Howlett

JAMES NYMEYER - “THE VETERAN”

IVAN PULIC - “THE PURE LICK SPECIAL”ADAM QUINN - “THE FINANCIAL ADVISOR”

MARK HOWLETT - “THE MEDIC”

JONO SAFINSKI – “MADDOG”

RUSS QUINN - “CAPTAIN RUSS”

After announcing to the group this was his third trip to the island, James quickly acquired the nickname “The Veteran”. James was the go-to man for any visitor information, including food, beverages, accommodation, local wildlife, geography and waves. The Veteran also used his knowledge of the island (and his thirst for beer) to construct the first ever Palm Tree Beer Bong, which later lead to his downfall.

Being rather partial to the occasional ale, Ivan became a valued customer at the local watering hole ‘Lupe’s’. After sampling Lupe’s entire range of beers and cocktails – and expressing his disapproval of both – Ivan was granted the unusual honour of creating his very own cocktail. “The Pure Lick Special”, containing Apple Vodka, Southern Comfort, grenadine and Red Bull, is now a popular item on Lupe’s menu.

Never shy to back down from some good old - fashioned bartering, Ads was soon looked upon to hook the group up with cheap financial deals. Known for his infamous abilities to wrangle deals and live on a shoestring, Ad’s managed to wheel and deal the crew into free meals off cruise ship tourists, barter with car rental businesses and organise cheaper than established accommodation.

Lover of horror movies and all things blood and gore, Mark endeavoured to get the group to sit through “Midnight Meat Train”. After failing to convince anyone he soon decided to become chief in charge of the peroxide bottle. Every scratch and cut that was endured Howie was quick to pounce, scraping each cut with ferocity and loving the sound as the victim wailed tirelessly like a Saw 3 hostage.

The one and only Polish bodyboarder and all-round frother, Jono seemed perfect to get the group into a positive mindset. His ability to scream and get excited when seeing any 1ft pit was quite humorous to witness as well as something which kept everyone in high spirits. Before venturing over, Jono acquired a cheaper than usual “Maddog” wetsuit, purpose built for hot Samoan ocean temps. Most waves of Jonothan’s would be followed by the yelling of the name “Maddog!”

As head photographer and magazine editor, Russ quickly became team leader sorting dilemmas and becoming the victim of most pranks. Two days in at a local reef not to dissimilar to Blackrock, Russ acquired a vessel and managed to navigate through low tide madness to get the fellas into shore safely. Local Samoans heard word of Russ’ bravery and so dubbed him “Captain Russ”.

Expectations for the trip: James: Honestly, I thought we were going to get skunked. The last time I was in Samoa we got it pumping, so I thought I’d used up all my good luck. But knowing that summer in Newcastle absolutely stinks I had nothing to lose.

Ivan: I found out there was a Boxing Day sale on flights so I jumped onboard. I knew how good the waves could get.

Adam: On the plane trip over, I envisaged our trip to go down with epic long tropical tubes, fun Rock Suck bowls and downtime chills snorkeling. For some reason I also thought I’d at least hook up with one Samoan chick.

Jono: Seeing as it was my second visit I had high expectations for Samoa.

Initial reaction on the day you arrived:Adam: Culture shock hit me hard as we drove along the dirt track to our accommodation through thick jungle and poor Samoan villages. Dogs and pigs roamed the streets and kids walked to school in pitch darkness. Our initial accommodation negged me out: pretty sure I was dying of starvation and a serious lack of aesthetically pleasing women.

Ivan: Arrived at 1:20am, I was stoked that Russ and James remembered the right morning to pick me up. A few hours later we lucked into some fun waves, couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the trip.

Another textbook invert from Nemo. Photo: Mark Howlett

The Waves: James: Samoa is home to two of my favourite waves in the world. They are the most playful airbowls and you can do any tricks out there. If you can’t get boosted out there then your doing something seriously wrong.

Ivan: So many different, good wave setups on the island. No matter what swell you will find somewhere to surf.

Adam: The waves are un-crowded and super fun. Sharp reefs, with exposed coral. However most seem to be grinding left-handers with the odd right hand slab thrown in the mix. Pebbles seemed to be a crew favourite – it’s like a mix between Blackrock and Nuggen.

Jono: Wide variety to suite any bodyboarder.

Mark: There are so many amazing setups on both islands custom-made for high performance bodyboarding.

Mark: The usual reaction when you get off the plane is fuck it’s hot and this time was no different.

Russ: As soon as you arrive in Apia you are smacked in the face with that thick, hot, Samoan air. We quickly got through customs and jumped into our awaiting bus. I knew Samoa wasn’t huge, so when it took almost 1.5 hours to reach our accommodation it felt like we’d circumnavigated the island.

Ivan flipping over some particularly shallow reef. Photo: Russell Quinn

Five words to describe Samoa: James: Zinc, Rock Suck, Valima, Scoops, Pure Lick Special.

Ivan: Waves, relaxed, Scoops (ice cream joint), volleyball, rain.

Mark: Paradise, Rugby, church, tubes, relaxing.

Russ: Untouched, hot, primitive, welcoming, cheap.

Jono: Friendly, tropical, hot, paradise, clean.

Standout sessions: James: Rock Suck, one morning after nursing a cocktail hangover it finally decided to break properly, marathon surf till dead low watching Ivan going skitz.

Ivan: Drove to the north side of the island for first light. Finally the third morning was the goods. The tide was dropping out making the pits and bowls better all morning. By the late afternoon we headed out on a fishing charter with beers flowing and the skipper throwing calls that we would get a marlin.

Mark: The last day at Pebbles. There was an epic vibe in the water and lots of tubes and ramps and the fellas were surfing insane!

Russ: Our second session at Rock Suck was definitely the standout session for me. Nemo, Ivan and Adam were going skitz on the end bowl, and Howie and myself were covering the angles from land and water.

Jono: Pebbles with a local Samoan named Dave. Just to see a local smiling and frothing on bodyboarding was cool, even though he was just starting out.

Ivan pops a big flip before dark. Photo: Russell Quinn

Mitch Woodland scoops into a magical Pebbles funnel. Photo: Russell Quinn

Matt Palmer puts everyone into a combination situation with a barrel-flip-barrel at Rock Suck.

Photo: Russell Quinn

With only a few minutes of sunlight left on the final day, James throws down one of the biggest inverts

of the trip, after waiting 45 minutes in the lineup.Photo: Russell Quinn

AN EXPOSE OF THE BAYEwan Donnachie describes his tumultuous relationship with the beloved Blackrock.

Words by Ewan DonnachiePhotos by Russell Quinn

Aussie Pipe. Blackrock. Summercloud Bay. The wave goes by a number of monikers and represents a range of different things for different people. For some (lucky bastards), Pipe is their bread and butter – folk from neighbouring towns and the locals of all locals, Indigenous fellas, who live in the village and can literally watch the wave from their bedroom windows. For others, Pipe is absolute ‘no go’ territory and brings back one too many memories of frustration beyond words, and silent vows to never return. For me, it’s a bittersweet combination of the two.

I’ve caught some of the better waves of my life out there, but also, at times, felt like throwing in the towel and hanging up the fins for good.

More often than not, these extreme highs and lows are inherent elements of every session. The wave is incredibly perfect, yet herein ironically lies the source of my frustration. Pipe offers too much potential! The only limit to the quality of surfing you demonstrate is the limit of your skills themselves… and that’s a confronting thought. I almost always place far too much expectation and pressure on myself, often before even catching my first wave.

Pipe mirrors all the things I hate about my own technical surfing, and rubs my face in it when I see so many talented guys doing what I wish I could. Pretty dark way to views things, I know, but I struggle to keep these thoughts at bay.

“My insecurities are only compounded by the knowledge that at any one time, there are no less than 40 people watching from shore”

My insecurities are only compounded by the knowledge that at any one time, there are no less than 40 people watching from shore… with cameras… lots of cameras. People watching and shooting and filming and judging. It does my head in. I fantasise I could make everyone disappear and just practise my ass off. Analyse all the little things I’m not happy with and try them over and over again. Fix my technique, build my confidence, then with a click of my fingers, bring everyone back and let the session continue.

Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are times when everything just comes together; when I’m able to consistently sneak bombs off

the crowd, generate some kind of rhythm, have a clear mind and draw fast, clean lines with conviction and purpose. There are even times when I find myself sitting in the channel, stoked out of my gourd at the move I was just able to execute or the throaty, deep pit I was just spat from.

Aussie Pipe represents a range of things for different people. I think for me, more than anything, it represents a lot of home truths. It makes me stare long and hard at myself, my mindset, my surfing, my strengths and the things I need to work on… at some other wave, of course, because my fantasy of surfing deserted Pipe ain’t EVER happening!

Unknown, Tapuna TahitiThere hadn’t been waves for nearly two weeks and I was loosing my mind. We were just bumming around... a lot. This day was semi on shore but I needed to shoot something. This bomb came out of nowhere and old mate took it like a champ!

Damien Martin, NSW South CoastDamo keeps telling me this shot is shit but I like it... although you

see this angle nailed quite a bit these days. It’s hard to get it without spray from yourself, the rider and the lip of the wave.

Jeff Hubbard, SapinusWhen Jeff and I went to Tahiti, this was the first day of the trip... pumping Sapinus. Jeff was going skitz boosting off everything as he does... then a wide one came through and collected the boat and everything was soaked – camera gear and all. Luckily I was up the front of the boat and was able to protect my gear a little. Day 1 in and I thought my trip was over, thankfully it wasn’t and the rest of the week was pumping!

Jase Finlay, NSW South CoastThis was a pretty exclusive day at this spot as it wasn’t really on the map at the time. I’m still not going to name names or say where it is, but this is Jase Finlay from the tow assist of Dean Pitt...both bloody legends!

Supers, NSW South CoastThis day was ridiculous. There was a lot of guys watching and not a lot surfing. Then Pence paddled out in the arvo. He pushed paddle surfing to the next level in my opinion that day. This empty is about 10-12 foot, just handling. I shot it from the balcony of someone’s house.

Morgan Brown, Aussie PipeI’d been at work that day in the Sydney CBD and it was a decision to hit the town that night or head to Aussie Pipe and try some flash stuff that I’d been meaning to do for a while. With Morgs being Morgs, it wasn’t hard to link up and we nailed this shot.

Unknown, PipelineThis was my first time ever shooting out at Pipe and it was just Shady, Storm boy and I out shooting. I’m not sure who this is but it was the bomb of the afternoon. The lighting is epic in the afternoon. I like how backlit the wave gets.

Timmy Hamilton, PipelineI’d just spent two weeks hanging with Timmy Hamilton prior to this shot being taken. We were staying at his sister Bethany’s place on Kauai. It’s always rewarding getting shots of your mates rather then just randoms. Especially when dealing with the crowd at Pipe.

Scrolling through comments on social media these days can sometimes be harder to decode than your drunken text outbox after a big night on the booze. New words or phrases pop up in the bodyboarding community as common as the Facebook serial pest. Some stay, and some disappear quicker than the 2012 KONY campaign. These are called neologisms.

According to Wikipedia, a neologism is a newly coined term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but has not yet been accepted into the mainstream language. Sometimes it takes a big tractor to plow the foggy fields of a bodyboarder’s mind, but I’m going to do my best and try to decode some of these neologisms for you.

Words by Michael ChapplePhoto by Russ Quinn

NEOLOGISMS

Modern day neologisms are Google, email, BFF, app and spam, just to name a few. Only time will tell which of these bodyboarding neologisms will hit the mainstream language in years to come. Be

my guest – enlighten me, humour me, astound me with your attempts at reinventing the English language. I’m looking forward to it.

C r e gA portmanteau word, where ‘cross’ and ‘leg’ have been joined to shorten the obsession of keeping your legs crossed during a 360

spin.

F r o t h i n g A word used for extreme excitement. My guess is it’s from the built up white foam

often seen at the corners of the mouth on excited, slightly dehydrated people.

“ G r a m i t ” The obsession people have to post and

“over-share” their lives on the ever-popular Instagram app. Pictures often include

sunrises, food, surfi ng pictures and attempts to be arty.

# n o f i l t e rA common term to express that your

photographic skills are so good there is no need for an Instagram fi lter.

F u l l q u i d This term can be used to describe

someone’s intelligence that is a few fries short of a Happy Meal.

G e n e r a l t h o u g h t s ?Self-explanatory

G e n e r a l s ?An abbreviation of the above.

F o r t s ? Another abbreviation of the above without

spell-check.

4 t s ?Sum 1’s clever attempt at further abbreviating the word: thoughts.

Phot

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Right now, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of desperate men glaring at this photo and getting a little bit too excited for their own good. What possesses you to get your gear off and share that wondrous rig with us filthy blokes? Well when you put it that way, it’s good to know you’re making people happy out there, in one way or another? But I try not to think about the “filthy blokes” too much, especially while on a shoot.

Let’s cut to the chase. What does a man have to do, or say, to impress a lady such as yourself? Hmm, I’m pretty easy to talk to. These days my main interest is travelling, so if you’ve been overseas or know a lot about it then prepare yourself for the billions of questions. Or be in a band I love, or have a sexy accent, or be really tall, or all of the above.

What qualities do you look for in a man?Personality mainly. I’ve always been attracted to the funny guys.

I’m the first person to admit I have absolutely no sense of style. Does it matter how men dress, and if so, what on earth should we be wearing? Haha! I’m going to remember you said that! But yes, we live in the era where guys will take just as long, if not longer, than girls to get ready. Do the hair, groom the beard and choose the outfit. A man can look 10 times more attractive if he knows how to dress himself. Just for basics you can never go wrong with

cream chinos, a white shirt, smart hair and some nice shoes. Add a Cardi to it and bam, you’re so hipster!

So how long have you been modeling for? I started in 2009 when I had my first muck around photo shoot with Luke Shadbolt. From there it just became a part of my life.

Who are some of the photographers you have worked with? Well I won’t mention all of them because I have a different photoshoot every week. But I will mention the two very beautiful and individually talented ladies – Julia Trotti and Rossette Rouhana. And of course Cameron Mackie who shot this photo of me in the ATG swimwear.

What are some of the brands you have modeled for? ATG, Eaupaixvie, Shapes in the Sand, Serpant and the Swan, The Pastoralists, Jessie Mcnaught, Suzi Rose.

Today, I heard that Australian model Sophie Monk has a ‘hair extension specialist’ that she flies across the world to accompany her on shoots. What are your most general thoughts on this and would you ever consider such antics? Well, I guess it’s okay if you’ve got the money? Maybe they are good buddies? I guess I would if I was super rich, I totally would take my hair stylist everywhere with me. She’s amazing.

UNDER THE CLOAKModel: Joesephine AmberInterview by Russell Quinn

State Of Play

Hometown: Ulladulla.Local: Racecourse Beach, Nuggan..

Crew: I surf and shoot with Burg Thurston, Tyge

Landa and Bryce Thurston, most swells. There’s always someone in the water, like

Scotty Thomson, Matty or DM.

Eatery: Pilgrims or Tree house..

Watering hole: Coles or Woolworths.

State Titles are: stoked to see this boom, keen to be apart of it, and build up a

strong crew from Ulladulla in the future.

The King: In NSW the guy who has impressed me the

most is Jordan Putland. Only had a handful of surfs

with him, but he is a special kid.

Hometown: Gold Coast.Local: When I’m home, I’m usually groveling at the Spit

and Stradie. Crew: My crew has changed heaps over the years as many work and what not. Still some

Stradie mates like Daniel Bennington, Luke Gornall, Shaun Allen, BORL, Evan

Howard (when his chick lets him), Nuzza, Rocket, Joey C,

Drew Dennis.Eatery: Black Coffee Lyrics

Cafe & Rossinis Italian Broadbeach.

Watering hole: Elsewhere.State Titles are: Haven’t heard that word since I was 16 sorry.

Haha. Don’t know a thing about comps

The King:Tom Smith if he picked the boog up again. Otherwise Joe Clarke and

Tom Rigby.

QLD: Nick Gornall. SA: Dylan Beach.NSW: Glen Thurston.

Hometown: Originally from Middleton, now residing

in Adelaide..Local: Knights Beach.

Crew: Matt Henwood, Tom Ling, Jasper Ashmoore, Jack Thomas, Michael Watts and

Lance Hurford.Eatery: The Port Elliot Bakery is

pretty hard to miss.Watering hole: I don’t really go out that much, but on the

South Coast a few quiet beers at the Elliot Hotel don’t

go astray.State Titles are: Non-existent

in SA. The King: Jasper Ashmoore for being so keen, Lance for always

killing it, Wattsy for driving the most out of anybody else in search for waves, Karl for

boosting, and Matt for being the ultimate nice guy in

the water.

WA: Kim Feast.VIC: Vaughan Hoekman.TAS: Cam Green.

Hometown: Gracetown.Local: North Point.

Crew: Mike Dobson or mostly standup guys.

Eatery: Gnarabar.Watering hole: Gnarabar I’d

say, but the nightlife is pretty dismal..

State Titles are: A great avenue for up-and-coming guys to hone their surfi ng and learn how to surf in a

competitive arena. W.A having them at Mandurah Wedge

is epic.The King: It’s kinda hard to go

passed Ryan Hardy.

Hometown: Warrnambool.Local: Logan’s beach.

Crew: Josh O’sullivan, Luke Barker and Pat RobinsonEatery: Fish Tales Cafe.Watering hole: There is

nowhere good to go out at night in this heinous town..State Titles are: one of the

only comps we have all year. I guess it’s good to have one but I would rather free surf anyway.

The King: Luke Barker. He tears the bag!

Hometown: Cremorne.Local: Rebounds and other South Arm beach breaks are

all within 10 minutes from home.

Crew: I usually surf with Charles and Harley Ward.

Eatery: Dumpling World in Hobart is tasty and cheap.

They also don’t mind if you rock up with a carton or two so it doubles as a place to

drink before heading out too.

Watering hole: MOBIUS. Pretty much the only place you want to end up when

going out in Hobart. .State Titles are: last year was great. We had a huge

turn out and the waves were pretty contestable. Hopefully this year is just

as good!The King: Matt Jaeger, he is a freak I swear he can duck

dive anything..

MO

TH

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LO

AD

Matt Viesis / Chris James.

Matt Tildesley / Damien Martin.

Marc Ashdown / Chase O’Leary.

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Addi Roberts / Jake Metcalfe.

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