Surf trips have a way of distilling the good, the bad and the completely unhinged into a handful of moments you’ll never forget. One day you’re chasing waves with your mates in the most remote corners of the globe, the next you’re sleep-deprived, half-starved and questioning every decision you made to get there. That tension, between euphoria and chaos, is what makes surf travel so addictive and unpredictable.
Our newest series Good Trip, Bad Trip is built on that contrast and who better to kick off with than a surfer who doesn’t mind a bit of a chaos – Harry Bryant. Haz thrives when things get a little loose – whether that’s pushing his limits in some of the most remote slabs in the world or venturing through unfamiliar territory overseas. His best trip is a love letter to South Australia which features some of the country’s most remote landscapes and gnarliest waves. His worst? A reminder that you need more than good waves to make it a score and on this occasion an unwelcoming reception at a Moroccan left contributed to a full blown physical and mental breakdown.
Good Trip – Slab Hunting and living out of a swag in South Australia
“My best trips have come while travelling within Australia. I feel so connected to so many parts of the country. Getting in your four wheel drive, hitting the road and going camping with your best mates – nothing beats that for me,” said Harry.
One particular trip that stands out to Haz came while filming for his Motel Hell project in remote South Australia. Harry was joined by free surfers Wade Goodall and Eithan Osborne, along with filmer Dave Fox and photographer Tom Robinson. The five of them, plus Harry’s dog Barry, piled into his Troopy Carrier and drove 28 hours across state lines from New South Wales, through Victoria and into SA.
“It’s a very raw and remote part of the country with some of the gnarliest waves on offer,” he said. “The water’s cold, you’re miles away from civilisation, there’s no warm or cosy meals, you’re camping in the dirt and fending for yourself.”
They set up camp and within a couple days Haz said they started going ‘feral’ – charging as hard as they could, eating whatever they could and doing whatever it took to get by.
“We started hearing whispers around the town that a huge swell was coming and that a crew was heading down to tow it,” said Harry. “We were like, ‘We’ve been camping in front of this wave for two weeks straight, we’re going to hold it down and we’re not letting anyone tow around us.'”
The wave in question is well known amongst the country’s seasoned slab hunters. Kipp Caddy listed it in the sketchiest setups he’s ever surfed. It draws from deep water before doubling, tripling and occasionally quadrupling up onto a shallow and sharp pinnacle-shaped reef. It’s the same place that left Dylan Longbottom with four broken ribs and a punctured lung while a 12-hour drive from the desert to the nearest airport.
“When we woke up on the morning of the swell, it was like 10 to 12 foot and practically closing out the bay. The waves were doubling up like crazy and Eithan claims it’s the gnarliest waves he’s ever seen,” said Harry.
“Our crew just started going wave for wave, the session was a full blown head-to-head battle with mother nature. It was such a sick feeling. The crew who turned up for the swell were like, ‘those boys are going nuts.’”
“It was a real mongrel approach to surfing. We were out there doing it purely for the love and to push our skill sets to the limit. The result was the most rewarding feeling I’ve felt in surfing.”
Harry believes his true colours shine brightest when he’s surrounded by remote landscapes and forced into survival mode.
“Some of the best times of my life have come while surfing in those environments. When we weren’t surfing, we were chopping wood for the fire, collecting water, it was full on survival and I love that aspect of travel and exploration. It feels like you have so much time when you’re out in the middle of nowhere and it gives you the chance to form some really strong bonds, whether it’s with the boys on the trip, the icons you meet in the country pubs or any of the characters from these remote towns.”
Of course, it wasn’t without consequence. During one heavy session, Wade had a near-death experience that still rattles Harry.
“Wade got stuck in a cave after a really bad wipeout and almost died,” he said. “He was underwater and his surfboard was blocking the exit to the cave. He had to kick his surfboard in half to escape, it was the most psycho thing to experience and thankfully he was okay.”
Despite the chaos, Haz rates it as his most successful trip to that zone.
“I’ve done that SA run a fair few times but on this occasion we got so lucky with the waves,” he said. “It was amazing having Eithan down there for his first time properly exploring Australia. It’s so far removed from what he is used to in California, he had never done a surf trip like this before and it was just amazing to see how mind blown he constantly was.”
Bad Trip – A Moroccan left with unwelcoming hosts during Ramadan
Haz’s worst trip also came while filming for Motel Hell. This time the odds were stacked against him from the start.
“I’d just come out of a ten year relationship which ended pretty badly and then I had to go on this trip to Morocco for Motel Hell,’ he said. “We’d been to this town before, which isn’t like Taghazout or Safi, it’s a lot more off the beaten track. The first time we were there we didn’t get enough footage and I knew we had to go back and surf this left which runs off a break wall.”
However, according to Harry, the locals who run the wave were not the most welcoming.
“The wave’s run by bodyboarders and they were some of the gnarliest people I’ve ever met. They would literally drop in on me, scream at me and spit on me,” he said.
“On one particular wave I too off and a bodyboarder came flying out of the lip. We got tangled and he came up about 15cm away from my face and started screaming. He spat on me and put his hand in my face. I was absolutely rattled.”
Harry’s turbulent time worsened out of the water. The trip coincided with Ramadan, which made day-to-day living difficult.
“We were staying at a local’s house but during the day everything was shut. We could barely get a meal,” he said. “I was trying to surf this wave while physically and mentally drained. I was so hungry and the whole situation almost brought me to tears, I had a full mental breakdown on the side of the break wall.”
During one session, Harry came in and found that his food had been eaten by rats.
“I never want to come across as ungrateful for the opportunity to travel the world and I always try to show respect every place I go. However, I absolutely hated it there. Every wave felt like I had a job to do and there was no enjoyment whatsoever. It was probably the most physically and mentally demanding things I’ve ever put myself through.”
Fast forward to 2026 and Harry finds himself back home on the South Coast of NSW. After a prolonged period high and dry with injury, he’s back in the water and ready to chase swells again. Here’s to hoping Haz has more trips like South Australia and less like his breakdown in Morocco.
