Shaka Surf by Marine Hourseau

« It's like the mafia. Once you're in - you’re in. There's no getting out. » Kelly Slater

TheCollective is a community of local Tasmanian and Australian surf photographers. Seen a photographer in the water at your last session ? It must be them ! Check their site for local surf sessions photos, weather and surf reports and surf news and musings. In this fanzine, you will find articles about surf of course but also best beaches of Tasmania and Australia, tips, reports about our locals champions and news our beautiful islands.

Shaka guys !

Bryce Young hovers on the edge of divided opinions. Nostalgia impersonator or modern day innovator ? It’s all about variety, not conformity, and for that he attracts criticism because surfers have become skeptics of anything. He’s one of the best skate/surf combos you’ve seen. But it’s the surf side where you’ll find his uniqueness. See, Bryce is the offspring of ‘66 World Champion, the OG Nat Young. And yes, it’s all hereditary. He’s as progressive and critical as you can get on an alaia, equally so on a classic Californian log spinning heritage with contemps. His aerial game is groomed from years of shortboarding and there’s also his sliding on asymmetrics, twin-fins and other variations of foam. Like Ryan Burch showed us, to ride fringes of board design is one thing, but to ride them well is symphonic. It’s been decades since professional surfers were their own craftsmen but Bryce and his company are changing that too. 6

even a fraction of the crowds » says Derrick. He spent a month surfing empty lineups with Bryce, shaped boards in Nat’s bay and stayed with Australian royalty still living Morning of the Earth-style. « I’m still chasing that » says Bryce, « watching all the old footage, tripping out and loving it. It really is such a special zone. » And the green comes with the territory, right? « Probably (laughs). It’s still a tiny town, man. You can find some seriously peaceful zones in amongst it all. » « They are legend up there » says Derrick. « The family has that aura about them. Nat is a big inspiration of mine, and to everybody. He knows exactly which waves to take out Angourie and has a real presence in the ocean. »

Vissla have been combing the globe for creators and innovators. They found Bryce, who, at 23, hadn’t surfed for a company before. It was a strange choice considering most professional surfers land their first contract before they’ve shaved for the first time. But Bryce was part of a new movement built on the principles of an old one, and his talent is the trump card to any armchair critic venom. « Lucky, huh ? » he says of his signing. « I’m super grateful. They saw footage of me riding an an alaia at Angourie which was rad, because I don’t think they knew much about me… F’sure I owe Vissla something, I want to work my guts out for them. » Welcomed into Vis’s shiny new stable, Bryce met Derrick Disney, a 22-year-old from Encinitas. The pair found similar visions in bringing the rear-view forward, but leaving it just outside of the box. Bryce invited Derrick to Angourie. « It’s all so pristine compared to what I’m used to. Not

From Angourie to New Zealand, which you’ll see in the photo gallery above, and wherever next, the relationship these gents have with surfing is sublime. Lesser men would relegate them to preachers of hipsterism. « It gets thrown around a lot » says Bryce of the social tag. « By their own definition they could’ve called Dad and his friends the same thing. So you can look at it as a compliment. It’s just a word that’s been thrown around. What does it even mean ? » « I’ll be out there at my local spot riding a mid-length and there’s a 40-year-old and he’s hitting me up for not riding a shortboard » adds Derrick. « I understand where he’s coming from, but he’s got to see he has a different idea of what surfing is to me. » Like many of us, Bryce grew up mimicking Parko’s lines and Taj’s finners and they’re locked as favourites. But the bright lights of the new ASP are a bad acid-trip for his surfing ethos. « I feel like it’s kind of a circus with the new ASP, the Samsung whatever, it seems a bit much in my eyes. Surfing is never going to be that kind of sport. It’s always going to be a lifestyle. I totally respect the guys that do it. 7

« I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night » is a soon-tobe-released movie that follows Australian surfers Harrison Roach and Bryce Young on their travels throughout Indonesia. Surfing everything from long, reeling, glassy pointbreaks to sketchy urchin-infested waves, the two also ride every manner of surfcraft, including 9-foot loggers and modern thrusters. « The boards we rode were all made in Bali at the Deus Temple of Enthusiasm » Roach told GrindTV.com, referring to the surfboard workshop, beer hall, and art shop of his major sponsor. « We found one of Bryce’s dad’s old boards and then had legendary shaper Bob McTavish shape up a modern version. » Bryce Young’s dad just happens to be Nat Young, the 1966 world champion and one of the true icons of the sport. In fact, Roach and Young represent a intriguing intersection between surfing’s past, present, and future. Both in their early 20s, they have strong family links and knowledge of the sport’s history and are using this and their freaky new-age talent to create a modern twist. « These boards are retro boards, but I actually hate the term. ‘Retro’ sucks! » laughs Roach. « Sure, we are referencing the vintage styles of the ’60s and ’70s, but we are doing it in a real contemporary manner. We taking the good things from the old days and the good things from the new and trying to find a happy medium. » In this they have been fully supported by Deus (pronounced DAY-us), the brainchild of Dare Jennings, who previously owned Australian surf/streetwear brand Mambo. Jennings has somehow coalesced vintage motorcycle culture, coffee shops, clothes, modern art, and ’60s surf style into a thriving brand, with flagship stores in Sydney, New York, Bali, and Berlin. « Deus just works for us » says Roach. « It’s a perfect fit, and with their support I caught more perfect waves last year than in all my previous ones ». 8

Nat Young has lived the surfing life for almost half a century. He is recognized as one of the great surfers in the history of the sport. His motto is and always has been to « make it a beautiful life » he believes you have only one chance and you had better make it a good one. Nat was an integral part in the redesigning of the longboard in the late 60s and a co-founder of the longboard renaissance in the early 80s. The four times World Champion still lives his life totally devoted to riding waves, surfing either a long or short board at every opportunity he gets. Nat has always loved good projects, so far he has written 5 books, 3 of which are available on this site. The other 2, Surfing Australia's East Coast and Surfing and Sailboard Guide to Australia are collectors items. He has made 2 movies, Fall-Line(1977) and The History of Australian Surfing (1984). These days he lives an idyllic but still eventful life based in his beloved Angourie, where he combines his love for surf with his other great passion, his family. Bryce is the rising star of the young clan, born 22 October 90 he is exploding everywhere he chooses to open up, in the top bracket of professional longboarders, however can bust airs on shortboards just as well. Snowboards,Surfboards, Skateboards, rips em all with incredible talent. With numerous wins in Australia and overseas surfing competition the road is looking extremely promising for Bryce.

able to take away a lot and learn from my losses. I’ve been spending a lot of time understanding my boards and dialing in what exactly works for me. But when it comes down to it, the ’QS isn’t easy. They call it a grind for a reason.

It’s been a stormy year for Zeke Lau. As one of Hawaii’s brightest young exports, there were lofty predictions for what he’d do once he qualified for the World Tour, especially after how close he came at the end of 2013. But in 2014, things didn’t go to plan. After a disappointing season on the ‘QS, Zeke parted ways with many of his sponsors, including Volcom, whom he’d had been riding for since gromhood. While many of his counterparts would have crumbled, Zeke honed his focus and tightened his game. See above for the walk, and below for the talk : Last year was your second full year doing the ‘QS and it didn’t go as well as hoped. (Zeke finished 105th). Tell me about the year. Last year was tough, I’m not gonna lie. But I’m trying to pull some positivity out of it and turn it into a learning experience. I had a rough year competing, but I was also 16

Is it more difficult than you imagined ? When I first got on the ‘QS two years ago, everything seemed to go my way. I had some good results and I wasn’t that far off from qualifying at the end of the Hawaiian leg of the season. I thought people overhyped the ’QS and it was going to be easy to make it on the World Tour. But the following year, it felt like I couldn’t catch a break. Things got bumpy. But I’ve learned to be patient and that qualifying can take time. It’s been a struggle, but it’s made me a better surfer and a better person. I’m going to get there and I feel better than ever now.

contract with them, we just couldn’t make it all line up in time. They had to have their budgets finalized and we just couldn’t make it work with the timeline. So unfortunately, we parted ways, but there’s absolutely no bad blood between us. They still feel like a family and I spend most of my time at Pipe hanging out in the yard of the Volcom House. But I’m really looking forward to the next chapter and lining up with the right brand as I move forward in my career. For my other sponsors, well, that was just the result of budget cuts. But I’m looking forward, not back. I’m training hard, I’m focused, and I’m optimistic for the future.

So what’s your plan moving forward ? I’m looking ahead and focused on qualifying for the World Tour. I’m chasing every single event that I can get into. I’m going to give it my all this year.

You had a really strong showing at the Volcom Pipe Pro and barely missed out an appearance in the final. Was it weird surfing in that event having recently separated from the brand ? Nah, not at all. Like I said, I have so many close friends at Volcom. I spent most of my time at the event hanging at the house. So no, it really wasn’t weird at all, despite not riding for them anymore. Hawaii is my home and I feel comfortable surfing and competing here no matter what.

I understand that you parted ways with your longtime sponsor, Volcom, along with a lot of your other sponsors. What happened ? Yeah, there’s been a lot of speculation about what happened. But here’s the gist of it : My contract with Volcom was set to expire and we were doing our due diligence and homework to ensure that, whatever happened, I was getting a fair deal. When it came to renegotiating my

We’ve talked about this before, but do you feel that you get stereotyped at all ? I feel like a lot of people see you as this intimidating person when that’s not the whole picture. Yeah, I’ve been battling that idea for a while. In a heat, I want people to think that I’m a real competitor. That I’m focused, and yeah, maybe a little intimidating. But that’s just in a heat. Out of a contest, I promise, I’m a pretty mellow guy.

Marti Paradisis and crew had waited all day 30 kilometres south of Tasmania in the Southern Ocean for a giant swell to get « rider-friendly ». About 4.30pm last October 10, the wind backed off near Pedra Branca rock, and the Tasmanian surfer known as Moose set out for a momentous feat. As the crew howled support from their boat, Paradisis was towed in by jet-ski, dropped the rope, and began charging down the face of a water mountain that kept on rising until it towered 12 metres high.

Paradisis, 29, said later he was concentrating so hard on keeping his board’s nose out of the water, he wasn’t aware of what was behind him. « But when I got to the bottom and looked up I knew I was going to get a flogging » he said, according to the Coastalwatch website. Buried in tonnes of white water, Paradisis eventually surfaced as the rider of the biggest wave in Australia in the past year. His ride tied with that of a mate, Danny Grif-

fith, who also rode the same break that day, in the first round of judging by surfers registered for the Surfing LifeOakley Big Wave Award. But an expert panel of US big wave surfers gave the $20,000 main prize comfortably to Paradisis. « I’m so stoked to be able to represent the crew » he said. « I wouldn’t get to ride waves like this without a lot of help so this isn’t just for me. »

Armed with surfboard and wetsuit, Sam Vincent surveys the island state’s perfect waves. Five hundred metres past the turnoff to Port Arthur Historic Site, down a gravel road, through a pear orchard, two hours’ walk along a trail flanked by scrub, down a cliff and beyond a series of truck-sized boulders, you’ll find Australia’s biggest waves.

For surfers with an adventurous streak, Tasmania offers several other world-class, albeit smaller, surf breaks and myriad chances to ride uncrowded, pristine waves generated thousands of kilometres away in the Southern Ocean.

In the past 10 years, Shipstern Bluff off south-eastern Tasmania has gained a reputation as Australia's most fearsome surf break. Named after the Titanic-like headland that looms above it, « Shippies » is visited by the world's best big-wave surfers. 19

A word of warning : Shipstern Bluff is suitable for professional surfers only. It is dangerous and unpredictable : when it's « on », a heavy swell hitting the shallow reef here causes a six-metre body of water to materialise quickly. For those brave and experienced enough to ride it, the wave's trademark « speed hump » mid-break has been likened to free-falling down a set of stairs. The nearest hospital is an hour's drive away and sharks often mill about the nearby seal colony. It's little wonder that fishermen colloquially call the spot « Devil's Point ». My board stayed in the car but I still wanted to have a look. The easiest way to Shipstern Bluff is to drive to the Cape Raoul walking track car park in Tasman National Park, accessed via Stormlea Road, south of Nubeena. Follow the trail for two hours (2½ hours on the way back on account of the steep path) through thick bush to Raoul Bay; Shipstern Bluff is below the cliff to the right. A strong south-westerly swell is required for monster waves. For mortals, the island's best breaks in the south are all within easy access of Hobart. On the eastern entrance to the Derwent, Clifton Beach breaks both ways in most conditions, while Eaglehawk Neck, the isthmus joining the Forestier and Tasman peninsulas, has exceptional waves when the swell is south-easterly and the wind westerly. An excellent option is Bruny Island. Though its western shores are sheltered by the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, Bruny’s east and south coasts bear the brunt of Antarctic swells (and water temperatures). The pick of the island’s southern breaks is Cloudy Bay. It’s Australia’s southernmost surf beach, where eagles wheel under clouds. Surf it in a southerly swell and a northerly wind. Clifton Beach is a 45-minute drive south-east of Hobart; Eaglehawk Neck is an hour’s drive in the same direction; Bruny Island is accessed via a 15-minute ferry crossing from Kettering, which is 40 minutes’ drive south of Hobart. 20

Who knows how many more Shipstern Bluffs are waiting to be discovered off Tasmania's wet 'n' wild west coast ? This is arguably Australia's least-explored shore: a rain-lashed and unforgiving littoral of forest, raging rivers and rocky coves shaped by the Roaring Forties. The few convicts who managed to escape from the notorious Macquarie Harbour Penal Station found the terrain far harder to penetrate than the prison they left and little has changed. Of the known surf spots, two of the west coast's best are at its opposite ends. In the far south, where Tasmania's west and east coasts meet like the point of a love heart, South Cape Bay is a pristine beach break that gets huge, clean waves on a southerly swell. Surfers carry their boards along a stunning walking trail and it pays to bring a few - when I visit I'm met by a bitterly disappointed surfer whose board snapped soon after paddling out. More easily accessible is Marrawah in the far north-west, Tasmania's westernmost settlement. With a bucolic backdrop of dairy farms and windmills, Marrawah's three beaches - Ann Bay, Mawson Bay and Green Point - have hundred-metre-long rides when the swell is westerly and the wind offshore. The local surfers are friendly and happy to impart advice. Often you'll have to access private land to get to the best surf, so don't forget to close all gates you open. South Cape Bay is a five-hour hike from Cockle Creek, which is a two-hour drive southwest of Hobart. Marrawah is a 3½-hour drive north-west of Launceston.

While Tasmania's west, east and south coasts are exposed to monstrous swells uninterrupted by land for hundreds of kilometres, the presence of Victoria means much of the state's northern shore is blocked from swell. As a consequence, the waves here, though good, are rarely big. Exceptions are the beach breaks at the mouth of the Mersey River in the north-west and Tam O'Shanter in the north-east, the latter a left-hander that offers particularly long rides in west to north-west swell. The north's best surf, however, isn't on « mainland » Tasmania but on King Island, halfway to Victoria on the western edge of Bass Strait. Though more famous for whey than waves, King Island's location (in the path of the Roaring Forties) and diverse coastline means the surf's always up somewhere. And with some of the country's best dairy, beef and seafood waiting onshore, the post-surf feasts aren't bad, either. On King Island's east coast, try Martha Lavinia, ranked by Tracks magazine as Australia's best beach break. (If you're not surfing, try the beachcombing.) On the island's west coast, British Admiral beach works well in an easterly wind and westerly swell, as does Fitzmaurice Bay in the south-west, where at low tide adventurous cows wade into the surf to eat nutritious bull kelp. The mouth of the Mersey River is in Devonport; Tam O'Shanter is a 45-minute drive north-east of Launceston; Regional Express and King Island Airlines fly daily to King Island from Melbourne for about $300 return.

Tasmania's east coast is characterised by mild weather, easy access and a string of beaches where the white sands and azure waters belie the chilly reality of the Tasman Sea. With honeypots such as the Bay of Fires, Wineglass Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula, this part of the state can sometimes feel like a tourist merry-go-round, though there are plenty of great surf spots where you're likely to be the only one in the water. While Marion Bay (famous for the Falls music festival) has a great peaking wave when the swell/wind is from the east/west, the shelter afforded by Maria Island and the Freycinet Peninsula means the best waves on this coast are in the north. The Scamander River mouth has terrific longboarding waves in a north/north-west swell and south-easterly wind; walking over the massive dunes to the break armed with a malibu makes me feel like an extra in Bruce Brown's legendary surf film The Endless Summer, where the protagonists hike miles over dunes to South Africa's Cape St Francis only to discover there's « nothing there, just perfect waves ». The town of St Helens, 20 kilometres to the north, has some good spots; try the eastern arm of the entrance to Georges Bay. The east coast is the location of Eddystone Rock, Australia's latest big-wave surfing hot spot, having first been surfed as recently as 2008 (like Shipstern Bluff, surfers are towed on to the waves here with jet-skis). Its remote location means it's beyond the reach of all but the most dedicated visiting surfer (and it means the Tasmanian surfing fraternity won't be too annoyed with me for disclosing its location). Marion Bay is 40 minutes' drive east of Hobart. Scamander River mouth is 2½ hours' drive east of Launceston and St Helens is an extra 30 minutes.

It’s easy to get lazy and not worry about board bags, but the reality is that the longer you go without protecting your board, the more likely you are to inflict unnecessary damage. Invest in a board bag or a board sock. Generally, board bags are a bit more expensive than socks, but they’re equipped with a shoulder strap – perfect for those breaks that require a quick hike to the beach. Spend a little more and you can get an insulated board bag, which offers protection from the sun’s harmful rays. Taking care of a surfboard should be one of the top priorities for a surfer. Surfboards are way too expensive to treat like an old hat; couple that with the fact that they’re far from indestructible and you’ve got plenty of reason to take great care of your sleds. A surfboard’s lifespan is unavoidably finite (assuming it’s actually seeing some use), and the moment a new board hits the water is the moment it begins its path towards destruction. It’s up to you to make sure that path is as long and fruitful as possible. The bottom line is the greater care you take of your boards, the greater performance and lifespan they’ll give back in return. Before we get any further into various board-caring techniques, here are a few glaring rules of caution that need to be presented: Avoid extreme heat and temperature change. Translation: do to not leave your board in a roasting car or truck bed on a hot summer day. A board expands and contracts under extreme temperature change, delaminating in the process. Don’t keep surfing your dinged-up board. The more water it takes in, the faster it will turn into a water-logged version of what it once was. Don’t leave your board unsecured in a truck bed on the way to the beach. It might get dinged bouncing around or worse yet, air will get under it and it’ll take to the skies – in the middle of the freeway. Use a leash at breaks where rocks or cliffs lurk. When bellyriding into the beach, be cautious of shallow reef and rocks. There’s nothing worse than finishing a good session and then mortally wounding your favorite surfboard. 24

Feel free to get creative and make your own board sock out of fabric, canvas, or an old comforter. Dust off mom's sewing machine and see if you can't get thrifty and make a custom board sock for yourself. Storing surfboards can present a few problems, especially if you live in a small house or apartment and don’t have a lot of space to work with. Surfboards should always be kept indoors, away from the elements. Prolonged exposure to sun, rain, and even morning dew will compromise a surfboard’s structural integrity over time. Avoid stacking surfboards. Stacking boards will obviously not be kind on the boards near the bottom of the pile, and you’ll end up getting wax on the bottom of the boards as well. If you have the space, try building a simple board rack using wooden dowels. Place a towel or rug under the bottoms of the surfboards so you don’t have to worry about scraping them on the garage floor. Unfortunately, every surfboard will eventually meet the day when it suffers some type of ding. Small dings are relatively common, and can easily be fixed – at least temporarily – with a bit of solar resin. UV solar resin is available at any surf shop, and is pretty easy to use. Buy a tube and pick up a sheet of sand paper at a hardware store. Here are the steps for fixing a simple ding: Wait until the board is completely dry before you begin work; use a hair dryer if necessary. Sand the damaged area, smoothing out a nice clean pocket. Working out of the sun or indoors, fill the smoothed-out depression with solar resin. Let the resin dry by placing the board in the sun.

Once the resin has hardened, sand the dinged area until it is flush with the surface around it. Ideally, a surfboard should last you a handful of seasons depending on how regularly you use it. Experimentation with new materials is giving way to stronger, more durable surfboards, but basic maintenance will always be important in ensuring longevity and performance from your wave riding crafts.

If you’re like me, you want to keep your beloved surfboard around for as long as possible. In reality, only sponsored pros can afford to update their quiver of surfboards every six months, and since a battered surfboard will ride significantly worse (slower, less responsive) than a board that has been cared for, and the unsightliness of a skanky stick can considerably lower your on-the-beach coolness factor, it is beneficial to your performance in and out of the water that you follow some basic steps to keep your board looking tip-top and working efficiently. Out of the water, keep your board in a board bag at all times. I can’t stress this one enough because 50% of the dings and chips that will cause your surfboard’s demise will occur in transport to and from the beach. My boards don’t sit around gathering dust; nonetheless, I have kept boards white and pristine for as long as two years just by religiously keeping them covered. A gust of wind or an inquisitive toddler can easily knock down a board that has been placed haphazardly in a standing position against a wall or in a corner and cause major damage and thus keep you out of the water for days. A way to avoid this misfortune is by building a rack so you can secure your boards or installing some L-brackets on your wall in order to hang your boards safely out of reach. Your surfboard will thank you. The sun and heat is your board’s enemy, so store it safely in a cool, shady spot. Placing your board in a shed or car on a hot day will cause major delamination issues. Your surfboard will hate you. In addition, the sun’s rays will cause major yellowing and weakening of the integrity of your board’s fiberglass coating, so don’t store your boards in the back yard or leave them on a roof rack uncovered too long. Even minor dings can cause serious problems if left untreated for a long period of time, so be sure to repair any crack or puncture in your board as soon as possible (at least after the swell is gone). Otherwise, water lea26

king into the inner foam core of your board will cause yellowing, delamination, and worst of all, extra weight which is the worst contributor to lower board performance. Additionally, you should periodically strip old wax off the deck in order to check for any unseen dings or cracks that may be lurking below.These steps will greatly elongate the life of your precious surfboard, stick, blade, weapon, tool, or any other Freudian term you want to assign it. In addition, remember to secure your board when transporting it in the bed of a truck, place it out of the way of foot traffic and car traffic (I have seen many boards fall prey to vehicles backing out of a parking space), and choose who may borrow your board wisely. Even with perfect care, a board will eventually lose its «energy» and require you you to update to something fresh. Have fun and keep surfing.