Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2015 i Tracks

The apartments were little more than dishevelled cubes of rendered concrete. The external walls had been battered by decades of howling southerlies and the paint flaked away like sunburnt skin. However, somehow you could still just make out the faded, man-size, lettering on the front, which read 'Tama House'. Inside, tentacles of damp crept up the walls, the stairs felt a little unsteady underfoot and you didn't dare stand too long under the wobbling ceiling fans lest you be the first to suffer the fate of the spinning guillotines. But what the place lacked in aesthetics and décor it more than made up for in location. Perched high on the headland above Mackenzies Bay, the block looked straight across the enchanting coves of Tamarama and Bronte. When enough sand formed…

It begun with a generous helping of southern-style goodness at the V.I. . dinner. Current pros and past legends dined on the tender, slow-cooked grindz prepared by JR’S Smokehouse, the team regarded as the best cooks of authentic, southern-style BBQ in Aus’. If Floridian, CJ Hob-good, flounders in his next heat it’s because he went back for one too many serves of spare ribs and brisket – sorry CJ, we accept full responsibility. Yes, it was a classic, greasy-fingered feast washed down with cold Coronas and beats by Boston Switch and then taken upon another notch by a few Patron Margaritas and shots of electric blue Alize. Post V.I.P party we tucked the hard-working pros into bed and bolted to the Rainbow Bay Surf Club for a night of raucous…

BALI WORLD SURFARIS As the cooler months roll in, it’s time to start planning your winter escape. Indonesia is Australia’s favourite tropical destination and Bali World Surfaris are the experts in surf travel and holiday adventures to our northern neighbour. They can arrange the best surfaris to Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Gland, Mentawais, Sumatra, Sumba, Rote and West Java, plus heaps more surf rich regions. If holiday time for you is all about unique surf adventures then be sure to check in with Bali World Surfaris. BALIWORLDSURFARIS.COM/ABOUT-US RIP CURL MF1 ANTI SERIES ZIP THRU HOOD With Autumn already here and winter fast approaching, now is the time to get your winter wardrobe sorted. Rip Curl have just dropped their Anti Series Jackets and the MF1 Anti Series Zip Thru Hood sits…

1990 Born in Guarda do Embaú, (a Brazilian version of Byron Bay), a small beach village in the city of Palhoça, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. As a young boy he is called Ricardinho (Richie) "da Guarda". Starts surfing at the age seven and competes for the first time at 12. From an early age displays the guts and skills of a great tuberider. Hones his talent at the main break of La Guarda, which is compared to Lefthanders in WA 2008 2008: At Chile's famous Punta Lobos, Ricardinho wins the South American trials to qualify for the World Pro Juniors. In pumping 6-foot lefts, he defeats fellow countryman, Alex Ribeiro, posting 19.75 out of 20. Fittingly his win features a double barrel, perfect 10. 2011 Wins the trials of…

Once you are fully under surfing's spell it dictates the course of your life. Every time you reach a major juncture or even make a minor decision there's a little voice at the back of your mind saying, 'how will this affect my surfing?' Career choices are made with an eye towards their likely impact on your water time; girlfriends are vetted on the basis of their ability to handle you disappearing for long days at sea, and there will be certain times when you will do almost anything all for a few waves. This feature is dedicated to all the scams, lurks, rorts and lateral thinking employed to keep the surfing dream alive. Perhaps the ends don't always justify the means but one thing is certain, if the people…

Kolohe Andino had a very big week in Australia, back in early February. As well as winning the Australian Open in Manly he was also on the receiving end of a spray from Channel V presenter, Danny Clayton. The media personality alleged that Kolohe had been making his girlfriend, 18 year-old, Zoe Cross feel “uncomfortable” after she recieved a series of text messages from the San Clemente shredder. Clayton fired a warning shot live on air that sent social media into meltdown. “Stay the fuck away from my girlfriend,” he quipped in a chest beating performance that might have won him a Logie on Home and Away. Although Kolohe has since proclaimed that his texting intentions were totally innocent, the suggestion of a surfing scandal didn't escape the attention of…

Peter ‘Bosko’ Boskovic is an eternal student of light. It’s an obsession, and to be a successful photographer, any kind of photographer, it has to be this way. While the majority of surf photographers work with the natural light provided by the sun, Bosko has long been attempting to perfect the art of introducing artificial light to his shots via flash. Flash photography is a technical discipline at the best of times, but when your studio space is a constantly changing ocean and your backdrop a vibrant morning sky, it verges on ridiculous. “Basically I have to look at the surf and choose a spot where I think the airs will happen,” explains Bosko. “Once I’ve got a fair idea, I set up a flash and reflector dish on the…

Owen Wright's smart phone vibrates in an empty Currumbin apartment. It pauses for a spell then it dances some more. Managers, journalists, sponsors, filmers, telemarketers: it ain't answering for anyone. And so we text our messages and pitch our humble requests. Its owner is both nearby and a million miles away. Owen Wright is in the ocean doing what he does best and today that involves steering his newly upsized JS shred stick through the eye of the best wave on the Australian coast. Kirra is on. It's been honking for days courtesy of Cyclone Marcia and Owen Wright and his equally talented sister Tyler have been gorging. When Tracks finally gets big O' on the phone he's all apologies and sunshine. IT SOUNDS LIKE MARCIA’S BEEN GOOD TO YOU?…

Lord of the Flies is a 1954 novel written by William Golding. It revolves around a group of British schoolboys stuck on an uninhabited tropical island after a plane evacuating them from a nuclear war crash lands. All alone and with no authoritarian figures to govern them, they implement their own set of rules for life on the island. It soon goes pear-shaped however, as primal human nature takes over and they descend into paranoid, head-smashing savagery. Surfing too is governed by its own unwritten set of tribal laws, which can all too easily break down into a survival of the fittest scenario, especially when a chance to ride the tube of your life is on the line, and the lineup is choking under the weight of people wanting to…

To be honest, I didn't even really bother shooting this day. Despite the fact that the cyclone swell buzz was afoot - there are few oceanic distractions for surfers to rival looming cyclones - the waves in Byron were not quite there. I'd heard that Parko and mini-Parko and Hippo had hit a coral reef island not all that far from here; I'd heard there were waves on the Goldy; and I'd heard it was all systems go any hour now. And freshly psyched from the obvious bonanza they'd had down south courtesy of a big south swell, I was up early, ready to shoot something nice and corduroy. First light however had revealed sublime conditions, but I couldn't really find the gold. The south-westerly wind was hitting Main Beach…

WHEN YOU’RE A SURFER IN SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND, NORTH STRADBROKE ISLAND IS AS CLOSE TO THE COUNTRYSIDE AS YOU CAN GET. THE LANDSCAPE DOESN’T POSSESS THE SAME BARREN ATTRIBUTES OF SOMEWHERE LIKE CANBERRA OR KEMPSEY, BUT WHEN YOU’RE AN ISOLATED ISLAND, GEOGRAPHICALLY SANDWICHED BETWEEN THE ALCOHOL FUELED VIOLENCE, STD’S AND MADNESS OF THE GOLD COAST, BRISBANE AND THE SUNNY COAST, THEN WELL, YOU MAY AS WELL BE CONSIDERED THE COUNTRYSIDE. MOST NTH STRADDIE LOCALS RETAIN A GENUINELY EASY- GOING OUTLOOK THAT CAN PROBABLY BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE LACK OF TRAFFIC AND CROWDS. ETHAN EWING IS ONE OF THOSE INHABITANTS. THE 16-YEAR-OLD OWNS A WARM UNPRETENTIOUS SMILE, A SINCERE DEMEANOUR AND A FUCKED UP FOREHAND HOOK, COURTESY OF REPEATEDLY BELTING WAVES ON POINT LOOKOUT’S RENOWNED BEACHBREAKS. IN 2015, THE KID HAS ALREADY…

He was killed because of Pipeline. You think this is heavy? Then read on. Prior to this winter season in Hawaii, Ricardo dos Santos stayed on the rock from December to March, the last five seasons in a row. You see, he was a Pipe devotee and logging maximum hours and tube time at Banzai was his prerogative. While in Hawaii he would always hear stories about how his hometown, Guarda do Embaú, became a hotbed for crime and violence during the southern hemisphere, summer madness. In what would prove a crucial twist of fate, Ricardo snapped his clavicle after a bad wipeout at Pipe, only a couple of days before the 2014 Pipe Masters begun. It was a bittersweet end to the season for Ricardo. Injured and frustrated, but…