It’s 5:30 am in the Mentawai islands and self-styled surfing physio, Scott Johnstone, is putting a group of surfers through a pre-surf warm up.
On a custom built floor space at Hidden Bay Resort, grommets from the Capitulo Perfeito barrel-riding event and middle-aged wave warriors are bending and twisting their way into the day. “The goal of the warm up is to prepare the body for the demands of the upcoming surf,” explains the spartan-bearded physio. “We’re aiming for dynamic movement, some activation and just to get some blood moving,” he continues. Scott stresses that the twice-daily sessions he conducts at the resort are about complementing the surfing experience. “It’s simple not too taxing and we’re trying to conserve energy.”
At the end of each day he’ll run a 20-30 min recovery session and is adamant that those who get involved in both morning and evening sessions tend to get way more out of their surf trips. “The movements in surfing are repetitive and predictable. We know which muscle groups are doing the work,” he explains. “If we do that recovery session we preserve the length in the muscle and put the body in a better state to rest, and surf again the next day.”
If a resort guest has a kink or recurring injury he’s also on-hand to provide specialised physio treatment.
Back home Scott’s client list at Sapien Rehab and Performance in Currumbin includes half a dozen QS surfers and Saffi Vette, who recently competed at the Olympics for New Zealand.
Scott studied Sports Science before physiotherapy, so he is uniquely placed to not only provide injury treatment but write training programs for surfers at all levels.
Meanwhile he’s using his time in the Ments to accelerate his own learning curve.
“When I first came here in 2018 I could barely go backside and had never got tubed. This season I have been barrelled at Nokandui, and Hideaways… there’s just so much more opportunity out here.”
Scott’s just about to upsize his clinic in Australia, but won’t be giving up his regular stints as the on-site physio/trainer at Hidden Bay any time soon.
“I think I’ve got one of the best jobs out here because I get to surf twice a day if I want to,” he states, a satisfied grin peeling across the forest of face-fir.
