Last week we dropped the trailer for O’Neill’s new O’Riginal series. If you missed it here’s the basic premise. Three surfers feature, one a week. You may or may not have heard of them, but each has a really cool story to tell about their love for surfing and the ocean. They’re authentic, engaging and relatable. They’re real surfers.

This week we watch Sydney’s Billy Bain tell his story. Billy cut his teeth in junior contests and enjoyed success, the thrill of sponsorship and even a few magazine spreads. but inside there was conflict. There was another dream calling out to him Billy wanted to make art.

So he pulled off the rash, packed up his cushy life on the Northern Beaches and moved to the city to become an art student.

But just because Billy’s no longer chasing the pro surfing dream doesn’t mean he’s abandoned surfing. On the contrary, surfing to Billy is now more important than ever, serving as an important release and reconnect with nature when the city becomes too much to bear.

It’s a familiar story for a lot of us surfers. The ocean becomes our solace, our place of peace where we can reset before getting back on with our various shit with a fresh and often more positive perspective.

That’s what surfing is all about for most of us.