THE SURFTIME JOURNAL

SURFTIME

JOURNAL

CAUGHT INSIDE # 125

It’s a new world. A new Surftime. A new name. A new look. After enduring the forced pandemic hibernation, like so many others, we have survived. And it feels so good to be back. To continue to offer the Indonesian outlook on surfing, the authentic version, instead of having to read about our world in foreign magazines from foreign points of view. And what a joy it is to be welcomed back so enthusiastically by a community that still appreciates the feel of an actual print magazine in their hands. With big, colorful photos from the best photographers in the world and compelling features that you can actually hold in your hand and read, not just scan. Mind expanding stuff, not the mind numbing stuff you scroll through. You will find full, complete thoughts in this magazine, complete expressions, essays, profiles, portfolios, meaningful captions and editorials from experts on surfing. Surfers with complete, full mind expression. Not just silly comments on some postage stamp electronic image that you can’t wait to scroll past with a flick of your middle finger. Just like you, a magazine actually has a soul. Something to hold on to, to honor and feed. Feeling the weight of its presence and wonders.

And Surftime this time?

In the new era? It’s all in our name. The Surftime Journal. Promising more fascinating content than you will find anywhere else. Real and solid and considered. Like the offering in this, our comeback issue. We have the exclusive inside track on our cover girl Erin Brooks, that 15 year old phenom, a finalist in the men’s division at the Rip Curl Cup. A young lady who is reaping the benefits, both financially and philosophically, of the modern womens surfing movement. We have another exclusive feature with Rio Waida, Olympic Flag bearer, the pride of our country and soon to be first Indonesian surfer on the World Championship Tour. Here you will

learn about a surfer who rose from being a bullied little boy to the new athletic hope of a nation. We also have an intimate look into Tai “Buddha” Graham’s doings during the pandemic. One of the best surfers the island has ever produced is still going strong, traveling and barreling with good friends while still maintaining his Bali roots with family and business. We were privileged to be able to share with you a dynamite photography portfolio from master photographer Jason Reposar. If you haven’t noticed his mastery by now, check out our cover. Only Repo could make a portrait of a surfer look like a Rembrandt hanging in the Louvre. Then there is Ian Crane, pro surfer, filmmaker and creative mind who gave us an exclusive interview while the Surftime team was in the Mentawai. Ian explains exactly what it takes to be a new, modern professional surfer beyond the World Tour. Its pretty heavy stuff, but just so damn cool it will make you want to get out there and do the same, regardless of your skill level. And continuing in our coverage of the current youth movement, we were stoked to be able to put together a very different kind of profile on Dylan “All Day” Wilcoxen, a young surfer who grew up at the Kandui Resort and is now destined for the stars. Must have been all those perfect surfboards he has been riding since infancy. So pardon the cliche, but all this and so much more is coming your way as you turn these pages. We are so proud to be back and believe you will be proud too as you experience the new Surftime as a member of the greatest surfing community in the world. Because no longer are we what other people say we are, we are who we know ourselves to be. It’s simple really, we are what we love.

-Matt George, Editor-in-Chief

ERIN BROOKS AND THE MEANING OF LIFE

By Isis Flack

Photography

Point One:

At just15 years old, Erin Brooks is charging headlong into the surfing world, carving out her notoriety one wave at a time. Brooks is the youngest competitor to ever compete in the Rip Curl Cup at Padang Padang and the first woman to make it to the final. Chronicling in real-time the evolution of our sport. She took o n men twice her age and size, and advanced beyond some of the world’s most recognizable surfers, many on which were competing on their own turf.

Point Two:

When asked how old she was when she turned pro she answered “Um…hmmm…I think I was 12?”. Becoming a professional athlete at age 12 is not exactly a common playground conversation.

Point Three:

Brooks is from Texas and started surfing at age nine in Hawaii, turning professional just three years later. “Right when I first started surfing there was this little contest and a lot of kids from my school were doing it. I just thought it would be something fun to do. But I discovered I was a very competitive person”.

Point Four:

“At first I was playing tennis. Then a girl from the tennis team invited me to go surf, and on my first wave I realized I wanted to surf forever.”

Point Five:

“I mean it’s crazy being able to travel the world and being able to go in the ocean everyday as your job. Is such a thing possible?”

Point Six:

Erin’s Dad, a retired Marine, moved his family from Texas to Maui when Erin was 9 years old. After seeing her surf so well, Erin’s first surf instructor asked how long she had been surfing and she told him three days. The instructor said he knew she’d been surfing in Hawaii for three days, but how long had she been surfing in tot al? Erin had to explain to him that three days was her total days surfing.

Point Seven:

“I would just work twice as hard to get as good as the other kids, so now I’m better, which is cool.”

Point Eight:

Erin is competing with surfers who have been in the profession longer than she’s been alive.

Point Nine:

“Everytime I go out there I just want to show everyone that I can do it even though I’m small. My Dad always says that little people can do big things” .

Point Ten:

“I love when I go surfing and people think I’m just a little girl and then I bust it out there, and get barrelled and they’re like ‘oh that was so cool’.”

Point Eleven:

Surfing remains one of the only professional sports where physical size isn’t a prominent success factor. The only thing that distinguishes athletes is the amount of hard work and dedication they put into their sport. Erin Brooks is putting in the work. Her daily schedule includes surfing at twice a day for a minimum of four hours per day, with an additional back-breaking workout in between.

Point Twelve:

Erin’s close relationship with her older brother, nine years her senior, inspired her work ethic. She watched him get up every day at the crack of dawn working for the Coast Guard. With her Father also a retired Marine, the military approach to self-discipline became obvious. This dedication and determination has led to Brooks having a shot at an Olympic Qualifier, with her sights set on winning a Gold medal before her eighteenth birthday.

Point Thirteen:

Being so young in a dangerous sport, pushing yourself to your absolute physical limits, does take a toll on the nerves. “Sometimes there is this pressure and I can get real nervous. But, then I just take a deep breath and remember all the work that I’ve done to get to that point and I just paddle out and get it done”.

Point fourteen:

With so much of her professional career yet to come, there is power and gravitas in the success Erin has already achieved. It is worth a lot of money to sponsors and will remain that way for her entire career. If Erin Brooks sticks to her current program, she will be financially set for life before she is 20 years old.

Point Fifteen:

With her life revolving around the ocean and the subsequent extensive travel it was decided that it was best to move her schooling online, “Each school year is different because different surfing opportunities come along all the time. So whatever comes my way, that’s where we go and school follows”.

Point Sixteen:

“I never really take breaks from surfing because I can’t stay too far away from the ocean. I love it too much. I went on a snowboarding trip and I thought it would be fun to take a little break because we had just got back from three months of surfing all day, every day in the Mentawai. But after the third day of snowboarding I was like ‘I wanna go back to the Mentawai.”

Point Seventeen:

Indonesia holds a special place in Erin’s heart, having spent a significant amount of time residing in Bali during the COVID pandemic, creating a make-shift base of operations far different from her home in Hawaii. Indonesia being a very eye-opening island culture of a different stripe.

The magic arena where history was made by a 15 year old girl who made it to the finals of a men’s barrel riding contest in pumping eight foot surf. Photography by Matt George

Point Eighteen:

Learning to surf and compete in Hawaii was a baptism by fire. Erin stayed afloat and built her career in the toughest, most competitive surf conditions in the world. “When I first started it was definitely intimidating but we lived on Maui so it wasn’t too bad. But then we moved to the North Shore and it became another level. I mean you have to be respectful there and brave in everything you say and do”.

Point Nineteen:

Brooks has fostered friendships and mentorships with some of the world’s best, including a close relationship with Bethany Hamilton, who helped guide Erin through her quick rise in the industry. Both Bethany and Erin, pioneering female surfers a generation apart, openly share their devout Christian faith, adding to their bond and distinct similarities. Hamilton’s inspiration actually led Erin to signing with Ripcurl.

Point Twenty:

It’s clear that Brooks has a massive circle of icons to draw both inspiration and advice from. “I feel like people are really supportive and the older guys are just helping me push. One of my mentors is Shane Dorian. I’ve gone on trips with him and we’ve done some coaching. He’s always super nice and telling me to do my best. I listen to every word he says”.

Point Twenty one:

Erin is thankful that the sport has come a long way in the past decade, carving out space for women to compete shoulder to shoulder with the men both physically and financially. Erin Brooks is a new kind of female trailblazer, already paving the way for a younger generation by displaying a drive and a dedication that matches the most well trained surfers on the planet. Imagine a career day at a High School when Erin takes the stage.

Point Twenty Two:

“I just want to push women’s surfing, that’s all I wanna do. Just try to be the best surfer that I can be. And just show everyone that girls can do it better than guys. It’s possible. With faith, anything is”.

Second place Rip Curl Cup finisher Mega Semadhi, “It was hard for all of us in the final to believe Erin was there, but she’d earned it and she charged as hard as any of us”. Photography by Liquid Barrel

Portrait

Matt George

ALL IN RIO WAIDA’S BIG GAMBLE

Rio Waida has come a long way. And he is going even further. But it has never been easy. Indonesia’s first real hope for the Championship Tour was once a bullied little half Indonesian/half Japanese kid whose parents fell in love at a party on Poppies Lane. Rio was so little, in fact, and so bullied that after his parents saw a documentary on the growth hormones that football er Lionel Messi needed to take as a boy, they sacrificed everything to put Rio on the same program. And that made all the difference. Now, at 22 years old, a square shouldered, muscular 174cm, Rio Waida has risen from a humble Jimbaran family background to being poised on the precipice of becoming Indonesia’s most prominent professional athlete. Surftime recently caught up with Rio at the Priority Surf club on his home beach in Jimbaran to hear the current thoughts of what he is all abou t.

On the Olympic experience:

I never imagined such a thing could happen to me. I never visualized that I would be the flag bearer for my country on the biggest athletic stage in the world. To be surrounded by all those incredible people, all those athletes, the best, from all over the world. Walking around the track of the stadium felt like walking around the planet. I was half proud and half not believing it. I still don’t, ha! I was lucky that they wanted the flag bearers to be representatives of the new sports, like skateboarding. But I definitely felt the weight of Indonesia on my shoulders. It was like being a military hero or something. Carrying your country’s flag into a stadium in front of the world? That was huge.

On Government support:

They are finally looking at surfing and what it brings to Indonesia. Finally. I mean we do have the best waves in the world and more of them than anywhere else. And I am getting some financial help from the government. I get a small salary and money for boards and equipment and travel and, best of all, money for training. I hope it grows for the future for me and whoever is next up the line.

On Professional management:

With my International Quiksilver sponsorship, I am getting offers from a lot of managers. But I am not quite ready. I do not want to jump the gun. The more I climb up the better the timing will be. Pro surfing is a complicated business and I need more experienc e and better results to become a businessman about it.

On Training:

My trainer believes in a lot of Pilates. Core, core, core. She is very strict, my trainer. She pushes me to the point of crying sometimes. But that makes me stronger in my head which is the most important muscle, you know? Your body listens to your mind, so big muscles are the easy part, the hard part is inside your mind. And that is the difference today between a good surfer and a great surfer. Hard mind work. But I work on my weaknesses a lot. I need a lot of shoulder and leg work. And of course you need the core strength to hold it all together. But you do not want to get muscles to big or too tight or your surfing is not fluid anymore. It gets too heavy. And I really love to flow and look graceful and powerful. To really look like you know what you are doing better than the other guy in the heat. I am much stronger than I was before and it makes me feel free, like it sets you free and gives you confidence. You want to achieve a surfing body. Not a gym body. Every sport needs the specific body. I guess the best body for a surfer these days is an Olympic swimmers body. Except they do not have to do airs. Ha! But I don’t know, some of them might be strong enough.

On his Body:

My height and my weight and my body is now similar to Kelly’s, so I think that is a good thing. The closer I can get to that look, that connected body from head to toe, surfing with my whole body like he does, combined with that incredible flexibility of his, that’s the goal. To balance making good surfing look easy but having the spray going into the sky on every move. That is how my body and me will qualify for the CT.

ALL IN

From

than

Keramas.

by Pete Frieden

ALL IN

On Tipi Jabrik and Tim Hain, Directors of Asian pro surfing:

I give huge credit to Tipi and Tim. The ASC has always been there for me from the beginning. They always believed Indonesians had it in them. Indonesia needed to learn how to compete, and they have always pushed this. We have always been good surfers, but terrible competitors outside our world. The world out there is pure adrenaline competition. No excuses. Everybody is hungry out there and they will eat you. You must want it and train hard and be smart. This is the first era where we have a chance to take our surfing seriously on an international level, to make a living doing it, to bring pride to our country. I will make the CT and I will do this. But I still thank Tipi and Tim for supporting me since I could first paddle a surfboard. I have big respect for Tipi and Tim and I hope they know this, and I hope other surfers coming up feel this way. Think of all the hours Tipi and Tim have spent in those judging towers believing in Indonesia. Just trying to get us to believe in ourselves. I have big respect for that.

On the pressure of fame:

Bali is a small island, so everywhere I go I meet people that know about me. And they expect things. But you have to stay focused. This is part of my mind training. When I am out on the QS I watch how other people handle fame. When I can, I watch Kelly, he is really good at it. He knows when to share and when to focus. I am going for that balance. Also there is the pressure of being out there and everybody knows you come from the best waves in the world and you better be good. We need to break that barrier of not having Indonesians on tour permanently. We need to become permanent. Like the Aussies or the Brazilians. I think it is our time to join up. Indonesians have a reputation of being lazy or not wanting to leave our perfect waves. The next generation and I are going to stop that reputation.

On happiness:

Where is the happiness? Going from being a little kid watching Kelly and Gabriel and all these guys out on CT and dreaming of being like them. And now, I have got the chance. And it is not a dream anymore. It’s work. And I am happy in my work. I remember I was 18 when I fully committed myself to this life as a pro. The thing about surfing internationally is that it is not just about heats. It’s about different oceans that feel and surf differently than each other. You need to communicate with these different waters and wear wetsuits sometimes and you need to be a professor about surfboard designs and fins and equipment. Like you need to educate yourself and become a professor of surfing and of how to surf in different worlds. And most of all you need to learn how to enjoy it and have some of it be about having fun. You

can actually take surfing too seriously, I think. If you are unhappy in it, if it is just work work, work, you will not last. Smiles and friendships are a big part of it. The mind training is about being curious about new cultures and experiences and being what they call well rounded and to love all the travel. And also it is about having respect for the world out there. Not just yours in here. Do it right and it’s the best job in the world. Do it wrong and you will run home and fail your family and your country and, most of all, your dreams.

On the Growth hormones as a kid:

I was the smallest kid in school and I got picked on alot. Once some kids even took my money. I wasn’t growing well and I was getting bullied being the shortest guy in school, my uniforms didn’t fit and girls laughed and in restos I was asked if I wanted the child’s menu. It hurt my Mom a lot, I think. I would try to fight, but everyone was bigger than me. Then my Mom saw a documentary on Lionel Messi and he was a tiny kid and his mom put him on growth hormones and look how that worked. So my Dad went to Japan to work construction for more money. Big skyscrapers and things like that. Hard work. And my Mom took care of me and my little brother here in Bali. It was tough. Still is, and my Dad is getting older and his job is very hard. Japan is very strict with workers. Now it is my turn to help. My parents wanted an easier life for me and now I want an easier life for them. That is a big motivation for me. I have my family behind me. And I want to make sure we always have enough to enjoy life, not just to survive.

On the North Shore:

Hawaii has beyond Heavy waves. They are like giants. But you need to handle it or forget a pro career. But once you can handle it everything else on the CT is easier. But you need a Hawaiian reputation or forget it. At first it seems impossible. And I consider myself weak on big waves right now and I am facing that challenge and I will change it. Indonesians are not afraid of any reef, but we can be afraid of big power water. And the North Shore has got all of it. But you have to paddle out and be a part of it. Feel the energy, even if you do not get a wave for hours. The crowds of super good surfers and the energy is crazy. Even my 6’8” seemed too small. I have to change that. Not the board, but me.

On the Future:

The whole idea is to be become part of the international conversation. In many ways it’s a big gamble, but for my family and my country and for me, I’m all in.

ALL IN

“I am working on my air game for the tour right now, working on height and controlling my board in the air. I treat it like flight training”. Rio Waida, styling above the Keramas runway. Photography by Pete Frieden

MAN ON FIRE

A JASON REPOSAR PORTFOLIO

BUSY MAN CATCHING UP WITH TAI “BUDDHA” GRAHAM

Photography by Nate Lawrence, Luke Cromwell and Putu Juliarta Captions by Tai Graham

If you want to get something done, give it to a busy man. Just ask Bali’s premiere surf impresario Tai “Buddha” Graham. A man of perpetual motion, the pandemic didn’t slow him down a whit. Between caring for family, running multiple businesses, running a charter to secret breaks, training for light heavyweight boxing matches and dealing with the Covid era, Tai also managed his stoke as one of the best surfers the island has ever produced. In this very personal feature, Tai shares his memories and moments of the last two years, proving that despite global upheavals, a real surfer need never sacrifice the passion that drives us all.

Tai “Buddha” Graham, reaping the rewards of desire, exploration and precision skills. Is there any bigger rush?

Clockwise from left:

This was a cool adventure Mikala and I did with one of our old school Indo adventure pioneers, Jim Banks. He had so many stories of the back in the day which make you realize how much easier we have it now. There was no 14 day forecast you could check on your phone, no WhatsApp to book accommodation or flights. Kinda just had to get wind of a swell and head off on whatever means of transport were available, then figure the rest out when you got there.

I remember seeing some bombs come further up the reef and thinking, hmmmmmm I might go have a little sniff up there and try one. Glad I did.

Nothing like getting up in the dark and putting the ski in the water. Those early offshores and the swell lines kicking in. Will never get old.

Something cool about a wave and mountains in the backdrop or some kinda impressive backdrop. Can make an ok surf shot look pretty cool when there’s something more overpowering behind it.

Clockwise from left:

I’m super about family. Guess it’s the Polynesian Maori roots in me. Took my son and my father on this adventure. Bringing the family on trips is something I’ll treasure and continue to do as long as I can.

That’s Jim Banks styling through a little tunnel.

With such a busy life these days with the family, the hospitality venues and music events it’s nice to be able to switch off. Only way I can do that properly, and where I have the most fun is on a surf trip, usually to the middle of nowhere. Generally there’s little to no signal, basic food offering if any, and you’ve got to find somewhere to sleep wherever you can. This trip was one of those. I was even cooking. It’s probably the only time you’ll ever see me cook haha!

It’s nice to have a good wingman. Gotta share the same interests. Mikala has been chasing big juicy barrels for years. We have a lot in common in that sense. We also don’t mind a rough mission and both don’t overly love crowds. Here we are post surf looking pretty stoked!

I remember this wave was the first one I made out of the tube. The rest I was just getting blown to pieces. I remember looking up and seeing the bro behind the lens going ‘faaaaark yes, finally made one!’ haha.

FROM IN DEEP: The collected surf writings of Matt George (an excerpt from the upcoming book, Di Angelo Publishing, Summer 2023)

June 1st, 2015, Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia

To understand the iceberg that is Made Winada Adi Putra is to reverse your thinking about icebergs. Do not fear what is below the surface; beware what is above it. Particularly when Adi Putra is surfing on the face of a wave in that way of his. That matador way. His way. To watch him surf at the famed Padang Padang surf break is to witness an outright mastery of the most stunning surfing environment on the planet. He even paddles around the place perfectly. Smooth, powerful, impeccably positioned at all times. Never in trouble. Never panicked. Never rag-dolled over the reef like so many others. No broken boards. Like a black cobra: elegant, smooth, and deadly. And then that way of his. When he takes off, you already know what is going to happen. He will drop and bottom turn and then the elegance kicks in. Not so much the jazz riffs of his cousin Garut Widiarta, or the strength moves of his cousin Raditya Rondi. No, Adi Putra has swagger. And not a cocky swagger either, but a strangely respectful one that the wave itself gives him in partnership. Functional, sexy, and mystifying all at once. That swagger, in Adi Putra’s case, that belongs to the wave as much as it belongs to Adi Putra.

Portrait by Matt George

Nobody does it better. Adi Putra threading the Padang Padang bowl, bringing a human beauty to an already magnificent wave.

Photography by Jenya Ivkov

And that tube thing Adi Putra does. When the wave goes cylindrical and he stands up tall, front leg stiff, taking the weight and the momentum. Back leg deceptively active, on the gimbals of his ankle, controlling the torque and the drive. You just know he is going to come out of it cool. Not like some surfers where you hold your breath, hoping against hope that they are going to reappear. No, with Adi Putra it looks like fate and feels like a kind of magic that you look forward to fooling you. And you are so happy about it that you don’t even want to know how he does it. That’s the main thing. When you watch Adi Putra surf, whether at Halfway in Kuta, or Desert Point on Lombok, or Padang Padang on Bali, or Scar re ef on Sumbawa—anywhere really—the thing is that you just cannot help yourself from believing in the way he rides. Like watching your favorite actor. Except that Adi Putra is not an actor. He is very, very real. And here is where we get to what is below the iceberg. The unseen. You might see Adi Putra around, down at the end of his street on the beach in Kuta. Anywhere he sits, even on a plastic stool, he is always on the edge of it, spring-loaded, left knee going

up and down. Surveying his domain. Judging it. Suspicious. It’s his territory, but it seems to him constantly under threat. Like that black cobra, tongue flicking, but alert, up for the hunt. And you can forget about talking to him. Not unless you are on the inside. Family. He is coiled, guarded against onslaught. His fangs are not out, bu t they are there. And they can drip poison. Spending time with him, you realize he very much lives in his own castle, his thoughts defended by ramparts and a drawbridge rarely let down. He is a self-elec ted master of his own universe, and his aura expands and contracts like a concertina. At times overwhelming, taking you in, and at other times shoving you away with both hands. You find yourself always aware of his strike zone. His words that can crush you. Make you feel small. Make the world seem ridiculous. His wide smile dismissive. It can be downright disturbing to try and talk to him. Perhaps that’s what makes his surfing so considerable. That no-talk zone. That and those eyes so busy with his relentless thoughts that have less to do with your presence and more to do with the concerns he carries as a daily burden.

As mystical and sacred a place on earth as Padang Padang is, surfing with a deep, instinctive connection to the island will always reign. Adi Putra in that ephemeral moment of supreme embrace.

Photography by Jenya Ivkov

TIME WELL SPENT ISLAND BREWERY’S GOT YOUR SUNSETS COVERED

By Whalebone

A “Veronica” is the name of a type of pass in Spanish bullfighting whereby the Torero’s cape is drawn over the bull´s head while the man holds a poised, graceful posture. Kian Martin, playing with the horns of big Desert Point, perhaps already dreaming of a sunset brew. Photography by Pete Frieden

TIME WELL SPENT

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: a bunch of famous Aussie surfers start a craft beer brand…right, we thought so. But things have only gotten better because our own Bali boys have thrown their hat in the ring and damn if the new Island Brewery suds don’t take the cake. Pilsner, Lager, IPA, Small hazy, let’s face it, beer was made for surfing or rather surfing was made for beer and what Bali sunset would be complete without it? Let’s take a hard stop at the Black Sand Brewery where the magic is happening. It’s 6:35 p.m and owner/ operator/brewer Mattia di Bitonto cruises up to the bar to meet me. He’s got his craft beer in one hand, the other is waving at everyone like he’s a cross between the mayor of Canggu and Spicoli. It’s no secret he is one of the best surfers on the island and that he spends half his life force doing it everyday. I guess that’s where the confidence comes in. Time to listen and taste his beer:

Mattia: We are in Canggu where the waves are basically out front and that inspired us. So, what is that joke again? A surfer walks into a bar and has a, what, a terrible beer?…so we changed that to: a surfer walks into the brewery and has a damn good beer. Okay, so the idea was actually my dad’s. Why don’t we do a brewery? And, I’m like, I always wanted to do a brewery because I love beer. I would travel everywhere like Oz and California and have good beer there, so why not here? Because I grew up here in Bali; my parents moved us here when I was 10, and now I’m 28 and when I was about 15 that’s when I started drinking beer, but don’t tell the cops. So yeah, I was drinking terrible beer—as 15 year old’s tend to do—, and as I got a bit older I started traveling overseas and started to taste some good beers, then when I’d come back here and be like, “Man, this beer is terrible.” Over some time, I was like “Yup, okay, I’m ready to learn, and we are gonna do a brewery, me and my Dad.”

I always like to please the expats first, but so far I’ve been getting people in from all over the place. I’ve been getting people in who’ve seen our beers rated on apps that I don’t even know about. We’ve really been getting everybody, which is cool. This is what beer is, it’s a place for everyone. Brewing beer is like a full time job, and we’re doing everything with the brewery and restaurant. And Canggu is the place, man. Young crews of surfers, skaters, and families and internationals and a bit of everything. And the bottom line? Life is great and it’s even better with great beer. I bet just about everybody out there, especially in the tropics, couldn’t live without beer. It’s the oldest drink in the world.

The first solid proof of beer production comes from the period of the Sumerians around 4,000 BCE. So I guess in way we are just carrying on a legacy. Yeah, that’s for sure, cuz we are here to stay. Surfing and great tasting beer, is there really any other way?

Island Brewery Directors Mian and Mattia and the simple joys of life.

The Ocean, a feminine force, the maternal centre of all life. The Greeks believed Aphrodite herself sprung from the sea-foam. Witness Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus . In Old Norse methodology, the nine daughters of Ægir, the god of the sea, and Rán, the goddess of the drowned, are ocean waves, appearing and manifesting in different forms. Norse mythology describes the daughters as embodying their mother’s mercilessness, relentlessly taunting seafarers. A brief glimpse at history puts in motion a whole conversation on the feminine connotations of the ocean. Its motherly omnipotence intertwined with the beginnings of life, its raw ability to connect all bodies of land, its source of endless fertility, resilience, and strength. Humans are wholly dependent on the sea, its currents, its form. The ocean gives both freshwater and oxygen, moderates our climates and is the cause of Earth’s weather. It has prolonged and sustained our evolution as a species, shepherding the environment we’ve grown familial with. Women protect the ocean in a unique, symbiotic way. Women have actually been proven to gain higher chance to ratify environmental treaties in Parliaments across the globe. Woman have continuously recognized the power the Ocean elements hold, ensuring its prominence in historical and modern life.

There’s a reason why so many oceanic deities are depicted as female. Salacia, the Roman Goddess of the sea and saltwater, ruled the depths of the ocean alongside Neptune. In Egypt, Anuket kept watch over the Nile, the country’s most sacred resource. Glancing to the East, Indonesia describes three Goddesses that rule the sea: Dewi Danu, the Balinese Hindu water goddess; Dewi Lanjar, Javanese Queen of the North Sea and Nyai Roro Kidul, Javanese Queen of the South Sea. Hawaii too, their historical Goddess of the Ocean being Nāmaka, of the Pele family who control seismic events, the eruptions of volcano’s and the direction of lava flows.

Female surfers connect to the sea in a way that is unique. Women understand the ride and the relentless motions, respecting the power swings. The ocean doesn’t discriminate, females are accepted as equal in the face of its undeniable force. A space where women can excel, without the societal institutions and limitations. Conquering the ocean and its tangent fields is as possible as you believe it can be. Consider Princess Keleanohoana’api’api the Maui surf riding Princess. She was a trailblazer, said to have surfed better than the men dating back to the 17th century. In a male dominated world, the ocean simply doesn’t care, or stop, or withhold, everyone is as strong and vulnerable as the next person. The ocean is feminine and she will kick your ass.

By Isis Flack

Ziggy Mackenzie soars into the mystic. Photography by Liquid Barrel

Portrait by Matt George

The Surftime Interview

After the hit premiere of his new film CRANE BRAIN, Ian Crane’s love affair with Indonesia continues. Surftime caught up with Ian at the Kandui Resort in the Mentawai where he was test piloting a new quiver of twin-fins and filming clips for the new LOST movie 5’5” x 25. He disappeared into the wilds of Sumbawa not long after.

How are you feeling about the Mentawai since back 2019 when you were here for the Reckless isolation movie and the book The Last Crusade ? What came from a desperation surf trip to get out of the American Pandemic lockdown nonsense…I mean we were the luckiest people on earth to be able to break free during that time and come to Indonesia. And then we get to Mentawai on special business visas, because well, surfing is our business, and the surf is empty and the waves just start pumping for weeks. It was like a great gift or something. We were all best friends and all these incredible things came from that trip. Kolohe’s movie and this giant leatherbound hardcover book that will last forever about that one trip. My best friends and I were able to go on a really incredible trip during the biggest global upheaval of our generation. We haven’t been through wars or the draft, but we were going through this Pandemic and we made something really beautiful happen within a really ugly time. I am really proud of that.

You have dropped all the competition ambitions to become a freesurfer, yes?

Well, I think that term needs to be re-defined. I am not so much becoming a freesurfer, I am becoming a modern pro, a project surfer. A freesurfer just goes on trips like some trained seal from Seaworld. The modern pro has a lot more shit going on. Very DIY. Films, test piloting, designing boards and tackling social media. Not just meaningless stunt vlogging, but a well rounded approach to expressing your life. And that is the best description of my current job. Expressing my life in a meaningful way. It’s a commitment to your craft, your surfing and being authentic. It’s a great time to be alive as a surfer and I plan on taking full advantage of it. Now you have to be creative, self motivated, distinctive and a bit of a business man. You gotta use your brain. You can’t just expect someone else to pay you and twist you into something that sells their shit. With social media today, you can spot a fake a mile away. Being a modern Pro means taking it on yourself. And I look forward to a real honest representation of myself.

You are here at the Kandui Resort getting clips for the new LOST Movie 5’5” x 25?

So much fun. Yeah, this movie is a redux on the 25th anniversary of 5’5”x 19/14, The original fish movie with Cory Lopez and Chris Ward and Andy Irons just going nuts on the fish that Matt Biolos designed at the time. Remember that one? It’s an insane little movie. I mean that was my favorite movie as a little kid and now I get to be in the new one? Stoked! And plus, getting to surf perfect Indonesia with Cory Lopez on fishes is just so damn much fun. A surf trip on killer boards with a childhood hero of mine in a project that shaped me as a child? So dreamy. But Cory and I are also test piloting boards out here. This place is the ultimate Top Gun Testing Facility. But don’t get me wrong, it’s also the most fun in the world (Laughs)

I mean being on the LOST team and being part of the master plans is the best thing in the world as far as I’m concerned. It’s inspiring. And on top of that, I am very lucky to have grown up on what I consider the the best surfboards in the world.

What is it about your new Movie, Crane Brain, that you dig the most?

Last year me and my friend Gabe Garcia pitched Oneill a video project to make a profile film on my new direction in life. The concept was to find meaningful waves and surf them in a really meaningful way. Like just finding empty perfect surf and digging the power and ripping hell out of them. Not to just make a frantic clip with endless airs and a bunch of close-out air reverses. R eal waves, real surfing, take off to kick out. And it was also a chance to surf interesting places with other interesting people. I was so stoked to get Cory on board. And I mean that guy has not lost a single step with his surfing. He’s like Kelly. What’s with those East Coast guys not ever getting old? And Cory has kids and big responsibilities? He’s gotta be the best family man surfer in the world, I think. And we really wanted the film to inspire young surfers to get off their phones and go out on surf adventures of their own. And having something that would hit home for people that want a surf film where the surfing is big and powerful and radical and not just have a series of tricks. Real surfing. It started out as a video on Indo. I was shooting with Scotty Hammonds and Nate Lawrence and it was Nate who really convinced me we had to extend the concept. And so I went to Ireland with Cory (Laughs). My earliest surf t rips were with Cory, so it was sick to go on a new one in 2022 with him. To go full circle. And the last contest events I did were the Euro challenger series, and we got some of that, but we stayed after the events and got Portugal and France too and that was when we caught up with Caity Simmers. And she is the most badass, punk rock, female surfer ever. She had her 16th birthday with us and her mom was cool enough to let her travel and shoot with us and the footage of her is just mindblowing. So good that we gave her a sneaky part in the film. You gotta see it, she is an insane surfer. She will be a world Champion, for sure.

You spend a lot of time in Indonesia. It just suits me. And the adventures you get into are just nuts. Indonesia is the best place to be a surfer. Best waves, no rules, free and easy. The culture is amazing, the people are nice, the expat community is absolutely hilarious. It has a little bit of everything and for me it’s just the best creative environment in the world. Plus, c’mon, the waves? There is no better place to surf and enjoy your surroundings. It’s fun and sexy and soulful and fascinating and exciting. You want more than that out of a place?

Ian Crane screaming back into the power source, to the inspiration, to the meaning of it all. Photography by Manu Miquelez/Kandui Resort

Portrait by Matt George

By Matt George Kandui Resort, Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra, 2022

On an island set like a jewel one hundred nautical miles off West Sumatra and one and a half degrees south of the equator, a boy pads through the jungle. It is 6:18 in the morning and he is as much a part of this island as the birds that are announcing the dawn. He had fallen asleep to the sounds of the building swell and he is now eager to see what has arrived. His steps sift the white sand of the worn path that is marked with the split coconut husks of the resort village where he lives. He holds a brand new surfboard under his right arm. The easy weight of it feeling like a promise. Freshly waxed, the scent of it, warmed by his armpit, merges with the wet smell of the big leaves that have fallen in the night. He arrives at the clearing on the edge of the jungle. His jungle. On his island. He finds the morning sky blushing pink, thinking it the same color as the inside of a seashell. The swell is alive. The hiss of the tumbling waves is everywhere and deep into his lungs he breathes in the salty tang of it all. He crouches with his board across his knees and takes the measure of the day. With eyes that have seen a hundred dawns like this, he watches the waves. And his focus tightens and goes to ground deep in his stomach. There is only one thing now. To ride these waves as he has done all his life. To ride them because they are his life. This boy’s name is Dylan Wilcoxen. He is 13 years old.

Dylan lets one more set of waves roll through. Then he digs the nose of his board into the sand, propping it there and he turns and jogs back to the resort restaurant to find his Dad. Together, they will get the dinghy ready and decide where everyone is going to surf. He spots his Dad on the porch holding a big mug of coffee, talking to the excited guests. It’s going to be one helluva day. Dylan catches his Dad’s eyes and his Dad raises his eyebrows at him. Dylan raises his too and nods toward the sound of the surf and smiles. And his Dad smiles back. And in that moment, in that natural connection of all that surrounds them, the world slides into a kind of perfection.

Having grown up at the Kandui Resort in the Mentawai, Dylan Wilcoxen’s otherworldly abilities reflect a young lifetime of having the finest shaped waves in the world quite literally in his front yard. If he seeks to thrive in the world beyond his island home, he will hit the international stage like a revelation.

Photography by Manu Miquelez/Kandui Resort

Surftime: Scotty, you’re a sailor, windsurfer, big wave rider, Stand up paddle boarder and now foiler and wing surfer. Was it growing up in Western Australia that inspired you to do all this? Well, yeah. I’m from Perth…. But Perth has such flat terrible water, so I spent all my time in the Margaret River area. Now I’ve been living in Margaret river for 20 years. “The point” is one of my favorites and I have a little secret spot which is way offshore and really sharky so it’s all mine most the time. Ha!

You’ve got a few World titles. Hard work or luck? Dedication. But there definitely a lot of luck involved. I mean that’s life, uh?

Life as a professional involves a lot of time travelling, do you miss normality?

The abnormal becomes the normal. Which keeps the time I’m at home healthy. To be able to reboot and start again. But you know, with any passion, it’s all good times when you live it and look back on it. I say get out there and go for it. Make your own luck.

What’s your method to making the perfect board for any discipline? I focus on the conditions and try to make a board that reacts automatically to your mind. The success of the Smik boards have been that they are easy to ride well. For anyone, pro or beginner. They very generous, giving out that sensation of high performance. I’ve always wanted life to be easy and having a board that makes riding easy, it all goes hand in hand, right? Why struggle? Especially starting out. You want encouragement and progression, not bruises.

Your new signature brand Smik, big decision, what was behind the decision to go solo? The inability to go in the direction I was wanting to go. Working for bigger brands means a lot of talking and going in circles and I was ready to go at it head-on all on my own.

Smik is a small company with a big reputation. Do you want to take it big time? I have no intention of doing anything other than to make people happy with good boards. I have learned there is a danger in going too big in business. To many circles and not enough forwards.

The growth of new board sports like foiling and wing, are these sports just fads or do you see a good future? No doubt they are here to stay. They are just too dynamic to go away. I mean, we are flying like seabirds! Foiling has made its way into all forms of sailing and is still very much in its embryonic development. But foiling shouldn’t be the end all, mix it up man, burying a rail and feeling the fins flex on a SUP or a surfboard… nothing quite like it, right? Just mix it up!

Any words of wisdom for us on how to enjoy every moment in the water? Yeah, sure. Throw your shitty boards away. Stay on top of new designs, new experiments, keep trying new things, new ways to surf, stay interested and be interesting. Seriously. There is just too much fun to have out there without trying new equipment, new wave riding and new challenges all the time. It’s how you stay on top of your life. Smik boards and wings are available online @www.smiksup.com and can be test ridden at the Rip Curl School of Surf in Sanur.

FLYING FREE

FLYING FREE

Says Jonni Morrison-Deaker of the Rip Curl School of Surf, “It’s a revolution, this foiling. Open your mind to all these new, remarkable ways to ride a wave and you will set your mind and body free. I mean just look at it. Man and machine flying on all that natural energy between heaven and earth? Take it on!”

With our post-pandemic borders open wide there have been hundreds of super talented underground

visiting

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known only as

captured

moment

march

Photography by Pete Frieden

Lest we forget the famous words of John Severson when he published the first Surfer Magazine in 1960, “In this crowded world, the surfer can still seek and find the perfect day, the perfect wave, and be alone with the surf and his thoughts.” Sixty two years on it still rings true. Especially in our nation of over 17,500 islands, where untold treasures still await this truth.

Photography by Liquid Barrel

Rahtu Suargita in a moment of perfection at the jewel of the Bukit, bringing the philosophy of Tri Hita Karana to every wave he rides.

Photography by Nate Lawrence

CAPTIVATE

ILLUMINATE

DESIRE

THE DRIFTER EXPERIENCE

Drifter is a place to chill out and peruse the carefully curated collection of books, artwork, memorabilia and, of course, an epic selection of surfboards. But Drifter is so much more than a surf shop — it’s an experience.

Drifter represents and houses the independent works of people who are redefining a generation. By honouring the legends of the past who’ve laid the foundations of surf culture while inspiring us to create a new movement, we’ve built a temple of surfing unlike any other.

WHITE MONKEY: CORE PERFORMANCE

Team Riders Mason Ho and Adam Crawford checking their new blades

A definite power source on the Bukit, The White Monkey Surf Shop operates with old school values and new school performance. “It’s all about the boards”, says Owner/ Provocateur Pete Matthews, “Surfing is nothing without planting your feet on the best high performance surfboards in the world. You know it and I know it, a magic board can change your life”. With a

full array of the latest LOST/MAYHEM and DHD models and the finest modern equipment and gear to go along with them, the White Monkey is the place to be for the surfer serious about cutting edge performance. Says White Monkey devotee Mason Ho, “Come in here and you will feel the vibrations of a surf st oke so strong it’ll make your teeth rattle”.

THE LAWN IS THE PLACE

The Lawn Canggu is the must visit Beach Club in Bali. Located r ight in the heart of Desa Canggu, Batu Bolong on the beachfront.

We welcome locals and visitors alike 7 days a week from midday until late.

The Lawn Canggu has evolved since it’s inception in 2015, starting with combi van and large piece of grass beachside where people could relax all day, especially for the classic Balinese sunsets. Over the years, The Lawn Canggu has evolved into the number 1 beach. club in terms of service, delicious food and high quality cocktails to enjoy by the pool whilst maintaining it’s laid back vibes. Over the years, The Lawn Canggu has been a showcase venue countless international and local artists, bands and dj’s with the well known Lawn Fridays and Sundays being an essential part of the nightlife scene.

TIME BEACH WARUNG WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY

Times Beach Warung is located right in the heart of Balis most loved, laidback areas with great surf, beautiful beaches and sunsets you wouldn’t believe. We open from 6am to 10pm and shoes are optional! It’s a favourite with all the locals whether pre / post surf or work or just chilling with their fee t in the sand with fantastic coffee and an ever evolving menu catering to all types of tastes. Our amazing team will be smiling and waiting to help you find a comfy spot to kick back for 5 mins or 5 hours!. If you love the beach, surfing lifestyle or just plain chilling then we have everything you need, it’s unmissable due to the beautiful organic, contemporary stylings of the space. This spot is definitely one to tick off your list whilst in Canggu!

INSTA GIVEAWAY

It’s simple. Surftime Magazine is back and so is our giveaway’s. This time around, the most creative email we recieve at surftimemagazine@gmail.com scores a 2022 heritage Rip Curl Cup Tee Shirt. One male and one female will be the lucky winners. See you next issue!

How to enter: Simply mention @surftime_magazine and @bobbysgland when posting your latest video or photo in your stories and follow@surftime_magazine and @bobbysgland.

Our team will be looking through all stories that mention @surftime_magazine and @bobbysgland

We will be regularly sharing chosen stories and saving them to our highlights for judging by our panel of judges made up of local pro’s and surf industry leaders.

ANYONE can enter. No age limit. Enter as many times as you want, as often as you want. Entry period from September 1 – November 30, 2022

And don’t worry, there will be Surftime Prize packs for all the runners up, so there is plenty of ways to win.

Dream it, live it. A Grajagan dream trip has never been easier to win.

Winners will be announced in the next issue of Surftime Magazine. So get on it and we will see you at Bobby’s G-Land Camp!

Photography by Matt George