The blonde, mop-headed kid with a board under his arm may still be a well-known cultural icon of the Aussie beach, but there’s no doubt that the global face of surfing is in flux. With two Brazilians crowned world champ in the last two years, the forecasted ‘Storm’ has well and truly hit. But what does this mean for surf culture worldwide? The cultural contrasts between surfing’s dominant regions (the USA, Australia and Hawaii) and Brazil have, at times, kept Brazilian surfers under a haze of prejudice. But it looks as though the times they are a-changing. I spent a year living in Brazil at the age of 17 as a Rotary exchange student. I left my small beach town on the NSW south coast where I did little other than surf, and landed wide-eyed in Campo Grande, far-western Brazil. The town name means ‘Big Field’. I spent the year going stir-crazy in cowboy country, telling myself there are other things to life than surfing. A good learning curve I suppose, but maaaan was it good to smell the salt air when I finally made it to Rio. I went for a paddle on a rented, dinged-up board, but never really got to explore the surf culture in any depth. I did however get a feel for just how deeply engrained the love for sport is in the national psyche. When writing an article on the rise of Brazil as a surfing nation, I thought I’d best get some inside info. I asked Brazilian surfer Silvana Lima for her thoughts, and learned about her upbringing at the same time. Like Adriano De Souza, Lima came from humble beginnings. She grew up living in a hut on a beach in Paracurú, north-eastern Brazil, and learnt to surf on an old wooden door. Her father was a fisherman who had various other families. She believes she has around 20 siblings and does not know them all. (This brought back memories of my ‘Rotary father’ who had five children to five different women. The two youngest kids were just a few months apart in age and were both, coincidently, named Julia. Suffice to say the two mothers were unaware of the existence of the other at the time of naming.) Lima’s mother, unemployed and grappling with alcoholism, could not provide enough food for her five kids. Lima managed to pull herself out of … Read more

The North Shore looms large in the imaginations of surfers who have never been there but truth be told it’s just a small town where everyone seems connected to surfing in some way. A day before writing this I went to get my hair trimmed in Haleiwa, the cosy, pseudo-bohemian village that sits on the western fringe of the North Shore. ‘Kenny’s’ was a typical, old-school barber shop with a rickety ceiling fan, a dog-eared calendar on the wall and a single leather chair. Kenny’s only luxury was a small, flatscreen TV that let him keep an eye on the NFL games while he was adding the finishing touches to the Beckham quiffs. While the clippers gently hummed through my now standard all over number one cut, Kenny and I got talking. “I cut Kelly Slater’s hair before you know,” offered Kenny in his slightly camp, Hawaiian Chinese twang. Apparently, Kenny’s professional encounter with Kelly had taken place back in the era when Kelly had a full head of hair and maybe only a handful of world titles. “I didn’t even know it was Kelly Slater,” explains Kenny. “I just cut his hair and that was it … then a while later three Japanese surfers came in with a magazine and pointed to a photo and said they wanted Kelly Slater cuts. That’s when I tweaked that it had been Kelly Slater in my barber’s chair.” As I stared at my all over buzz cut in the mirror I couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact I wasn’t far off the modern Kelly cut. Encounters like this are inescapable on The North Shore. While watching the drama unfold at the Pipe Masters, I bumped into a friend from back home. Struggling to suppress the excitement, he explained how he’d wound up talking to Larry Bertlemann. Bertlemann was telling my friend how he had revolutionised the way surfers approached a wave. Now if almost anyone else was telling you this you might be inclined to call bullshit, but this was Larry Bertlemann – the man who won a can of spam in the first contest he ever entered. If he wanted to brag about changing the course of surfing while watching groms on million-dollar contracts then he seemed entitled to a little claiming. Just before flipping the lid on the laptop I was surfing Rocky Point where right on dark Jack … Read more

Tell us a bit about your yourself. I grew up in the middle of nowhere in England – we didn’t have a telly so between running around out- side and playing in the mud, I mostly drew things for entertainment. I’ve loved drawing since I was a kid so I ended up studying illustration at Uni, and I guess now it’s now. Do you have a connection with the sea? (there seems to be in your portfolio, I’m guessing you surf) Yeah, we grew up close to the water so it’s pretty special to me. I’ve gone on to live near the sea for a lot of my life so I’m a pretty obsessive surfer. A fucking horrible surfer, but obsessive. I don’t get in the water as much as I’d like at the moment because I’m currently living inland, so I’ve started whittling myself some boards to pass the time which is amazing fun. It feels like full circle to me, cruising around on some misshapen lump of toxic composite that you’ve lovingly crafted is a pretty good feeling. You seem to have some pretty cool clients, how did all this come about? Did you chase them or did they find you? And who’s been your fave? It’s a strange combination of chasing people and hassling far more than I’m comfortable with, and being approached completely out of the blue. I guess the Internet is a pretty handy tool for both sides of that relationship. My favourite clients aren’t always the bigger ones, maybe the best was a European snowboarding magazine. I only did a winter’s worth of tiny illustrations for them, but they were pretty indifferent to a pre-prescribed subject matter – just as long as it was relatively puerile, mildly offensive to something worth offending, and raised a smile they we’re stoked and it ran. Have you learnt anything interesting or funny about one of your subjects when researching them? Well I debatably know more than would be consid- ered healthy about Laird Hamilton’s improbable work-out regimen, unorthodox watercraft collection, and unconventional world views… Any illustrators past or present that have influenced your work? There’s too many to mention. There’s so, so many exceptionally talented people putting work out at the moment, it’s fucking crazy. It’s almost dangerous to look too much though because it’s so easy to find yourself being overly influenced by other people’s work, … Read more

“Growing up I was always passionate about surfing but I didn’t set my sights on winning contests, surfing Pipeline or on anything really. I was just a kid from Maroubra. I idolised Gerry Lopez, Rory Russell and Wayne Lynch but I had no plans to surf against them. I surfed in club contests and junior events but the doors opened up for me when I won the first pro event I entered, the Surfabout Contest on the Northern Beaches. After that I was invited into the Pipe Masters. Surfing Pipeline came pretty naturally. The waves were so perfect, I had a big board and I was skinny back then and it seemed to suit the way I surfed. I was feeling pretty confident after the Surfabout win and I gave myself plenty of time to prepare. The waves were great – 6-10 foot – right through the tournament except for the finals day. Competitive surfing was tough then. There were six people in a heat and it could be hard just to get waves. I was thrilled to get the win but it happened so quickly I was shocked more than anything. I was only 19 and pretty much an unknown. The following year [1979] the waves were bigger and stayed great for the final. There was animosity towards some of the Australians in Hawaii at that time. I copped a bit of abuse, some of my boards speared and they made it tough for me in the contest. I was lucky to keep getting through heats. In the final it was 8-10 foot and there was Dane Kealoha, Mark Richards, Tom Carroll, Shaun Tomson, Larry Bertlemann, and myself. Kealoha was way out in front and on all the good ones. He caught 10 waves and back then you couldn’t catch any more so he went in. I ended up picking up two great waves in the last 10 minutes, while he was on the beach watching, and ended up winning. The prize money was $4000 and the trophy was a perpetual one so I never got to take it home. I asked Randy Rarrick for a remembrance trophy a few years ago and he said, “Larry, you don’t need one”. I still go back to Hawaii but I no longer surf Pipeline. For the record: Larry was the first Aussie to win the Pipe Masters and to win it … Read more

The Motivation: We grew up in Santa Barbara surfing poly boards and they dinged and broke all the time and we thought ‘there’s got to be something better’. I went to engineering school and one of the introductory classes was all about the materials that go into really high tech bicycles. It got me thinking that if they use all these high tech materials in bikes why can’t you make a surfboard with better materials? First we used Varial foam in the rail of the board. Then we thought, ‘let’s make something shapers can shape and the Varial foam that we’ve adapted from an aerospace formula will go insane as a core in the board.’ Making Surfboards Better: We figured out that one way to make surfboard better is to make a much higher performance core. The key with making a core better is that you want to make it more rigid and you want to do that without adding weight. That requires using a whole new chemistry of foam. How It Works: One of the key design concepts from the beginning was that we wanted this to feel a lot like a regular board but better. By keeping the overall bending,twisting and stiffness the same it’s a really natural progression, except the surfer experiences this extra push back and responsiveness. Shaper Feedback: At first people saw a stringerless blank and it was a little intimidating. But once they started shaping they loved the texture of the foam as it’s so much easier to shape than polyurethane. The finish is smooth and it glasses really well. Pros Going Varial: Italo [Ferriera] got the first board over in Portugal and by the time the CT contest came along he was riding it in competition. Shane [Dorian] has been riding them, Mick [Fanning] has tested one and Mitch Coleborn has been getting a few with Chilli and Keanu Asing is developing a board with Tokoro. The Challenges: Any new technology that’s disruptive is challenging. When you do something for so long it’s hard to break that mould. One of the challenges we face is that this is a more expensive product. We’re trying to change the mindset of surfboard consumers and show that this is going to help them surf better, and will last longer. The Future: Polyurethane hasn’t progressed in 50 years so we’re not looking for a one per cent … Read more

If winning the world title and victory at the Pipe Masters was the coup de grace for Adriano the battle begun long ago. Born and raised at the “favela” of Santo Antonio, city of Guarujá, in the state of São Paulo, the son of a longshoreman from San- tos Harbour and a humble housewife, he saw in surfing a path for a better life and aimed high. In a local contest when he was ten years old, he poked a notorious coach and team manager in the leg, saying, “I’m going to be world champion, get me a sponsor.” Shortly after, the man, Luiz Henrique Campos, aka Pinga (today coach and manager of Jadson Andre and Italo Ferreira ), took the boy un- der his wing and helped him navigate the road to fulfilling his dreams. The relationship lasted almost 15 years and helped Adriano become the youngest world pro Junior champion at age 16, the number one WQS qualifier in 2005 and a three-time top five finisher on the WCT. While Pinga helped ADS construct a winning mentality, his older brother, Angelo, was the one who first pushed him and ingrained in him the work ethic and discipline that have come to typify Adriano’s career. 12 years older than Adriano, Angelo was the original surfer of the family. As a military officer he wasn’t at home much, and fearing his younger brother would fall victim to the distractions and temptations of the Favela he gave him a board. It cost something like 30 reais (12 AUSD). It might not have looked like a magic carpet but it would become a catalyst for great things. The tutelage of JOB in full effect. Photo: Joli. From Angelo, AKA Mineiro, Adriano also got his nickname: “Mineirinho”. Figuratively, the title de- scribes a shy person that listens more than they talk. He was 8 years old by then. “I was always the last to be chosen in the soccer matches at school, so when I got that board I went right into surfing,” recalls the champ, who now relies on an elaborate quiver of Channel Islands shapes. Combining talent with unparalleled commitment, a young Adriano started to beat older guys and leapfrog traditional rights of passage. He won his first pro contest in Brazil when he was 15, but was three years too young to ride the motorcycle which came as first prize. … Read more

First Things First Our small crew from Tracks arrives on the North Shore during interesting times. Tiger sharks have been roaming the seven-mile stretch tearing off legs like a greedy diner with his chicken dinner. Meanwhile, the Hells Angels have bought a property right next door to the famed Foodland supermarket. Everyone is waiting anxiously to see how much bikie gang muscle moves on surfing harrowed stretch and what happens when the Hells Angels chief runs into Eddie Rothman in aisle three at Foodland. There’s a world title to be decided and Australia’s claims to surfing supremacy are seriously under threat from a trio of Brazilians who torment Mick Fanning like The Three Musketeers attacking Rob Roy. There’s also a group of surfers fighting to secure or reclaim their position in the lucrative upper echelon of surfing, the WCT, where you get to decipher Strider Wasilewski’s questions and wear your own numbered jersey. With so much going on the plan is to keep fast and loose and try to explore some of the less visible aspects of North Shore life during contest season. The first thing I do after dumping my bags is head to Rocky Point to check the surf. In the modern era, Rocky Point lefts is the wave where the world’s best flyers show up to try and pull the biggest aerial of their lives. The warbly lefts jack and double up over a combination of sand and reef, sling-shotting surfers into crumbly-lipped sidewinders that transform into trampolines in the cross-shore trades. It seems like every wave at Rockies lefts is an opportunity to redefine surfing and when a few specialists paddle out together, the Rocky Point air show can be one of the most spectacular free surfing events in surfing. Aware that they may capture a manoeuvre at the zeitgeist of aerial surfing, the photographers congregate at Rocky’s, usually taking up posts along the craggy slab of volcanic rock that gives the wave its name. Companies like having their team houses close by because their surfers can be on it when the waves turn on, meanwhile the girls love it because the beach has a nice stretch of sand and there’s always plenty going on in and out of the water. A good day at Rockies can be like a little surftopian scene with crews set up on the beach, kids playing in the rock pools … Read more

In the helter skelter race for WCT qualification a single moment can change the course of your life. Surfing in the Vans World Cup at Sunset, Ryan Callinan was on course to qualify for the world tour on his own steam. Ryan had led his round 3 heat for most of the way but in the gasping seconds Gabriel Medina tiled the roof of an inside bowl at Sunset, pulled the hail-mary free-fall and simultaneously shattered the dreams of Ryan Callinan and fellow Australian, Connor O’Leary. It was the cruelest of moments, as if the kid with everything had come to the playground to rip off everyone else’s lunch. Medina’s Houdini floater set Callinan up for one of the most nerve-wracking days of his life. On the final day of competition Ryan had to grind nails on the sidelines, his destiny tied up in the hands of three other surfers and the whims of Sunset. To qualify Connor Coffin needed to reach third in his semi-final, Dusty Payne required the same result, while Ryan’s compatriot Stu Kennedy was chasing a fourth in the final. If two of these guys did what they needed to do Ryan was back to beach-break bopping on the WQS. On the morning of that fateful day Callinan surfed early and then watched the first heat in which his good friend Frederico Morais had been drawn against Connor Coffin, John John Florence and Italo Ferreira. “I was kind of hoping that Frederico could have almost single-handedly helped me qualify by beating Connor,” recalls Ryan. When Coffin progressed, Ryan initially resigned himself to not watching any further heats. “Then I thought, I’ll just watch from the quarters because that’s when all the action will happen.” By this stage Ryan was at the Billabong Pipe house, where two big couches had been set up around the TV so that all present could watch the qualification drama unfold. Pretty soon Ryan found himself flanked by his girlfriend, Joel Parkinson, Taj Burrow, Craig Anderson, Sean Doherty and photographer, Duncan Macfarlane. The scene was a bit like watching your team play a football grand-final with the injured captain standing next to you in the room. While Dusty Payne dropped out of the equation in the quarters, Stu Kennedy and Connor Coffin continued their march through the rounds. When Coffin finished third in his semi, the Californian’s place on the CT was … Read more

Here’s a little secret. Hawaii is not that heavy. It can be, sure, but most days it falls blissfully short of its death-or-glory reputation. Surf mags zoom in on the biggest days, the bravest feats, the occasional hospitalisation. But these are the spikes, not the norm. The new arrival can feel like it’s only a matter of time before they’re ground into the reef, swept out to sea or had their fins removed by Wolf Pack teeth. It can come as a welcome surprise to find you’re banking memories of perfect waves, communal vibes and genuine encounters with the Aloha spirit. Hawaii is, of course, the birthplace of surfing and worth visiting for that fact alone. Surfing is elevated by its esteem in Polynesian culture and it’s humbling to experience it firsthand. You feel part of something bigger than yourself – an ancient ocean culture. Then there are the waves – among the biggest and most perfect on earth. Hawaii remains the ultimate testing ground for courageous surfers. It’s most famous – Pipeline, Sunset, Waimea – loom large in the collective imagination. Watching them fire can cause gooseflesh to ripple down your spine. Actually surfing them is an experience you will never forget. Pipeline, Sunset and Waimea are the big three but you may never surf them. Oahu is strewn with lesser-known high calibre waves. There are over 50 named spots on the North Shore alone; it isn’t called the seven-mile miracle for nothing. From wind-swept outer reefs to playful near-shore rip bowls, there is a playground for everyone. While many spots get insanely crowded, others don’t and if you learn their moods you can find yourself rocketing down glistening double overhead walls with only a handful of takers. The Hawaiian pilgrimage is calling. Dingo is another Aussie to fall under Hawaii’s spell and its not hard to see whyOahu is a full on assault to the surfing sensesOahu is a full on assault to the surfing senses Digs and Budgets Rooms on the North Shore are a hot commodity in peak contest season but you can rent a room or split a bungalow close to the action if you book early (see: Keiki Beach Bungalows or check Craigslist, Airbnb, Stays). If you’re on a surf rat budget you may end up at the notorious Plantation Village Backpackers (formerly Foos). According to recent reviews, dorms come complete with bed bugs, … Read more