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With another Margaret River Pro in the books, let’s take it back to the early days of pro surfing at Main Break. Below is former Tracks Writer Sam George’s coverage, who was on the grounds at the 1986 event which had an all-star crew present. This archive featured in Tracks Magazine Issue no. 195 (December, 1986).
MARGARET RIVER THRILLER
No shore break surfing here.
You just don’t get surf contests with titles anymore so maybe that’s why, during the
competitors’ check-in meeting at the latest A-rated ASP event in WA, contest director Jock
Campbell effectively brow-beat a roomful of professional surfers. This was the Swan Premium Margaret River Thriller, goddamit, and Jock wanted everyone to know that any
attempt to turn it into just another A-rated ASP event would be frowned upon. “We’ve
surfed Margaret River up to 15 feet. Campbell explained. “And we can assure you that it can be ridden from behind the peak at that size.” The trialists, the cream of young Australian and American surfing, fidgeted nervously and suddenly took a big interest in how their Reeboks were tied, not quite sure what Jock was implying. He continued: “What that means is we’re not after any shore break surfing. The judges have been instructed to down score any surfing done on the shoulder.
This contest is called the Thriller and that’s exactly the kind of surfing we expect.” That was it – no welcome, no patronising speeches about how happy the contest organisers were that the whole ASP circuit had somehow found its way to this strange little corner of WA. Just a challenge. To call the best surfers in the world scared? To see who responded. So, as the quietly dazed young lions filtered out into the night asking themselves. “He couldn’t be talking to me. could no? Not me. can cut it can’t I?” the tone was set for a decidedly different A-rated event.
Of course, it also had a lot to do with the incredible nature of Margaret River itself. It is
truly a big wave break. Small days there are bigger than 90% of pro venues and during the
‘whole week the carnival was in town it never got small. In fact, it got big, damn big, like
Hawaii big, but cold and lumpy and uninviting. The day before the trials got under way saw
an incredible warm-up session. Solid 10 to 15 foot surf, slate-grey and snotty and an all-star
crew in the line-up. Without the Hawaiian caste system to worry about big waves breed a
camaraderie that’s refreshing to see. Out at Margaret River the pro world suddenly became a brotherhood. When Tony Ray dropped in on a huge bow, lost his footing, then somehow collected himself for a heavy bottom turn , he had guys like Mark Richards and Cheyne Horan paddling out hooting for him. And when Californian Dave Parmenter caught a monster outside set wave and was forced to go right, guys like Derek Hynd and Tommy Carroll moaned in sympathy. It was ‘something different — different from grovelling around in some shorey, slashing back In each others’ faces in preparation for another event. That night all the surfers who took part could ask late arrivals how big their boards were and smugly shake their heads when anything less than seven feet was mentioned.
The trials began and it soon became clear that nothing, not Jock Campbell’s admonishments, not 10 to 12 foot sets on the outside bubbles, not encouragement from the commentators, could make the young hopefuls abandon all that they’d ever learned about contest surfing — four to the beach. The trouble was that in these conditions paddling out following a ride to the shore took approximately eight minutes, making it almost impossible to catch four good ones in the 30 minutes prescribed, which meant, for many trialists, spinning around and taking inside waves and infuriating contest director Jock Campbell. At one point he even ordered Hunter Josien, the event commentator, to brow-beat the surfers over the mike, telling them to ride outside where they belonged.
While it is said that it is always easier to criticise from the safety of the shore on a 10 foot day, he did have a point. As anyone who saw Shaun Tomson lose a heat at Waimea Bay in the Billabong Pro because he didn’t ride the white water to the beach can tell you, pro world regimentation has no place in legitimate big wave events. However, as always, there were some highlights. Diminutive Nicky Wood, who with his hair cropped short like a helmet, looked like a cartoon character, ripped liked a pro — which of course he is, even though ha doesn’t look like it. Two amateur world champs Mark Sainsbury and Vatea David from Tahiti drew attention —David for ripping impressively in a full wetsuit — Mark for anticlimactically losing his first heat in shaky form.
Tony Ray was THE stand-out, winning all his heats through to the main event, as did Simon Law who eventually joined Ray and Wood in the trials final along with Scott McCranels. But for the most part the trials were pretty boring. This was accentuated during a classic exhibition heat featuring world champions Shaun, MR, Rabbit, Tom Carroll, and Tommy Curren, slated as a filler between trials rounds. Tommy Carroll’s first ride had the crowd up and hooting, and watching all these guys surf left the impression that the majority of the trialists have a long, long road ahead of them. One heat in particular was downright hilarious, as Peter Lawson, Gavin Spowart, Jamie Brissick and Dave Kennedy paddled themselves out of position, suckered each other over the falls, dropped in on and virtually fought each other tooth and nail for last place. Dave Kennedy lost by snagging some clean walls and winning the heat, qualifying for his second main event in as many years on the tour. So it was almost with visible relief that the main event began on Friday morning with the surf still eight to 10 feet.
Despite the advantages the break had to offer, Margarets is a strange place to hold a surf contest of this nature. Even during the main event which featured the best surfers in the world there wasn’t much interest outside the pro community. They, of course, were kept amused by some damn fine surfing as well as some mildly hysterical commentary from Richard Cram, who uncharacteristically dropped in on someone and was eliminated, and Derek Hynd who, as usual, dropped in on someone and was eliminated. But, as far as the public sector was concerned, it was a case of nobody coming from miles around. Somehow this didn’t bother the energetic contest promoter Tim Duff who, with Channel Nine from Perth filming a TV program, was assured good media coverage with or without crowds on the beach. In fact, most of the populace of Margarets, those who weren’t working on their farms or out rounding up brumbies, seemed pretty uninterested in pro surfing. Another Woodstock maybe but pro surfing, a little too plastic.
It’s a shame too, because what the area’s residents missed and what TV viewers will get. was some downright exciting action Shaun Tomson and Mark Richards faced each other in the round of 16, the two great stars of the Free Ride era going at each other like fighting grommets. Shaun took the tussle before going down to Tom Curren for filth place. Tony Ray, from Victoria, continued his charmed run all the way to the semis. downing Hans Hedemann in one classic match-up along the way. Tony’s beautiful bottom turns and off-the-lips prompted Mitch Thorson to grant him honorary local statue.
And there was your usual controversy as well. Occy. Barton and Glen Winton stumbled badly, disappearing unusually early in Saturday’s four-man heats. which included a drop-in of Greg Day’s being dismissed by the head judge because he didn’t really mean it And a fired up Michael Ho losing to Tommy Curren in a heat that the whole beach, including TV announcer Nat Young, thought was Ho’s all the way. The judges gave it to Curren 5-0. Nevertheless, all that added up to the thrilling thing being that, despite the rules and the drop ins and the close calls and all the speculation, the two best surfers at Margaret River that week met in a windy eight to 10 foot final.
Tommy Curren and Tom Carroll were electrifying every time they paddled out. During the space of time at Margaret River they were easily the two best surfers in the world. Two separate instances proved this beyond any doubt Curren had got off to a great start against Shaun in their quarter-final heat but Tomson fought back with two big rides. So Tommy took off on his third wave, turned late and deep off the bottom right as the wave bowled up over the corner ledge and did such a radical back-side off-the-lip that nobody hooted until after it was over because no one could believe he’d made it, that at that point in his life, right in the middle of a heat, he could elevate his surfing so much more as if only for emphasis. Later he explained “I knew Shaun’s waves were good so I figured I had to take a chance and make my next wave that much better, just to be sure.” After that ride you can believe everyone was sure.
Tom Carroll’s moment of greatness came during the final against Curren — the perfect place for it Curren opened up with a strong ride. Carroll matched it. The American’s strongest ride was hot and Carroll had to watch some of it paddling Out His answering ride was absolutely brilliant. carving full rail cut-backs on the eight foot bumpy face, totally committed from take-of to kick-out in a sobering display of confidence that seemed to scream: “Here, this is what champions are made of.” In the words of Nat Young, who should know. “Beautiful stuff.” And so the Margaret River contest fulfilled its destiny and earned its title. Maybe it wasn’t 20 loot like last year but still, when, with five minutes to go in the see-saw final, Tom Carroll had broken his favourite 6’8″ and was swimming like a madman for the beach and a freak 15 foot set was pounding Tommy Curren in the impact zone and the announcers were screaming and the world’s top surfers were on their feet cheering, either for Carroll to get back in the line-up on a back-up board or for Curren to escape the clean-up and catch the last second winner he desperately needed to the beach, the smile on Jock Campbell’s face said: “See, what did I tell you: a real thriller.”
PS. Carroll won the final 5-0 and his scores, two 9.8s and three 9.7s were the highest for any heat in the history of pro surfing.
RESULTS
1 Tom Carroll
2 Tom Curren
3 Tony Ray Damien Hardman
5 Greg Day Shaun Tomson Hans Hedemann Greg Anderson
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