BRICKS & BUTTERFLIES
By
Travis Long
Driving north
along the Bruce Highway from Brisbane to Noosa Heads, it became
blatantly apparent that Halley and
I were
in for the surf
trip of a lifetime. Passing through the Shires of Caloundra,
Maroochydore, and Mooloolaba, we decided to take the coast route
so we could
take a look at the surf.
The view from
the airplane led us to believe there was considerable swell running,
and we were
not disappointed. In fact, upon
arrival at Coolum Beach, near Perigean, we were astonished
at the pure
size and mass of water moving out there. It seems we had
caught the tail
end of what the locals were calling one of the biggest swells
in 30 years. With no one out to judge the size of the waves,
we had
to imagine ourselves surfing out there to get a true scale
of how big it really was. After watching a few sets, and
realizing
how
big it really was, that’s when I started “shitting
bricks”.
Now I’m
no stranger to big waves, but we’d traveled 9,000
miles to surf the tandem division of the Noosa Festival
of Surf. I was a little taken aback by the sheer size and power
of the Queensland
surf. My partner Halley Burd is possibly the most capable
and talented woman I’ve ever met. She is by far the
most fearless of all tandem girls I’ve surfed with.
We had surfed big waves tandem in the past, maybe 12-15
foot faces, but this was for real. I’d
estimate 3-4 times overhead, a solid 25-30 foot faces.
Bricks I tell you.
We looked at
each other with raised eyebrows but no words.
Bricks. The only words I could think of to console her
was, “maybe
the surf will drop before our heat.” You see, when
it comes to consoling a 19-year-old girl, I’m about
as expert as a palsey victim doing brain surgery with
a pipe wrench (1). Slowly
and quietly
we continued our journey north to the beautiful town
of Noosa Heads.
Upon arrival,
we were greeted by Swamis Surfing Association’s
Otis Sistrunk (not the football player) and Dave “Smitty” Smith,
Swamis’s old school ringer. After checking in,
it took about three seconds flat to drop our bags,
throw on trunks, set up fins,
and make it to the beach. Luckily, main beach was protected
from the brunt of the massive swell that was visible
crossing the outer
points and crashing along 40-mile beach. We paddled
out into perfect head-high right point surf. No more
bricks.
The swell took
a powder, but the after effects could
still be seen. The beach erosion and the destroyed
shark nets.
According to the
locals, the shark nets don’t really work anyway.
As
Murphy’s Law would have it, the swell dropped
so much the organizers decided to hold the first
three days of the event
over
the hill on Sunshine Beach. The venue was open
to onshore winds, and was pretty much blown out
by 9:00
a.m. Luckily, the swell picked
up on Saturday and Sunday, so main beach was back
on.
Being our first
pro event together, there were considerable butterflies, at least
there were for
me. My fearless
partner however, showed
no signs of trepidation. In fact, it was in the
semis I learned how
truly competitive Halley really is. We surfed
well in the semis and secured a spot in the finals the
next day.
More
butterflies.
Surfing is
usually an individual sport where your own talent is all you
need. Tandem surfing
however,
involves
a much
different team
dynamic. After traveling so far for this event,
I didn’t want
to let her down. After overcoming a rotator
cuff injury earlier last month, I was a little
worried
about my right arm. The one I do most
of the lifting with. But thanks to Malibu Rum
and Aloha Nossa Massage, all competitors could
get free massages. That’s when I learned
about Lawang Oil. Lawang oil is manufactured
from a tree that grows on only one island in
Indonesia. It’s used for muscle aches
and joint pains. The only thing I can compare
it to is DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide). A horse
liniment used on a horse’s hocks to relieve
pain. In baseball, we’d use it as a painkiller
on our arm so we could pitch longer. But DMSO
is so powerful it made your breath reek.
Lawang oil works just as well, if not better,
but without that nasty pong
(Australian for bad oder).
So finals day
finally came with the usual routine. Wake up at 5:30
a.m., walk through the national
park past
the bush
turkeys
and
the occasional Koala to Tea Tree Point. Surf,
walk back, wake up Halley,
eat breakfast, and find some way to occupy
your mind before the inevitable. Three o’clock
finally rolls around so Halley, myself, and
my butterflies all hit the water for what
we came for. After a frustrating
first few minutes, Halley and I managed to
score three solid waves doing an arabesque,
a one-arm back, then a high-reverse stay
(I don’t
expect you to know what that is, but O.K.).
Then
there’s the wait. Wait to see how
it all comes down. Waiting for the rest
of the
finals to end. Waiting for the interviews
to
end. Waiting for the award ceremony. Waiting.
To
make this long story short, we took third.
Finished in the money, although
not much
money, but a good
showing nonetheless.
In second
place was former Australian champion
Chris DeAboitiz and his partner. Former world champion Rico Leroy
of France and his partner took
first.
All in all
it was an amazing three weeks of surf. The contest was well judged
and
incredibly
well
organized. What I came
away from
Australia with is a great respect for
their culture. Their humor is self-deprecating
and very tongue-in-cheek.
Nothing
is off
limits: politics, religion or pomegranates
(foreigners). One thing they
don’t
take lightly is their sport. No matter
what sport. They respect it like no other
culture. That’s what I love about
Australia. Good on ya.
Footnote: (1)
Frank Miller, Sin City. |