Innehållsförteckning för #372 - Spring 2024 från Surfing Life

THE DROP Nhundu wanhtharra. Does being a master of your universe involve mastering the art of surfing life? Would that look similar for a punter and a pro? The axiom “the ocean doesn’t discriminate” seems overused, a clichéd surf philosophy. Though it’s true, there are different ways to explore it. Yes, the ocean treats us equally regardless of class, gender, physique, and genetic makeup; all are humbled by its strength and immensity, toppling our fragile egos to the bottom of the planet’s food chain as insignificant human specks in a vast universe. There’s more than one facet of this popular quote: the ocean’s energy transfer doesn’t discriminate either. It appears to amplify the emotive energy. What each of us gains from the sea is non-discretionary, too. An extrovert hoots, shaka-celebrates,…

Travel is a cultural exchange—intertwined and unable to unravel. To succeed is obvious; we must leave our sanctuary called “home”. Sometimes, when we venture afar with an unrealised hope for a significant connection to people and place, we gain more than epic surf tales. A fulfilling trip expands that “family” or “familiar” feeling, a home away from home. Overseas adventures are moreish. The more we travel, having “many homes” away from home, the more we are connected to our planet, expanding our identity as an Earthling, an ocean-paddler, or a surf safarian. “WE ROCKED UP TO THREE-TO FOUR-FOOT, CLEAN, OFFSHORE, PUMPING RIGHT TUBES.” One of the OG Aussie surf bands (formed in the mid-seventies), Midnight Oil, penned the song “First Nation”, describing Australia as “a nation within the nation”. Though…

Sports is a parable for life. Play and work. Success and failure. Luck and misfortune. There’s not many more sports that we pick ourselves up more often than in surfing. Every wave requires a rise and fall. Some, a feathery touchdown. Others, a bone-rattling jolt to the core. The fluctuations of the sea represent an analogy or our existence. The next big event in life is approaching, like the waves shaping up on the horizon. We know it’s coming—just don’t know exactly how and when. The currents of life wash through our days, alternatively as tranquil as a tidal pool or as ravaging as a tsunami, and occasionally as euphoric as being spat out of the barrel. Surfing serves as a pastime, a passion, and for many a sense of…

Since the dawn of time, humanity has landed upon innovations that completely shifted history’s course and opened new worlds of possibility. First came fire, later the wheel, the light bulb, the printing press … then came Lightning Bolt surfboards. Gerry Lopez’s boards were undeniably game-changing and gave way to several future innovations over the following decades, including Mark Richards’ twin fin, Allan Byrne’s channels, Geoff Mccoy’s ‘Lazorzap’ and Simon Anderson’s thruster. This group of world-class surfers and design fanatics not only shaped boards but shaped the entire surf industry and the approaches to surfing a wave. GERRY LOPEZ – LIGHTNING BOLT The shortboard revolution gripped surfers of the ’60s. They went from riding 10-foot boards to seven-foot boards, tube riding was all the rage, and Pipeline was the ultimate test.…

Surfing Life: Will surf movies ever go back to hard copies like DVDs? Spenny: As much as I loved getting a classic DVD in the monthly surf magazines, I think that ship has sailed. The internet and social media have kind of taken over, and everyone can watch those surf films now on their phones or computers. I don’t see this as a bad thing. I think it opens up the potential for a way bigger audience and lets more people from all over the world watch our films. What styles of surf movies do you see happening in the next ten years? I think there’ll still be a huge variety of the type of surf films we’ll see in the next ten years. Vlogs and high-performance surf edits are…

Sydney-born and Bali-raised fifteen-year-old Ziggy, or “Zig” to her inner circle, has been reared on ocean devotion, travelling and surfing the globe with her board-riding, salt-infused family. And, as the catchphrase goes, she’s back, baby—living in Oz. When society refers to a teen’s “growth spurt”, it usually means a rapid increase in height. For Ziggy Mackenzie, we’re talking about a rapid increase in wave size. At 12 years of age, she charged Uluwatu’s outside reef break—at a macking ten-foot (triple overhead for the golden-haired, knee-high-to-a-sea-gnat grom). At 15 and living in Yugambeh-speaking Country (Gold Coast), Zig earned a spot in the Challenger Series (Gold Coast Pro), donned a gold medal, and was crowned a national champ. But before we delve into details, we crank back the clock to that moment…

When did you start surfing? I started surfing when I moved to the West Coast at the age of 20—a bit of a late start. That was about 13 years ago. I used to surf every single day, no matter what, but now my body is catching up with me. I still surf a lot these days, just a few times a week, depending on the conditions and the time of year. Did you first pick up a lens to capture surfing, and how long have you been shooting? I started shooting photos right out of high school, around the age of 18. I had big ambitions of being a snowboard photographer and was initially drawn to the mountains more than the ocean. However, I began shooting surfing at the…

At the start of winter, the Tweed Sand Bypass people pumped tonnes of sand along the beach at D’bah. It made for some short, sharp waves breaking very close to dry sand for a couple of weeks, reminiscent of another quality beach break up the opposite end of the Gold Coast. Zyah Hession probably spends more time out at D’bah than just about anyone these days, so of course, he was there to take advantage of the punchy peaks. Surfer: Zyah HessionAperture value: f/5.6 Exposure time: 1/4000Focal length: 12 mm FisheyeISO speed: 400…

The Gold Coast’s most northern point break is home to one of the CT’s innovative guards, Liam O’Brien. Aussies love shortening long names and lengthening short names. LOB, Liam O’Brien’s nickname, is self-explanatory, merging the three capitals of his first and surname. Brisbane-born and Gold Coast-raised (apart from moving away for three years to Portland and Melbourne as a child), the prodigal surfer returned to the world-class, right-hand barrelling waves of Jellurgal 1 (Burleigh Heads) and has lived there since. Now twenty-five years old and enrolled in a engineering university degree, Liam considers himself more of a workhorse than a surfing prodigy. Initially employed in the warehouse at Vissla to fund his surfing campaign, LOB is the modern all-rounder in surfing and life. This 180-centimetre academic is addicted…

What’s on your ultimate list of surf spots you want to hit before you die? Are you a big-wave Dave who fantasises about swinging under the ledge of a 25-foot cube at Mavericks? Or maybe you’re a certified cone fiend who wants to lose track of time staring out of a crystal blue orb at Desert Point? No matter your surfing ability, bravery, stance or experience, there are dream waves out there for every surfer in this beautiful place we call Planet Earth. And here at Surfing Life, we want to equip you with the expert knowledge and insider tips you need to take them on in style. So we reached out to our favourite surf coach, Matt Grainger, founder of Manly Surf School and Surfers Gym—who happened to be…