Last November I found myself inside an ornate temple in regional Taitung, on Taiwan’s east coast. Head bowed, hands clasped, I sought a direct line with the gods. New to Taiwan, new to temples, new to prayer, I only hoped I wasn’t setting back my cause. Specifically, I was angling for a thumping big typhoon to send overhead waves and offshores howling in my direction. It was an appeal that probably ran contrary to the wishes of the local fishing and insurance industries but I was willing to give it a go. Everyone I’d met so far in Taiwan had been very accommodating and the temple was devoted to the Goddess of the Sea. I figured if anyone could rustle up a four-footer it would be Mazu. For three days I’d been taking in the amazing scenery, eating delicious steamed wontons and dodging monsoonal rains. Travelling solo and utilising local guidesI’d found fun waves in protected bays and had seen enough set ups to be jazzedon the potential. Normally I defer to meteorologists for swell checks but itfelt somehow right to be going through celestial channels. Taiwan is busy with gods. No one knows how many exactly but the figure of 36,000 is sometimes casually thrown around. Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are all well represented, as are more ancient and localised idols. Not all are gods as such – some are more like saints, ghost or spirits. Many were once mortals who were elevated to religious icon status after they did something unscientific and totally awesome. Like Mazu. The Sea Goddess Mazu is Taiwan’s most popular deity. She crushed it Beyoncé-style back in the tenth century. A precocious shamaness with the ability to read the future, exorcize demons, dance up a literal storm; she could shape shift and astral travel. Mazu is said to roam the seas protecting sailors and fisher folk through miraculous acts. In a famous legend she saves her brothers from a typhoon while in a deep trance and weaving. So a multi- tasker as well. Some seafarers still carry shrines to Mazu today. In fact, of the 1500 temples in 26 countries devoted to Mazu around the world two thirds of them are in Taiwan. And what’s really interesting is that their numbers have doubled since 1980 and multiplied by a factor of 12 since 1911. In other words, despite being a thoroughly modern country Taiwan … Read more

DIXON PARK NEWCASTLE WITH RYAN CALLINAN Ryan Callinan is a tall man, and this is a big old tube. Photo: Bosko.Tim Laurie is in his sixties and doing this! Photo: Bosko.Paul Snow finds a slice of the North Shore in the Steel City. Photo: Bosko. Tracks: It’s no secret you’ve had a rough year, it must’ve felt good to have a release like that – scoring such good waves at home with friends? Ryan Callinan: It was just one of those special days, we have had some good days through the year but nothing like this. Itwas awesome to see how many people were just watching on the hill and cheering. The spirits were high for everyone – the surfers and the spectators. Everyone was so happy to be there and just be a part of the day.It was no exception for me. Just to be at home on a day like that … I’m so happy I got to be a part of it. Did you know that swell was coming? Did you have any idea how good it would be? I saw the swell was coming but didn’t think it would be anywhere near that good. I went up the coast the day before, and everywhere was maxing out. I had a surf, but it was nothing special. I arrived home on dusk to find some huge, crazy barrels out the front. I rushed out for a couple but didn’t make any. I saw the potential and thought I should have just stayed here all day. I thought I’d blown it. I thought the next day (the good day) was going to drop way more than it did. I woke up in the dark just hoping for some fun waves, but when I got down there the swell had held and it was pumping. I couldn’t believe it. It was also special because normally that swell direction isn’t very good for that part of the beach. It was a very unique day and it played out perfectly. What is it about Newy? It just seems to handle these massive swells so well. Yeah it is good when the swell comes up. It does depend on banks, but normally if there is a big swell and good winds it turns on somewhere. Sometimes you can chase your tail a bit, but sometimes it’s just magical and you don’t have … Read more

As we circled Norfolk Island and I gazed down at the hypnotising water andlush vegetation, I realised I was about to explore the myths of a land that had preoccupied my imagination since I was a boy. Growing up in Manly, where the Norfolk Pines line the beach like giant arboreal sentinels, I’d always wondered about the place that first gave rise to these glorious, skyscraping trees. Our mission was to ride a new wave we’d been tipped off about by local photographer and surfer, Zach Sanders. I’d be hunting big barrels with friends in what seemed like an enchanted location – for me it doesn’t really get any better than that. With the promised swell not due to collide with the island for a coupleof days we had time to be swept up in a current of island adventure and hospitality. After a quick surf in dreamy, blue water at Kingston Reef, Zach took us exploring in his boat, skilfully navigating the myriad of coves and hidden inlets that Norfolk plays host to. Our afternoon was spent leaping from pre-historic cliffs and swimming through dark and mysterious underwater caves. As night fell, the Sanders family treated us to fish fry on the beach and I obliged the small gathering with a few tunes on my violin, which I always bring on trips. ‘Twas a splendid way to end a day where everything had been new and exciting to the senses. We had already been made privy to many of the island’s wonders but particular mention should be made of Zach’s son Charlie for his charming rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, beneath a celestial-lit Norfolk sky. Finger-gripping ascent of an ancient rock-face. Photo: Zach Sanders. The next morning we climbed a hill to check the Bommie. I soon learned thatI was standing in a sloping paddock owned by the sister of a friend (Ben Brown) from Manly. All this only added to the sense of connection I already felt to this place. The swell wasn’t showing up on the Bommie yet but there were other options. Given the island’s vertiginous fringes, it’s no surprise that some of the best surf spots are located at the base of incongruous cliffs. Barney Duffy’s is one such wave and it requires the sure-footedness of a mountain goat to make the steep descent – but before we went over the ledge we had … Read more

Imagine deciding that you were going to take your three-year-old son and three-month-old daughter on a global surfing adventure that spanned six continents, 15 countries and 40 cities. Intrepid, surfing-super-couple, Aamion and Daize Goodwin, not only embarked on the ultimate family adventure, they filmed the whole experience with good friend, Jess Bianchi. Aamion is best known as the tall, string-limbed goofy-footer who climbed the North Shore ranks to become a modern Pipeline specialist, while Daize is a former two-time world long-boarding champion. Given, directed by Jessi Bianchi, is a global adventure that immerses you in the Goodwin’s quest to embrace the richness and diversity of the planet’s natural and human wonders. Told through the eyes of their six-year-old son (whose name is Given), the film is a travel epic that fully delivers on the sensory overload scale. Exquisitely shot and edited, it’s not so much a documentary as a cinematic experience that rips you out of your daily grind and makes you question why you are not seeing more of the world. While their itinerary is guided by their passion for waves, the Goodwins take anything but a predictable route as they journey to Israel, Iceland, Thailand, Nepal and Senegal, along with a bunch of better-travelled coastlines in Australia, South Africa, Peru and Fiji. The film focuses on the majesty of the natural world and the dignity of the diverse humans who walk upon it. Meanwhile, the surfing action provides an engaging counterpoint to the geographic odyssey, as Aamion spears purposefully through tubes and Daize shuffle-steps elegantly against sunset backdrops on her long-board. The film is intentionally idealised, but you also have to be mindful that we are supposed to be seeing the world through the eyes of a child – a technique which helps return us to the innocence of our own youth. The spectacular landscapes, intriguing human subjects and kaleidoscope of different cultures all make you want to believe in the planet and the people who call it home. This is perhaps the film’s greatest achievement – that in a time when the mainstream media serves up a constant diet of fear, scepticism and division, The Goodwin’s epic adventure reminds us that there is still a world of good will, wonder and excitement waiting to be experienced. All we have to do is start our own journey. AAMION AND GIVEN GOING DOUBLES ON A PERUVIAN POINT. In the … Read more

The person that had the greatest influence on my early surfing life was not someone from a poster on my wall, but a local icon from the south coast. Damo turned up in town when I was 14 – back in the homeland after five years of gallivanting the globe with his surfboard under arm. As far as I was concerned, he was a blow-in. I’d never seen him in the surf before, and I was out there every bloody day! I’d paddled out into a rough and slightly daunting overhead line-up. Stroking into an ugly looking right-hander, I heard someone yell: Goooo giiiiiiirl! I went, where I might have pulled back otherwise, and that set the precedent for our friendship. Damo was 27 then, and wanted to start a business coaching intermediate groms. As such, me and my mate Mitch became his guinea pigs. It was a hoot. We’d pile into his Troopy of an afternoon, do the routine surf check, before suiting up and hurtling into the line-up. Damo would join us often, between filming from the sand, forever goading us to go bigger and deeper, teaching by example, with his signature style of calculated recklessness. He tutored us in and out of the water: when we got our L-plates, we’d take turns getting behind the wheel of the troopy, Damo barking instructions from the passenger seat. Later he took me and three mates (two girls and two guys – all of us 16 years-old) to Indo on a three-week surf trip. The itinerary: G-land, Roti, Bali. A swell hit while we were in G-land. A big one. And we were out there, adrena- lin levels through the roof. I was scared shitless, navigating Speedies on my backhand, but at that time I’d have preferred to kiss the reef than chicken out in Damo’s company. That swell sent my mate and I panic-paddling for the horizon several times – wide eyed and gobsmacked, wondering whether this was goodbye. We left having copped a few memorable beatings, with minor reef gashes and having surfed some of the gnarliest waves of our lives. Next stop was Roti, an island off West Timor. This was a lesson in cheap and immersive travel. For a higher price you could take the fast boat from Kupang, which got you to Roti in a few hours. Damo booked us onto the slow boat, the … Read more