2015
photo annual
THE FINEST SURFING IMAGES OF THE YEAR
#31 NOV/DEC 2 015
@ CORONAEXTRA _ AU CORONAEXTRA.COM.AU
DRIFTESSENTIALS.COM.AU
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ED Note
photo annual. 2015. The 2015 Photo Annual is exactly 30 pages longer than last years. This means it’s 30 times better! The formula remains the same (ya know, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!) but the images are nek level! Accompanying each page of pure surfing escapism you’re about to witness, is the surfer’s name, manoeuvre, approx’ location and a look behind the scenes with the photographer. Those guys, those unsung heroes who spend much of their lives looking at the ocean. That’s all good news, but do you know what’s even better news? Like last year, we’re offering the touch of real paper! We’re going to print and not only do we offer a good price for you, we’re offering you the smartest gift giving idea for this Christmas. So please, support independent publications who give you free stuff all year and then kindly ask you to buy one valuable and nondisposable, semi coffee-table style book once a year! Print version coming shortly. To the electronic sea, we salute you bruv!
Andy Morris
ABOVE: Eddie Kelly is a local surfboard glasser who works for DHD (Darren Handley Designs). He’s managed to create a career around the ocean, where he gets to pick and choose when to surf. This particular day (just recently) was during an unseasonal ENE burst of swell lapping the Gold Coast. Not sure if many boards were glassed this day.
18s e c o nd s
a pack involved in crimes such as running guns down to the beach when it's 10-foot-plus and illegal carry-on luggage weights: andy morris editor
andy@18seconds.com.au
alicia smith designer
alicia@18seconds.com.au
russell ord photo editor ordy@me.com
contributors
18seconds is self-published six times a year in Currumbin, Australia: PO Box 86, Tugun, QLD 4224. Views expressed by authors aren’t necessarily those of the publisher and editor. Copyright is reserved, so please don’t reproduce our pages for anything. Email addresses are published for professional communication and swell alerts only.
ted grambeau chris burkard ed sloane billy morris lee pegus peter 'joli' wilson leroy bellet jesse little jack dekort asher king james driscoll – proof reading
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cover
SCOTT ‘WHIP’ DENNIS DOUBLE-TOW POINT OF VIEW, SOUTH COAST, NEW SOUTH WALES.
Scott ‘Whip’ Dennis chasing the light at the end of the tunnel. I put a lot on the line for this shoot and ended up with a torn knee ligament on this wave: note the board battling the shock wave in the bottom left. But as the saying goes, life’s a game, you gotta pay to play – and taking risks to get a shot in a mag, which ends up on the cover is worth it in my books. – Leroy Bellet
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DAVE RASTOVICH
JUNGLE TUNNEL, LAGUNDRI BAY, INDONESIA.
The Sunday before this swell, the local village priest told everyone a tsunami was going to come, so everyone was really scared and moved personal items up to the village. This swell arrived and the village people thought the prediction was coming true, because the waves were so big and loud. Aussie freesurfer, Dave Rasta, had timed his visit to Surfaid’s Mother and Child Health Programs, to perfectly coincide with the famous Indian Ocean super swell! – Justin Buulolo
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EAST NORTHEAST PULSE
DOUBLE SHAKA, GREENMOUNT, QUEENSLAND.
Everyone had been waiting for a decent size east swell to light up the sand stacked perfectly in Greenmount bay. We’d waited all winter and never really had the size required for man-sized barrels until more recently. On Monday, 19 October an unseasonal pulse from the east-northeast hit and lit up the dormant bank. Being early on a Monday the thick crowds weren’t on to it – just the lucky few. – Andy Morris
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BRETT BURCHER
OVER THE SHALLOWS, SOUTH COAST, NEW SOUTH WALES.
Burch knows his way through a barrel. Here he is racing through a heavy low tide drainer. It was a crazy day of waves with a bunch of good mates. A couple of weeks after this shot was taken, Burch broke his neck surfing in South Australia, but is on the mend now and will be back in the water soon. – Simon Punch
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DANE REYNOLDS
FRONTSIDE GRAB, DURANBAH, NEW SOUTH WALES.
This was during the Quik Pro waiting period. I was about to bail home when a text came through Mr Reynolds was on his way down. I remember thinking at the time, whatever Dane does will be covered by at least 10 different angles, but whatever he sticks will have so much wow factor, everyone will hold onto it for the mags. But who was I kidding? Within 24 hours this shot was all over the gram. But it was so big and clean, we figured we’d bring it to you again as the full sequence. We later contacted him about surfing in Oz and he told us, “I was so fried on this day. My eyes felt like raisins rolled in chilli powder. There is a lot to love about surfing all day in Australia.” – Andy Morris
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NOAH LANE
PULLING IN, SOUTH STRADDIE, QUEENSLAND.
Noah had recently returned from a few years chasing big ol’ cold and unforgiving waves in Ireland. He has a beautiful, smooth backhand style, which he developed growing up on the Queensland (righthand) points. But, I hadn’t seen him on lefts in a long time – so I was interested to see if he looked as stylish in hollow left beachies. I guess he’d had a lot of practice going left in Ireland as he was a pleasure to watch this morning. I thought I was a touch out of position for this shot… turns out being forced into a different position was a blessing because I was able to capture the wave’s entire falling lip, feathered by a chilly westerly breeze – and like one of my good buddies told me, I finally nailed a shot! – Andy Morris
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ASHER PACEY
LATE DROP, QUEENSLAND.
Asher Pacey pulling into one of my favourite images this year. Believe it or not there was only six guys out taking turns getting shacked off their heads. Asher has been a stand out for me all year. Out of my top 10 surf shots I’ve taken, he’s in five of them. –Asher King
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EMPTY
NO FLAGS NO SWIM, KIRRA, QUEENSLAND.
This photo was taken on Thursday, 19 February 2015 at exactly 5.48 p.m. There was a tonne of hype in both surf and non-surf media about pumping waves on the Gold Coast from Cyclone Marcia. However, Cyclone Marcia had only just formed into a category one cyclone the night before and was approximately 1000 k's straight north-northeast of the Gold Coast putting the system well out of the swell window. Contrary to the hype, what you’re actually looking at is swell from a good ol’ enhanced (even supercharged) trade flow stretching from the mainland of Australia to well east of New Zealand. – Andy Morris
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MICK FANNING
TACKLING SLABS, SHIPSTERNS, TASMANIA.
This day was a good day to be out in the boat. It was sunny and not much wind. It was a busy day as the conditions were looking good and whispers were Mick, and a couple of The Mad Hueys were coming down for it. Captain Cob (Ash) kept us in a good spot all day and then decided to go in for a closer look. For this particular shot we had a real close look. The boat felt pretty vertical going up this thing. Drinks were falling over and gear was rolling around. We got close enough to be able to look down into the barrel and down at Mick. It was a bit of an uneasy feeling for a second, but turned out good and I was stoked with the shot! – Tim Newcombe
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DION ATKINSON
FOREHAND TUBE SETUP, DURANBAH, NEW SOUTH WALES.
Winter ’15 was cursed by many as the worst season in years. But what it lacked in surf over five foot, it made up for in clear sunny days, all day offshores, consistent two-to-three foot swells and excellent, hollow banks on the points and beachies. The lack of large ‘bank busting’ swells was actually a blessing as it meant the sand hung around for the whole of winter, gifting us many dreamy days like this to enjoy. – Andy Morris
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REEF DOIG
FOREHAND TUBE, SNAPPER, QUEENSLAND.
Reef Doig’s an Aussie kid who’s spent the better half of his life growing up in Bali. He’s been mentored by Tai Buddha (the go-to man on the island for everything to do with finding good waves and having a good time – so we don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing!) but the kid now resides on the Gold Coast whilst he focuses on his final years at school. Needless to say he didn’t attend many classes this day. – Andy Morris
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BEDE DURBIDGE
FOREHAND CYLINDER, SOUTH STRADDIE, QUEENSLAND.
Since moving to Queensland from South Australia everyone has been telling me how bad the surf can be in spring. But the first two weeks were really fun, as the crisp weather and consistent swells of winter continued. After paddling across the seaway with my housing, we arrived to super glassy peaks. When Bede took off on this wave, the water was so clear as it drained off the bank. I just sat in position and fired away. – Jesse Little
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DREAM POINT
CYLINDERS, NORTH STRADDIE, QUEENSLAND.
This was one of those last minute, unplanned, spur of the moment type trips, which for some reason, are always the best. At first light, the Gold Coast was straight offshore with a clean east swell around four-to-six foot. We knew the swell was going to swing around to the southeast by the next day as the system generating the swell was slipping south. After a 50-minute drive, an hour long (and expensive) ferry ride we arrived in one of the dirt car parks along the point. Mick Fanning was on the island for his grom camp. We bumped into him as we pulled into the carpark. He was moving fast and was visibly excited. “Don’t even check it boys,” he said as we climbed out of the car. “Just grab your stuff, it’s absolutely firing, like old school Kirra firing!” – Andy Morris
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SHELDON SIMKUS
COMING OF AGE, SOUTH STRADDIE, QUEENSLAND.
This is Sheldon Simkus enjoying his first year out of high school as a pro surfer. We’ve watched him progress over the last six years. He was on our radar way back in 2010 when we started this mag and was featured as a young dude to keep an eye on. I had a gut feeling he’d go places. My gut feelings are usually accurate. Look at him now: he is being supported by a major sponsor and he’s made his surfing dream a reality through developing his talent and lots of hard work. – Andy Morris
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BEN SERRANO
FOREHAND TOOBE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
Everything is big in South Australia: the waves, the cliffs, the sharks. It’s also a long haul to get from one wave to another and takes a heap of commitment from the guys you’re travelling with. Here’s Ben Serrano and the fruits of putting in the hard yards in an unforgiving land. – Leroy Bellet
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NICK VASICEK
BEHIND THE ROCK, SNAPPER QUEENSLAND.
After growing up on hollow righthand points, Nick Vasicek has established himself as one of (if not) the most stylish backhand tube riders on the Gold Coast. Nuff said! – Andy Morris
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ASHER WALES
FOREHAND OOP, DURANBAH, NEW SOUTH WALES.
We’ve watched Asher Wales over the last six years flourish into a well rounded surfer. He holds his own power and rail games. And now, with a little bit more confidence in the boot (thanks to a new sponsor with O’Neill Australia), he’s pushing his air game. And in case you’re wondering what he’s doing here: he’s rotating through a forehand oop. – Andy Morris
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JULIAN WILSON
SLOW SHUTTER FOREHAND FLOAT, NOOSA, QUEENSLAND.
This day we spent close to an hour scouring the Noosa National Park for a parking space. The council have recently yellow lined a huge portion of spaces, so it's made life even harder in this busy coastal town. After the drama of the parking was over I made my way up to the 'Boiling Pot' where Joyce and a few friends were surfing. The rip was running hard down the point helping to sort out the crowd. Yeah the water moving is hard work, but it makes life easier for Julian and the local boys who are used to the constant paddling. – Jack Dekort
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UP THE BEACH
DOESN’T GET ANY BETTER, NEW SOUTH WALES.
Sorry. This is real! An undisclosed location, blowing our little minds that no one was even looking at these lefts. Thursday, 20 August, 2015. We surfed this for three hours ‘til the southeasterly wind ruined the serenity. – Andy Morris
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LUKE DORRINGTON AND LACHLAN MCKINNON
MERMEN, GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND.
In this moment Luke Dorrington (bottom left) had just ridden a wave and is now caught on the inside and is taking a set wave on the head – by diving down to the safety of the sea floor, allows the wave to pass over him with little disruption. Top right is Peanut (aka the water filmer, Lachlan McKinnon) kicking through with his boom box! – Andy Morris
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CHRIS SHANAHAN
INDIAN OCEAN SUPER SWELL, THE RIGHT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA.
The ski was making noises and beeping to let us know we were getting low on fuel – we only had one bar left. We knew the waves were pumping, but the last thing you want to do is run out of fuel so far from land. This shot of Shanno was the last photo I took before making a dash back to land. Earlier on in the morning I had dropped a Nikon camera in the water on the launch and said, fuck it and bailed, so it was cool to get back to the boat ramp a couple of hours later and see it siting in the crystal clear water. I thought, if the worse thing that can happen to me on this trip is loose a $400 camera, then I’m sweet – haha… – Trent Slatter
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SHELDON SIMKUS
MOUNTAIN DROP, QUEENSLAND.
9 January 2015. 6.58 a.m. I’ve been living on the Gold Coast for almost ten years now and last summer was the first time it didn’t rain for weeks on end causing brown water at some stage. As a result, the water stayed clear for the entire summer and made for plenty of classic photo shoots. This photo starring Sheldon sums up the idea of surfing all summer for me – blue skies, clean water, boardies, fun waves and empty peaks! – Andy Morris
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EMPTY
A-FRAME CITY, SOUTH STRADDIE, QUEENSLAND.
The feast we were greeted to on Sunday 26 April. Offshore winds, solid east swell, dazzling sun. All the ingredients for a fine autumn day, where everyone got really (really) barrelled, all day long. – Andy Morris
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QUINN BRUCE
SLOW SHUTTER, FROGGIES, QUEENSLAND.
I decided to shoot slow shutter to blur out the million GoPro kids that were shooting Froggies. I managed a couple from this session that I was really happy with. – Asher King
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MASON HO
FOREHAND FREEFALL, SNAPPER ROCKS, QUEENSLAND.
He came and conquered behind the rock at Snapper in February as seen here from the 11th floor, coming off the bottom on one of the bigger days we’ve ever seen behind the rock. – Andy Morris
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JARRAH TUTTON
BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING, SNAPPER ROCKS, QUEENSLAND.
Probably the most documented Snapper wave in the history of surfing. Jarrah Tutton nailed a late drop to setup the wave of the day on this morning. Let’s break down the angles: Jarrah was filming his point of view with a GoPro. Mysurftv were filming another water angle. The Mad Hueys were also filming another water angle. We had this water angle covered, which came with a bunch of fisheye shots (pictured) and a Gopro clip. And Craig Halstead was filming from land (an there were also a bunch of other land based filmers and photogs scattered around the point). Big Brother is watching! – Andy Morris
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GENE SYKES
POT OF GOLD, SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
A unique moment in time where the colours of the rainbow are sprayed over Gene Sykes as he exits a solid beachie in South Australia. He definitely found the pot of gold. – Jesse Little
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empty
STRADDIE IMPOSTER, UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, GOLD COAST.
We’d come down early to this beachie on a hot tip Kelly Slater was going to hit it for the early (he’d surfed this beachie the night before). The king was a no show, which was a shame because, as far as this stretch of coast goes, was as fun as it can get. Lots of people have asked where this wave is. All we can say is it’s between Burleigh Heads and Currumbin on the Gold Coast. The banks shift constantly, so go searching! 66
– Andy Morris
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TOMMY WHITS
DAD GETS TOOBED, UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, NEW SOUTH WALES.
I’ve gotten to know Tom well since he moved in across the street from my house. Guy loves an early morning coffee run (caffè macchiato) and late arvo (mid strength, low carb) beer. He travels a lot, but despite always kinda being on vacation, he’s one of the hardest working surfers/family men around. – Andy Morris
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TIM TAPLIN
NO HANDS, SOUTH COAST, NEW SOUTH WALES.
Tim Taplin daringly opts for no rail grab as the end bowl wraps onto the shelf. This was the last wave of the entire four month Double or Nothing project. Quit while you're ahead, seems like an appropriate way of putting it. – Leroy Bellet
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EMPTIES
DREAM POINT, NORTH STRADDIE, QUEENSLAND.
Wednesday 4 Feb. 1.36 p.m. These toobes are the handy work of Cyclone Ola, during an uncrowded session on a perfectly stacked Queensland point break. The locals say the sand was the best they’d seen it in 10 years. We definitely take their word for it. Oh and by the way, you'd def' fit in both of these. – Andy Morris
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NOA DEANE
BELOW SEA LEVEL TUBE, SNAPPER ROCKS, QUEENSLAND.
Noa Deane generally tries to avoid the crowds on the Goldy. He likes surfing late in the day, no matter what the tides and winds are doing. This day he paddled out to Snapper and sat deeper than everyone. Saying the take-off behind the rock can be challenging is a total understatement. Even three of the best surfers in the world: Mick, Joel and Bede find the drop tricky. This particular wave, breaking ridiculously below sea level and only metres from rock, Noa handled with ease. What does this mean? Means he surfs like a boss. – Andy Morris
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MITCH KENYON
BACKHAND TUBE, UNDISCLOSED REEF, NEW SOUTH WALES.
The night before we knew it’d be on so we set the alarm for 2 a.m. and drove for three hours. Guys were already getting into their suits before first light as we pulled into the carpark. When we got out to the takeoff zone, we saw a mako shark throwing itself out of the water just behind the surfers. Something was telling us to go in, but seeing the waves coming through, there was no way we were going to miss it. The shark was spotted three times throughout the day. This shot was taken at exactly 7:54 a.m. and was the beginning of a fantastically long day of swimming and no toothy encounters! – Ben Shepherd
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UNKNOWN
CYCLONE FEVER, SNAPPER ROCKS, QUEENSLAND.
3 February 2015. 5.43 p.m. Lines of medium period swell pour into the Queensland points from Cyclone Ola. The swell only lasted a few short days (unlike most cyclone swells where there can be waves for weeks) but it was good while it lasted. – Andy Morris
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DAVE RASTOVICH
FOREHAND TUBE RUN, UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, NEW SOUTH WALES.
I jumped in the water and had been shooting for about 50-minutes before the lineup changed. This is Rasta racing one of the last sets to barrel before the tide swallowed up the wave. You wanna blame someone for this session being cut short? Lay it on the moon! – Andy Morris 80
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DEAN HARRINGTON
GAY PRIDE, SNAPPER ROCKS, QUEENSLAND.
The significance of this photo, despite the rainbow caused by an optical and meteorological phenomenon and Dean Harrington’s matching rainbow spray, is this moment happened hours after gay marriage was legalised in the U.S. They say, love conquers all. I say, love always wins! – Matthew Lackey
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ASHER PACEY
SUMMER TOOBE, QUEENSLAND.
9 January 2015. 6.59 a.m. Asher is one of those guys who you can swim out with and you know you’re going to get shots. He’s experienced when it come to working with cameramen and his knowledge of the ocean is second to none. He’ll always be in the best position for sets on any given day, at any given break. He’s a true waterman and nice guy too. – Andy Morris
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UNKNOWN
FOREHAND TUBE, DURANBAH, NEW SOUTH WALES.
If you were lucky enough to have some free time this winter, there were plenty of fun, uncrowded sessions going down. It’s not often you get to surf one of Australia’s most heavily populated (and consistent) beachbreaks with a couple of guys. – Andy Morris
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MARK MATHEWS
FOREHAND SLAB, CAPE SOLANDER, NEW SOUTH WALES.
I remember this day was dark and gloomy. There was no one else in the water and the wind wasn't the best. I wasn't happy about being in the water with all the shark sightings and attacks, but mark insisted there would be a few good ones. There was hardly any good ones coming through, but within the space of 15 minutes the wind turned a few degrees in the right direction. A bomb set came through and I was luckily in position to get the shot – Jordan Barta
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DEAN HARRINGTON
FOREHAND TUNNEL, KIRRA, QUEENSLAND.
This was the last (and biggest) day of a three day Kirra swell in February which saw the town light up with cyclone fever. The interesting thing about this day, despite the best surfers in the world sharing long, dreamy barrels together in the morning (this shot was taken at 7.38 a.m.) by 1.30 p.m. the swell had dropped back to one-to-two foot… much to the disappointment of the work crew, who were left scratching their heads. – Andy Morris
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jordy smith
BACKSIDE ROTATION, DURANBAH, NEW SOUTH WALES.
Jordy Smith throwing what he still claims to be the largest backside rotation he’s ever done. This was stomped on a warm afternoon in March as the sun was setting over D’bah. After this session he ran the entire length of the beach approaching all filmers, asking if he could buy the footage. – Andy Morris
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NATHAN HEDGE
BACKHAND TUBE, KIRRA, QUEENSLAND.
This was a classic morning at Kirra (ed note: this is the same morning from two spreads ago with Dean Harrington). Close to the entire world tour were out there on skis, so things became hectic. This was probably the best wave of the day, or at least the one everyone was talking about afterwards. This was one of those waves where it all just came together and drained off the bank. 94
– Kain Swift
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ANONYMOUS
FOREHAND TUBE, UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, NEW SOUTH WALES.
There are a few things I don’t know about this shot. I don’t know who the guy is in the barrel. I don’t know who the guy is looking at the guy in the barrel. The only thing I do know about this wave, is exactly where it is… but I don’t know how to tell you! – Andy Morris
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DAVE RASTOVICH
FOREHAND TUBE, UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, NEW SOUTH WALES.
When I see this shot I can’t help but think about sharks. Not long after this photo was taken there were a string of attacks (two fatal) in the area. This was early in the morning and adjacent to a major river mouth, which according to experts, is prime feeding grounds for sharks. To make matters worse when you’re shooting water photos you don’t have the piece of fibreglass between you and the ocean. You’re completely submerged, and that my friends, has JAWS written all over it. But I keep telling myself (and reading posts on insty by shark conservationists), sharks are friends and they don’t like eating humans. So I’m rolling with that! – Andy Morris
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SCOTT ‘WHIP’ DENNIS
FOREHAND TUBE OVER SHALLOW REEF, SOUTH COAST, NEW SOUTH WALES.
There were some crazy low tide tubes early this day. It is super shallow on low tide, but this never phases ‘Whip’. He always wants the heaviest ones. It just means I have to take a few on the head to reap the rewards. Well worth it though. – Simon Punch
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SHELDON SIMKUS
DROPPING INTO A DREAM, QUEENSLAND.
After a minor water-housing hiccup and a mad dash back to the car, a quick adjustment with a screwdriver, I was back in the water. Then for the following three hours, I saw some of the most dreamy beachies I have seen in my whole life. Considering I’ve been mesmerised by the ocean since I was seven (and I’m 36 now) that’s saying something! – Andy Morris
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EMPTY
EXCEPT FOR WHAT LURKS BENEATH, LENNOX HEAD, NEW SOUTH WALES.
There were four big great whites in the Lennox area this morning (50-minutes after this photo was taken). Police parked on the headland and hit the sirens to warn surfers out of the water, who, to their frustration, were ignoring requests, one female officer told me. With a new southeast swell in the water, crisp offshores, sunshine and an amazing sandbank who’s to blame them? But in the end the law won, when a jet boat came around the corner and sent everyone in. It’s amazing how many sharks they see, once they start looking for them (who would have thought!?). – Andy Morris
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ASHER PACEY
FOREHAND TUBE, SNAPPER, QUEENSLAND.
I had been shooting all morning and got nothing so started swimming in. Asher took off on a set out the back and I saw the bowl opening up as it came into the Little Marley section. All I had to do was wait for Asher to do what he does best. I linked up with Asher so much during this swell getting amazing shots that I text him a bit concerned people would think I was in love with him if I posted any more shots! – Asher King
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STORM HOSKING
FOREHAND TUBE, SOUTH STRADDIE, QUEENSLAND.
When I processed this image, I knew there were some special shots on the memory card. But it wasn’t until I posted a frame on Insty of an unknown rider that the love came through. Turned out to be Gold Coast lifeguard, Storm Hosking, who’s always on the sniff for Straddie pits. He was impressed with the shots too, banging through an email… “Wow they are pretty sick! How good are the colours! That’s your page one right there! Hahaha.” – Andy Morris
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SCOTT ‘WHIP’ DENNIS
ALLEY-OOP, SOUTH AUSTRALIA.
There is no such thing as down-time when chasing waves in South Oz. Even if you don't find what you're looking for, you're bound to find something. Like Whip here, working an angelic alley-oop in the late afternoon glimmer. – Leroy Bellet
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DION ATKINSON
BACKHAND NO HANDS, DURANBAH, NEW SOUTH WALES.
We had an amazing run of small to medium waves through winter. Through a combo of clear skies, all-day offshore winds and amazing sand there were a lot of memorable session going down. For me autumn is my favourite time of the year, but winter isn’t far behind. Here, Dion soaks up the last of the wintery conditions. – Andy Morris
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SCOTT ‘WHIP’ DENNIS
FOLLOW CAM, SOUTH COAST, NEW SOUTH WALES.
This was my first attempt at double tows. It was really heavy early, so we waited for the tide to fill in a little before doubling up on the rope. It was a crazy experience and I was stoked to nail this one of good mate ‘Whip’ on my first attempt. Can't wait for another crack! – Simon Punch
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josh kerr
SOUVLAKI EXPRESS, NEW SOUTH WALES.
If you’re wondering where Josh developed such a skill for late drops and meaty tubes, this place has a lot to answer for. It’s not far from where he grew up, but far enough out of reach of most surfers (due to the challenging mechanics of the wave and the eerie middle of the ocean type feel). Stick the drop and dine on the souvlaki express! – Andy Morris 117
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EMPTY
FICKLE PEAKS, NEW SOUTH WALES.
The beauty of this shot, despite the lovely colours and scenery, is the fact that these beachies hardly ever break like this. We’ve been watching this space for about seven years now and it takes a very particular set of conditions for it to look like these pixels gracing your eyes. I’m not gonna tell you what it needs. That wouldn’t be fair to the guys who know the specifics and have this place up their sleeves! Here’s a hint though: usually there’s too much water moving around, the waves are washing across the inside banks and the wind’s ripping into it. Decipher that, keep your eyes on the swell/ weather/tides and you’ll score! – Andy Morris
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ASHER PACEY
CRYSTAL PALACE, QUEENSLAND.
I was shooting with Andy (18seconds ed). He was on fisheye and I was on 50mm. We had it so I would hang back after he got the barrel shot and I would pick them off at a different focal length when Andy disappeared under the wave. Like a well-oiled machine, it worked a treat all morning… and this was session of the year for me. – Asher King
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JAY ‘BOTTLE’ THOMPSON
BARRELS AND BREACHES, NEW SOUTH WALES.
I was standing on the beach with Nimai Strickland (cameraman from Surfing Australia). There was a lot of whale activity out the back of the lineup and I had just said to him, imagine how cool (and unique) it would it be if Bottle pulled in when a whale was breaching. Much to our amusement, it happened about a minute later! – Andy Morris 123
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SHELDON SIMKUS
ARVO GLOW, SOUTH STRADDIE, QUEENSLAND.
We were over at Straddie for eight hours this day. Our first session went for five hours straight. Then it was a quick lunch break and back out there for another three hours till the sun went down. This photo was taken about 20 minutes before the sun dipped behind the dunes. I knew there was a small window to nail a shot with the afternoon glow, so I was happy when I found this on the card. – Andy Morris
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RARE JEWELS
NORTHEAST SWELL, DURANBAH, NEW SOUTH WALES.
I had just surfed onshore Snapper and went over the back and looked at D’bah. When we rocked up there were lefts running from past Lovers (at the northern end) all the way down the beach towards the rock wall (at the southern end). The wind was a little funky at first, but not long after I got there it went offshore and just got better and better. Myself and Juan Medina both stood up at the break wall and shot looking into the barrelling lefts. – Jesse Little
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CHRIS ‘CHIPPA’ WILSON
BACKSIDE GRAB ROTATION, NEW SOUTH WALES.
Chippa’s real tech and is an amazing surfer to watch in the flesh. Sure, this ain’t the biggest rotation he’s done, but it’s smooth and stylish and done with so much grace it ended up here. – Andy Morris
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UNKNOWN
A-FRAMES ABOUND, SOUTH STRADDIE, QUEENSLAND.
I was waiting for the boys with the ski to arrive for a lift over the seaway. I knew I had a bit of time up my sleeve so decided to walk down the southern wall of the Spit and try to see what it looked like on the other side. There was one rock, which got me high enough to see up the coast. I stood on it. And this is exactly what I saw! Turned out to be Straddie on the day of the year: Sunday, 26 April, 2015. – Andy Morris
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DION AGIUS
FOREHAND TUBE, SOUTH COAST, NEW SOUTH WALES.
I love watching this guy surf. He’s always so unpredictable, which translates to excitement for me. He’s also got a really cool vibe about him – just look at the way he’s styling through this glassy south coast cylinder! – Simon Punch
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CHAD DU TOIT
OFF THE BOTTOM, DURANBAH, NEW SOUTH WALES.
Chad Du Toit drives a stylish bottom turn, as D’bah does its best Pipe impersonation. – Andy Morris
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ASHER PACEY
FOREHAND TUBE, QUEENSLAND.
Gold Coast. Friday, 9 January 2015. 6.57 a.m. A short run down the cliff revealed one of the dreamiest mornings of last summer. We were gifted with split peaks and only a bunch of guys. Asher jagged a few keepers then slid right on through the backdoor! – Andy Morris
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DAN RYAN
THE WATERMAN, THE RIGHT, WESTERN AUSTRALIA.
When this came out on the cover of 18seconds (issue no. 29) I really enjoyed all the comments left on social media. How’s it feel to have a booga on the cover? Dan Ryan is a lidder, what are you doing 18seconds?? Etc etc. All this is true however they forget to mention Dan is a complete waterman, bodyboarder, surfer, bodysurfer, apneist (avid freediver and is active in the field of diving medicine), he is actually a true inspiration on how he approaches life from what he eats, his mental strength, his training technics, the list goes on. This image is the end result of all the hard work. It’s certainly not luck. – Russell Ord.
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JACK FREESTONE
BACKSIDE FULL ROTATION, DURANBAH, NEW SOUTH WALES.
I almost pulled my finger off the shutter midway through this air. As you can see about halfway through the sequence, he looks as though he’s going to come down and land on his back – if there’s a coupla people in the world who could nail this, one of them would be Freestone. This air actually featured in Jack’s section of Cluster, by the way. As of writing this, he’s qualified for the 2016 World Surf League… and busting moves like this, is sure to shake up the rankings (and keep the cameramen on their toes). – Andy Morris
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HAIG RIDDLE
ONE UN-CROWDED HOUR, SNAPPER, QUEENSLAND.
This was an incredible morning of waves. There’d been a spike in east swell overnight Sunday and when Monday dawned only a few savvy crew had clued on. In an age where swell reports, forecasting data, surfcams etc are at everyone’s fingertips, it’s nice to know you can still beat the system every now and then! – Andy Morris
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KHY VAUGHAN
FOLLOW CAM, SOUTH COAST NEW SOUTH WALES.
Khy takes the high-line through a wide winter slab. It rained heavily for five days straight prior to this session, causing a local lake to burst its banks and send murky water spewing into the ocean. – Leroy Bellet
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SOLI BAILEY
FOREHAND TUBE, SOUTH STRADDIE, NEW SOUTH WALES.
Soli came up for the day from Byron Bay hoping to score TOS (The Other Side). When I spoke to him about this shot he said it was definitely one of the bigger barrels he’s had over there. You can see why he decided to drive all the way from Byron to surf Straddie: an island held close to the heart by many surfers and holds a unique place in the Australian surfing experience! – Andy Morris
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EMPTY
THE FRUITS OF TRAVEL, NICARAGUA.
After making our way up through South America our plan was to head to Panama for surf. It turned out the time we had planned (evidently, not very well!) on being there was the off-season, which landed us on a stretch of beach in northern Nicaragua. We lucked into over a week off perfect waves every day and very few people around. – Jack Dekort 149
KELLY SLATER
BACKHAND TOOBE, SOUTH STRADDIE, QUEENSLAND.
Kelly’s moved into a beachside penthouse roughly 22 k’s from this very barrel. On this day, the king rocked up on a luxury yacht, anchored out the back and had his private chopper drop him into the impact zone. This is not true. Well, the part about the penthouse is. Other true information: he came over by jetski (which he drove), paddled out and proceeded to be hassled by everyone in the lineup. He did however, score a few gems. – Andy Morris
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MITCH PARKINSON
CENTRE STAGE, SNAPPER, QUEENSLAND.
This day marked the official unofficial start of boardies season on the Gold Coast. There were a few nice runners and lots of mayhem. With years of local knowledge up his sleeve, Mitch always seems to put himself in the right position for the best ones behind the rock (particularly when his cousin Joel isn’t out!). Sure enough wave of the day came through and he was in the right spot. Oh and the bombshell alert? That’s local girl, Carmen Serena. – Andy Morris
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MADE by
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