In The Break by Carla Moulden

#01 | NOV/DEC’12 | NZ $8.99

P H O T O : C h r i s G a rd e n

ISSUE #01 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012

In The Break is a brand new, affordable, monthly, New Zealand surf magazine for up and coming youth surfers and the slightly older ‘soul surfer’. Focusing on the diverse culture of surfing, the magazine features fresh coverage about surf, travel, art, music and the latest surfing gear from both New Zealand and worldwide. The content is presented with a strong design aesthetic to focus on the world-class photography and entertaining interviews and articles. In The Break is created by local surfers, for local surfers, providing Kiwi’s with the ultimate guide to surfing the world. Don’t let this one pass you by. Cheers, from the team at In The Break.

ON T H E COVE R

OU R R E A DE R S

FRONT COVER: Image by Chris Garden

IMAGE: Lewis Clarke

EDITOR: Carla Moulden DESIGNER: Carla Moulden WEBSITE: www.inthebreak.co.nz BACK COVER: Advertisement by Huffer

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PUBLISHER: Pacific Media Ltd - 09 428 3046 SUBSCRIPTION: iSUBSCRIBE - www.isubscribe.co.nz

CONTENTS F E AT U R E S

PAI G E H AR E B N EEDS Y O U

C H R I S G AR DE N

SUR F I N G : B AC K T O T H E DR AWI N G B O AR D

SPO T X

O N L O C AT I O N 18

B I G SUR F AO T E AR O A

I SL AN D ST Y L E

T R ADI N G PL AC ES

B OA R D G UI DE 24

F I VE T H I N G S T O C O N SI DE R WH E N O R DER I N G Y O UR N EX T B O AR D

SUR F B O AR DS

SH APE R S

C U LT U R E

SI G H T

SO UN D

APPAR E L

14 5

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PAIGE HAREB NEEDS YOU NEW ZEALANDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FIRST WORLD TOUR SURFER CROWDFUNDS HER 2013 SEASON INTERVIEW BY JEFF MULL | PHOTOS BY CARSTEN JAMROW

In December of 2011, Paige Hareb, the first female surfer from New Zealand to qualify for the World Tour, lost her primary sponsor after competing for four years at the elite level. The following year, she posted her best result ever, finishing in the top 10, all on her own dime. But what happened next took many by surprise. To continue travelling on Tour, Paige opened up a Sportfunder page (think KickStarter for athletes) in hopes that her fans could effectively crowd source the cost of her travels so she could continue to compete on the World Tour. Recently, we talked to Paige about the economic realities of chasing the Tour without a sponsor and her decision to turn to the masses for help.

Can you run us through what you’re trying to accomplish? Yeah, after being dropped by my ex-main sponsor, Billabong, I haven’t managed to pick up a new main sponsor and am struggling just to have enough money to get from event to event. I need money just for accommodation, flights, and rental cars. For the last few years on Tour it’s been costing me about NZ$60,000 [about $49,500 USD], so it’s pretty hard to do the whole tour with no main sponsor. A local guy where I live in Taranaki came up with the idea after seeing the website KickStarter. He’s made this new website, SportFunder.com, and it works exactly the same as KickStarter, but it’s purely for sporting teams and individual athletes looking for funding. If you go on to my sport funder page you’ll see I have a goal to get NZ$30,000 in 60 days. Anyone can donate as little as 10 dollars or as high as they want. It’s a good way for my fans to really support me and of course for me to interact with them more. So prior to losing your sponsor, last year you still put up one of your best years ever on the World Tour. Yeah, 2012 was one of my favourite years out of the last four years I’ve been on Tour. Even though I was stressing more about money, I had nothing to lose so had a lot of fun with my surfing and that paid off with me equaling my best result by getting third in my home event and getting some other results on the World Tour and the qualifying series. I also managed to be a bit of a tourist too, going to new places like Miami, New York, Costa Rica, Switzerland, and river surfing in Munich, Germany. I finished the season in the top 10 so didn’t have to waste my money and go back to Europe to try and re-qualify through the qualifying series so that was a good relief. So what happened with the sponsor? I lost funding in December 2011 even though I had re-qualified for the Tour, so that sucked. Especially after I had had another offer from another company and decided to stay loyal. I was pretty disappointed when it all happened, but I guess things happen for a reason and I can’t complain about my non-funded 2012 year and I know 2013 will be even better for me. It must be very frustrating to have such a strong showing on Tour, only to scramble to pull together enough money to continue to compete. Can you talk about that? Yeah of course. To be consistently on the World Tour and to be the first and only New Zealander to qualify and to be dropped for no reason at all…I thought it was pretty tough and of course I was frustrated at the time. Especially to look around at other girls that haven’t even made the World Tour before and are on good contracts. It sucks and I know I can offer brands out there a lot. Other than that I can’t complain too much because I still get to travel the world, meet cool people, and surf. But to keep competing on the World Tour, you had to get funding somehow. You mentioned that someone from your hometown helped come up with the idea. Yeah, it came from a local guy in New Zealand named Craig Williamson who does a lot for Surfing in Taranaki. I was unsure in the beginning just because I didn’t really know how it would go. But I’m already up to 10 percent of my goal and getting a lot of support and donations from all around the world. It’s nice to know you have fans and support. So the reaction has been pretty positive so far? It’s been pretty good. I’m sort of one of the first guinea pigs doing it so I think people are only just starting to realize it and get into it, but I’m sure I will reach my goal. Slowly but surely. To help Paige reach her goal, go to www.sportfunder.com

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MEN BEHIND THE MAG I N T E R V I E W B Y CORY S COT T | P HOT OS BY CHRIS GAR DEN

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A COLUMN TO GIVE A LITTLE LOVE BACK TO THE UNSUNG HEROES THAT PUT THIS MAG TOGETHER.

“I first met Chris Garden in the early 2000’s while shooting on assignment in the deep south. I was still immersed in the medium of film and had to wait weeks till I saw my shots, so when Chris pulled out his digital camera, snapping away with instant gratification I was slightly jealous, He scrolled through a few recent images on his screen that simply blew my mind. At the time the quality was far off that required for publication, but the waves, lineups and composition

of his shots were faultless and they were the kind of waves that many only see in their dreams. Chris had taken the digital revolution by the horns and in the coming years as technology grew, so did Chris’s skills behind the lens, to a point that to open an email form him has me excited as to what new angle, spot, or mind blowing wave will open up on my screen.” – Cory Scott, Editor of New Zealand Surfing Magazine.

How did you get into photography? I’ve been taking photos most of my life but being a typically poor teenager of the film era, I could never afford to take as many photos as I would like. Around 2002 however, digital cameras started coming onto the scene, and I was quick to jump on board. Around this time, a few of my mates that I used to go on surf trips with moved away, so I often found myself cruising the coast solo, looking for waves and taking more and more photos. I started getting a few good shots, so saved up my pennies and invested in some decent gear. The rest is history. Shooting surf is obviously a passion of yours. What else do you shoot? I love shooting landscapes, though never seem to be able to find the time to get amongst it. I travel a fair bit too, so enjoy capturing the amazing scenes and people along the way. The last couple of years I’ve been getting into shooting weddings. Never thought I’d do it but surprisingly it’s heaps of fun. Lots of pressure, and the day is often intense, but it’s rewarding and I get to meet lots of interesting people who are having an epic day.

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What do you look for when shooting surf or any subject for that matter? Perfection. In terms of surf that means hollow. I’ve never been interested in shooting fat waves… the bigger and slabbier the better! I also try to give waves a context, using foreground and background not only to frame the wave but also to tell a bit of a story. Broadly speaking, I guess I often find myself looking for strong compositions, bold colours and unique angles. You spend a lot of time shooting from the water in a region that is renowned not only for its frigid waters, but also big fish of the biting kind. Have you had any close calls, or run ins? Yeah, I guess there’s probably a few big biteys lurking around down here. I’ve seen a couple from land but, fortunately, no close call in the water… that I know of. To be honest though, I hardly ever give them a thought. When you’re swimming around at a bombie a kilometre offshore, it’s not going to do any good thinking about sharks.

Water shooting lends itself to putting you in some dangerous situations. Have you had any near death experiences chasing the perfect shot? Aside form getting cut up on reefs and stuck in nasty currents, I’ve been fairly lucky shooting in the water, touch wood. That said, there have been plenty of hairy moments. Shooting in the water often gives me far more rush than riding waves ever did. What inspires you to head out each day, with the challenge of creating something, sometimes in less than inspiring weather conditions? The search for perfection I guess, both in terms of finding perfect waves and taking great photos. Every photo I’ve ever taken I can pick apart and find ways that it could be better. That’s what’s kept me so obsessed with surf photography – there’s always a better wave that will break, and deep south definitely has its added challenges, and if I waited around for good light to coincide with good waves, my camera would sit in its bag most of the time. Down here you have to make the most of whatever the weather throws at you. Regardless of the conditions, there’s

always an opportunity for a good shot, and luckily down here the wave quality usually makes up for what the lighting lacks. Who inspires you? Actually, I try not to spend too much time looking at other people’s photos. I’m really keen to let my style develop on its own, and try not to be influenced too much by other photographers. That said, there are a lot of photographers whose work I really like, and too many to single out just a few. In life, people who inspire me are those who are out making the most of every opportunity and enjoying what they do. Nothing is more depressing to me then people who seem stuck in a situation that doesn’t work for them. There’s absolutely no reason why anyone shouldn’t be doing something they enjoy the majority of the time, and it’s never too late to make a change. To check out more of Chris’s work go to www.chrisgarden. com and www.dunedinweddingphotographer.com

SURFING: BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD W O R D S A N D P HOT OS BY ID EAL OG

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Surfers are typically a green lot but surfboard manufacture can be a toxic business. Surfer and AUT product design graduate Michael Grobelny has designed a strong, lightweight and eco-friendly wooden surfboard that eliminates the use of polyurethane foam, fibreglass and polyester resin. Inspired by the Hawaiians who invented surfing with solid wooden surfboards, Grobelny research had a variety of timber looking for something strong, light and sustainable. He settled on paulownia, a fast-growing, locally available wood that is becoming popular in surfboard construction. In AUTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s product design workshop, Grobelny had use of a CNC (computer numerical controlled) router, which he

used to shape the overall form of the surfboard and remove excess material to create an internal honeycomb structure. This buoyant body was then sealed with a bamboo veneer deck before being coated with a biodegradable varnish. The resulting board, weighing 3.3 kilograms and measuring 190 x 50 centimetres, has the skeletal strength and highperformance qualities obtained by synthetic short boards.

To ensure a longer life span than lightweight synthetic boards, Grobelny chose natural materials with a high resilience. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The robust nature of the bamboo veneer provided a great natural alternative to resin and fibreglass. Both bamboo and paulownia are extremely fast growing, making them ideal for sustainably designed products, as they are more easily sourced from a sustainably managed natural plantation.â&#x20AC;?

Throughout the project Grobelny applied the environmentally-friendly guidelines of the cradle to cradle design framework, which aims to create systems that are not only efficient but virtually waste-free. This meant, for example, that waste sawdust from the routing process was used as agricultural compost.

Grobelnyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wooden surfboard is now a finalist in the IDEA international design awards competition, run by the Industrial Designers Society of America.

SPOT X THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN THE ARROGANT LOCAL. THE SMALL FISH IN THE SMALL SEA. THAT GUY WHO THINKS HIS WAX IS THE STICKIEST, HIS FINS THE SHARPEST, AND THE BEST WAVE OF EVERY SET SHOULD BE HIS. W O R D S A N D I MAGE BY KIW I S U RF M A G

I’m talking about the guy who paddles out then everybody checks their watches to see if it’s time to go in. The guy who you would give a nod to, maybe a ‘how’s about the weather’, but never buy a beer for at the pub. There is one at every spot: he may be ‘Gisborne Gary’, ‘Stent Rd Steve,’ or ‘Whale Bay Wally’. Everybody knows his name but no one likes him. If you are a local as well, you will be in either two camps from this wet blanket of the line up: the first camp, where you put up with this jerk, humour him with the odd wave, turn the other chin, act the calm Buddha, that sort of thing; or the other camp, you’re his arch nemesis, your most courteous greeting will be a ‘hey fuck-wit’, and you’ve probably had the odd splash battle, if not proper fisty-cuffs. But in both instances you are very familiar with this guy, you’ve probably known him for years, and you know where each of you fit into the line up. But what if you are not a local yourself? What if you’re surfing the unfamiliar Spot X and each strange face in the line-up looks just as crooked as the next? Throw in a bit of solitude, some bad mothering, a crappy little backward coastal town, a surf break that is hard to get to, and you will be bound to meet ‘Spot X Stanley’. Spot X Stanley, Stan, or Stan the Man to his pack of wanker surf-nazi mates, is an interesting breed. Let us analyse Stanley Bumpkin in his natural habitat. He’s a backward indervidual and his bad behaviour will start in the car park. Intimidation will be invisible at first: slashed tyres, waxed windscreens, broken windows, dog shit on door handles, petrol syphoning, general looting and destruction. Nothing is more frustrating than coming in from Secret Spot Point to find your car has been diddled with, and there is no one around to ask what happened, and no mobile reception to do anything about it. Spot X Stanley knows this and he uses such tactics to build the myth of how much power he wields in his own environment.

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From here Spot X Stanley and his pack of surf-nazis will start at more physical intimidation. Harmless enough at first, behaviour usually involves drinking cheap branded, bottom of the barrel, bourbon or beer, while listening to bad music blasting out of their cheap, crap-bucket-hatch-back, wagon. They’ll look you up and down as you drive into their car park giving you random stink eyes and making loud comments about how much better Secret Spot Point was yesterday, that morning, or will be tomorrow. Note that Spot X Stanley will be sure to drive off just as you’re waxing up to make it seem that there was no way he could have been the one to mess with your car while you were in the surf. Happen to catch Spot X Stanley out in the water at Secret Spot Point on a good day and his behaviour only gets worse. At his most agitated he will start at cussing, and be waving his fists in the air at you in before you’ve even reached the water. By ignoring his strange manners and entering the lineup, you will encounter a number of splashings in the face, a possible dunking, or even a slashing of your leash and a stabbing to your surfboard from a conveniently stashed diving knife that was strapped to his leg. Consider these actions the yapping before the bite, because the alpha-male big dog Spot X Stanley will continue to harass you before he chases you out of the water, uses his skills in kick boxing, judo, or taekwondo, to turn you into dog food. Don’t even bother to fight back because don’t forget about his pack of surf-nazi mates that are waiting up in the car park after having just robbed and wrecked your stuff. As you know Spot X Stanley is not a nice character. Now we’ve dissected the likes of his physical behaviour, let us delve into his psychological subtleties. What are the reasonings behind his anti-social actions? How can he strut around with such confidence and why does he even have any friends? Spot X Stanley will tell you that he is protecting his environment. He sees himself as benefactor to his local

surf community. It is his duty as protector of Secret Spot Point to do anything in his power to keep his break a secret. He even sees it as his moral obligation and will probably swear in court by it. A noble attribute, and his surf-nazi mates respect him for it. Now, you, as a conscientious reader, have probably already guessed the massive flaw in Spot X Stanley’s reasoning…You are already at Secret Spot Point. You’ve turned up by your own means; obviously, Secret Spot Point is not a secret to you. So why the aggression? I argue that Spot X Stanley’s behaviour is contradictory to his goals of keeping Secret Spot Point a secret. The real reasoning to his behaviour is much simpler. Spot X Stanley is not only an obviously horrible person; 100 times out of 90 he is a horrible surfer. His aggressive behaviour is a front to cover the fact he does not deserve the waves he has to protect by force. The sad thought is, he probably doesn’t even know this himself. If Spot X Stanley were to travel to other waves he would get a horrible shock. He would find normal friendly guys that seem to have this incredible knack for paddling faster than him. He will ponder a long time on why he never seems to be on the inside, before he realises there are people that can take off ten metres deeper than him. He will become confused when he doesn’t seem to be able to make sections that others in the line up are making, and then blame it on it being to crowded, with to many kooks in the water. And then he will definitely be most shocked of all, when he walks up to his car to find his window has been waxed, his tyres are slashed, there’s dog shit on his door handles, and all his stuff has been stolen.

surfing, but with the advent of technology, the world is a far smaller place. You’d be hard pressed to keep any break secret these days. We live in a time of Google Maps, wave buoys, and 14 day swell forecasts. Photos from a surf session have gone from being published in surfing magazines two or so months later, to that very instant through the likes of Facebook, or Instagram, on the Internet. Coming fromMountMaunganuimy friends and I surfed everywhere and anywhere when it came to surf breaks. The East Coast often being flat,the weekend would find us loading up the car to drive to where ever the waves were best. From all the travel, we learnt a lot about people, and more about respect. Then, when home was breaking, surfing our own Secrets Spots taught us not to be hypocrites. These days, everybody has heard of Puni’s Farm, a.k.aMatakanaIsland. Maybe it was our own fault, maybe it was inevitable, maybe we were just too keen to share the good waves with our many friends, or maybe it is the times they are a changin’? Who knows, but it doesn’t take a fool to figure out that acting like a Spot X Stanley just leads to cursing into the wind and blowing bubbles underwater; all the while the good waves go breaking by. You can’t go past a few home truths: the best surfers always get the best waves, and respect goes a lot further than intimidation. If any of you Spot X Stanleys out there truly do have a Secret Spot, you’d do better by getting to be friends with the person who just showed up at your break, that way ‘Blow in Billy’ will go home and won’t want to tell anyone about how good he just scored Spot X.

We live in a different world to twenty years ago. Not only do we have to face the fact that there are a lot more people

ON | LOCATION

A BO V E: Jo n o L o ckh art B iggest Pad d le

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For d etails a bou t vide o f oota ge or ph oto e n qu ire s c on ta c t: Dou g You n g | dou gyou n g@su r f .c o . n z

BIG SURF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND’S PREMIERE BIG WAVE ARENA, PAPATOWAI, AWAKES AFTER GOING INTO HIBERNATION. WO R D S B Y D O U G Y O UNG | P HOT O BY RYA N AD A M S

With the Metservice calling a rising 8m SW swell for Foveaux Strait only two days from the event, this swell and storm was lining up to be a once in a lifetime opportunity to surf some of the biggest waves ever ridden in NZ waters.

In comparison paddle surfers are regarded as the ultimate watermen with the commitment and courage required to face such massive walls of water a special talent only held by a small number of athletes all around the world.

Papatowai has for years been regarded as New Zealand’s very own Mavericks (One of the world’s biggest waves in Northern California) providing surfers with the opportunity to paddle into waves exceeding 10m+ (40ft) on the face, experiencing the ultimate ride from top to bottom as the swell focuses on what surfers refer to as “The Bowl” jacking up to a steep vertical drop where the surfer must have 100% commitment to turn their 9ft+ surfboard around and paddle with all their power and speed to catch the wave.

Sunday proved to be a day for both paddle surfers and tow surfers with one of the biggest swells ridden over the last few years’ peaking through the morning at a solid 30-40ft+ on the face of the wave with offshore winds keeping the faces relatively clean and perfect for both disciplines.

In recent years the introduction of personal water craft (PWC) or Jet Ski’s has allowed surfers to skip the drop and already be riding the wave strapped in on a much shorter surfboard as the wave hit’s The Bowl allowing the surfer a greater opportunity to get inside the wave on take-off, getting barrelled or manoeuvring on the face of the wave with sharper turns. The introduction of Jet Ski’s have also made what is a very high risk sport a much safer option with no surfer having ever died tow surfing due to the PDF’s or life jackets worn, no leg rope required and powerful safety machine (PWC) ready to pick up any surfer in danger.

A small handful of Dunedin and Christchurch big wave surfers were joined by ex National Champ Motu Mataa, Miles Ratima and Doug Young who travelled down from the North Island the day before the swell to surf one of the biggest swells to hit the spot in years. Having already won the biggest paddle in award in the Oakley ASL Australasian Big Wave awards a record 2 times at Papatowai, New Zealand’s Doug Young was also one of the first surfers to pioneer the break, paddle surfing it every time it got big from the turn of the century. “I have never in all my years of surf forecasting seen the Metservice call an 8m swell in Foveaux Strait! Sure I have seen it that big over in Milford, but I knew that this was something special and had to drop everything to be on the spot,” he said. Taranaki surfing royalty Motu Mataa had not been back to Papatowai since the last

Rex Von Huban Big wave event in 2003 and was towed into one of the biggest waves ridden on the day, measuring in at well over 40ft on the face. “I have surfed all around the world at some of the best spots with some of the best surfers but that one wave was the biggest and best ride I have ever had in my entire life, and it was here in Aotearoa with my bro’s! It has re-ignited a fire inside me to paddle surf big waves and chase down the biggest waves the world has to offer” said Motu.

"That wave has put me into a new realm of life! The feeling was like nothing else and all I want to do now is spend the rest of my life trying to get waves as big if not bigger than that wave" exclaimed Jono. Young 20 year old Christchurch surfer Jono Lockhart (aka J Diggly), now residing in Dunedin, paddle surfed into the biggest wave of the day on “Big Red” a back up board owned by a small syndicate of big wave chargers. The wave measured in at around 40ft on the face and along with Motu’s wave has been entered into the 2012 Oakley ASL Big Wave Awards. With the Big Wave season coming to an end in the Southern Hemisphere, New Zealand has once again solidified itself as a true big wave nation with genuine big wave surfers ready to commit to the biggest waves the ocean can throw at our coastlines.

ON | LOCATION

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ISLAND STY LE NORFOLK ISLAND IS A SMALL ISLAND IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN LOCATED BETWEEN AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND AND NEW CALEDONIA. WO R D S A N D P H O T O S BY D EREK M ORRIS ON

What is it about island living that sets a pace of life that is two parts relaxation, two parts lifestyle and one part work? We were fortunate to visit Norfolk Island recently and this little South Pacific Rock impressed us. It reminded us a lot of Dunedin’s lifestyle. When we weren’t dining on fresh seafood (trumpeter is like blue cod up there), kayaking, exploring the national park, skin diving or mountain biking we were surfing across coral reefs and in beautiful rocky bays. We also met some amazing down-to-earth locals. In the ‘90s surf artist Mark Sutherland created a cartoon character called Gonad Man who lived a notorious life of surfing, women and adventure. He went to live on an island to surf perfect waves (among the other activities he developed a cult following for) for the rest of his days. It was every surfer’s utopian dream. Well, I think we met the real-life version on

Norfolk Island. Checking the surf at the reef one morning we met the inspiring Brett Bergagnin - or Bergs as he is known. Younger surfer’s described him as “the Kelly Slater of Norfolk Island” - he certainly knew how to surf a wave in the pocket and his bottom turns were a mirror image of Tom Carroll’s. Power surfing certainly isn’t forgotten on this island. Bergs is a builder on Norfolk Island and drops tools at the first hint of the right wind grooming an open ocean swell at one of the many world-class waves that break around the island. And he’s a master of them all. There are only about 15 surfers and 15 bodyboarders on the rock, so they’re very welcoming to newcomers in the water. It feels a lot like surfing in Dunedin, but without the booties.

few locals at St Kilda for an upcoming release. Making a surf film is a real challenge that requires the waves, wind,

“ There are only about 15 surfers and 15 bodyboarders on the rock, so they’re very welcoming to newcomers in the water. It feels a lot like surfing in Dunedin, but without the booties.” surfers and filmmaker to all perform at their best... in the same moment. I think I will stick to stills for now. Hopefully more swell on the way for everyone-maybe even a puff from the north. See you at the beach...

We arrived home in time to catch filmmaker Damon Meade, of LongWhiteCloud. TV, shooting Maz Quinn, Bobby Hansen, Luke Cederman, Matt Scorringe and a

ON | LOCATION

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TRADING PLACES THE PHILIPPINES IS AN ARCHIPELAGO OF 7,107 ISLANDS AND HAS THE 5TH LONGEST COASTLINE IN THE WORLD. WO R D S A N D P H O T O S BY SU RF CO - A ND Y

It is bordered by the Philippine Sea to the east, the South China Sea to the west, and the Celebes Sea to the south. Most of the mountainous islands are covered in tropical rainforest and volcanic in origin. The Galathea Depth in the Philippine Trench is the deepest point in the country and the third deepest in the world. The trench is located in the Philippine Sea. There are three seasons: the hot dry season or summer from March to May, the rainy season from June to November, the cool dry season from December to February. The southwest monsoon (from May to October) is known as the Habagat, and the dry winds of the northeast monsoon (from November to April), the Amihan. Temperatures usually range from 21°C (70°F) to 32°C (90°F) although it can get cooler or hotter depending on the season. The coolest month is January; the warmest is May. With so many Islands and different wind patterns it’s hard to know where and when to go to in the Phils to score good waves, but one thing is for sure... the surf will be pumping somewhere along their beautiful coastline. I chose to travel the path less travelled and it couldn’t have been a better choice.

Coming from Christchurch a city tucked away on banks peninsula and part of the south islands east coast in New Zealand (a place where surf conditions are fickle and the water is at best bearable) it seemed more than mere coincidence that I ended up trading my cold local for a peninsula on the east coast of one of the most southern islands in the Philippines. The main difference being that on this new peninsula the waves were pumping and the water was warm!

the muddy hillsides and we were back on a concrete highway making good progress past the many rice paddys and small townships that lined the road to my final destination. I arrived at my surf camp at around 3pm with a couple of hours of daylight left, threw my backpack into my room, grabbed my board and headed out to my favourite break (a righthand river mouth point break that peeled for 150 meters) for the first of many memorable surfs.

To get to my new location I first had to endure a twelve hour international flight followed by a 1 hour internal flight and finally a four hour bus ride that skirted the mountainous terrain weaving in and out of secluded bays teasing me with what seemed like surfable reefs round every corner. On this journey I also saw the effects of large scale mining operations and the devastation that they had caused. Large areas of hillside were left barren not a single plant left their rivers running a muddy red, the clay topsoil washed into the sea, spread out like the tentacles of some giant sea creature bent on destroying all in it’s path.

“It saddened me to see such d e v a s t a t io n in a n a re a o f s u c h natural beauty” Over the 5 weeks that I was there I surfed many different reefs, points and beach breaks with friendly locals and a handful of expats. I enjoyed the hospitality of locals and expats alike and made lasting friendships. I surfed all but three of my 36 days in paradise and when my time was done vowed to return every year possible! Maraming Salamat to everyone who made my trip in the Philippines so enjoyable! - Andy

It saddened me to see such devastation in an area of such natural beauty but soon the bus had fought its way through

BOARD | GUIDE

FIVE THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN ORDERING YOUR NEXT BOARD WO R D S B Y A A R O N C ARRERA | P HOT O BY ANGEL A ROCCO

We’re always looking for our next magic board, but let’s face it, experimenting isn’t cheap. To increase the odds of picking up a stick that you’ll actually love, we reached out to several board manufacturers for their advice on finding the unique combination elements that will suit your surfing. Find the right foam and stringer “The species of wood in a stringer and the layup of the stringer will change the strength and stiffness of your board. There are many options available to shapers to get their desired characteristics to suit the shape and construction. “The foam type, density, and flexural properties will affect both the feeling under your feet, as well as the compressional strength and how well it supports the load of your laminate. If your foam is soft, it will compress easily and not support the laminate from buckling. Foam that is more rigid will hold up against compressions and support the load of the laminate, but if it is too rigid or dense it will feel hard and dead under your feet, which is the easiest way to tell. Choosing the right

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foam to work with the construction of your laminate will result in a board that is durable, and feels great when you ride it.”—Hayden Cox, Hayden Shapes Notice the difference in tail design “The average surfer probably doesn’t have the experience base to understand surfboards—they just want a board that looks cool or different, or that they think will work well. But what they don’t understand is how the tail can affect the board’s performance. In the end, it’s all relative to the experience level of the surfer. A pro may have several boards in their quiver with the same shape, but all with different tail designs, i.e. round tail, squash tail, diamond tail, with each one designed for slightly different conditions. Less experienced surfers may not feel these subtle differences, but will feel the more exaggerated differences and tend to accept the shape of certain models as they are offered up. Example: “A short, wide board with a very square tail will ride much differently than the same one with a rounded squash. The average surfer will accept what is offered

up in the store as a particular model. A more experienced surfer will say, ‘Please make me one, but let’s reduce the tail area a little and add some curve to the outline through the fin area.’ Hoping it will ride a little better and have smoother transitions through turns without giving up too much of the tail area their looking for.”—Rusty Preisendorfer, Rusty Surfboards Know the advantages of a longer and thicker board “We make 14-year-old Kanoa Igarashi a bigger-than-average board for his size each time he goes through a growth spurt. I asked that he ride a longer and slightly thicker board at least once or twice a week to continue developing his rail and power surfing. It’s so easy to get caught up in riding a board that’s shorter and technically suited for the most high-performance surfing that you see kids forgetting to use their rail. We wanted to make sure this never happens to Kanoa or the other kids on our team. Having him ride bigger boards just keeps him focused on developing all aspects of his surfing and doesn’t let him forget the importance of power surfing in a

well-rounded repertoire. A prime example is 18-year-old Conner Coffin. Throughout his youth, Conner came into the factory and borrowed Dane Reynolds’ old boards, which at the time were a good half a foot too big as well as too thick for him. He would just ride them on good days at Rincon, and today you can really see the benefits of this in his style.”—Travis Lee, Channel Islands Team Manager Understand surfboard volume “Until the CAD programs (Surfboard design software) became well established, it was next to impossible to measure volume on boards. Now that most all CAD programs tell us the numerical volume, we can track it. In fact, the programs have had it as a tool at our disposal for well over a decade, but I didn’t start tracking it until 4 to 5 years ago. Since 2010, we have strived to write the volume as one of our dimensions on every board we make. Once a surfer has a board with the volume written on it, then he can start to learn how much he feels he needs. It almost needs to be universally written on all boards, by all makers, just like width or thickness. However, the tricky

thing is now that we have opened the door for this, it causes issues and some confusion. A customer will often request a model for their standard dimensions, as well as the amount of volume they want. The two will often clash, and you must now customize the file. Example: “Someone orders a 6’0” x 18.50” x 2.25” Driver model, then tosses out the 25.5 litres of volume. I have to open the master file and change the dimensions to what he requests: 26.50 litres…what do I do? The only way to do it without changing the three major dimensions (length, width, and thickness) is to adjust the foil and rail shape. Then I would need to taper the deck and rails and/or possibly narrow the nose-to-tail foil and/or outline—just to shave off a full litre of volume. It’s a big can of worms.”— Matt Biolos, …Lost Surfboards Know the appropriate dimensions for a certain model “A common mistake surfers will make is that they’ll order a small-wave board or a smaller, shorter, and wider board and expect it to work in all conditions.

Surfboards are a lot like golf clubs. Each board has a place in your quiver, and if you utilize a three or four board quiver then you can effectively surf any type of condition. By understanding the purpose and the sizing of a board, you’re going to end up with a much better result. If you buy a board and it’s not the right sizing for your ability, or for your weight, you end up not utilizing all the elements of the board and what it’s intended to do. Example: “You’ll have a guy that has been riding a 6’2” x 18 ¾” x 2 3/8” highperformance shortboard with a narrow nose and a narrow tail, hoping it will last him 10 years. He goes into a shop and says, ‘I want to try one of those White Diamonds (Roberts’ shorter and wider model).’ He then goes to the rack and picks up a 6’2” and says, “Man this thing feels really big! How come it’s so big?” The reason is, because he should have been looking for a 5’8” or a 5’9”, due to his size and what he’s accustomed to riding.”— Robert Weiner, Roberts Surfboards

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Surftech Rusty 6’2” GTR all around board, great for everyday surf. Deep single concave between the feet, running into a slight V out the corners. The tail is a little wider than average, with volume shifted back. Ride 1–3” shorter than your standard shortboard. Made with Ultraflx Technology and features water-tight Fused Cell Core. Also comes in 5’10, 6’0”, 6’4”

Surftech Xanadu 6’0” Gipos a very sparky contemporary fish, very wide outline but still ultra responsive. Keeps its speed, floats well and will still let you bang off big turns. Made with Ultraflx Technology and features water-tight Fused Cell Core. Also comes in 5’6”, 5’8”, 6’0”, 6’4”, 6’8”

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French 5’10” Spudnik highperformance design boards curvilinear shape will keep you tight and deep in the curl, with no squared tail to catch. Single to double concave with rounded foils. Made with Ultraflx Technology and features water-tight Fused Cell Core. Also comes in 5’8”, 6’0”, 6’2”

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Surftech Randy

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BOARD | GUIDE

The DeVito

6’6” x 21” x 2 7/8”s | Round Tail | This high volume board is plugged for quad or thruster setup. Awesome paddler whilst still retaining great performance. RRP $825.00 thruster setup -includes fins. Spray by Digga $75.00

5’10” x 191/2” x 2 5/16”s | Squash Tail | Matt Scorringe’s favourite for 2-4” surf | This versatile board is ridden shorter and wider than a standard board and our most popular model. RRP $825.00 including fins. Spray by Digga $75

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6’0” x 18 3/4” x 2 5/16”s | Round tail | Single concave | Designed for good waves but with a little more width through the mid-section for glide across flat sections. RRP $825 including fins. Spray by Digga $75

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Cyberline Epoxy b52

5’8” x 19” x 2 5/16”s $945.00 with carbon fins. All new epoxy Hog, its faster, lighter and stronger than the original. This new cyberline technology makes this epic board even better. This is our performance fish/quad/thruster it is based off a pro model board with low rails and classic shape, but is slightly wider, with some hidden volume to keep it floatier, and a quad setup for extra speed.

5’10” x 18 1/4” x 2 3/16”s $945.00 with carbon fins. This is one of our top model short boards, performance plus, super lightweight, low rails, progressive rocker. It is fast and loose, and now in cyberline epoxy, is even lighter and stronger. These come in a range from 5’4 to 6’8.

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Cyberline Epoxy Hog

6’0” x 20 3/4” x 2 1/2”s chip as cheaps at $695.00 with fins. This is an entry level board, perfect all round fish for learners right through to advanced. These are super easy to paddle with a full volume, and still great to throw around. The New Zealand made hand shaped boards are great value.

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Fush

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BOARD | GUIDE

5’10’’ x 18 3/4” x 2 3/8” Another of our up-to-date shortboards, ride this board around the same height as you are. A single double concave with vee off the tail tip to make this board nice and loose. 1” shorter then the HPX2 and has a wider nose and a fuller rail Available in any size. RRP $795.00

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The Squid

5’6’’ x 17 7/8” x 2 1/16” This board is for groms and light weight surfers that want hi performance top level surfing. We designed this with the Kettle brothers; Sean, Isaac and Josh. Fast and responsive, just what light surfers need also really good for airs and new school, all round surfing. Available in any size. RRP $795.00

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The Kettle

5’11’’ x 19 1/2” x 2 1/2” This board has been our best seller, unreal in small surf and still holds when it gets a bit bigger wide, thick and really easy to surf fast through fat sections a good board for anyone, whether you surf good or are just learning to ride shortboards. Available in any size. RRP $795.00

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The Freesurf

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