Ben Mondy caught up with Hart to discuss the two-months he spent at the end of the road.
Tracks: You’ve just turned 16, and you’ve just done a few months in Teahupo’o. How on Earth did you pull that one off?
Ha, I was lucky. I traveled with my mum at the end of May, and we just scored back-to-back swells and ended up staying longer than we first thought. Normally Dad comes too, but he works as a plumber in the mines, and he couldn’t risk getting caught up with the border closures, so he missed out.
And what about school?
I’m enrolled in Margaret River High School, doing a correspondence course and I get some exclusion for trips based on the athlete-endorsed program. So there’s flexibility there, though mum might say there’s too much (laughs).
And you grew up in Western Australia?
Yes, we live in Dunsborough. I was born in England, as both my parents are from there, but we moved to Dunsborough when I was three months old. Dad is from Devon, my mum grew up in Oxfordshire. Dad got into surfing and taught me, though I think I’ve started to outgrow my Dad’s level now.
Have you always enjoyed big waves?
Yes, I’ve always loved big waves from the very start. I’ve done some comps, but I’ve never really enjoyed them, or nowhere near as much as a big wave or a huge barrel. I like the big waves at home and Gnaraloo, and I’ve had one trip to Hawaii. I’d met Mason Ho and Nathan Fletcher at Desert Point and they said I should come over to Hawaii and push myself against the local groms. We went just before Covid hit and that was an incredible experience.
But Teahupo’o is a whole another level, right?
Yes, absolutely. And early on we had a series of big swells. There was so much talk before it about how nuts the swell was, and how gnarly and west it was going to be, but when I got out there I decided to have a crack and I ended up snagging one big one from the crowd. There was so much energy in the water, it was full on. It’s definitely one of the best and most terrifying and amazing waves in the world.
And how was the crowd?
Well, in the lineup there were some of the best barrel riders in the world, so it was pretty epic. Nathan Florence and his brother Ivan flew in. Lucas Chumbo and his brother Joao were there too. Plus all the local guys, so everyone was just charging. I felt like they pushed me, cause I wanted to get a wave like theirs.
Was there one memorable wave from the trip?
Yes, on that big day in June. I had been in the water a while, since the early morning, cause I wanted to prepare myself. I saw a few waves go through that nobody really looked at, and then a bigger one came. I saw my older mate from home Zac Haynes look at it, and Ivan Florence too, but I was deeper and I just put my head down, cause I knew I had to catch one. I got to my feet, and I just held my line and the wave did the rest for me and I scored the wave of my life.
And what’s the plan now?
I’d love it if this was my life, like a job. I just have to keep trying to get the best waves I can and keep chasing swells. I want to make a career out of this. I want to chase slabs in Morocco, in Europe too, Skeleton Bay; there are so many waves I want to try. I’ll need to juggle my school stuff, but with a bit of coverage and support, hopefully, I can at least give it a crack and see what happens.
Well, good luck, mate.
Cheers. I want to thank mum and dad for being so great and making this trip happen, and all the locals and filmers who made us feel so welcome. We were blown away by the whole experience.
