I was having a discussion the other day, the details aren’t important but the end result was: ‘He’s getting away with it because people think he’s cool.’
Which by default implied I was not. Which is fine. But it got me thinking. About what is cool? What isn’t and if it actually matters a jot.
In the wide surfing family cool is seen as currency by some. But who decides what’s cool? Does it even exist? Can you be cool without being a hipster? Is being a hipster a good thing or a bad thing? If something is recognised as cool does it instantly lose its cool?
My go to place when I need some background info is Wikipedia. Which breaks cool down into four distinct types:
Cool as a behavioural characteristic:
The sum and substance of cool is a self-conscious aplomb in overall behaviour. Cool was once an attitude fostered by rebels and underdogs, such as slaves and prisoners for whom open rebellion invited punishment, so hid defiance behind a wall of ironic detachment.
Cool as a state of being:
Cool has been used to describe a general state of well-being, a transcendent, internal peace and serenity. Cool can similarly be used to describe composure and absence of excitement in a person, especially in times of stress, as expressed in the idiom: to keep your cool. (They might as well just put a pic of Machado in for that one…)
Cool as aesthetic appeal:
Cool has become a global phenomenon that has spread to every corner of the earth. Concepts of cool have existed for centuries in several cultures. Apple products are cool. Lawnmowers aren’t.
Cool as an epithet:
While slang terms are usually short-lived figures of speech, cool is an especially ubiquitous slang word.
I’m none the wiser. I’m unflappable and don’t get stressed so I am cool in that sense. But I think my favourite quote from the Wikimeister is this one: There’s a Terry Pratchett (RIP mega-legend) book in which the ‘Monks of Cool’ are mentioned. In their passing-out test a novice must select the coolest garment from a room full of clothes. The correct answer is: ‘Hey, whatever I select.’ suggesting that cool is primarily an attitude of self-assurance.
Which I think makes us all cool. Don’t worry I’m not keeping myself awake at night worrying about my cool points. You shouldn’t either. If people think you’re cool, then that’s cool, if they don’t then that’s cool also. You’re probably too cool for them to understand your coolness.
I’ve never been one of the cool kids. I’ve never followed fashion. I’m not a hipster even though I have been accused it. Yes I do wear thick rimmed glasses but I need them to see. I don’t shoot film, I did from 1995-2005 because digital wasn’t an option, and don’t miss it. I haven’t got a beard, mainly cos I get awful bald patches, I’m cursed with a thin beard and every other human male has one. I don’t own any vinyl, hell I don’t even own CDs and a mere few books because I’m digital as much as possible these days. Who needs stuff? I will confess that I do own a single-fin and a hand-plane. I did once have a fixie, it was damn irritating so I’m back on a vintage BMX, seen as cool in some circles, seen as idiotic in others. But it’s what I’ve ridden my whole life. I’ve also got a bodyboard in my quiver; mainly used for shooting photos from when it’s chunky. Yes I’m aware that it’s possibly the uncoolest thing in the water apart from a canoe. But try telling Mickey or Fergal Smith they aren’t cool. They love the boog. They also don’t give a shit. They’re cool because they just get on with being themselves. They get their kicks riding whatever craft is suitable for the waves on offer.
I guess what I’m trying to say is: don’t sweat it. Surfing is not about cool. It’s not about style, fashion or judging people. There’s too much judging going on these days. Life is too short to be ‘too cool for school.’
Surfing is about fun. It’s a simple equation:
Surfing = Fun
As long as you are in the water having fun on whatever craft you like and respect everyone else in the line-up equally then you’re cool in my book. Hell, yes even you in the goat-boat or SUP … as long as you control the bloody thing and don’t do that sideways sliding four metre kill zone of doom routine.
If you aren’t having fun then what the hell are you doing?
This was written as the editorial for Carve issue 158… Now the XXL Award ceremony has been and gone makes sense to give it a run with Nazare winning biggest wave and wipeout categories.
Here’s a question.
You know the XXL Awards, the worldwide annual contest for the biggest wave ridden and the ride of the year and all that?
Hasn’t Nazare kind of buggered it?
It’s a simple fact that the wedging lumps of Atlantic armageddon that unload on the unassuming stretch of sand are way bigger, way crazier and on a whole other messed up scale than anything Pe’ahi, Mavericks, Mullaghmore and co can muster. Sancho’s wave from this winter was so off the chain it’s hard to imagine how he didn’t drown when he fell off. Thankfully he didn’t. You know a wave is mega-huge when you struggle to make out the dot that is the surfer on the face (vid of his winning beating below).
But it renders the ‘Biggest Wave’ aspect of the event pointless. The category needs to be renamed ‘Biggest Nazare Wave’. Plus side the odds of a Brit or, the next best thing, one of our Euro brethren winning it is that much stronger. So Cotty, Butters, Seb and Sancho are in with a good shout (psychic me: Seb won).
As for ride of the year that might as well just be renamed the Dorian Being Dorian Gong. Can anyone top his effortless, paddle in mastery of mahoosive Jaws barrels?
It’s weird how the dynamic has shifted. Big wave surfing was totally Pacific-centric before. All Mavericks, Pe’ahi and stuff. Now Nazare, Belharra and the vicious pit-bull in the corner: Mullaghmore, garner as much, if not more, coverage.
Mullaghmore is genuinely one of the most terrifying waves in the world. Being that rarest of beasts: a legit big wave slab. A boil afflicted, ledgey, barrel of doom that one day is going to deliver the craziest wave ever ridden. Fact.
It’s about time Dorian* came and gave it a shot to prove once and for all if it is really paddleable at its biggest, because whilst Ferg, Lowey, Butters and co have paddled it big and mad no one has managed to paddled it when the dial is cranked up to 11. It’s humbled all that have tried including some official international ’big wave’ men. As much as arm power is back in vogue, and we think this is a good thing, our Euro big wave megastars: Naz and Mully both defy the basic physics of paddling. Naz is just too ruddy big, too shifty and Mullaghmore, like Teahupo’o is just too fricking nuts once it goes code red. With persistence, perfect conditions and big slice of luck maybe they can be paddled at max size. We look forward to whatever our homegrown superhuman heroes like Cotty and the Toms do … however they propel themselves over the ledge.
Anyhoose. The thought that was burning a hole in my grey matter is now off my chest. On that biologically confused note I’ll sign off. Enjoy the issue pards.
Sharpy, Editor.
*Dorian did make it to Ireland recently but not for a Mully swell…
A few weeks ago I was chatting via email to Susie Dent. You know. The double smart word guru off of Dictionary Corner on Countdown and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
Just your standard kind of thing that happens when you edit the nation’s leading surf magazine. She was lovely of course.
‘Why?’ I hear you cry with a hint of ‘as if you did you liar’ in your tone.
Well. Scooch closer Padawan and I shall explain. We were, unsurprisingly, considering Suz’s profession, talking about words and language. In particular the lexicon used by particular tribes and groups of people. All for something she’s working on. So our own, and other subcultures, little cults of language so to speak.
Surfers are renowned in mainstream society for, and pardon the sweeping generalisation, sounding like extras from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. You know the archetypical classic west coast Spicoli stoner drawl.
We, being British, obviously don’t say ‘dude’ ‘bodacious’ and ‘most excellent’. Much. Few surfers have ever actually said ‘cowabunga’ only Bart Simpson.
But the conversation and resulting dialogue on surfer lingo got me thinking. It’s all a bit daft. But it’s ours.
Words and language evolve. Sometimes the source is clear other times they just mutate as they spread around the world and eventually become the standard. The Hawaiians, Californians and Australians are responsible for most of it. The classic surf movies like Big Wednesday, North Shore and Endless Summer time capsule it. So it was with great pleasure I enlightened Countdown’s finest, who had her first surf lesson looming, on the meaning and origins, if known, of words like leggie, haole, bommie, grommet and the like.
Surf lingo in the modern day still has words that mean nothing to non-surfers. Goofy, twinnie, pigdog, kook, kegged, etc are all our words. It’s the language of surfing that lets you know when you’ve kind of arrived at the ‘knowledge’. That point in your surfing journey when nothing phases you. You know what a bonzer is, you know a stalefish isn’t a gone off marine creature and you’ve got a million words for the following:-
Getting: tubed, bazzed, kegged, pitted, slotted, deep, shacked. And no. We will not ever be down with the awful contraction of getting a sick ’tub’. That’s just totes daft. Obvs.
Wiping out otherwise known as getting: drilled, flogged, smashed, doughnuts, beaten, served, rag-dolled, hammered, smoked, nailed, axed.
Then there’s good surf or surfing which can be cooking, smoking, insane, awesome, filthy and going off also.
Which as surfers makes us stoked, amped, buzzing, frothing, or psyched.
So. Don’t worry if you are a kook, a grommet, a blow in or a newbie. You’ll get there eventually. The language will come. As will your surfing. Just don’t be a Barney.
Also. If the words don’t exist for what you want to convey just make it up. That’s what everyone else has been doing for the whole history of surfing anyway.
Words and Photo (Gearoid McDaid in Portugal) shot by Sharpy
Medina vented his frustration at the comp organiser, and after getting into a bit of a battle with Glenn Hall, recounted the ‘F-Bomb’ Glenn had allegedly thrown at him and was in the midst of telling Peter Mel that he would “Teach him …” a few words … when he was cut off. Then Freddy P rode his board up a rock into a rail grind and Josh Kerr not to be outdone thew a tantrum and punched his board like it was a Top Gear producer.
It has been quite funny reading the outrage, the indignant comment and some of the reporting that has gone on surrounding #Medinagate and #FreddiesRock.
Just to weigh in with our tuppence worth and put it on the record. We LOVED it all. The reason? It showed the surfers care. It showed their passion and it shows the comp and the tour means something. Something that money can’t buy and the threat of sanctions can’t quell. Desire, emotion and commitment are all on show. Dreams and hopes are on the line, online and there for all to see. It is great sport!
What we don’t love so much is that some areas of the surfing press seem to have turned into pink rinsed Daily Mail readers and are expressing moral outrage at most the above.
In criticising the commish, KP, Medina was a bit harsh, but let’s face it it’s nothing any comp organiser hasn’t heard when conditions don’t play ball. Slap on the wrist naughty world champion! But what has really seemingly shocked everyone though was Medina’s use of the F-Bomb. A word, hardly ever heard on Australian beaches … Errrrrrm … was uttered as Gabriel recounted what Glenn had said after the interference call. Unusually in this kind of situation the clip, now viral, and Medina’s intended statement was’t made better by Peter Mel pulling the mic away as the full sentence and context was lost. “If Glenn tells me to fuck off again I will teach him…”
In the background you can hear Gabe’s true intention if you listen closely which we interpreted as “…bad words in Portuguese.” A little juicy for minors but hardly #thuglife. You’d think. But no the Aussie press, never happy with Brazilian winners, have blown it up into a proper fracas, which it never was. Heated in battle, yes, but no punches over a star dinner. Annoyed apres heat interview, yes, call out: definitely not. And an F-Bomb live, yes, but not used in anger. In fact it could have been quite a funny retort if left to run, yet the headlines are now screaming Medina calls out Hall, and demanding action … Really? Teaching Micro to swear at him in his native language shows wit and a sense of fun.
Since then the WSL have tweeted pics of Glenn and Medina joking in the competitor area. KP has issued a statement saying Medina’s actions were unfitting and would be reviewed. Hopefully it will settled over a cup of tea and a nice cup cake. Glenn’s quoted as saying, “It was a good heat. The end result was a bit wild with the interference but he was way too close to me for me to be able to get a clean take off. I really like Gabriel and I was legitimately stoked for him last year. He’s passionate in the water and a legend out of the water. We did have words out in the water but it’s nothing personal.” See. No biggy.
The #FreddiesRock incident has had me laughing for about three hours now. Poor fella had an atrocious heat and thus decided to end it by bouncing his way through the whitewater and onto a rock on the inside. He then ended up running about twenty minutes up the beach to vent his anger away from cameras and thus avoid fines.
In my mind this guy is a bona fide legend! Not only does he care, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and when shit (apologies for the gratuitous swear!) goes down he is one of the most creative and entertaining surfers on tour. I mean who else would have had the insight to grind the rock on the inside? It is surf rage genius! Probably one of the funniest moments in world professional surfing. Not only that Sir P has also set up comp where best photo on “Freddie’s Rock” will win his board. I’m putting him back in my FS team and he will stay there until retirement.
A video posted by Freddy Patacchia (@freddyp808) on
The third incident involved normally happy-go-lucky Mr Josh Kerr punching his board as he came in. I’ve never been massive fan of board punching. There was an outbreak of it in the late eighties as it it became the thing to do. Just seems a bit crass. Punch yourself in the head by all means.
Anyway to the point in hand which is this. Most of the ‘names’ have gone apart from Mick, and the surf has been pretty terrible, but we are all talking about the WSL so the undeniable elephant the room is this: we don’t want grey media savvy surfers who constantly pander to the corporate line. We want passion, we want opinion, we want talking points, and we want surfers being surfers not machines. Be human. Be real. Show the fire.
How boring would it be if everyone came out of a heat as a loser eloquently and submissively accepting defeat. The answer is ‘very’. At its peak elite competition in any sport is one step down from war. It’s about the battle. And for every great sporting winner there has been an outstanding, and often outspoken adversary. There are heroes, there are villains, there are gifted mercurial talents, and there are entertainers. Sure there are spanners in the works for organisations, sponsors and live TV hosts, but life would be pretty dull without the occasional talking point or disagreement. Winners and sport need that spark. Don’t beat it out of them…
Words: Steve England. Photos: WSL
https://youtu.be/YDOKJ97ary4
Official press release below:
COOLANGATTA, Queensland/Australia (Thursday, March 12, 2015) – Competition continued today at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by BOQ with an action packed day at Snapper Rocks. The Quarterfinalists are set after the opening stop on this year’s Championship Tour (CT) ran through Rounds 3, 4 and 5. The day saw its share of upsets with Gabriel Medina (BRA), Kelly Slater (USA), John John Florence (HAW) and Joel Parkinson (AUS) all being eliminated from competition in Round 3 at the hands of their lower-seeded opponents.
Three-time World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) looked strong throughout the day, first facing Dusty Payne (HAW) in Round 3 where he used his trademark carves to claim a nine-point ride and the top spot. Next he went on to win through Round 4 in a stacked heat against Adriano de Souza (BRA) and Bede Durbidge (AUS) for a place in the Quarterfinals. Beautiful rail work from De Souza almost sent the Australian to Round 5 after the pair tied the heat with 16.50 each, but victory went to Fanning for the highest single-wave score.
“Once you get to these final rounds everyone is ripping,“ said Fanning. “I had a look at the draw last night and thought there was a lot of heats that I didn’t know which way they would go. Everyone on this Tour has the ability to win this event, it’s whoever gets the waves.”
Fanning will face De Souza again in the Quarterfinals, after the Brazilian moved on to dispatch Matt Wilkinson (AUS) in a close Round 5 match-up with a passionate and energetic performance. Wilkinson previously delivered one of the day’s upsets in Round 3, and looked in blistering form as he defeated John John Florence (HAW), eliminating him from the competition.
Filipe Toledo (BRA) was another of the day’s standout performers. He started strong in his highly anticipated Round 3 bout against Kolohe Andino (USA), opening his account with a near-perfect 9.57 and holding the American off with an 8.93 and the day’s highest heat total, 18.50. The progressive Brazilian continued to shine in Round 4 where another nine-point ride helped him dispatch Jordy Smith (ZAF) and Wilkinson to move through to the Quarterfinals where he will face Durbidge.
“I love to surf rights and I’ve been really confident and comfortable,” Toledo said. “The long wait was good for my mind and to figure out my boards. I’ll just keep going and having fun, doing what I loved to do, I’m super stoked. I think this year is going to be a great year for Brazil and for the younger guys on tour.”
Reigning WSL Champion Gabriel Medina (BRA) is out of the competition after being defeated by Glenn Hall (IRL) in Round 3. Hall put the pressure on from the start, holding the lead with five minutes remaining to leave the champion searching for a 6.73 to turn the heat. Medina went for a wave under Hall’s priority causing an interference and losing his second score, ending his chances of making it through to the next round. Medina leaves in equal 13th place.
“It’s great to beat Gabriel,” said Hall. “It was a good heat. The end result was a bit wild with the interference but he was way too close to me for me to be able to get a clean take off. I really like Gabriel and I was legitimately stoked for him last year. He’s passionate in the water and a legend out of the water. We did have words out in the water but it’s nothing personal.”
Brazilian rookies Italo Ferreira (BRA) and Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) also dealt out big upsets in Round 3 today. Ferreira eliminated 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) while Dantas took down Joel Parkinson (AUS).
Ferreira built on his momentum from Round 2, where he defeated CT veteran Adrian Buchan (AUS), and held the edge over Slater through their heat, completing an explosive rotation for a 7.17. Despite a board change, Slater couldn’t find the waves or the excellent score required to avoid defeat and leaves the first event of the season in 13th place.
“I’m super stoked to make another heat,” Ferreira said. “Kelly is an inspiration for me and he’s a legend. I got a good couple of waves and some good maneuvers so I’m really pleased.”
“I saw fun waves from the beach before I went out there but I couldn’t find them,” said Slater. “I missed one that might have been okay but in hindsight there’s not a whole lot more I could have done. The first year I won the title I came in 31st place in the first event so I’m not too worried. This is just one event and we throw a couple of results away, but even so it’s not good to get off to a start like this.”
Ferreira made it through to Round 5 where he was eventually defeated by two-time Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast winner Taj Burrow (AUS), who takes his place in the Quarterfinals where he will face Julian Wilson (AUS).
“The rookies are all on fire, they came out so strong,” said Burrow. “I didn’t take Italo lightly at all and I knew he’d be tough. I tried to be really selective and it was a close heat. I’m hoping for a few more feet on the swell tomorrow.”
Dantas held the lead over Parkinson with a 7.67 and a 5.50 for his aggressive backhand attack, while the 2012 World Champion was left with just a 3.83 on the board. The local favorite looked out of rhythm while Dantas maintained his composure through the heat against his more experienced opponent, securing his win with an 8.10. This is Parkinson’s worst ever result the Quiksilver Pro, taking home an equal 13th place finish.
“I’m just wanted to surf good today,” said Dantas. “I surfed against Parko who knows this bank and has been surfing here his whole life so I was looking for the bigger waves. I have my confidence from yesterday and I’m feeling good.”
“I had no rhythm and no oppportunity, but that’s just the way it went,” said Parkinson. “I haven’t thought about the next event yet. I think it will be the luckiest surfer here that will win.”
Dantas went on to claim his place in the Quarterfinals after defeating Hall in Round 5 thanks to a 9.17 for a series of powerful maneuvers to leave his opponent in a combination situation. He will face compatriot Miguel Pupo (BRA) in the Quarterfinals tomorrow.
The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast is webcast LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com.
The world’s best surfing is also broadcast LIVE on Fox Sports in Australia, MCS Extreme in France, EDGE Sports in China, South Korea, Malaysia and other territories and the WSL’s new partner in Brazil, Globo TV.
Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast Round 3 Results (1st to R4, 2nd = 13th):
“Clearly I could see by Google Earth that there was a endless left pointbreak hidden, but I never imagined how difficult would be reach that spot. My plan was to climb a over 3,500 meter mountain and from there check the coveted left. I did not know what exactly I was going to find there, but the very essence of adventure is precisely in uncertainty.
I thought that five hard days of trekking through the Amazon jungle would be enough to reach the top of the mountain. It took 22 days of survival experience. I ran out of food so I had to feed myself with fungi and, thanks God that I hunted a moose, otherwise I just would not be here comfortably sipping a cup of coffee, writing down what happened there.
I also feel the obligation to appoint my two colleagues and friends in this odyssey. A book by Jack London “The wanderer of the stars” and the picture of my spiritual guide who I always carry in my wallet: Captain Sparrow. Without them I would never have found the strength to get there.
After more than three weeks hiking, I finally reached the top of the mountain and from there first sighted the sea. I could not believe my eyes. A mysterious city, apparently built by the Inca civilization, stood before the majestic pointbreak. The sight of the point, those eight lines perfectly formed waves, that was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my life. For a moment I thought that this scenario could be the result of delusions caused by a potentially hallucinogenic mushroom that I had desperately ingested along the way. But no, That was really happening and I was privileged to be the only man on earth who had God in front of me.
The pre-Inca and Inca civilizations began to surf over 5,000 years ago. Probably explored the coastline searching for a legendary left, “Mamape, the wave that never ends”.
They must have felt the same as when I first saw it.
Probably built this city for the only reason of this unique wave, sacred temple of the Incas. A civilization of surfers that understood surfing as a way to connect with nature and with God. Self-sufficient, these surfers thrived for centuries with the bare minimum.
I curse the day that the evil Pizarro and his Spanish troops arrived here and razed the people. Far from seeking a religious experience or connection with the environment, Pizarro moved him “El Dorado”, looking for mountains of gold. Greed, again, ended the harmony of a utopian civilization and makes me think that a better world is possible.
To that served to Pizarro all that gold, killing all that people, now that he is dead and buried with nothing left, like the rest of us.
However, the magic of the wave of Mamape remains intact for ever and ever.
At the end of the day, we are all going to pass away , and all that remains is nature.”
We’ve known and been travelling and shooting with Oli Adams for years. He’s done it the hard way. Read on for an inspiring tale of not letting life grind you down. No matter what.
It’s funny the swings and roundabouts of life. Middle of February the first issue of Carve came out and in the awards section we had this:
Triumph Over Adversity: Oli Adams
What a lot of people don’t realise is that Oli is actually a pretty sick kid. He has Crohn’s disease and it nails him from time to time. Literally putting him flat on his back in hospital. Not to mention making his ample travelling tricky as he has to be real careful with what he eats.
When you take that into consideration you have to say he is a total inspiration and it’s no wonder he froths out so much when he’s healthy. This year Oli went careering all over the UK on missions, some fruitful, some leading to him being stuck on islands for a little longer than was good for his sanity. Watch his film ‘The Hunt For Hipsamama’ if you get chance a rare gem of a movie. Sharpy actually flew off the island and left him there on one trip so we had the full commentary on missed ferries, some of which even came into view before turning around and giving up and one slightly miffed, yet very understanding, wife! Emma you deserve an award as well really. Best Pro Surfer Wife Patience Award!
Then last week this post on Oli’s Facebook page which went crazily viral: Most people close to me know that I have been battling with Crohn’s disease since I was Thirteen which I have largely kept private but I feel the time has come to open up…12 weeks ago I became so ill that had to have life saving emergency surgery to remove my whole large intestine, leaving me with a colostomy bag. The plan was to have 2 further operations over the next few months to reverse the colostomy and get me free of the stoma bag. However, yesterday I was given life changing news, biopsy results have shown that because of the type of disease I have my stoma is irreversible and I will most likely have to live with a colostomy bag for the rest of my life. But its not all bad news as I am disease and medication free for the first time in my adult life and I intend to turn this into a positive… I am already surfing again with the stoma and I am excited to see what potential could be unlocked with my surfing and my new disease free body. I am determined to come back stronger than ever! I would like to thank my amazing wife Emma, family and friends for their love and support, my sponsors and the surf media for their continued support and belief in me and the brilliant staff at Exeter hospital who saved my life.
Steve England caught up with Oli now the dust is beginning to settle…
How long have you been suffering?
Since I was 13 but I didn’t get diagnosed until I was 23
What exactly does it mean as a kid? What did you have to give up? How did you get your head around it at such young age?
As a kid I just always felt tired and shaky which really affected my surfing but also my confidence because it really affects your concentration and brain function when you’re not taking in nutrients from your food. I lived away from my parents from the age of 14 too so even though I felt really tired and needed to go to the toilet all the time. I didn’t really have anyone to look out for me and advise me at the time because I was on my own really. Because I was so young and also a vegetarian I just always thought it was I didn’t eat meat or that it was normal to feel like that. During the last few weeks I’ve felt what it’s like to feel normal energy for the first time and I can’t believe how I used to feel.
How did it affect your life?
When you have a flare up you first you start feeling really tired but in a horrible way, then you know it’s coming! This will be followed by needing to go to the toilet urgently soon after where you will probably be gutted to notice a lot of blood. Now you know your life is on hold for anywhere between two days to months and months if it’s a bad one. It was really up and down and got worse as I got older. In the last ten years I’ve spent so much time on my back because I was having flare ups that I’ve missed out on loads. But any time that I’ve felt slightly better I’ve made sure that I pushed myself to surf and keep going to save my career and to do what I love to do most which is to surf.
How did you cope/manage it?
At first the doctors put me on steroids to calm the inflammation but they didn’t agree with me at all and I had full on ‘roid rage and had to come off them. Then they put me on immune suppressant (chemo) drugs which are pretty much evil and the side affects made me feel worse than the illness. It felt like I had a dark cloud over me and a heavy weight over my head giving me a full time headache and no strength. Eventually I got referred to a Exeter hospital where they have a really good specialist department and they put me on a different kind of drug that they dripped into my arm for an hour every eight weeks. That sorted me right out even though the risks of developing other problems from it was a real worry for me. I still wasn’t 100 percent but in the last few years I was able to keep the flare ups to once every couple of months and I had the best couple of years surfing of my life. Half way through last year my body built up antibodies to the drug and I lost response to it meaning my only option was surgery. They had me booked in for the end of Jan but by November I was getting so ill that I was told to come in to hospital if things got really bad. In December things were so bad that I was rushed in and after a few tests they operated on me straight away as my blood pressure was dropping fast and I had nothing left. They said that most of my large intestine was so thin that another day and it would likely burst which on that scale would have been it.
It’s one of those diseases no one really either wants to, or does talk about. So I guess there are a lot of people out there suffering?
Yeah the symptoms that you get are something that most people are scared or embarrassed to talk about. You need to go to the toilet up to 20 times a day so you either have to stay at home or shit in the craziest places and the problem is once you’ve gone you need to go again ten mins later which is so annoying and painful when you’re surfing. A few times I’ve to pull down my wetsuit on an icy reef up north in Feb and afterwards I’ve been too cold to go back in haha!
How did you manage to keep on top of your surfing so long? You must have to commit pretty hard to training?
To honest it’s the opposite, I’ve never been able to train consistently because I had to use all the energy I had for surfing. A few time I trained for a couple of weeks but then I’d get a flare up and I would lose all the work I’d done by the time I was feeling ok again. Also my body wasn’t getting enough out of my food so my muscle tone would get eaten away when I surfed because that was the only way me body could find energy. Most of my surfing was done through mental strength I guess, I wanted it so badly that when I was feeling ok I just pushed myself and even when I was having flare ups I still competed and went on trips, it was so gnarly when I think about it now but I didn’t want to lose my career so I just got on with it.
What was the op and and how did it come about?
I was so scared leading up to it as I’d never had an op before for anything, but by end I was so ill and I knew it was the only option and I welcomed it because I knew that I’d die without it.
It seems pretty heavy, but I guess in way you must have sense of relief that you are now effectively cured, although obviously having to manage the resulting mechanics?
It’s been really hard to adjust to life with a stoma and at first I would look down and nearly cry, just thinking how has it come to this. But as time has gone on and I’m feeling better and stronger than I ever have. I’m just so stoked to be free from that horrible illness and excited to see what I can achieve with training and energy.
Were you surprised by the support when you eventually ‘came out’ about the op and disease?
I couldn’t believe it! I looked on my Facebook athlete page and it said 400,000 people had seen my post and the messages were so amazing. The best thing about it was that my aim was to help raise awareness and give hope to people in my situation and that was exactly what is happening. There have been so many people who thought they couldn’t surf with a bag and now are excited to think that it’s possible which is so cool. When I put it up I thought shit maybe this is a bit too heavy because there’s a picture of me just after the op and I haven’t come round yet but the response has been overwhelming so I think it struck a chord with people. Thank you to everyone who sent me messages of support, I read every one and it was one of the nicest things that has ever happened to me, humans all have love in them and this kind of thing brings the best out in people. So I guess every negative has a positive.
What are your plans for the next 12 months?
I’ve got a crazy schedule in mind as there is so much I want to do now that I’m better. First I’m going to make a film about what I’ve been through as I’ve filmed everything so far from getting ill to going into surgery and after, first surf back, first barrel and I’m going to interview the surgeons and hopefully a few high profile sports stars who have gone through a similar thing to help raise awareness for the disease. Also I’m going to hit a few different destinations around the world this year as I want to mix it up from the cold water stuff and I’ve got some other big projects in the pipeline which I can’t talk about just yet that are going be insane if I can pull them off. I’m undecided whether I’m going to go back to world tour again now that I’m better, I feel like I have unfinished business there but I’ll have to start from the bottom again and give up surfing sick waves so we’ll see. I’m going to continue with my Elite Academy once a month because I’m loving being able to help these wee geezers to achieve their dreams of becoming a pro surfer and they are all little legends! Right now I’m off the gym and I’m just going to keep training my arse off in the Sports Hub with my trainer Ed Corkhill to get into the best physical shape I can and then see where that takes me. Life is good!
Can I give a big shout of to my wife and kids, all my family, sponsors, trainer Ed, filmer Danya and everyone who has wished me well on this wild ride … Legends!
