A quarterly New Zealand Bodyboarding publication
Wild Stallion Rodeo
LOCKED & LOADED YARN WITH AARON LOCK
Mitch’s antics during this hectic Stallions session has raised the bar as far as bodyboarding heavy waves go in NZ. It’s this sort of commitment that makes him our most deserved cover recipient yet. CHRIS GARDEN
MITCH FREW
Small Talk DAVID BURGER
40+ PHOTOGRAPHS
ZONE
REGIONAL NEWS.
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ISOMAG – NEW ZEALAND’S BODYBOARDING MAGAZINE
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS ISOmag – New Zealand’s bodyboarding magazine ISOmag aims to bring you the best quality images and in-depth articles with a specific focus on New Zealand bodyboarders, waves and the unique New Zealand bodyboarding lifestyle. Our goal is to produce a high-quality quarterly publication that will help promote and gain international recognition for New Zealand bodyboarders, photographers, writers and designers. Editors Chris Garden and Hayden Parsons Design / Art Direction Paul Mossong Web Design Glen Mossong
Contributors Adam Wood, Aidan Dickson, Alex Turoy, Andre Apel, Angeline Humphreys, Aurelien Vivancos, Brendan Dorman, Chad Barlow, Cherry Bomb, Chris Bago, Chris Garden, Cory Scott, Dan Gray, Digga Davie, Edward Saltau, Ewan Donnachie, Frenchy, Greg Hodgson, Hayden Parsons, Heath Melville, Irautza Partarrieu, Isabella Harrex, Jake Cutler, Jarad Ferris, Jeff King, Jeremy Town, John Diamond, John Rutter, Johnny Chambers, Jolan Kilkelly, Jorin Sievers, Kane McMillan, Kendra Benson, Liam Shapcott, Lindsay Butler, Matt Burgess, Mark Thompson, Max Clifford, Mitch Frew, Paul Mossong, Phil Gallagher, Rob Gurney, Ryan Isherwood, Sam Brooks, Sam Peters, Sam Powyer, Sam Wells, Shane Kelly, Tauru Hugo, Thomas Jaud, Tim Hutton, Tim Johnston, Tim Jones Questions, comments and contributions isomag@hotmail.com
ISOMAG – NEW ZEALAND’S BODYBOARDING MAGAZINE ISOMAG ISOMAG,/ CONTENTS. EDITORIAL. 005
20 PHOTOGRAPHS 1 WILD STALLION RODEO LOCKED & LOADED 20 EMPTY WAVES HAND ME DOWN SMALL TALK NOSTALGIA & REGIONAL NEWS + A SNEAK PEEK
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A quarterly New Zealand Bodyboarding publication
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AVAILABLE IN THE ISOMAG STORE NOW! CLICK HERE
ISOMAG – NEW ZEALAND’S BODYBOARDING MAGAZINE
SNAP RIDER GALLERY
ISOMAG – NEW ZEALAND’S BODYBOARDING MAGAZINE
Dunc is always in sync with his local wave when it turns on. Here he takes it one step further by colour coordinating his gear with the natural colours of his surroundings. KANE MCMILLAN
DUNCAN SMITH
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Aidos clocking up another tube to fill his memory bank. As you read this he’ll be slogging away in a sweaty kitchen on the otherwise of the world, dreaming of moments like this. CHRIS GARDEN
AIDAN DICKSON
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After a few months of getting pits like this in West Aus, this one was just a blur according to Dre. RUSSEL ORD
ANDRE APEL
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After bombing out in this year’s Arica Chile comp all Benny Mac wanted to do was hop on the first plane home. But the shoddy organisational skills of Chile’s national airline resulted in numerous relays, forcing him to stay an extra couple of days and show those muppets how to maintain a regular flight schedule. BERNARD HERREO
BEN MACKINNON
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One last nugget in his home waters before post-earthquake relocation. SAM BROOKS
SAM WELLS
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Wave of the day for Jerry Gantley. CHRIS GARDEN
JEREMY GANTLEY
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A picturesque landscape made that much better with Sam Martin’s ARS out of the bowl. KANE MCMILLAN
SAM MARTIN
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Here’s the proof that NZ had one of it’s warmest winters on record. Dan Charles stars in the coldest looking shot we could muster up for this issue, with the only giveaway that it’s winter being his hood. KANE MCMILLAN
DAN CHARLES
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This one’s a bit of a mystery. Unknown rider scooping hard at an unnamed beachie on the Coromandel. (EDIT. I believe that’s Mr Sims. - Pabs) DIGGA
JACOB SIMS
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English geezer Rob Smith can call himself a New Zealand resident for the next couple of years while he studies ocean currents as part of his PhD. His knowledge of currents has obviously paid off here. COURTNEY BOMB
ROB SMITH
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Mitch sticking it where the sun don’t shine. CHRIS GARDEN
MITCH FREW
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Woody wrestling with the foam ball. MATT BROCKIE
ADAM WOOD
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Cody licking the bowl clean. CHRIS GARDEN
CODY SMITH
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Liam testing the WA desert air. ADAM WOOD
LIAM SHAPCOTT
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After all the chaos in Christchurch lately, Ryan Isherwood has been laying low - literally. SAM BROOKS
RYAN ISHERWOOD
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Dre boxed in. RUSSEL ORD
ANDRE APEL
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Aidos making the most of some perfect little dropknee waves. CHRIS GARDEN
AIDAN DICKSON
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“That whole session we were trying to line up a big invert or flip out of the bowl shot but the tubes were just too good to pass up.” - Kane McMillan. KANE MCMILLAN
RICHARD MCKENNA
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Liam’s desert dwelling. ADAM WOOD
LIAM SHAPCOTT
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Despite having a steady job and a growing family, limiting his time in the water, Wellsy is definitely not losing his edge. RYAN ISHERWOOD
SAM WELLS
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CHRIS GARDEN
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The annual Wild Stallion Rodeo took place back in Easter with a record turnout keen to test their luck against this Bronco’s buck. Annual in the sense that Stallions is such a hard wave to score with the right conditions, let alone ride. A session here has all the hallmarks of an authentic rodeo: An arena, perfect for spectators and media, a population of rednecks, and an unpredictable wildebeast that is hell bent on kicking off whoever jumps on for the ride. At this rodeo however, there are no rodeo clowns to step in and relieve your situation. You've got two options - hold on like your life depends on it until the Stallion relents, or face the stampede of the Stallion’s hooves on dry reef. This is the wild south and this is its wildest wave, so saddle up!
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GLEN RILEY
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“Driving to Stallions with around about 30 minutes to go a sense of excitement started creeping into my tired head, whilst the car sped up and got sideways on dark dirt roads, my passenger Paul slept on after a big night. As we came over the final hill a full rainbow spread overhead landing on our soon to be pot ‘o’ gold… Stallions.” - Chris Stephenson
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“After seeing a few of the heaviest, driest slabs leaving no water on the ledge I remember contemplating the sanity required to push over the ledge with Mitchell, with both of us left wondering where the limits lie.” - Chris Stephenson
CHRIS STEPHENSON CHRIS GARDEN
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“Having close friends in the water definitely helped me push myself harder that day, seeing the boys get into a few scary situations and come out on top filled me with an intense jealousy that pulled me over the edge into a couple of very memorable beasts.� - Chris Stephenson
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“The wave itself is over in a couple of heartbeats but those quick moments contain an intense focus on getting to the safety of the channel, the control of the scoop, your rail and avoiding the lips evil wrath... The brain is definitely our greatest tool.” - Chris Stephenson
“After two sessions in the water, some incredible waves being ridden and pints of blood being sacrificed to the ledge, an all consuming happiness took over. An unending smile travelled with me for the solo drive home. These moments cannot be described to the average person! Only the wave riders who survive a cold and angry ocean can understand.” - Chris Stephenson
CHRIS STEPHENSON GLEN RILEY
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“The thing that’s impressed me most with NZ Bodyboarding is the amazing sense of community here. Everybody knows one another and looks out for each other. It creates an awesome and very unique feel in and out of the water. I think this session expressed it best for me. I genuinely feel lucky to have been a small part of it.” - Solomon Southgate
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“The Stallion is the sort of wave that you want to have a good crew out at so you can really push each other into some silly situations - the whole peer facilitation thing. There is nothing quite so motivating and effective in assisting you to shut off your rational thinking processes and go a beast of a wave than a few good mates hooting and egging you on. A Gardy and his lens in the equation doesn’t hurt either – he can be a notorious motivator and abuser from the shoulder - making you feel the shame of not going or blowing a goodin! You know that lens will capture it all, the good and the bad, the killing it and the kooking it. All in all it’s a productive, yet potentially destructive energy.” - Mitch Frew
CHRIS GARDEN
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“The most frightening experience of the day for me was just after we returned to the water for the second session. I think it was barely an hour after low or something but it just looked so good from land. As is often the case you don’t get a true gauge of the situation from land and it wasn’t until we were back in the zone that you could see just how stupidly dry the beast was breaking – he was rearing and stomping his hooves onto almost dry rock. We paddled across to the peak, well - just wide of it again, and tentatively took a couple, inching a bit deeper each time. On my 2nd or 3rd wave I think it was, I did the rational shut off thing and thought fuck it I’ll go this one. I paddled and before I knew it I was hopping over a few steps and then suddenly I was at the bottom, heading straight and feeling as though I was going uphill whilst all I could see was the ledge racing beneath me at what felt like 10cm depth. I got slapped before I had much of a chance to think anything and then I felt myself getting sucked up and thrown back down to what I thought was an inevitable and futile bout with the old ledgerino. As is often the way in such situations where you think your worst beating nightmare is about to ensue, nothing serious came to be and I surfaced feeling a bit rattled but relieved. My confidence definitely took a big knock and I felt unwilling to push my luck any further, wondering if it was really worth it. However the lure of the beast soon got the better of me again and the session continued until I snapped my leash and had to swim in.” - Mitch Frew
MITCH FREW CHRIS GARDEN
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MITCH FREW CHRIS GARDEN
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“You see a lump coming in out there and it looks to be lining up nicely. You turn to paddle, look down, and see this ominous black shadow looming far below as the wave steams forth and draws a huge volume of water off the ledge. It’s fucking intimidating and if you think too much, well, like in any potential situation of consequence then you won’t go or you’ll hesitate and blow it. You just have to make a quick assessment and if it looks like it is going to be ok then you just have paddle hard, anticipate a free fall and have confidence in your ability to see you through. Ultimately though it is really up to the Stallion and if he decides to show a little mercy and not buck you then the reward gleaned from making such an intense bomb is immense!” - Mitch Frew
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“Sometimes you think “is this really worth it, why am I actually putting myself in this situation?” I mean, the Stallion is no Cyclops or “The Right” but y’know there is that definite potential to get hurt and I often wonder in these kinds of situations, “what is the point?” But then life is to be lived, and a life lived a little bit on the edge with some potential danger is definitely more stimulating and ultimately fulfilling than wrapping yourself up in cotton wool and never pushing any facet of it.” - Mitch Frew
CHRIS GARDEN
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PMK CHRIS GARDEN
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“I remember it was one of the bigger waves that came through just after I got out there and was also my first wave of the day. I was just a little deeper than Cody at the time, an I asked If he was gonna go, he said no so I started paddling for the thing and in hindsight clearly didn’t try hard enough to get into it! I thought I was all good to take the drop, then next thing I was getting pitched and staring at the reef below, I tried to stick it but realized there was no chance. It all happens so fast and there’s such a huge amount of water moving around that it’s hard to contemplate. I somehow managed to just clear it all in my mind and accepted my situation and my fate rather too easily. The hold down wasn’t bad because I was calm, if I hadn’t been It would have been a different story for sure. Funnily enough my nastiest encounter down there was when me and Gardy were the only ones left in the water. I managed to find myself on the inside scraping to get under an oncoming set only to not quite make it, I then got pinned down and grated along the reef backwards cutting the back of my head and elbow, I then got out.” - Solomon Southgate
SOLOMAN SOUTHGATE CHRIS GARDEN
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“When I think of that Stallions session a quote also springs to mind - “Look if you like, but you’ll have to leap.” I take it to mean that you can always stand on the edge of any intense situation an even if it takes you a minute, a hour, a day or even a year, you know within yourself that you will have to see it through otherwise you won’t be able to live with yourself otherwise.” - Solomon Southgate
GLEN RILEY
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CODY SMITH CHRIS GARDEN
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LOCKE & LOADE
YARN WITH AARON L
At 36 years old, Aaron Lock has been active in the New Zealand bodyboarding scene basically since it began. Lockie’s path through surfing could best be described as a contest machine in the nineties who quickly learnt how to be comfortable and calm in heavy waves. He is still considered the guy you dont want in your heat at any contest, but the guy you do want with you when the surf is eight foot plus. That versatility has earned him a reputation and respect around New Zealand as an all round waterman, no matter what he is riding. After all those years he still has an unmatched love for the ocean fuelling his stoke by exploring other ways to ride waves, the excitement that comes with overseas surf exploration, and the contagious stoke that comes from teaching the next generation how to ride waves.
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LOCK
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WHEN DID YOU START BODYBOARDING AND HOW DID YOU GET INTO IT?
I was probably about 8 or 10 years old. I used to spend a lot of time with the Quane family at the beach and up the mountains. Denis Quane is a legendary surfer and shaper and he taught me how to ride a wave. It wasn’t until I was about 13 that I really got the bug. I still remember my first barrel, at Scarborough breakwater of all places! It was only about two foot, I was trimming along and then it just pitched over me. The sun was setting so the colours were hypnotising. From that point on every decision I’ve made in life has been based around surfing. Also Mark Perana was a big influence on me. He was a Surfing coach when I was in Scholastics but he could relate to bodyboarding and I learnt so much from him, plus he taught me to surf and how to coach as well. Cheers Puke.
THERES A RUMOUR OUT THERE THAT YOU WERE ONE OF THE FIRST TO DISCOVER DINNER PLATES.
I don’t know about the first but we did surf it back in the early nineties. I had a Maui four berth camper that I inherited from my grandfather (still have it) and we used to go away for weeks at a time, driving round chasing swells (usually arriving too late as there was no internet back then) and hunting out new breaks. That camper’s been down nearly every coastal road in New Zealand. It’ll be a sad day when she finally dies. Anyway, one trip we were down south for New Years in Wanaka and then we’d scored waves in Riverton and were heading back up the East Coast. I don’t think we saw another surfer the whole time. We walked over a hill near where we were staying and there in the distance were these waves breaking with little black dots of barrels grinding down that reef. We were freaking! We drove round to get a closer look and paddled out, shitting bricks. I‘d never seen waves that heavy close up before and it was only about 3ft.
YOU HAVE A PRETTY COMPREHENSIVE CONTEST RECORD. EVEN TODAY YOUD BE A THREAT IN THE CONTEST SCENE. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE A COMPETITIVE PERSON?
I probably am a little competitive. Without many bodyboarders around it’s good to know how you measure up and what you need to work on, but I don’t think its my main motivation at comps. I like the South Island comps as it’s a great excuse for all the crew to get together, go surfing and have a few beers and rage up at the end of the weekend. The after party at the Go for Gold used to be legendary and the Blaketown Boogers were the biggest party animals of the lot! Another thing I like about comps is it makes you think about your riding. You always come away from a comp with ideas and ways to improve your style or technique, so they make you a better surfer even if you dip out first round.
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SAM BROOKS
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SAM BROOKS
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WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MORE MEMORABLE CONTEST MOMENTS?
Lots of moments. Many of the parties at the West Coast comps like swinging off the rafters at the Kahuna Boardriders. Comps don’t normally score great waves but there have been some epic ones over the years like pumping Aramoana for the Nationals one year, and 6ft plus Blaketown at the Go for Gold a few years ago stands out as some of the best barrels I’ve ever had. Probably the best contest memories are from the tour we did of the Australian bodyboarding circuit. There was a crew of about 12 NZ boogers and we hired a Toyota Coaster bus and basically drove the entire coast from Sydney round through Victoria and then back up in to SA finishing at The Yorke Peninsula in Adelaide. That was a hilarious trip with crew from all over NZ including Ben Rees, Sam Wells, Ben Smith, John Diamond, Cameron Hirst. The boys did all right in the comps too, with a few of the crew making it through to the money rounds. Perhaps a trip like that is something Bodyboarding NZ should consider doing in the future.
HOW DID YOU BECOME SO CONFIDENT IN BIG WAVES COMING FROM CHRISTCHURCH?
I don’t know, I’ve always been fascinated by big waves and the fact that it hardly ever gets big at home drives me to make the most of any big swell when out of town. I love Taylors when it gets big, that was my training ground, it’s easy to get out and then just pulling into big closeouts and getting smashed. There’s big waves and then there’s big waves - I don’t know how confident I’d be at 15-20ft Papa’s or 6-8ft Teahupoo. It’s hard to know how you’ll react in those situations until you get there.
YOU HAVE QUITE A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH SISA AND SURFING NZ. WHAT ARE THE KEY DIFFERENCES IN THE WAY THESE ORGANISATIONS ARE RUN COMPARED TO BODYBOARDING NZ?
I think SISA and Bodyboarding NZ are probably quite similar - small organisations run by volunteers on a shoestring budget and achieving great things. Surfing NZ is a little different as they are lucky enough to have some good funding and have paid administrators that can work full time on supporting the sport. I think Surfing NZ in the past has focused on the elite level only and hasn’t put much into developing surfing from the grass roots and club level. That’s changing now however which is great.
DO YOU THINK THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODYBOARDING AND SURFING IS HEALTHY IN THIS COUNTRY?
I think it’s a lot better than it was 15 years ago. Back then there was a real anti bodyboarder sentiment and it was cool to bag bodyboarding. I haven’t noticed that vibe as much these days. I think all types of wave riding are a lot more accepted these days, short board, longboard, SUP, bodyboarding, wave skiing (well maybe not waveskiing). Bodyboarders have earned a lot of respect charging heavy slabbing waves, way before the standups even thought of it. The new styles of surfing are all bodyboarding moves as well.
WITH ALL YOUR EXPERIENCE IS NZ BODYBOARDING ON THE RIGHT TRACK? WHAT DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO BE DONE TO GROW THE SPORT HERE?
I think what Kevin and Mihi and the rest of the crew involved with BBSNZ are doing a fantastic job. A good contest circuit is so important but the main thing to grow the sport is to get more kids into it. Surfing is so popular these days that bodyboarding gets easily over shadowed. Most of the bodyboarding seems to happen at out of the way reefs rather than your local beachie so the grommets aren’t seeing good bodyboarding that either.
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HEATH MELVILLE
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ISOmag and the Isolated website are doing great job to promote the sport but we need to somehow get into the mainstream media so the general public is more aware of what bodyboarding is all about. We have heaps of school groups coming through our surf school and the kids love to go bodyboarding, they’re blown away when I tell them about the moves and tricks you can do on a bodyboard, most people have no idea how extreme bodyboarding can be, they think it’s just boogieboarding in the shorey. There are so many talented bodyboarders in NZ and they could do so well internationally, its just a matter of the motivation and confidence to do it, and then of course the money.
HOW DIFFERENT IS THE NZ BODYBOARD SCENE NOW COMPARED TO THE MID NINETIES WHEN BODYBOARDING WAS BOOMING?”
I think its definitely smaller and more underground now but the number of talented riders is probably the same. The contests back then especially in the early nineties were held in groveling beachies and often it was all about ‘spin to win’. It started to change pretty quick though with big moves starting to have more importance and contests being held in better wave locations. There were definitely a lot more boogers in the water around the place too, like out at Taylors there’d be at least half a dozen bodyboarders, these days you’re lucky to see anyone unless its really pumping.
HOW HAS THE CHRISTCHURCH EARTHQUAKE AFFECTED YOU AND YOUR LIVELIHOOD?
The earthquakes have been a real bitch, but it’s also been kinda cool to live through such an extreme event. I’m really lucky none of my friends or family were hurt and our house has got through without too much damage. It hasn’t been too good for our surf school business as all the tourists have bailed and the beach we normally use has been closed due to the pollution, but we have been able to be mobile and move up the coast for lessons. Hopefully things settle down and we’ll be back on track by this summer.
OVER THE YEARS YOU’VE BECOME A BIT OF AN ALL-ROUND WATERMAN. WHAT CRAFT DO YOU RIDE THE MOST AND HOW DO THE WAVES DICTATE WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO RIDE?
I probably ride a shortboard the most these days. I took up surfing mainly because the waves here in Christchurch aren’t good for bodyboarding very often, so it was a way to keep having fun in the water on the smaller fatter days. I love the challenge of standup surfing, I love that feeling of longboarding and gliding across even just a 1 ft wave. My daughter, Alethea is into shortboarding so we go surfing together a lot, there’s nothing better than going surfing with your own daughter. I love the challenge of shortboarding and the extra drive you can get from the fins, but Bodyboarding is still king. If it’s big and heavy nothing beats free falling into a pit on a bodyboard or boosting out off a big pitching lip.
PARTING WORDS?
I’d like to say thanks to my wife Lana for being so understanding and supportive of my surf addiction. Also a big thanks to Paul at Seventhwave for keeping me warm in the water for over 20 years.
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MAX CLIFFORD
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EMPTY WAVE GALLERY
ISOMAG – NEW ZEALAND’S BODYBOARDING MAGAZINE
Yet another one of those hidden gems along the North Island east coast that you might catch a glimpse of a couple of times of year. Share really. DIGGA
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Early dinner anyone? SAM BROOKS
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You’ve gotta love those crispy still winter days. SAM BROOKS
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“Six of one, half a dozen of the other” is a saying often used to describe the situation where it doesn’t matter which one you choose. That saying describes this barrage of peaks perfectly. CHRIS STEPHENSON
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For sale: Two bedroom cottage: rain water supply, log burner, land for livestock, trees for firewood, fish from your front door. Short paddle to thumping reef break. Perfect for the dedicated bodyboarders out there who don’t mind the cold. Surfers need not apply. COURTNEY BOMB
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You couldn’t ask for much more from a winters day. Thawing offshore, sunshine and summer-like beachbreak heaven. DIGGA
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They say blood is thicker than water. Not in this case. CHRIS GARDEN
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Winter reef goodness. CHRIS STEPHENSON
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This could be any one of the hundreds of river mouths that pepper the New Zealand coastline. Which one? That’s for you to find out. PMK
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Here’s one for you hell men out there. CHRIS STEPHENSON
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Cracker at the crack of dawn. CHRIS STEPHENSON
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The plate running at right angles. CHAD BARLOW
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This slab holds more potential than anywhere to catapult New Zealand into the realm of big wave bodyboarding. But with freezing cold 10ft slabs breaking on barely submerged reef, finding punters is the hard part. Who will be the first to step up? CHRIS STEPHENSON
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Gorse is New Zealand’s most widespread invasive weed and is proving near impossible to eradicate. Gorse does have its uses though - It’s kept this new slab hidden from view for decades. CHRIS STEPHENSON
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One lucky bugger claiming his winnings. CHRIS GARDEN
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Sparkling duet. CHRIS GARDEN
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Room with a view. CHRIS GARDEN
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A trip over the falls on the previous wave gives some poor fella a front row seat of the next wave of the set. COURTNEY BOMB
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Salute to the wild Stallion. CHRIS STEPHENSON
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Front row seat at the drive in theatre. RYAN ISHERWOOD
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A couple of months ago New Zealand bodyboarders suffered a crippling blow. A Buoyweather password that had changed ‘hands’ many times was for some reason shut down. Many of us knew this username and password like the back of our ‘hand’, but now with it gone, we just have to play the ‘hand’ we have been dealt and have all ‘hands’ on deck to find a solution to this Buoyweather blunder. Most of New Zealand’s aging bodyboarding population will remember that not so long ago there were these things called isobar maps and Metservice reports that were used to predict the surf. It was pretty hit and miss, but back then it seemed like everyone would score epic conditions every time they pulled up to the beach. Life was good but it was about to get better with the age of the Internet, which gave us not only a plethora of adult themed websites, but also access to in-depth marine forecasts such as the US Navy Marine Charts. Out of the digital abyss also spawned Buoyweather.com, which basically took all the marine information out there and presented it in an easy to understand fashion. Believe it or not, the seven day forecast was a free feature of Buoyweather for many years, until the inevitable subscription fees reared their ugly heads.
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The marketing strategy of the Buoyweather team had worked just as they had planned. They sucked us in, made us dependent of their service then BOOM, left us high and literally dry by drip-feeding us a feeble three days. Panic reigned, and like any junkie would do, we quickly found different ways to get our seven day fix. Mates started pooling together, chipping in a cool $20 each to gain access to the golden seven day forecast. Many people became offended if they weren’t invited into this ‘circle of trust’ and rightfully so. But knowledge is power and with surf spots becoming more and more crowded, having the foresight to see those extra few days ahead potentially meant more waves for those in the know.
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Not even Buoyweather could predict this menacing sidewash. RYAN ISHERWOOD
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But we all know that’s not how it goes. Buoyweather forecasts have given us the unrealistic expectation that if the charts line up then we can expect it to be good. It doesn’t work like that. We’ve all learnt the hard way that there are so many more factors that come into the equation that Buoyweather simply cant pick up on. A lot of people reckon they used to score more waves from reading isobar maps than they do now with Buoyweather’s insight into the future. Usually the circle of trust would have a weak link that would share the password with someone outside the circle, cheapening the passwords value and handing more people the power of perception. “Just don’t tell anyone…” Yeah right. One of the most famous Buoyweather logins of all time was archbishopdesmondtutu@hotmail.com - (a bitch of a login to type in if you wanted a quick surf check) owned by South Coast bodyboarder and IAMNONE’s Dav Fox. This login spread its way around Australia, with potentially hundreds of wave riders using it daily. A crew of Kiwi bodyboarders learnt the secret password when they met Dav in the Pacfic Islands and brought home this valuable souvenir. Word of the login and password had spread before they even stepped off the plane and it was old Archbishop Desmond Tutu that gave NZ bodyboarders a vision into the future for a number of years. In an article for Movement Magazine, Dav explained how he couldn’t afford to renew his subscription fees one year and received dozens of emails from people he had never met, some on the other side of the world, begging him to renew it. The Archbishop had done more travelling than Dav had – and was spotted in Internet cafes in Spain
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as well scrawled on a bit of paper on a pro surfers fridge in Tahiti. The sudden death of the Archbishop created panic among the NZ bodyboarding faithful. Some started to make the most of the free 15 day trial but having to make up a new email address every 15 days got a little tedious. But then, a miracle occurred, a gift from the ‘hand’ of God if you will. An unnamed North Island bodyboarder discovered the username and password of a certain North Island surfer. Apparently the relationship between these two was never that flash which made having this magic combination that much sweeter. “The guy who owns it, or pays for it is a full arrogant stand up – lets just say I aint a fan of him. A good mate of mine spent a couple months in indo with him and I think he came to know of it when he was on his laptop and the guy said ‘Oh check Buoyweather’ and then spelt out the password and username to him! I came to know of it maybe a month after he was back, and found out it was this guys, so from there I just told as many people as I could whether they surfed or not!” News spreads fast in these parts. From the icy slabs of the deep south, to the winding bays of the far north, soon virtually every bodyboarder in NZ was that much wiser. Everyone from the grommet down the road to the contest directors at BBSNZ had jumped on this ‘hand-me-down’ login. In fact, most of the more notable sessions in NZ bodyboarding history - from past Isolated Challenge events, to the Stallions session in this very issue had a helping ‘hand’ from this mysterious login.
“I reckon I would have told upwards of 70 people easy throughout the 4 years I’ve known about it. The people I told have probably passed it on as well so who knows just how many people knew.” However, all good things come to an end. On the 26th of July 2011 there was a glitch in the system. Many bodyboarders would have woken up around the country, popped a couple of bits of bread in the toaster and opened up Buoyweather to check ‘their schedule’ while the toaster was doing what toasters do best, only to find the stolen identity wasn’t working. “Maybe I left capslock on?” “Maybe I put a comma instead of a dot? “Nope, okay, I’ll try again.” “What the fuck is going on?” “You’re kidding me?” “#@&* %@!* %$#&…” Even now, a good couple of months later, no one has been able to track down a ‘second hand’ login. No longer can excuses be planned out days in advance or family commitments be juggled around with ease. The three day trial forecast is good if you can surf at the drop of a hat, but tougher for those locked into the daily grind. Traffic on Magicseaweed and Swellmap have probably increased ten-fold over the last couple of months. But it’s just not the same. It’s like having to learn an entire new language and you know what they say - you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
The question on everyone’s lips (apart from the obvious “Bro, you got a Buoyweather password?”) is “How did this happen?” Well, there are a few theories. The most obvious is the owner finally caught wind of the scam and simply changed his password. Another could be that he simply didn’t want to renew his subscription. The conspiracy theorists among us believe that Buoyweather has been cracking down on accounts that are being accessed from multiple locations at once. There’s a rumour going around that a well-known Australian bodyboarder has been banned from Buoyweather for life after the powers that be discovered his account had been accessed by over 100 people at the same time in different parts of the world! Either way, we’re lost without it. The silver lining is now is the best time to be purchasing your own Buoyweather account. Never has the NZ dollar been so strong against the once mighty Greenback. But my guess is you’ll be waiting for someone else to do it first. By the way, if you hear of a password, let me know. Your secret is safe with me. We miss you Mr Hand.
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Juggling work and family is hard enough as it is. Throw in an addiction to getting tubed and it becomes a whole lot harder. Goose uses buoyweather to plan his every move and spotted this fun session a few days out and was able to plan to be in the right place at the right time. CHRIS GARDEN
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HAYDEN PARSONS
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Small Talk DAVID BURGER A mild interrogation of everyday New Zealand bodyboarders to fill the gaps.
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Small Talk DAVID BURGER Name: David Burger. Nickname: Vanilla bear haha or just Dave. Age: 17. Hometown/current town: Cape Town/Auckland. Job: The Wave Box. How did you get into bodyboarding: Did it every now and then when I was very young with my older cousin and brother. When we moved to NZ I followed my brother into surfing, however he snapped my board one day and my cousin happened to be visiting and he told me to get a bodyboard so I did and I've stuck with it! Travel: I love to travel and I’m always thinking about the next place. So far been to Bali twice and back home to Cape Town, really keen to go across the ditch soon and the Canaries. Favourite waves: I haven't been exposed to many but The Hoek, Kalk Bay and Padang Padang. Favourite international riders: It changes all the time but top 3 are Dallas Singer, Jason Finlay and Winny. I really respect them beyond their riding and look up to them as people. They seem to have their lives sorted and have their heads screwed on right. Others are Julien Merimont, Michael Ostler, Jared Houston, Rawlins, Tom Rigby, Joe Clark. Favourite NZ riders: Richard Mckenna. Best surf trip: Bali this year! Wave of your life: Ahh. I relive this in my head haha. Padang was about 8ft and a lot of guys on it. It was pretty cool as there were like 6 water photogs, photogs on the cliffs and a jet ski, pretty sick as I hadn't experienced that before. I scraped a few smaller ones and as I was getting back in the line up a set rolled through and one guy fell straight way and I realised I was the next person in position, so I had to go! Got the biggest barrel I've ever got and was so stoked. Got full land/water sequence too but on my last day I lost my money so I had to leave it behind!!
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Haha and I have one person who can vouch this for me! Haha. Favourite bodyboarding movies: Grow up, Thrash’d. Favourite movies: Step brothers, the Hangovers, and if Jersey Shore were a movie, it'd be number one. Favourite board: Joe Clark. Best thing you’ve seen in the water: Huge pod of like 80 dolphins with me and a mate out! Those things are scary as and pretty big! As well as Julien Merimont's flip in front of me. Music you dig: A little bit of everything, stuff that gets me amped. Best barrel you’ve had: That one at Padang. Best move you’ve pulled: Flip at Pandang. Thoughts on the BBSNZ tour: Um .. Hmm. I haven't been around long enough to make a comment but its on the rise for sure, a lot of new ideas and its looking good! Hero/inspiration: In bodyboarding I would say Dallas Singer and Ryan Hardy. Outside I would say God and family. Strengths/weaknesses: Weakness, I think that fear of failing means sometimes I wont give things a go, but at the same time in bigger stuff I feel that's where I step up a little more. Chicks: Love me. Haha na, one in mind ;) Fear: Failing I guess. Regrets: Ah man, that's the hardest question. We all have them, but I guess you have to try not let them hold you back and look forward. Favourite brew: Coke. Words that you live by: If you aren't first you’re last / Make your own luck. Short term goals: Make it through some rounds at the RAW Nationals. Long term goals: Travel for sure. Aside from bodyboarding, what else you into: Church, family, being with friends and being with people who are genuine and lift me up. Favourite thing about NZ bodyboard scene: Its tight knit and a lot of underground chargers.
KRISTIN ROBINS
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WE MAKE FURNITURE, PAINT PICTURES, DRAW AND PHOTOGRAPH. WE ALSO DO GRAFFITI, STENCILS, DRINK ALCOHOL, SMOKE GANJA, SELL DRUGS, KNIVES, MACHINE GUNS, URANIUM AND KIDNEYS, AS WELL AS MANY ENDANGERED PETS, LIKE KOALAS, SEALS AND DOLPHINS. (DEAD OR ALIVE. RARE OR “A LA PLANCHA”, DEPENDS HOW YOU LIKE IT…)
Recently I purchased a negative scanner as I have found myself spending a small fortune at the local photographic pharmacy developing and scanning films over the past year or so. While I was rumaging through a cupboard looking for nothing in particular I found an old negative sleeve with several frames still in there. Into the scanner they went. What followed was one of those moments when you hear a song or smell a particular smell that instantly time warps you back 5-10 years plus to a specific moment in your past. In this case it was my high school years here in the Bay of Plenty. We used to pile in my mates old trusty V6 Holden station wagon and head down the coast every weekend without fail. Sometimes even after school or during school in search of some shorey slabs. No matter what the conditions, good or bad, even if there was no swell forecast we still found waves. To this day I still can’t quite understand how it happened. There was one winter in particular I recall, some
times we all took down a car each, with the back seats folded down and a matress and blankets crammed in the back. We’d sleep scrunched up in the back of our hatchbacks in the middle of winter just so we could get out there as soon as it was light. This particular stretch of coastline we surfed is fairly isolated with only the odd farm house in sight. The only down side to this was that every 100m or so there was a stream that ran into the ocean, they helped create some nice banks but also supplied some nice sweet brown tasting water, the kind that creates all that brown foamy froth when it meets the ocean. We also found several dead sheep in the shallows over the years and one freshly removed horse leg! Not quite sure how that got there. Those were the days. But these are the days of tomorrow’s “those were the days”. - Pabs
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PAUL MOSSONG
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PAUL MOSSONG
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PAUL MOSSONG
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ZONE
REGIONAL NEWS. NTH
AKL
By Blackman
By JKFM
Shippies pretty much has been the only thing happening up here of late, one session in particular was pretty much day of the decade - Supers to Irongate section offering up hollow spitting barrels which I havent ever seen there before! The lap from peaks to the bay was also all time but with a few more crew on it.
Auckland. Winter. What a place to be. For the dedicated (foolhardy) booger there are waves on offer here... (usually total shit deform) and it’s cold by definition of the word only, but not Dunedin cold! The last couple of months have had plenty of offshore days in the 09 region with both coasts having a quite a few days here and there to showcase their wares. Most notably however the east coast has coughed up some world class kegs... And as of recently there have been a couple of sessions shot and captured...so hopefully there’ll be some proof next issue that yes indeed the North Island does have sick waves and the resident booger population is alive and kickin it.
When there has been swell out east a new wedge up north has been providing the goods for big daddy Dowman and co, and further south oceans had a few good days as well. Basically now it turns into a waiting game - wait for the little bits of snow to piss off, the water temp to rise and swell to arrive! I don’t know how folks further south do it! Not so sure about the winterless north tag either, it’s freezing up here at the moment! Bring on summer!
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Anyways...I digress...back in early July the west coast got smashed by the biggest swell I have ever seen in NZ waters, truly 40-50ft faces out on the west coast beachies, breaking so far out to sea you had to get some serious elevation to view the drowning material. At first we thought that it would straighten out all the banks
BRENDON DORMAN TIMOTHY HUTTON
and create closeout city, but with all the gouging that the swell did, it has really hit the reset button and there’s still life in our winter banks! So there’s been a couple of fun days at an unnamed west coast wedgy peak with Jason Ware, Simon Neale, Frosty and myself getting amongst the fun pits on offer. Here’s hoping the next write-up will be accompanied by the aforementioned photos... but that’s in the hands of the photography gods down south...:)
BOP By Pabs
RAG
Well, like usual I’ve finished laying up the magazine and
have a quick flick through to make sure it’s all in order and notice I still haven’t written my zone report... It’s been a realitvely quiet winter up here, well for me at least as I recover from my surfer’s ear operation. Early winter was rather warm, then someone opened the freezer door. Can’t say I can remember it snowing here in Tauranga before! Coromandel bandit Jake Sims has been scoring some good waves at Hottie and the surrounding beaches although his days in the water are numbered as he became father to his second child last month. Hope the families doing well and good luck brother. Old man Dale Sattler has returned from a couple of years living in London. He has been spotted down main beach with his walking frame remanising about the good old days. Sheesh, better leave it at that and get this mag online. Hope you all like the new goodies we have on the site. ISOMAG / ZONE - REGIONAL NEWS 149
NICK HALL
East Coast By JFez A relatively warm beginning belied the darker months this year. With a majority of Gizzys swell coming from the eastern quarter, the water and air held steady at higher temperatures than normal for the East Cape region. Although the regularity and quality of the waves decreased a little from Autumns epic run, there have been a few notable sessions being scored at many local beaches and rivermouths. Then the cold came...with a vengeance. Snow coated hills of Gizzy, more than had been seen for decades and the mercury corresponded as such. 150 ISOMAG / ZONE - REGIONAL NEWS
With the weather tweaking more to the south the banks along the usual haunts faded, yet a few days at old traditional winter havens have been enjoyed. Also, an intimate knowledge of the how the various swell/ wind combinations work within our staggered coastline has proved invaluable of late with those ‘in the know’ searching and scoring some of our finest unexposed spots.
West Coast By Joltan
Wow. Winter is in full swing as I write this coastal report. Snow is pretty much everywhere! It even flaked in
Greymouth twice in the last 2 weeks, a weird occurrence indeed. As for the waves, for the majority of Winter, Blaketown has been very average. Crap arse banks. Greymouth locals have been venturing south of the tip and enjoying small beachbreak goodness all over Paroa. This seems to be the trend these days. In recent times, we have had a major re-shuffle in banks at Blaketown thanks to multiple swells smashing the coast and blessing us with good banks (finally). Same old heads have been dipping in and out of barrels, with Ben McPaike, Tezza Ferguson, Jade Morrison doing the rounds. And just quietly, McPaike was recently noted to having landed a couple of sweet backies! I have personally taken under my chicken wing a grom by the name of Josh Lee, who has impressed me with his keen-ness and stickability in the cold season, shame that he doesn’t like rights! What didn’t impress me was the fact that Kris Martin, ex-local ripper and past winner of the Blaketown Challenge, who resided in Greymouth for almost 2 months, didn’t go out surfing once while he was back! The waves really were average though, I’ll give him that, but there were some surfable days. Sheeesh, some people huh. Onwards and upwards - loving these new banks, all the team in Greyvegas are hoping they stick around for a while.
Deep South By Shroom
First half of winter absolutely pumped. One of the ‘best ever’ is the word on the street. Although it was hardly winter with some t-shirt weather days (seriously) and slightly bearable water temps. Warmest winter on record with temperatures 2.5 degrees above the norm apparently. With no icebergs to hinder their path to the shore, the waves just kept on coming. Some truly epic sessions were had at spots that aren’t usually regarded as winter waves.
day down south and a giant east swell that is still rolling in now as I type this. Old school Stu, Geezer Rob and Frenchy enjoyed a rare session at K-point, a wave not usually renowned as a good bodyboarding wave, but there were actually a couple of solid nuggets on it. The angle and size of the swell meant little points and reefs never usually surfed came to life and there’s stories of some good waves if you turned up to the right place at the right time. In other news, Wellsy has finally made the move south after too many years of talking about it! Lock up your daughters, sisters and mothers as Wellsy gets set to unleash his antics on this once quiet town. The man is fizzing at the chance to surf fun waves without having to travel too far. Big rig Bdiddy dorsack (why did he do it?), is outta here again. No money to make in this fair town so he’s making the wise move to WA and will return with full pockets in a couple of years. Cam Hirst made a cameo appearance all the way from China. While here on business, he did manage to squeeze in a couple of surfs, blowing off a couple of years worth of cobwebs with his ‘blistering’ attack. If you think you’ve paddled out into the middle of a film set for a Hollywood movie you’re probably right. There are currently at least four GoPro cameras bobbing around on booger’s heads these days – all TRYING to emulate the mighty Gooses’s footage! In breaking news: After years of talking about it, a certain lefthand bombie has finally been tacked. Hopefully we’ll have the shots next issue and we’ll find out who the grom was that charged harder than everyone and which high profile rider choked.... Spring is on its way folks! That was a pretty painless winter so many (including the Moon Man - Ken Ring) are predicting a violent Spring. It’s always an unpredictable time of year but hey, at least we can shed the gloves and booties.
The second half of winter was a return to the normal deep south weather patterns. Gigantic swells, masses of snow right onto the beach and a big dip in water temperatures. The waves turned to shit too with just the odd ISOMAG / ZONE - REGIONAL NEWS 151
Sneak Peak Next issue, out December 1st. Okay, we got it wrong. We ain’t no Ken Ring or Nostradamus. Our sneak peak promises from the last issue of snow-laced beach scenes contrasted with bikini weather bliss from the tropics failed to eventuate. The snow came post deadline and the tropical missions were MIA. This however we can promise you; ISOmag issue 8 will feature an abundance of shots of NZ bodyboarders who fled the late snow dumps for warmer waters. From Indo to the South Pacific and of course the latest snaps from our fair land, which should be thawed out just in time for the December 1st release. See you in Summer! CHRIS GARDEN
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JOHN DIAMOND
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