Tasman low set fire to The Superbank, the wind was blowing hard the swell picked up and everyone with a board and two arms went to there to paddle against the sweep in hope of getting a wave, hit play for the madness.
A bitter rivalry brewed between a father named Occy and his son, Sterling. Occy, a renowned surfer in his heyday, had never loved or supported his son's dreams. He couldn't bear the thought of Sterling surpassing him, and this rivalry tore at their relationship.
From a young age, Sterling had felt the pull of the waves, the irresistible call of the sea. He knew he was destined to be a surfer, to follow in his father's footsteps, but his dreams were met with nothing but resistance from Occy. It was as if Occy had become consumed by jealousy, refusing to let his son shine in a world he once ruled.
One day, Sterling's journey took him to a remote coastal village in Peru. There, amidst the wild beauty of the ocean, he finally found Occy. The reunion was tense, as years of resentment and unresolved emotions hung in the air.
The duel between father and son was mesmerizing. Sterling yearned to prove himself as the superior player and, in doing so, perhaps win his father's recognition and love. They engaged in a game of pointing, testing their hand-eye coordination and precision. Occy, with years of experience, narrowly won this round.
Tragically, as they were leaving the field, Occy, who was still catching his breath, accidentally picked up a stray boomerang that had washed ashore. In a cruel twist of fate, the boomerang unexpectedly returned and struck Occy, leading to a fatal accident.
The world was left in shock as the legendary sportsman, Occy, passed away in such an unexpected manner. Sterling, who had finally bridged the gap between them, was left in mourning, with mixed emotions of victory and profound loss. It was a reminder that life's twists and turns could be both unexpected and tragic, leaving Sterling to carry the weight of reconciliation and sorrow.
The evolution of the BL BLAST OFF over the last 18 years has seen it transform into a truly global event. What started out as in-person physical event in Sydney and Bali is now an international online stokefest!
The BL BLAST OFF VIDEO CHALLENGE developed by 1988 World Surfing Champion Barton Lynch, is a unique and exciting annual opportunity for young surfers from around the world to show off their skills and stoke in the water to a coaching panel of world class surf coaches and a global community of surfing families.
Across its many award categories, the BL BLAST OFF VIDEO CHALLENGE has become a haven of encouragement and support for the young surf community; as well as being a fun and competitive environment for surfers to elevate their skills and land on the radar of the surfing world as the world’s most promising future prospects.
This year, the BL BLAST OFF VIDEO CHALLENGE is presented by another exciting Lynch-led venture, the first ever surfing sports simulated game of its kind, BARTON LYNCH PRO SURFING. The project, developed by Barton Lynch and Western Australian-based studio BUNGARRA SOFTWARE, the game hits PC (Steam), PlayStation5 and XBOX platforms on November 17th 2023.
WATCH 2022 BL BLAST OFF VIDEO CHALLENGE FINALS SHOW
The BL BLAST OFF VIDEO CHALLENGE is open to young surfers 14 years and under and of any skill level – it is a four week coaching program at its core, with a championship component that will see winners decided in multiple categories and age divisions.
At its heart though, the challenge has been established to build community and inspire young surfers to share their stoke for surfing with others. Video submissions can include footage shot at any time during 2023 and feature any style of surfing and on any type of board or craft.
The videos can capture anything from a single wave, or a single manouevre; they can be fully edited, or submitted as is – the only stipulation is that each clip be a maximum of one minute in length.
Submissions open from October 16th through until November 17th 2023, for surfers aged 14 years and under (as of November 17th) and from anywhere around the world.
2023 BL BLAST OFF VIDEO CHALLENGE KEY DATES
Submissions open: October 16th - November 17th 2023
Categories open to be won as part of the BL BLAST OFF VIDEO CHALLENGE, alongside overall divisional winners for 14s, 12s, 10s, 8s and 6s, this year include:
PEOPLES CHOICE
EXPERTS CHOICE
WORST WIPE OUT
BEST TUBE
BEST AIR
BEST WAVE
OVERALL ‘BEST EDIT’ PRESENTED BY GoPro
BEST GoPro POV
as well as a new category in…
A NEW EARTH CLEAN UP (AND GOOD WILL)
In conjunction with sustainability partner, A NEW EARTH PROJECT, kids will show us the great work they have done in their community by helping others or the environment.
The 2022 VIDEO CHALLENGE saw over 200 videos submitted from surfers in over 26 countries. Over 90 prize packs were awarded to kids around the world – in 2023, the event aims to connect with even more groms and families globally!
Says Barton Lynch of the return of the video challenge in 2023,
“My Blast Off is an initiative to spread stoke among groms that has been running since 2006.
That’s when we first ran our Sydney Blast Off in the physical event form and that quickly turned into the most stoked event on the Australian surf calendar annually, with 330 kids taking part. When we took the concept online in 2020, we automatically reached a much broader and more diverse audience and spread the Blast Off stoke around the world.
The Blast Off community and event has long been the breeding ground for tomorrow's champions, with many former Blast Off alumni going on to be world champs at the highest level, this is something that I am very stoked about. This is the fourth year of the video challenge and I can't wait to see the videos from very best and most stoked under 14s surfers in the world and encourage you to tune in and support the kids by heading to bartonlynch.com
Hunters back with the series 'Daily Exports' which stems from exactly that, he'd send us loosely edited videos with random songs or audio after going through footage after a day of surfing and sometimes they have more character than the tightly edited end product.
After a rollercoaster WSL Championship Tour season wrapped up in California, Jack Robinson and João Chianca shelved all thoughts of rest and relaxation when they saw a booming swell heading for the South Pacific island nation of Fiji. With the famed Cloudbreak a huge and very welcome re-addition to the 2024 CT schedule, Jack and João had no hesitation in launching a last-minute strike to one of the planet’s most revered waves with two goals in mind: R&D for next year, and to celebrate their sterling seasons by getting barrelled out of their brains.
To call the trip a success would be an understatement. Jack and João – and assortment of friends including Yago Dora, Ian Gentil, and Kai Lenny – indulged in a tubefest of the highest order, and headed home buzzing over their first trips to Fiji, and excited to tackle Cloudbreak in competition next year.
When Dan Scott’s incredible footage landed in our hands we had no hesitation in pulling together the edit you see above, and got Jack on the phone to find out if Cloudbreak lived up to its billing as the world’s most perfect wave, how much time he spent parked in the pit, and just how hungry he is to get back to the South Pacific in 2024.
Press play now to soak up all of Dan’s work and Jack's wisdom, fresh from the South Pacific. Enjoy!
In August 2023, journalist and film-maker Tom de Souza began riding a trail-bike solo across the entire eastern Indonesian archipelago.
He set out to search for uncrowded waves on epic adventure through a country steeped in mysticism and rich with human stories.
In this episode, he spends a month in wild and mountainous West Sumbawa, hoping to score one of Indo's premier waves, and learning more of the ex-pats who live colourful lives out there on the fringes of society.
You can watch part one below.
Filmed: @storiesfromthescenicroute
