PASSION COMES IN WAVES
THE CUP 2024
OUTSIDE CORNER SURF SHOP
CAUGHT INSIDE # 133
It’s a new day. And that is always cause for celebration. And we start this Surftime with an image that perfectly illustrates he brotherhood of competition. Especially at this year’s Rip Curl Cup. Here is Mason Ho and Winner Noa Deane embracing in the sunset light post final. And perhaps that was the real spirituality of the Cup this year. The kind that comes with camaraderie, regardless of where you are from. Despite the challenging conditions on the final day, as you will see in our big feature this year, the overall the surfing on the Cup’s two days of competition was insane. And the timeless Padang Padang Barrels, those beautiful spinning vortices that are her gift to us, were ridden with the verve and the aplomb we have all come to expect. We hope you really dig the giant full-page photos by master lensman Nate Lawrence. It is his camera that tells the real story, so take the time to really check them out. And of course there is plenty more in the issue, and you might have noticed our new logo on the cover. A bold new look to keep things fresh and appealing to the new generation coming up in the waves of our enchanting island home. You will also find a remarkable look back through the eyes and the thoughts of master photographer Jason Childs. As you will see, his soulful images were the first to capture the true meaning of surfing in Indonesia. And the wild cast of characters that make it so. We also check in to G-land
and the boys who came over to pay their respects to the Tsunami that almost ended their lives so long ago. A sincere homage and thank you to the great spirits of the ocean that spared their lives. Photographer Damea Dorsey spent some time on an outer island of ours with his friend, the astonishing Kai Lenny. The results of which form a very intimate portrait of Kai and the intimate thoughts from Damea when it comes to what it takes to get truly honest images of our biggest stars. Believe us, it’s more than just friendship, it’s a partnership as you will soon see. And of course, as we all know, over on Lombok, Desert Point has been pumping and of course Photographer Pete Frieden was their to capture it all, as he always is. When he hears her siren’s call, it’s the only place you will find him. Wait until you see what he has brought back alive. And we even have a beautifully written essay by 14-year-old Una Tasman. A really mature love letter to surfing that we think everyone will find a bit of themselves in. A real promising young writer whom we hope to hear more from as we move ahead. So here it is, our dry season special. We know you will enjoy it, after all, it’s our consuming passion and now its in the palm of your hands.
-Matt George, Editor-in-Chief
COVER: If it’s one thing it takes to win the Rip Curl Cup, it’s an approach as wild as the wave itself. Mason Ho, filling the bill in the center of the Padang Padang universe. Photography by Nate Lawrence
Ziggy Mackenzie, 2023 warm-up session, carving out her place in the line-up and leveling the playing field with the men. Ziggy Mackenzie, 2023 warm-up session, carving out her place in the line-up and leveling the playing field with the men
Photography by Nate Lawrence
A TRUE STORY
Kalani Ryan, fifteen years old, tall for his age, smooth skinned and handsome and graceful in his movements despite of all this, bobs in the channel of Padang Padang on Mason Ho’s favorite board. He has been asked by Mason to be his board caddie for the duration of the Rip Curl Cup contest and, surrounded by all boats and the ski’s and the grown-ups and the fans and the noise in the channel, his private thoughts are divided. On one side it’s cool to be helping out Mason and to be in the heart of all the action, but on the other hand there is an agitation. On the cliff’s edge of manhood and as one of Bali’s most talented up and coming juniors, he believes he is good enough to be in the heat with Mason and not off to the side. And standing at 182cm and courageous and already have developed a relationship with this rare wave, he is good enough. But he has to eat all the words he hears. All the torturous words of teenhood from the grownups. Your turn will come, you haven’t earned it yet, all good things come to those who wait. You can be sure he’s heard them all, but he still doesn’t give a damn. The fire of youth is beating jungle drums in his chest on this day and all those words are doing is making him hungrier for the very thing that will make the words stop.
Outside Mason Ho takes off on a bomb, makes an impossible drop and swings into that creative act of his. Such masterful surfing that Kalani actually feels a second of doubt. But as Mason kicks out and the channel
crowd roars and the PA from the shorts out and Mason looks him directly in the eye and smiles that Hawaiian smile, Kalani’s confidence soars again. Here he is, with the elite, not just a fan or in the audience, but on the front line. A participant. And some day someone is going to my caddy.
Previous page:
Left: Made Winada Adi Putra, with the bravado of a bullfighter facing the power, this is a master in his true element.
Right: Noa Deane, and his moment of surprised triumph. The happiest podium in our world.
This page:
Though it is always an honor to compete in the cup, you still have paddle out and find the honorable moments. With the challenging conditions this year, the local knowledge was never more evident. Tommy Sobry exercising his birthright.
At its heart, the cup is a tubular freesurfing competition. 2024 Rip
Curl Cup Champion Noa Deane proved this
Kalani hasn’t had much time to think about fame. And that isn’t it anyway. It’s something else he wants. He wants himself. He, the son of a single mother that had to become the man of the family at 12 years old, manning up and caring for his mom and toddler sister with the limited resources available to any 12-year-old. Then the challenges of being in Bali as a mixed-race kid with the loss of his American father in a tragic car accident still a memory that haunts. It hasn’t been easy. But he’s never bitched about it and he can look himself in the mirror with a sense of pride about that. Finding himself working at the famed White Monkey surf shop was sheer luck of circumstance. That international crossroads of global surfing. In many ways becoming a ward to all the elite surfers that walked through its doors. Them being at least some manner of men to look up to, to listen to, to learn from and most of all to surf with. As he often sat on the surf shop floor cutting stickers for all the custom board orders, he would think in many ways he had a dozen father figures. Not the real thing, but at least something, anything to dull the ache of a fatherless life. More luck came when the trips to the Mentawai ensued, his mom’s new boyfriend being an owner of a small resort there. Then his friendship with all the other juniors and the free rides to all the local contests and the outer island adventures. All in all, his was an exciting surfing life. If it weren’t for his innate ambition, it might be perfect. What was it gnawing at him? The need to prove himself to what exactly? Maybe to his mom, a kind of thanks for her always being there? Or all the pro’s he has surfed with, or all the girls who have caught his eye? Proof
of himself? Maybe. But still there was something more for him at the Rip Curl Cup. After years of watching the stars in the sky visit his home break and hoist the cup on that wild podium, there was something more for him here at Padang Padang. A lesson to be put into action. The lesson of not how strong he had had to have been in the past, but about how strong he needed to be right now and tomorrow and the day after that. This contest had become the measure of his strength. The instrument of inspiration to persevere and prevail. And as he sat in the channel and watched and listened and learned and waited for his time to come, this is what the meaning of the Rip Curl Cup held for him. This he knew. And someday,
The ethereal home of our waves seen in a light that often seems too perfect for this world. Could a more spiritual wave exist on earth?
CHILD’S PLAY
Jason Childs Pearls Of Wisdom
As one of the first in Indonesia to use teamwork with a jetski to get the shot, what was different about Jason Childs is that he chose to train an Indonesian to only master the ski but even photography itself. Jason and Made, the ultimate team and good times out on the early days of Keramas.
Top flight Surf Photographer Jason Childs spent most of his career living and raising a family on the island of Bali, the most exotic surfing crossroads on the globe. Not only capturing the iconic images of an extraordinary place, but learning about what it means to make a surfing life in a foreign land. Here are his reflections and a few of his photographic gems.
Connections is what it’s all about with the Bali surfers. That is why I am so grateful for how lucky I was when I first came here. Because I was automatically invited into a tight community. We all seemed to
have time for each other. And we were hungry for it. I was so lucky to be welcomed into that world when surfing felt so new here.
There were no color issues, no distance, no wallet envy, it was a surf society and I was so lucky to contribute to it. By documenting the revolution and giving the locals the top priority instead of the visiting surfers. There was a strong sense of pride in what I was doing and the locals were benefiting from more than just being hosts, they were royalty. And I think that perception survives today. As much as I put in, I got much more back. I got to belong to a place.
What is so unique about the mastery of Jason Childs Photography is that his love of Indonesia comes through in so many of his images. Here capturing not only a perfect moment of action, but including the suggestion of that haunting mysticism of the Bali experience that keeps westerners coming back year after year.
Rizal Tandjung, Made Kasim, Made Switra, Wayan Ganti, Ketut Menda, Suenda, so many to name. From the early days they ruled, especially at Padang Padang. And the new generation still does. Bol, Garut, Rondi, Mega Semadhi. These surfers are better than the visitors that come through Bali. World class surfers. I know I talk about shooting Kelly and Andy as the best of the best, but at Padang Padang, the jewel in the crown here in Bali, the best guys in the water will always be the Indonesians.
Indonesia taught me that discovery and exploration is hard work.
You had to really want it. Especially hunting it down with a camera. Because there is so much more to be concerned with than just finding a fantasy wave. Tearing around with all that equipment, it felt like those first explorers that discovered the source of the Nile or something.
I was late for the Mentawai experience. But maybe that was a good thing. Because Jeff Divine at Surfer Mag called me and said do you want to go on a trip with Andy Irons, Chris Ward, Shea and Corey Lopez and the Beschen brothers? Was he kidding? I shot 140 rolls of film. Film mind you. To this day the finest film I ever shot.
Back in the day, shooting with film taught me discipline. I grew up with manual focus cameras, processing my own stuff, printing my own stuff. It taught you to seek that definitive moment. You learn that that one moment is never going to happen again. No photoshop, nothing back then. You had to be pure and clean. It was hard, honest work.
Remember I was shooting blind. With film you never saw your photos for months until they came out in the magazine. Remember, there were only 36 frames a roll. Swim out. 36 frames, swim in, open the housing, start over. Think of the waves we missed. That hurts.
What I learned from Andy was that he loved Bali and he loved his friends here. And that he really did have an affinity with Bali. The wildness of Andy fit the wildness of this place. Not many surfers from outside have mastered Keramas. But when Andy surfed it he was in command. Relaxed and connected. So easy to shoot. He would dictate to the wave the way he wanted to surf it. It was such uncommon surfing, stylish and creative. I have never seen anyone surf Keramas like Andy. And not just one time, but every time he paddled out. Unlike anywhere else in the world, you have to love the culture in Bali as much as the surf. Otherwise you are missing half the game.
My most precious photos are the ones of the Morotai kids. The innocence of their surfing, unadulterated, no influences, so clean. I don’t think there has been a cover in the history of Surfer Mag like that one. It was the purest cover. Not advertiser driven. It was the allure of it all. The imagination. What these kids with their home made wooden boards were doing. The whole experience was the magic of a first contact with a pure surfing culture that you had no idea existed. .
After the 2002 Bali Bombings, living there taught me you can’t control the world. You can make decisions about how you want to live, but Bali taught me how to live without fear. The tsunamis, the earthquakes, I’ve been through it all. It changed the way I lived, but it did not stop me from living.
Christian Fletcher in full flight mode, downtown Kuta, 2012. Beyond the science of photography, being able to really see the essence of a surfer allows for unforgettable portraiture. Jason never missed a moment.
Where
most photographers are hunting down surfers to shoot, surfers like Kelly Slater and Andy Irons would hunt down Jason. Such were his photography skills that the elite could depend on him to bring it back alive every time. Andy Irons, slaying dragons back when Keramas still had plenty of room to move. Has there ever been better at this break?
Some people get to scratch the surface of life. Indonesia forces you to dive into it. And in a material sense it teaches you the difference between what you want and what you need.
It’s been a real honor to shoot Indonesian surfers from the originals to the contemporary. I remember when I first heard about surfing in Bali the people described it as dancing on the waves. And that really put it on me. And once I arrived I was so stoked to see it was true.
Bali is a calling. Do it right and your very identity will be so infused into Bali. Bali is a privilege that cannot be taken for granted. I can’t close the door on this. And I won’t. I don’t just want this place, to this very day I need this place and its people.
With travel experience and far reaching as his talent, Jason Childs iconic photography will clearly stand the test of time. As shown here in the most ultimate moment of Apocalypse ever captured. The wave itself and the master of it, Mikala Jones, whose memory will be honoured by this image for generations to come. Deep, personal connections with a people and a place was the hallmark of Jason Childs work.
TSUNAMI DREAMS:
30 Years After With Robbie Bain And Simon Law
It’s no wave pool. Bobby’s G-Land Surf Camp experience is still wild adventure way out on the edge of the world. Tigers, wild boar, snakes, seismic upheavals and powerful waves over a live reef make sure of that. 30 years ago Robbie Bain was carried away into the jungle on the crest of a Tsunami at this very spot. Robbie survived, yet still comes back to celebrate his survival and the wave itself. This year with his son Billy, shown standing tall here in the center of the reason why. Photography by Donny Lopez
In the early hours of June 3rd 1994, a 7.2 richter scale earthquake occurred deep underwater in the Java Trench. Some 40 minutes later, a powerful tsunami charged its way at approx 300 kilometres an hour towards the Indonesian coast. It hit with extreme force, in the dead of night, while no one was expecting it. At this moment, Rob Bain, Simon law and fellow surfers were at G-Land were fast asleep. What unfolded at G-Land, became a fight for survival and one that has left an impact on all those that were there. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the Grajagan tsunami and a number of the surfing survivors came back to attend a special ceremony held at Bobbys G-Land Surf camp. To not only honor those Indonesians that did not survive, but to share the experience with their son’s and the give thanks for their own survival on that horrific night so long ago. .
Notes on the G-land tsunami of June 3, 1994 Java is situated in a tectonic subduction zone, where the Indo-Australian Plate is moving northward, sliding under the Eurasian Plate at a rate of 67 mm per year. Occasionally, the tectonic plate suddenly slips a much greater distance, resulting in an earthquake. In 1994, a major earthquake, registering 7.2 on the Richter Scale, occurred in the Java Trench, 205 km SW of G-Land. The quake triggered a tsunami, which swept through the surf camp about 40 minutes later. The tsunami at G-Land was estimated to have been as high as 6 meters. No lives were lost at G-Land. However, 223 people perished further west, where the villages of Rajekwesi, Pancer and Lampon were almost completely leveled by the tsunami.
Surfer John Philbin was at G-Land on the night of the tsunami. He described hearing the surf and thinking it must be big. “But when the roar grew louder, I sat up inside my mosquito net, and just as I did, a churning wall of water blew through my hut.” Richie Lovett described the experience as “being hit by a train at full speed”. Richard Marsh initially thought a tiger was attacking them, but then realized it was a wave.
Is it possible to forgive a place? For Robbie Bain it is, especially when hitting the gas through the speedies section on a gorgeous equatorial afternoon. Makes one wonder, does surviving a Tsunami change the way you look at waves? Or simply increase your desire ride more while you have the chance? Photography by Norry
Simon Law, a dynamic former pro, was so affected by the experience 30 years ago that when he founded his surf shop back in Australia, he named the joint Tsunami Surfer. Something that is rarely spoken about within this crew of surfers is the courage it would take to return to the site of a natural disaster that almost took your life. Would you? Photography by G-Land
Left: The survivors. Bonded by a night of desperate survival forever.
Photography by Willy Souw
Marsh and Lovett were swept hundreds of feet into the jungle by the wave. “I was completely panicking. It was a matter of surviving, just grabbing onto things to stay above the water, trying to keep all the debris away from my head and, above all, to get a breath.” Marsh said. Lovett had to be returned to Australia for medical attention. “The hut had disappeared and I was entwined in logs and trees and bits of bamboo. When the water started to subside. I was stuck with my legs pinned under a whole lot of logs and rubbish.”
30 years later and the memories are still fresh. How could they not be? But with the resilience of all surfers who have witnessed the ragings of nature, a return to the site was a celebration of thanks and remembrance. Like all those who have seen and been helpless in the face of nature’s power, the healing from this brand of ocean trauma can often best take place in the waves themselves. The timeless waves that call us all to these remote corners of our planet to revel in both their power and serve as a constant reminder to respect the power they hold over us both physically and philosophically. What can the traveling surfer do to prepare for natural disasters such as this in all their global travels? “Not much” says Seismologist Dr. Eric Gish, a surfer himself, “but in the case of surfers at least they are well prepared for a tsunami. They are expert rough water swimmers and they always have a very effective flotation device nearby. But other than that, we all roll the dice”.
Robbi Bain, Simon Law and Jacky. Honouring the place, the waves and the bond of brothers. Photography by G-Land
Former top pro and 2018 World Masters Champion Robbie Bain, racing over the very same reef that did little to lessen the power of the Tsunami trapped him in the wreckage of his hut 30 years previous. There is a trust evident here. That lightning won’t strike twice. Photography by Donny Lopez
A Photographer’s Point Of View
by Damea Dorsey
Photography
“As a photographer, you sure hope whoever it is that you are working with is a real pro. Guys like Kai Lenny. Kai understands that we need much more than just action shots and he has the patience and the skills to help a photographer score them.
Surftime recently sat down for a conversation with global ace photographer Damea Dorsey to discuss what it’s like to work with elite surfers in the new age of digital consciousness. In this case it was his latest adventure with Kai Lenny to the southeast of our archipelago.
Surftime: What do you look for in a surfer when you are working with them?
Damea Dorsey: Well you sure hope whoever it is that you are working with is a real pro. Guys like Kai Lenny. Kai understands that we need much more than just action shots and he has the patience and the skills to help a photographer score them. In order fill all the demands of sponsors and social media and everything else, we need the lifestyle photos and the right lighting and the right times of day and the best conditions on land or in the water. All that stuff. All these photos and video’s don’t appear like magic. It’s real work. And it takes two, a partnership, no matter how temporary. And what is so great about working with Kai and why I think his global image is so prominent and dynamic is because he is open to making a plan of the day with his photographer and sticking to it. I mean he and I are up at dawn, mapping it all out and conferring with each other, looking at the conditions and the day, where the light is going to be and the sun and the tides and making sure when to shoot action and when to shoot lifestyle. You know, a real plan, a real mission of guaranteed success. Plus, Kai is really into showing a sense of place, a sense of where all this is taking place, letting the environment have a personality too, which is a godsend.
Like when he gets his gear ready, he asks you where you want it done and when. We discuss drone work, wide angle or long lens, portraits and where it is all headed. Kai gets the whole story that both he and I are trying to capture. Stuff like that. This is why the images of him are always spot on and always very real. Kai is a big part of making it all happen.
“And of course when you finally get in the water with Kai, I mean, what’s not to shoot? The guy is amphibian. I call him a first try guy. Meaning you always the get the shot on your first try”.
And that is why he is so successful in the modern age. He is not lazy about anything, unlike a few other guys I have worked with. It’s absolute hell working with lazy surfers. You want to have a great relationship with your social media and your sponsors? You wanna make money with your surfing? Be like Kai. He earns every penny he makes, in my opinion. We all have to feed the machine. And when you put something, anything, any challenge in front of a guy like Kai with the intent of getting contnt, it’s gonna happen. And of course when you finally get in the water with Kai, I mean, what’s not to shoot? The guy is amphibian. I call him a first try guy. Meaning you always the get the shot on your first try.
Surftime: What is your technique for approaching the elite guys for the first time?
Damea: Two things will change anybody’s behavior. Getting a gun or a camera pointed at you. The key is relaxation for both of you so you can capture the reality. Anybody in the world can spot a fake a mile away. So I get the subject into a comfortable environment such as around their equipment. That way you can get those great candid shots.
“Kai gets the whole story that both he and I are trying to capture. This is why images of him are always spot on and always very real. Kai is a big part of making it all happen. And that is why he is so successful in the modern age”
I also show them the photos now and then so that they know I am working on something really cool. Especially now that everyone is so image conscious. That’s where the trust and the confidence in each other’s abilities comes in. Photography is a very personal, intimate act. You are possessing their soul. Bottling it, you can really see a person through the lens of a camera. Real personal stuff. The unspoken stuff. And that trust thing is something that you have to establish in both directions. And most of the elite guys are just so cool. Kai is just a wonderful person. So happy to be a alive. That is my main impression. Not some crazy-eyed adrenaline junkie, but just a real specialized athlete that handles what he is doing naturally. Fakes never last, not at the top. The elite seem happy with themselves. Guys like John John. And sure, you can get wild stuff with tortured guys, or the rock star drug addicts guys, or the angry guys, but it just seems that real success, comes with be happy with oneself.
The best guys are not complicated people. They just wake up and get themselves right so they can get it right. It’s a partnership. And for us photographers it’s guys like Kai Lenny who you want in front of your camera.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
HIKARI YOSIDA,15 yrs
Graceful, Calm, Connected. Training Ground: Legian Beach
Surftime Call: “Sure, her style is smooth, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t powerful. Hikari is a very balanced surfer, one of those that make it look easy even though her maneuvers can be radical. And with those hands that express the elegant expression of a dancer, this surfer is a joy to watch”.
Photography by Ulu Images
MONSTER CHONG,10 yrs
Wild, Courageous, Committed. Training Ground: Halfway Beach, Kuta
Surftime Call: “As radiantly beautiful as this young lady is with those piercing blue eyes, never forget she lives up to her namesake in the surf. Always in good position, focused, already intimidating in the line-up at 10 years old, Monster surfs with an intensity not seen in surfers twice her age. This is a real talent to watch develop. We wouldn’t be surprised to see an amateur championship in her near future. This Monster knows how to impose her will on this world”. Photography by Willy Souw
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
I Wayan Navarang Apta Nata,10 yrs
Clever, Serious, Sharp.
Training Ground: Legian Beach
Surftime Call: “Wayan is ever barrel hungry and it shows in his intensity. The helmet, the wetsuit, the perfect stance and the hope in his eyes when he is in deep shows his awareness of the right exit lines. Not a bad start for a 10 year old. This surfer will obviously be one of the masters of Padang Padang in the years to come”. Photography by Foreverfoolin
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
JAMIE VAGLIO, 13 YRS
Mature, Intelligent, intuitive. Training Ground: Legian Beach
Surftime Call: “Surfing beyond his years is standard for Jamie. He can sit in any line-up and be regarded as a peer. A tuberiding specialist, the lines he draws through the hollows show how smart a surfer he is. His success rate is way up there with the big boys. Comfortable in heavy conditions, this kid is sure to be a standout well into his adult years”. Photography by Byron Mcloughlin
KAHEA ISSHIKI,15 yrs
Fearless, Strong, Driven. Training Ground: Halfway Beach, Kuta
Surftime Call: “When this kid takes off on a wave you just know he is going to finish it. Kahea has a strong sense of choreography, as if he sees the entire performance the wave demands as soon as he stands up. And his frontside stance in the barrel, reminiscent of some of the greatest surfers ever, shows that this kid is paying attention to and learning from his elders. But make no mistake, Kahea’s surfing is all his own”. Photography by Nobu Fuku
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
MARSHANDA NIKIJULUW,14 YRS
Powerful, Fast, Unpredictable.
Training Ground: Halfway Beach, Kuta
Surftime Call: “The first thing you notice about Marshanda’s surfing is her ability to find speed on any wave. And the second thing is her very unique backside carve off the lip. Using that speed, she extends them to twice the usual length. And that cool way she puts her front hand on the board reminds us, of all things, of Chris Ward’s early backside work. In competition, Marshanda is a threat, yes, but her freesurfing is also her time to shine”. Photography by Surf.bali.photo
Spread: With experience comes comfort, and who among us has not taken time out on a wave for little appreciation. Francisco Porcella, making the wave look beautiful, and vice versa.
Top Left: Noah Collins, negotiates the draw, all that the power coming up the face can put you in some very interesting places.
Left: Boat owner and Desert’s specialist Mario Martinez, splitting time between both the bounties of the sea on offer. Waves and fish.
BANGKO BANGKO NOW:
A PETE FRIEDEN PORTFOLIO
Spread: Like perfect dance partners, a great surfer and a perfect wave can move together in a way that becomes art. Ultimate local Usman Trioko and his beloved Desert Point in a moment of dance floor ecstasy.
Top left: Peterson Marchese loading up for the dream ahead.
Left: Usman Trioko in yet another moment of cosmic connection.
Spread: At high noon high tide at Bangko Bangko it’s all about driving down the line and into the light. Ozzie Wright, charging toward a type of destiny, his eyes on the prize.
Top Left: Usman Trioko, playing with it where most would be running for their lives.
Left. Mattia Morri’s double hand drag through the horsetail backwash section. The wave demands commitment both physically and creatively.
RIDING THE UNDRIDEABLE:
Thoughts On Our Consumption Of Surf Media
By Sam George
I’ve been thinking about Nathan Florence a lot lately. The engaging middle Florence brother who, beating all conventional familial odds, has emerged from under the shadow cast by his wildly successful older brother John John. Nathan has built a considerable YouTube following who avidly click on every clip to watch him seek out and ride, or at least attempt to ride, borderline unrideable waves. Waves, or in many cases unruly, ill-defined hydrological anomalies that only approximate what could be considered an actual wave and not a bottomless storm surge. The vast, and I mean vast, majority of the world’s surfers could never even imagine themselves riding these types of ocean lumps.
And not just riding – Florence has even dropped clips of horrible, downright dangerous paddle-outs in conditions ordinarily seen in Coast Guard training videos, punching under row after row of frigid whitewater, GoPro resolutely clenched between his teeth, where, like some rudderless ship swept onto a lee shore, he fights to keep himself off the waiting rocks.
It’s a weird thing to watch. As in, if suitably motivated, you could be doing this too. Not so with most of the waves Nathan Florence has been hunting down lately. But it’s the concept of tuning in to watch him attempting to ride the patently unrideable that has me thinking about today’s surfing media and the role this sort of content plays in shaping our perception of the sport, and of ourselves.
In the beginning, virtually all existing surfing imagery was not only appealing but relatable to anyone inspired enough to pick up a heavy wooden board and get out there to slide a few Waikiki, San Onofre, Corona del Mar, Paddleboard Cove; early photographs and later film footage of seminal breaks like these rarely depicted waves over head high. Even in the early 1950s, when serious surfers in both Hawaii and California had begun turning their boards and sliding across the open face, the resulting imagery was certainly intriguing, but hardly intimidating. All that changed on November 27, 1953. Landing like a bomb on the front page of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin’s morning addition was what is widely
acknowledged as the very first big-wave photo. Shot by photographer and part-time Waikiki beachboy “Scoop” Tsuzuki, it depicted three surfers –Woody Brown, Buzzy Trent and George Downing – streaking across a sparkling, glassy, apparently 15-foot wall at Makaha, the trio perfectly positioned as if deliberately composed on the biggest wave anyone had ever seen. I use the term “apparently,” because Tsuzuki’s photo was so severely tilted in order to make the wave appear larger that it’s hard to accurately judge its size. The affect it had on the wider surfing world, however, is easily quantifiable. Waves of previously unimaginable size were now shown to be rideable. Just like that, a new ceiling had been established, and surfing would never again be depicted as solely the pursuit of fun in the suds.
Yet in 1953, there was still something at least relatable about that first image. The Makaha wall was big, sure, bigger than anything yet ridden on the Mainland, but the glassiness, the sunlight glinting off that smooth face; the wave, while intimidating enough, still looked inviting, looked doable. It sparked the imagination, rather than maxing it out. Which is why, only four winter seasons later, Waimea Bay, a wave previously thought to be unrideable, was surfed for the first time; five years after that, Pipeline. Surf movies of that era leaned heavily on imagery of big Hawaiian waves, with flickering, 16-mm footage of the late drops and bone-crunching wipeouts at spots like Waimea Bay, Sunset Beach and the Banzai Pipeline guaranteed to get the high school auditorium crowds stomping their flip-flops. Still, in their mind’s eye, a good number of those surfers hooting at the screen dared to at least imagine themselves riding those outrageous waves.
Fantasy? You bet. Then again, the key to all good fantasies is being able to place oneself into the picture, if only for fantasy’s sake. This is something that, until very recently, surfers were able to do. Now, thanks to surfers like Nathan Florence we’re no longer afforded even delusional projection, but as a culture have been reduced to simply observing, morbid fascination having supplanted fantasy. Be honest now, which would you rather watch: the ubiquitous GoPro shot capturing Nathan’s POV while successfully completing a ride at one of those scary slabs, or a pulled-back shot of him seemingly cheating death by holding his line through that same horrific barrel in front of exposed reef or rocks? If you picked the latter, join the club. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the definition of “vicarious” is to be “experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person.”
That’s what you get with Nathan’s GoPro perspective, but is it really what we want to see? Or is it the spectacle of this obviously highly motivated middle brother crisscrossing time zones and scouring continental shelfs in pursuit not of a collective fantasy but rather most surfer’s worst nightmares, his quest highlighted more by the fails than the makes, that we find so compelling? It’s my guess that, currently with 196,747,301 total YouTube views and 446,000 subscribers it’s abundantly clear that Nathan Florence is at the crest of a totally new wave of surfing content, one on which we tune in on a very regular basis not to marvel at what’s rideable, as in years past, but to watch what isn’t.
Don’t agree? Well, just consider that YouTube views for the opening rounds of the Shiseido Tahiti Pro a while back, featuring clean, eightfoot-plus Teahupo’o, a heat-winning performance by Kelly Slater and more than a few “excellent” rides, topped out at around 21,000, while Florence’s early May vid-drop titled “We Probably Shouldn’t Have Tried To Surf This Wave,” garnered more than ten times that total (222.5k views). Ten. Times. the. Total. I would say that answers the question. Wouldn’t you?
Photography by ason Reposar.
By Una Tasman
The sun begins to rise, peeking out of the bottom of the horizon, myriads of orange, pink and yellow streaking across the sky. A swirl of scents mingle in the morning breeze, carrying the sharp tang of saltwater contrasted against the sweet fragrance of tropical blooms. As she paddles out onto the tranquil waters, the swish of her board slices through the glassy surface and cascading ripples of water splash at her face. The taste of salt lingers on her lips, a reminder of the boundless expanse of sea stretching before her as far as the eye reaches. The rhythm of the waves crashing creates a calming white noise that grounds her, propelling her forward and with each paddle, she feels the ocean come alive through the relentless pulse of the tide.
She is the only person on the entire stretch of beach, she is alone yet she is not lonely. The intense feeling of awakening with the morning birds and the endless possibilities presenting themselves before her provoke an acute feeling of serenity and peace.
Not yet having wrapped her head around how the world works, she remains young, headstrong, and willing to do anything to accomplish her goals. In school, she is taught that her grades are the most important thing; they’ll get her into college, they’ll get her the best paying job. While on the beach, she is told to forget school, to ignore the ignorant who will try to get her to conform to society’s idea of success.
Yet she is eager to do both. How can she stand back and let our world destroy the precious reefs and breaks she surfs everyday. How can she convince people she loves the ocean and then do nothing to stop its destruction. How can she convince herself? And so, she will take the best of both worlds, she will use her passion to fuel her brain. She will study as hard as her mind lets her, and spend every minute her body can spare on the ocean.
Sometimes she misses school trips, what’s the point when you can spend that time training and coaching. Sometimes she misses surf competitions, she has an exam she needs to complete. They say she is lucky to be part of both communities yet having everything often feels like having nothing at all. She has never been the smartest in the room nor the most athletic but she is determined, and you must learn to never underestimate a woman’s determination. She will put her head down, and she will work, and it will pay off, she hopes.
Because that is all she has - her hopes and her dreams - it is all she will ever strive to be. She was raised on a beautiful island, surrounded by beautiful people. She has every opportunity at her fingertips; she just needs to take it.
Una Tasman, exploring her own endless opportunities.
Photography by Ulu Images
MARLON GERBER: IN THE DEEP BLUE
An excerpt from the new book IN DEEP: The collected surf writings of Matt George (With a foreword by Kelly Slater), Di Angelo Publications, 2024-Mg.
The night sky is pregnant with rain. A rare quiet has fallen over the tourist town of Kuta on the island of Bali. A foot-long tokay gecko kicks off its mating call from high in a tree and you can just hear the hushing sound of the surf down at the end of a side street alley. And if you find yourself sitting across an outdoor table from the Balinese professional surfer Marlon Gerber, and you listen, really listen, you will learn a great deal. If you sit with him on the front porch of his wooden house within the balcony restaurant compound and share a cold can of beer with him, he will speak in his soft way to you. In that comfortable yet watchful voice. This is a very private man, a solo act defined by an aloneness, an apartness. Of mixed blood, Swiss and Balinese, perhaps this separates him too. He will reserve his charming smile, looking like an intense warrior one second and a happy child the next. The effect is unsettling, how quickly he can change. Like a camera coming in and out of focus. And it’s that focus that you learn the most about on this November night. He will speak of how, at thirty years old, he feels very young. Better than ever, he will say. And that he is happy with his surfing life and that his dreams have all come true. Because he has always believed in his dreams and in the power that his dreams have held. He will also tell you that he does not consider himself a competitive animal. That his 2011 Indonesian Championship was for himself, to prove to himself that he could do it, to prove to himself that he was a good surfer, not just an average one. That he didn’t want to beat the other guy, and that to him, there is no other guy. That the championship was within himself and all he had to do was bring it out and that he did. And he will speak of his obsession with F1 racing. How he once was serious enough to go to driving school and how he found himself in the pits with the Mercedes team in Singapore and how it blew his mind. A metaphor for himself, he will say, in that there is a lot more going on at an F1 race than meets the eye. And that that is how he relates to it, how he loves the technology of F1, the precision, the focus. And you will hear his passion for this racing in his soft voice.
Then he will sit and think a bit, twisting a strand of his long dark hair between his fingers next to his cheek, and then he will tell you of how he felt when he lost his professional surfing sponsorship a few years back. The company had gone bankrupt. How he thought he was done for, that he would have to go back to school, learn something else. Go to Holland or Amsterdam or Zurich to study something. Maybe hospitality, manage big resorts here in Bali. How, at the time, that was his plan. And he will speak about how his brother in- law, Rizal Tandjung, saved his life for the second time. The first time was when he first took Marlon surfing at twelve years old, the second time was when Rizal, who was the director of the surf brand HURLEY for Southeast Asia, told Marlon that he didn’t need to go back to school, because Marlon Gerber was going to surf for the Hurley brand now. And Marlon will speak of how he had no idea how big the things were to come and that he has never been happier in his surfing life or with the surfing that he plans to do for the rest of his life. Marlon Gerber will then tell you of his first surfboard, the one that is still in his front yard, the one his old man picked up for him for three dollars, once red, now faded pink and moss-covered. And he will also speak of what it means to be of mixed blood. How tough it was growing up between two worlds. How he was never really allowed to feel Balinese
by the island’s kid culture, how he does not feel Balinese to this day, even though he was born and raised here. How it would feel wrong to think he was Balinese, and how he sees himself as something different. Even though he is fluent in Balinese and that all his good friends, whom he considers brothers, are Balinese. But he will say that doesn’t give him the feeling of being Balinese in his heart, how his biggest challenge in life was being considered a mixed blood kid growing up, how the caste system on Bali is brutal to a mixed blood kid. That he is not Hindu. That he finds his happiness in being half-Indonesian, not half-Balinese. And Marlon will keep twisting that strand of hair and speak of heartache. How deeply he has felt it in his life. How, at one time, he was so down he felt true hopelessness, and he will speak of the lesson he learned from it. That the mistake that people make when they are so in love or so heartbroken is that they think they are the only ones in the whole world feeling it. Whether they are in the nightmare or the cloud nine of love, Marlon will say that you must realize that you are not alone, that you just have to realize that it is your time to hurt. And that it happens to everybody, that the survivors are the ones who move on and heal the wounds of love patiently. And then Marlon Gerber will go quiet for a bit and a misty rain will start to hiss through the trees and he will look up at it. Letting the small droplets collect on his lips and his eyelashes, and that is when he will speak of his freediving, of being underwater, of how much it meant to him to train recently. How he felt so very calm thirty meters below the sea with just the air in his lungs to keep him alive. How he imagined it would feel the same on the surface of the moon. That aloneness. How that hovering down there in the blue deep with just a lungful of air made him feel irrelevant in an exceptional way. Just another speck in the Ocean, cut off from everything that has anything to do with being on land. How the whole world just shuts up. And the noise is replaced with a feeling of belonging to a different place in the world and of being not so alone after all.
To read full story and many more visit www.diangelopublications .com/books/in-deep or Amazon.com
Allan Byrne, August 2nd, 2013, the last photo ever taken of him. Portrait by Matt George
MOMENTS
Our islands are peppered with outpost expats that have made a life for themselves right in front of perfect surf. And when it pumps, more often than not, their local knowledge enables them surf circles around any visitors that might show up. Andrew Mooney, in deep and living the outer island dream.
Photography by Damea Dorsey
Proof positive of the emerging talents from the farthest reaches of our archipelago, and often having to struggle just to find someone to surf with, Aceh’s Dhiya Izdihaar blasts an air during a solo session at his own private break. Yet sometimes, surfing alone can be both meditative and performance enhancing.
Photography by Nobu Foku POWER BELONGING WOMANHOOD DRIVE.
MOMENTS
It’s not easy to work your way into the Padang Padang line-up as a woman, but Jasmine Studer’s gutsy surfing there has earned her a place in the pantheon. And this year, her breakthrough surfing has graduated from sheer survival into the realm of timeless style, ensuring that female barrel riding is here to stay at the gem of the Bukit.
Photography by Enrique Rodriguez
Having graduated to master status, Former Indonesian Champion Marlon Gerber is still drawing some of the cleanest lines on the island. Swinging into his turns with the momentum, grace and power of an F1 driver on his final lap.
A standout for decades, at this point, Marlon’s elegant surfing is a national treasure.
Photography by Antonio Vargas
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SINGLE FIN CLASSIC 2024: ULUWATU’S MOST ANTICIPATED SURFING EVENT
It’s hard to call this a contest, it’s more of a celebration. And the The 5th annual version took place in perfect 4-6 ft surf. With this year’s invitees list resembling what could have been a world championship event the level of surfing was off the hook.
The weekend began with a blessing and an official event opening ceremony in the Uluwatu cave. Things continued with a traditional Balinese dance and some insightful words from past World Champions Occy and Joel Parkinson. With the level of surfers and
waves that were on offer, the judges’ jobs were made easy with quick decision-making and 10-point rides handed out left right and centre from sunup to sundown.
Thank you to all this year’s sponsors including Island Brewing and Billabong.
We look forward to seeing you all next year for yet again, the Greatest Surf competition in the world.
Open mens: Women: Juniors: Masters:
Santos
Wawn
Hirst
Glinderman
Alliotti
Hendy
Hirst
Hearn
Bille
Blacky Setiawan
After witnessing the phenomenal performances at the Rip Curl Cup this year, we thought it might be time to remind everybody of just how far surfboard design has evolved. Tom Blake, circa 1929 on the left and 1924 on the right, with his cutting edge blades that he built himself. Now imagine yourself riding any one of these things at Padang Padang and you’ll get the idea of what we are trying to say here. Still, these were innovative and cutting edge boards then and the lineage of all surfboard design can be traced through the ages directly to the high-performance boards under your feet right now. This might be a good time to go see your shaper with a case of beer and thank him for your magic modern machines.
