Surfing World Magazine December 2015

The best surfing I’ve ever seen was MR, Col Smith and my Dad at a North Coast rivermouth on New Years Day in 1984. There’re no photos of it. There’re no stories about it. But it stays in my mind as one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen because it was 10 foot, perfect and there were only a dozen guys out. MR was out there, Col Smith from Newy was out there – so Mick Adams was probably out there too – and then my Dad turned up and paddled out there. I hadn’t come up with Dad, I was staying at my Nan’s, so when I saw him about to paddle out I was like, “What are you doing here? You’re gonna get smashed!” It was…

Tom Carroll X2 World Champion My attitude. Wayne Lynch Evolutionary That’s a very personal question. For me a bad board will not allow me to surf in the way I want to surf. A good board feels natural. Shane Dorian Big Wave Lunatic, Bow Hunter The right attitude. Rob Machado Pipe Master, Drifter There are no bad boards. Take a board someone hates and give it to a kid who catches his first wave on it and that board becomes magic. Simon Anderson Pipe Master, Photographer You can rely on a good board and have confidence in any situation. Bad boards let you down on the best section of the wave. Sally Fitzgibbons Aussie Legend, X2 Bells Champion It’s all about the feel you get. Recalling memorable surfs you’ve had…

Reelers, the greatest short surf film contest this side of Fangybooboo wrapped early this month with an entirely civilised brouhaha at the Moonshine Bar in Manly’s Steyne Hotel. Finalists were revered as Gods and drank lustily from goat horns filled with Corona as the formalities of the evening commenced. Following some brilliant ad-lib stand-up comedy from MC Danny Johnson (”I just flew in from Melbourne and boy… are my arms tired… Hello? Is this thing on?”) our esteemed panel of judges including Taylor Steele, Kai Neville and Jack McCoy announced the winners to scenes of wild jubilation and naked pogo dancing, with each victor collecting $5000 for their stunning visions. Taking out the Action category was Cabarita young gun Aiden Stevens who showcased a sparse utopian/dystopian take on high performance…

We all know how I feel about the corporate giants of this world shamelessly paying off the war mongering political stooges so that our kids eat more sugar. And we all know how off it I am when my smart phone surrenders my bank details, fruit ninja scores and surf selfies to the government men. It blows my mind how openly willing we are to surrender all our privacy to these huge companies with their petrochemical and genetically modified seedling agendas just so we can buy the latest Neil Young album protesting GMO on itunes (instead of having to walk down to buy it at the record shop which no longer exists thank you very much Apple). Well, recently I decided enough is enough. I put my phone on the…

Artist – Mulga A year and a half ago this month’s Octopus guest artist was wearing a suit and tie trying to fit into a corporate job. Well, he chucked that in to be a maker of images, start his clothing label and be his own boss. Known for his unique style of intricate line work and bright colours, Mulga’s art brings to life a world where tropical bearded men run rampant, lions smoke tobacco pipes, tigers wear diamond sunglasses and gorillas rule the world as they rightly should. Checkout his website at mulgatheartist.com. au or his Instagram @mulgatheartist 50 Push Ups For A Dollar – Skeggs Skeggs are a young Aussie surf band that at first appeared to be a part-time muck around type thing, but are now proving…

The earliest known tattoos date back to 3300BC. They adorn Otzi the Iceman, who was found on the Italy/Austria border, frozen in a glacier. Otzi had tatts that corresponded closely to bone problems in his ankles and back, perhaps indicating they had an acupuncture-type function. He probably owned a sled, but it’s highly unlikely he surfed. Tattooing was prohibited in 500BC by the Book of Leviticus. If you think that sounds definitive, Leviticus also prohibited handling pigs, eating crayfish, and having sex with your sister. The intersection of tattooing and surfing is harder to pinpoint. Among the surfing peoples, Japan and Samoa have the longest traditions in the artform (Samoans gave us the word tatau, via Captain Cook), but conversely they have short surfing histories. Polynesian tattoos are steeped in…