Russell Bierke had a hell of a winter on the North Shore. The humble, hard charging kid from the south coast of NSW arrived on the seven-mile miracle as the WSL circus left town. As fate would have it his timing coincided with the best swells of the season. At 18 the young big wave surfer has quickly earned a reputation as one of the best in waves of consequence. And after appearing in standout sessions on the North Shore this season and snagging, “the best wave I’ve ever gotten at Pipe” his star continues to rise. Tracks spoke to Russ after he arrived home in Ulladulla to recharge after a bumper Hawaiian season.
So Russ why is late season the best time to go to Hawaii?
Russell Bierke: Generally you get the biggest swells in January, which is considered late season because all the contests are done and everyone has gone home. So it kind of goes hand in hand if you’re a freesurfer trying to get footage because you don’t need to be there for the comps.
I suppose there’s a bit more Aloha in the water too?
Yeah once everyone has left I feel that the vibe in the water is a lot more relaxed and it’s easier to get waves so long as you’re respectful and friendly.
When did you arrive and how long was your stint?
I arrived on the 9th of December and flew home on the 22nd of January. It was a pretty solid stint.
It seemed to pump from Christmas Day and is continuing into Feb. Any stand out sessions?
Christmas Day was a pretty good day. Everyone was pretty hungry out there but there were plenty of waves to go around. Then it backed off and for the [Da Hui Backdoor] Shootout that swell started a little run again. On the 19th the swell was pretty maxed out at Pipe and I had my best surf of the trip out there.
Was that the day of that monster second reef roll in you snagged?
Yeah that was it.
How does a moment like that come about when you’ve got a pecking order to deal with, huge swell marching in and are at one of the heaviest waves in the world? What’s going through your mind at that moment when a huge tepee stands up in front of you at Pipeline?
That day was actually relatively easy to get waves off the crowd because there were continuous wash throughs. You pretty much had to be on your toes and try not to get washed in. Before that second reef roll I got a right and there was no way I was paddling back out through the right that day. I went in and paddle back out at the left and thought I’d watch the next set and watched the whole lineup just get washed to the beach. I paddled over and for a couple of minutes it was just me on the button. Then John John paddled out and it was just both of us just sitting there. I waited another 15 minutes as the lineup started scrambling back and thought, Oh no my window’s closing.’ [Laughs]. Then that wave came to me and I knew I had to go.
Was it the best wave of your winter?
Yeah it was probably the best wave I’ve ever gotten at Pipe. It’s pretty rare you get a day where you’re lucky enough to get a wave that good out there.
Did you consciously make an effort to focus your attention on Pipe this year?
Yeah I was really trying to focus on Pipe and the swells really suited it this season. It definitely made it a lot easier on just surfing Pipe.
It felt like the younger generation really stepped it up this year. Koa Rothman, Nathan Florence, John John and co. Is there a changing of the guard at Pipe or did those guys just stand out this season?
Those guys went pretty nuts this year. But if one of the old boys like Derek or Mike Ho who have been charging Pipe for decades paddle out and want a wave they will definitely get it. Those young guys definitely respect that and give them the waves they want.
For you personally, is Hawaii still the place for you to show people what you can do?
Yeah definitely. Being a freesurfer and chasing big-waves means there’s no other than Hawaii. It has more focus on it that anywhere else in the world.
Last year you released your edit ‘Bezerke’ which was really well received. You also won the Cape Fear Challenge and those hook ups with fellow south coast madman, photographer, Leroy Bellet blew minds. Would it be fair to say 2016 was a pretty good year?
[Laughs]. Yeah 2016 was an amazing year for me. Being able to release a film was pretty crazy. It was non-stop chasing waves which was sick.
Being in the thick of the digital media revolution and in light of print magazines folding at a rate of knots do you sometimes feel that there are becoming less and less avenues to promote yourself?
Yeah I feel like it’s definitely more in the hands of the individual than say ten years ago when surf mags were huge and booming. It sucks that Surfing [magazine] closed down. Everything is more online now so you have to keep your Instagram, Facebook and whatever else updated. Those are becoming the major ways to promote yourself.
Do you have an opinion about how that shift towards online might change surf culture? As a modern day pro surfer does the popularity of post or clip justify how valuable you are?
I think it’s a lot more than just being able to surf well now. There are a lot of people who are really good surfers who should be a professional surfer. But if you can’t promote yourself to an audience then to a brand as much as it sucks you’re pretty much useless to sell their stuff. I guess it’s in your own hands to market yourself and it’s not an easy thing to do.
I suppose it gives you a lot of freedom though too. If you want to make something happen it’s your idea you’re taking to the table.
It’s definitely not a bad thing it’s just changing but it does offer you a lot of pathways to take. It’s only going to be good for surfing it’s just another type of progression.
What have you got your sights on this year? Do you have an appetite to chase the Big Wave World Tour or are you happy chasing slabs around the world?
It’d be sick to get into a couple events of the BWWT and I’m talking to a couple of people to try and make that happen. But I feel like I would be happy to chase slabs and try and find the biggest barrels that are around as well.
