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[leglesstv]

Tom Linn enjoys his H20 time.

Here are some amazing images of Tom on his recent trip to Nias, Kandui and P-Pass. These are from last September where Tom spent a month in Indo and 10 days of November in Micronesia.

Thanks for sharing Tom, ripping.

[leglesstv]

Suddenly the phone rings, Manolo Trujillo is calling me (I think, I'm sure he calls me to ask me what the waves are like at Relief Beach). Well, no! he calls me to go to do a test of the wave of the siam park and so to be able to put it to point, my joy is such that I start to tell brian and ismael to see if they are available for some photos from the water. all controlled !! we arrive ... the wave roars and suddenly I see that when leaving the first wave we have a great job (the first wave never broke until we reached the shore when we know that the first has always been the most perfect of all). I throw myself into the water fast it's coming! I hear it roar !!! I take the wave number 2 and push me from the drop I hit the lip and I become 1 floater .... awesome !!! my smile is that of a 15-year-old child. We are like this until the photographers enter the water and we will continue to leave the regulated wave up to level 6 of power. It is done!! the left keda regulated and the wave now allows all kinds of maneuvers and with enough power! now it is the right but, it is easier to regulate it, it was made by manolo trujillo, who is a true genius in this, even though I take a few and I can also give my point of view. 

IN SUMMARY, A SESSION OF WAVES IN A POOL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD IN AN ISLAND THAT IS A PARADISE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE VISITED IT. A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE, SOMETHING TO TRY IF IT CAN BE AND ONE OF THE THINGS TO REPEAT WITHOUT ANY DOUBT.

Ruyman Acosta

Legless.tv

Photograper: Brian Gonzalez

[leglesstv]

PC & Me

My relationship with PC varied dramatically from travel surf mates to full on opponents in kneeboard contests.

In his three in a row time as Australian kneeboard champion 76, 77, 78, I came runner up to him twice in 76 and 78. I first met him in 1974 at the National Titles in Queensland, he wasn't competing as he didn't qualify for the NSW team that year but was taking photos with his trusty Nikonos. We chatted about design and he said he really liked my boards, that they were different and was impressed I had shaped them myself. I was 18 years old. He was helpful to me at Burleigh Heads he told me where to sit to get the good ones, I made the final 5.

The next year 1975 the nationals were in South Australia and neither PC nor I made the final. Peters greatest rival Kevin Barr won in it with Steve Artis a close second. PC wasn't really focused that year and I was trying out a new shape.

In 1976 titles he cut loose, I had PC and the DEE WHY crew Colin Gow, Russell Lewis, Terry Clarke and Chopper Fred, along with our good mate Andrew McKinnon stay at the family home in Mornington. The 76 national titles were held on the east coast of Victoria between Pt. Leo and Gunnamatta, PC was very comfortable at my place as he was supported by friends and he was full on focused and tuned in. He won every heat, every semi, every final, every round was a perfect score.

Probably only Wayne Lynch and Michael Peterson have done likewise in the ASA surfing competitions.

This was his first title of three in a row.

Peter had a great rapport with Victoria, in 1975 he won the Point Leo 1200 competition, ending my two-year reign on the title. We travelled with Andrew McKinnon and Russell Lewis and surfed Express Point on Phillip island. PC loved it and he just slotted straight into it like a local, he loved the tube and knew how to ride one, none of us had leg ropes on that made even more challenging.  But he was never conservative he just went for it.

Chris Crozier shaped all his boards and PC was totally stoked that I was shaping my own boards and he would get all excited dancing and giggling as he showed me the rocker, foil and rails of his board and encourage me to try this next time. His enthusiasm was infectious.

In 1977 PC won his second Australian title narrowly beating Steve Artis at North Narrabeen, Steve then beat him narrowly at the O'Neil kneeboard pro also at North Narrabeen. 1977 was a tight tussle between PC & Steve Artis two of the great Aussie kneeboard riders of the time. PC was a hard man to compete against and we all really had to lift our game as there was no rules with him, it was like a street fight. He could be intimidating, play mind games, he would be hassling and sledging you. Whatever, he wanted to win, no mates that was it. On the other hand, there was the super kind, considerate, encouraging PC, I saw all the traits and I both loved and hated him at various times.

The 1978 nationals were held in Margaret River in huge surf, they were great waves. Three rounds of the Titles went like this, I won the first and the 3rd round, Steve Artis won the 2nd round and PC won the Grand Final. Although I was awarded the Title, a tabulating error was found the next day and I promptly handed the title to PC, as I had lost on a count back. He did say to me if anyone won it he would want it to be me. Contests surfing can strain your friendships without a doubt.

PC and I were picked on these results to represent Australia in an International Surfing event to be held on the North Shore of Hawaii on Dec/Jan 1978-79. But because of PC’s work commitments as a Professional Photographer he couldn't make it. David Parkes was slotted in, David won the event with myself in second place.

PC found me and whisked me away one night whilst I was on the North Shore, he took me to meet George Greenough and George showed us his movie "Echoes". This was a very memorable evening I can assure you, sitting in a room with those two legends watching this film, I was 21 years old and felt very very privileged.

Peter was a hard man, very ruthless, but he always looked out for me. When I won the coveted Duranbah Kneeboard Pro in 1981 after coming 2nd in 1980, I got an unexpected phone call from PC totally stoked for me.

Towards the end of PC’s incredible competitive career PC got eaten up by the monsters he himself had created. All of us fellow competitors became just like him and some got even worse when trying win. I saw him bomb out of the National Titles on the Gold Coast in 1979, PC had been so starved of waves by the very people who looked up to him as the guru of kneeboard riding.

I wasn't to see him again for many years, apart from the occasional phone call i.e. the one in 81. Also our boards had changed David Parkes and myself had started to ride twin fins. PC kept on his tried and tested, PC was a purist in the best essence. No one could ever surf those single fin Crozier flex tails quiet like him, he was a one-off master, very eccentric and he set the standard.

PC took everyone on in competition in the 70s and he came out on top, he had some great battles with David Parkes in the latter part of that era in the Sitmar/cruise contest on the south side of Sydney. PC maintained the good vibes between north and south side kneeboard riders.

Without doubt his biggest rival was Kevin Barr, there was no love lost between them that’s for sure.

PC was many things to many different people but to his fellow kneeboard riders he was an inspiration, he put us on the map in so many ways and made people sit up and take notice, by being a true waterman in every way, PC will always be remembered with profound respect and admiration.

 ** Footnote **

I had an extraordinary relationship with Peter and I know he was very fond of me, he was exceptionally kind to me. I had seen PC be very cold and downright cruel to other people. There was a real dark side to him. I have chosen to be selective in what I have written about him. There is much more that I know, but I am not sure it should be told as people who love him may get hurt. I hope this will suffice. 

Yours sincerely 

Neil Luke - Legless.tv

Contributor

Peter Crawford images C/O Justin Crawford

[leglesstv]

A bucket list...

A to do list..

A, I must surf there, before I go there list...

We all have them, and we all love to day dreamily indulge in those moments where you are potentially slipping into that ,wave of your life..

So when Troy made mention of a trip to a friends camp in the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia, to say I was curious and excited, would be an understatement.

Dates were set ,flights booked, boards selection puzzled over and we rondevue at Sydney airport. 

The vibe amoungst the crew was buzzing, as we had reports of a nice swell arriving on the 3rd day of the trip..cool a couple of days to settle in..

Dave and his partner Nat , have between them over a decade experience in the area, and boy does it show. 

From a seamless transfer to their amazing camp, to getting us straight of the boat and into empty right hand perfection, Dave nailed it, every time..

That first session set the tone for the rest of the trip and each day we scored epic waves.

The third day comes and with it a rising swell, a little hidden gem of a reefs starts to fire. 

This seldom ridden peak provides us days of laughs , pits, snapped boards and all round good times.

Motoring home one particular evening we cruise past a right hand setup bending off in the distance. What we see sends the boat into a frenzy.. 

Is it too low?? to fast.??..a little more tide??  Corey, or resident guinea pig bodyboarder, is jumping out of his skin and Chayno offers to test the waters with him..

Corey first wave...Pit...Chayno first wave..Pit..Right , out there!!

In turns out to be a very memorable evening. Glassy conditions, sunset lit pits and just 6 of ya mates,. That moment of realization that bucket lists, should've, could've, would've lists, they are crucial and deserve our consideration and acknowledgement. 

 As a set wave bends down the reef in the dying evening light, Chayno looks at me like...you going?..I turn and paddle my arse off, indicating..Ah Hell yeah!!  As I pass him and the wave stands up on the reef I hear him yell, Go Maka!! Wave of ya life Mate!!, and you know what, he may have just been right..

As we sip cold beers and motor home under an Indian Ocean sunset, I realize how important that bucket list is, and how I won't neglect it anymore..

 As surfers we share a passion for experience, to ride those waves we have mind surfed for a lifetime. And guess what?....We can.. A tennis player cant walk out at 

Wimbledon and have a swing..But we can..We can go and surf those waves and have our own experiences..

So do yourself a favor and think about that list as the boss is yelling at you and think, your not on my list.....

Mark Mcleod -legless.tv

Pics : Alaia Mentawai  www.alaiamentawai.com

[leglesstv]

Everybody loves Fridays.

Friday morning. It was flat yesterday but the forecast says swell is on the way. The wind’s offshore - I can hear the occasional gust howling outside, but I’m stuck at the office until 3 in the afternoon. On the plus side, sunset’s not till 7 pm and I don't have to pick the kids up from school, so I have plenty of time for an afternoon surf. Nice.

 Through the day I check the buoys every hour, and it's picking up fast. There will be waves, but where should I go? With the  building swell the beach break could be maxing out, but will it be big enough for the point? At three o’clock I decide on the half hour drive to the beach break, but when I get there, of course it's maxing out, damn it! Tide’s way too low. Should have known - high isn’t until just after 8. What to do? Going back to the point will cost too much time … but … the tide seems to be filling in fast, maybe more water will help things clean up here.

 I sit in the car watching, feeling frustrated, a little anxious. It’s the classic waiting game. A few surfers come and go, nobody stays. A friend parks alongside and we talk from car to car. ‘What are you up to mate?’ 

‘I'm hoping that right-hander will turn on just before dark.’

‘OK, good luck.’ He smiles and drives away. 

I stay.

The clock is ticking. It's 5:15 and I just see white water where there should be waves. Damn it, time’s running out. I start thinking I’ve  blown it but then … a middle sized wave just looked good. Might as well give it a go, I think, I’ve nothing better to do. I pull out my 3/2, slip into it and start walking slowly down the cliff. I'm definitely not in a rush.

 Once in the water, I start duckdiving. You know the drill, 1,2,3,4,5 ... eventually I make it out. I know the lineup and where to sit. It’s a while before my first wave, and it’s nothing too exciting, but I watch a good one on the way back out. I wait some more, a big set breaks outside but the foam almost disappears before getting to me. I wait a little more, and then a really good looking one starts coming my way. I drop in, almost get barreled and pull out in time to see another good one go unridden. The froth starts building inside me.

 Soon, it stops breaking on the outside and everything falls into place. A couple more guys get in the water just before dark. 

‘It's good hey, looks incredible from the car park!’ 

I nod, with a big grin on my face. We trade waves until it’s too dark to see. Victory!

 To make things even  better, that night I’m sipping a beer at home when my phone beeps. It’s a message from Irene, a local photographer. ‘Hey, I have some photos of you from today.’

‘Huh, really? Cool, thanks!!’

Chus (Jesús Fiochi Alonso)

(Edited by Rob Harwood, Pics by Irene)

[leglesstv]

Legless Sessions

Lake Parade

Young DY point ripper Charles Mowbray dropped into our Wollongong stomping grouds this week to share some waves with our current World Champion Chayne Simpson and two x World Champ Albert Munoz.

On hand to capture some footage and to spread the legless love was non other than legendary Terry Day.

[leglesstv]

The Dream Run: Greg Holzman’s Island Life

Part 2.

If you were born before the last twenty years of the 20th century you’re able to grasp how much new technology and cheap air travel have changed the world and the way we live in it: profound changes that have touched every aspect of our lives. Surfing has always required commitment to the pursuit of good waves, but the nature and depth of that commitment has morphed and grown. Greg joked with us about one of the photos he sent us - him perfectly framed in the spiralling mouth of a smooth and luminous barrel - saying it was “nothing money can’t buy”. He’s right of course, but money’s only part of it – to experience the kind of nirvana we glimpse in shots like that requires planning, preparation of equipment, logistics, lots of water-time and perhaps more than anything, fitness. Add to this the fact that as a self-employed fisherman, when Greg’s not working, he’s not earning. Sponsors? Well, he gets a few boards from Buddy McCray. His logistical team is a loose network of local contacts he’s developed to facilitate the various resources and services inevitably required at short notice in out of the way places. Greg’s strike missions are conceived, organised, funded and executed autonomously: it’s all his own experience, knowledge, time and money. There are few among us able to shut up shop and disappear, possibly for months at a time, living self-sufficiently on the road, chasing the chance of finding a particular spot firing for a limited time. You may plan for a road trip or a boat trip, but Greg’s is commitment on a whole other level. Access to technology is one thing, knowing how to put it to best use is a skill acquired over time. Greg’s background in fishing has been a huge help in interpreting long-range weather forecasts, weather maps, charts of out of the way places: all key factors in his ability to score quality waves. Help and advice from fellow travellers, including a smattering of kneeboard surfers spread around the globe. Behind all this though, remain two things. One is what started it all going more than half a lifetime ago in San Diego: an irrepressible drive to ride big, challenging, high quality waves. The other is what drove Greg to leave Oahu for the outer islands in the late 70’s: the drive to explore the outermost limits of his ability on his own, away from the crowd. While there are plenty of pro and semi-pro freesurfing footboarders criss-crossing the globe at any given time, each with a Youtube channel and an Instagram account, it’s kind of nice to know that kneeboard surfing has Greg Holzman out there pushing the limits of what’s been done and pushing the rest of us to step up our game and look beyond our comfort zone.

Greg views his big wave pursuits as “strike missions”. Track a swell, find a spot, check wind and tide permutations, airlines, local travel, accommodation, be ready to go at the drop of a hat, and be prepared to surf at 100% when you get there. He’s been doing this for about 40 years, perhaps with increasing sophistication and expertise, but that’s the only change. We received an email just after Christmas.

 “So for fear of more words I’ll give you the story of my first solo big wave venture. It was at Pipeline. 1978. It was a giant West swell. Surf reports weren’t accurate back then but looking out I could see it was nice East winds in Kailua and I knew a big West swell was pumping. I was all about Pipeline at the end of my Oahu period so I felt very comfortable out there.  

I surfed with the heavies of the day, so I was pushing my limits. Driving up Kam Highway, the hour it took really got the heart pumping, especially when I hit Indicators reef and saw how big it was. More often than not, the swell was huge instead of too small, but in the 70’s no-one knew how big till you got there. When I got to Ehukai Beach Park I saw no-one out, perfect offshores and third reef sets at 20ft Hawaiian. Some amazing waves but I wasn’t sure I was ready for that!

Jack Lindholm was headed out on his bodyboard. I watched him catch a few incredible rides that got me stoked. The Second reef was capping hard and seemed like easy take-offs, but that was Jack on a bodyboard and he could take off later than anyone at the time.

I remember he didn’t make it out of a tube on one and came up the beach with his board almost torn in half.  I didn’t know him but commented on his board. He said he was going to change boards and go back out so I told him I would get ready and meet him out there. As I walked down to the beach I saw Sam Hawk paddle out, headed to the peaks at outside Log Cabins. I never saw Sammy again. Obviously, he lived, but that was all I saw of him as it was soon after this that I moved to Kauai.  

Anyway, I paddled out. It wasn’t that hard; in fact it was really easy with the channel and a big West swell. Everyone was at Waimea Bay - for good reason. When I got out, I remember seeing the sets on the outer reefs break a minute or two before they hit us. What I remember most was how hard it was to catch those monsters on my 5’2” twin fin fish. The waves had a deep-water slope to them, and you had to take off as the wave was breaking. Jack had it down and before too long he was gone. I never saw Jack again either.  So here I am and all I’m seeing is giant lines - just like the movies - and I’m getting further and further from shore. I’m thinking that I may need to get rescued and wondering if anyone’s watching in the lifeguard tower. I thought how embarrassing that would be and decided I needed to move inside and catch one underneath or I was not going to get in. Paddling in was a death sentence and it was obviously on the rise, so in between sets I paddled inside.  When a set approached EVERYTHING in me said “move outside NOW”, but I waited. I thought if I didn’t catch that first one I was getting to that beach dead or alive.  Luckily, I made the right call and that first wave was deep and inside and an easy take-off.  In fact, I commented to myself on how easy it was, really.  Once it hit that first reef I just sat there in this big easy barrel - no fear anymore - and the wave was just as perfect and easy a wave as I could get. It spit and I glided out onto the shoulder. I looked out thinking “I can do that again” when … the whole channel was closing out. I immediately turned for shore, just in time to see it turn to close-out sets.  When I got there I heard the hoots and claps of tourists cheering. I had survived my first solo big wave event. It scared me but I never felt more alive and I never forgot it. Just like many firsts, they are worth remembering.”

 So, fast forward to 2016, with Greg’s island life undergoing change, and another dream run about to start. While in Kandui in May that year, Greg picked up a Facebook friend request from Paul Macklin, an Aussie traveller who for years had sent him photos of his surf travels. Paul was then living in Bali. Greg decided he needed to return to G-land, so in July he left for Bobby’s Camp.

 Paul met me in the camp. Bobby Radiasa remembered me - it was like I had never left. All the same guys. Many had gone back every year I was gone. Having that family vibe in camp is a very addictive feeling and Facebook has kept us all back in contact. So, 2018 became the thirty-year reunion for me and G-land. I had three trips in 2018 looking for the gold standard G-land of June - July 2016 that was still the three swells of recent memory.  I got amazing waves, but that massive perfect Speed Reef (which rarely happens) eluded me. After seeing the photos of those days I swore I was investing in this as a goal: to get it at its best. I didn’t care how many trips it would take.

 After G-land in July 2017, I was off to South Africa: from Bali to J-bay.  I worried about the cold, coming straight from the tropics, and I did freeze, but I learned a few tricks there as well on staying warm - including a 1mm wetsuit top under my clothes - that let no cold air in on those freezing surf checks!  That’s where I met Gigs and Stevo. I stayed with Mike Ruthnum, who I’m indebted to for introducing me to great people, fellow KB riders, and secret surf spots that I will always remember. J-bay was an eye-opener. Much had changed there. Crowds were always a factor, but the town had a great vibe. The South Africans have all the forecasting at their fingertips now, so they come from around the country for the bigger swells, which I found different than the 80’s. But with that came KB riders. I found a very cool group of fellow riders who were happy, very much a club feeling, and with a wide range of boards ... it was an impressive group. I came home knowing that I would return next season. A month is not enough time in Africa. But as soon as I got home, I saw $500 tickets return to Bali. I knew Gigs was going and Simon Farrer - who I hadn’t seen since he was 18 on my island with Buddy - was meeting Gigs at G-land. Simon was already a phenomenon at 18. Seeing his movies made me want to spend time with these two world champs. So back I went for more.

 That took me right into the 2018-19 season with a passion for strike missions. I managed to strike a few Pacific spots early 2019 during Hawaii’s stormy moments. Each time selling more plants and looking: as soon as it was a good moment and I had cash I was going - sometimes with less than 8 hours to pack and be at the airport. I was on call for G-land when I saw a series of swells and good winds lining up. I told myself I wasn’t going to plan in advance for Indo anymore. My goal was one which wouldn’t end till I caught that 2016 Gold standard swell. Lucky for me it came on a day that looked like it wasn’t going to happen. The surf was huge and the direction was good with a high tide, but the wind was light onshore. I was pretty bummed when I saw the rain at 9 am, (not usually a good sign) but it passed quickly. All the guys went in. I knew the winds were changing with that sound the bamboo makes and quickly suited up. I got down to the beach and Donny the photographer said to hop on his bike. Blacky and he were headed out on the boat to take photos. I knew it was good and a heavy paddle out, so off we went. As soon as we neared it, we saw this was no normal day. When you see the photographer and boat driver pounding the boat and cheering like they were you know it’s not a normal day. Two guys were out, but they wanted nothing to do with those sets. My heart was pounding hard. I knew this was going to be a test - of all I had learned to stay safe, and the test of my equipment I so badly wanted.

What made it even better was my photographer was right on it with me to document.  I paddled out to an empty lineup and two guys who just paddled over the sets. It was destiny, fate, or just plain perseverance.

I learned a lot: about my boards, my goals and how hard it is to drive through those shock waves deep in barrels when it’s like that. I could see that what I needed was a board with the fins further back for stability as one bottom turn is all you get and then you’re behind and flying. Some I made, some I should have made, and others were just plain heavy. The crowd eventually showed up and the tide went out. One of the biggest problems with this kind of swell is it’s only good at high tide for a maximum of 4 hours. Usually only about 2 to 3 hours at its best.  That’s a lot of investment for such a short window. For me it was worth it. It taught me I could still do it and what my boards needed next mission to maximize my tube time. 

 It’s obvious that there’s a lot more to surf exploration at this level than meets the eye. A lifetime of preparation and expense may seem a high price to pay for memories - a few photos and stories representing the sole concrete evidence of mere minutes spent riding perfect surf - but to Greg, as for anyone else doing what he does, it’s not about money.

 I’ve done 12 trips in three years and surfed Hawaii winters every swell I can in between. I’ve gone to 5 destinations and gone back to each - if I can - till I am satisfied I’ve caught it at its best. I feel I have only really achieved that this year (2019) at G land, which is lucky because next year isn’t going to be the year - with the WSL going off there in the middle of the season.

 In Hawaii we take surfing very seriously. It has changed from when I started, Then, it was much more about the soul surfer and not publicizing where you went and not photographing your sessions. It wasn’t for money either. Now, everyone thinks they can get a free something if they’re good. It’s competitive and I try to remain in a collaborative mind-space. I have found it’s probably a help that I am a KB rider because we’re always trying to prove we belong in the lineup. At this point I rarely feel I can’t deal with things in a lineup, but often I know the fight isn’t worth the effort. I’ll voluntarily move out of the space as I don’t like catching scraps. If I have no chance for the sets, I’ll remove myself from the situation to save myself from certain mental crisis. Or a yelling match. This happened a few times at Jeffreys this year and in September 2018 at G-land with 80 guys in the water. Everyone - even your friends - are on a different level and chances are you’re not going to like what you see, so I’m out at that point.

Knowing how much effort went into getting himself into the line-up for those sessions, that’s a pretty big statement, one that we might all be wise to keep in mind every time we paddle out.  

Words - Rob Harwood - Legless.tv

Photos: Donny Lopez, John Barber & Courtesy of Greg Holzman

[leglesstv]

Pretty big: Chayne Simpson, World Champion 2020.

Australia has a newly crowned surfing world champion. On the 9th of March, Chayne Simpson, from Wollongong NSW, beat Californian Sam Coyne to win the World Kneeboard Surfing Championship in convincing fashion. The event went down in Dunedin, New Zealand, organised by the New Zealand Kneeboard Surfing Association. Conditions were varied throughout the event with the final surfed in small waves on a high tide that effectively saw competition reduced to a game of strategy and patience. This is particularly ironic: Chayne made the quarter finals of this event when he first entered in 1999 and has consistently placed high since. He’s been runner up a number of times, but never won. Always the bridesmaid, now at last, the bride.

Chayne’s been riding kneeboards since the age of about 15, when he was growing up on the NSW south coast. A mad bodyboarder at the time, he recalls trips after school with his brother Troy, and Mark Slater, whose dad Rob would ferry them around to surf the pick of the local breaks. With a healthy kneelo underground in the area it was inevitable that Chayne would see the possibilities offered by increased speed and turning power: it wasn’t long before Rob Slater had the boys on kneeboards and surfing regular club competitions with the Wollongong Area Kneeboard Association (WAKA).

This is amateur surfing, the kind where people turn up month after month, year after year, because they’re dedicated to their sport, not because there’s any financial gain down the track. It’s very fertile ground, but kneeboard comps are often more about a chance for the far flung and sometimes isolated kneeboard fraternity to catch up than winning. The bulk of the field tends to be pretty flat, but the top level are as far beyond the ability of the average kneelo as the top 44 footboarders are above the average surfer. At that level, competition can become intense: a World Title is at stake after all.

Chayne lives less than a kilometre from Albert Munoz, a transplant from Puerto Rico now resident in Wollongong, also a two-time kneeboard world champion and one of Chayne’s best mates. The two don’t surf together all that much because both have young families and wildly different day jobs (Albert holds a PhD and is a university professor, Chayne is a fireman and a qualified signwriter.) Chayne reckons he has the pick of the surf because his work allows more flexibility to plan sessions around the forecasts, while Albert’s job dictates when he’s able to surf. Albert can be found at East Corrimal any day there are waves, (outside of office hours), while Chayne tends to travel the South Coast a lot more, hunting quality. When they do surf together, surprisingly, there’s little competition. Said Chayne, We don’t compete at all when we’re free-surfing, at least I don’t. I like watching what he’s doing, but that old cliché of trying to do better, you know - he’s done a turn, I want to do one better … I think we’re getting a bit old for that.

The two first met at the World Titles on the Sunshine Coast in the early 2000s. Chayne remembers Albert as a really annoying little bastard in the water who just wanted every single wave that came in. Freesurfing he was annoying the hell out of me. I think I had a bit of a go at him, told him he can’t have every wave and to just calm down. He just ignored me and paddled away. After Albert moved to the South Coast and joined the WAKAs, the two ended up mates. It’s a solid friendship that’s endured some 16 years now, with the pair often travelling to competitions together as well as working on Legless.TV.

A very talented waterman, Chayne surfs because he likes doing it. He rides kneeboards because he likes the point of difference it brings to a line up as well as the pure camaraderie that pervades this tiny branch of surfing’s family tree[RH1] .

Chaynes relationship with the World Title has been fraught from the start. He remembers being ousted by a ruthless American in the quarter-final in 1999, when the competition was run without a priority system. A wave popped up where Chayne and another competitor were sitting.

He was sitting inside me, so I asked him if he was gonna go, and he said no, I’m not going, you go. I went, and I turned around and he was behind me on the wave. I got an interference. One of the dirtiest tricks you’re ever gonna get, I reckon.

Chayne doesn’t push the contest side of things at all.

No, I’m definitely more into freesurfing, 100%. I could never go in a contest again and I‘d be fine. Some people train for it, study opponents and all that sort of thing, yeah: I just go surfing. I also wanted to win this World Title, but … I nearly got knocked out first heat again in this one, it was as close as it gets. I think I’m not that competitive until it gets to the final. I’d rather get knocked out first heat than come second in the final.

Of course in Chayne’s case this is no hypothetical supposition.

In previous titles, where I’ve bombed out first heat, I couldn’t have cared less. I’ve just gone ‘oh well, that was funny.’ But when I’ve worked to get to the final, through the whole contest, and then I don’t win, that actually does crush me a little bit at that point. Kyle Bryant mentored me a little through this contest. He sent me a message that said ‘Don’t come second, mate, second’s fucked. You’re better off getting knocked out first heat than you are coming second.’ I reckon he’s 100% right.

At the 2009 event, held at Opunake, NZ, Chayne was seeded into round 3 but was knocked out in his first heat. Unfazed, he took off in a campervan with his brother and a mate and a guidebook.

We had a Surfing New Zealand book, no kids, no women. We just travelled around and went surfing. We chased wherever was offshore and had swell, had a few beers every afternoon.  Every corner we turned we got pumping waves. We scored everywhere we went. Best surf trip I’ve ever been on. We just got lucky – unlucky in the contest, lucky in the trip.

Kneeboarding’s regularly criticised for the age of the people who do it. With a heyday perceived to be somewhere in the late 70s, kneeboarding has produced several world champions over the age of 40. Past winners have expressed a desire to see the world title go to new, younger surfers, but this is a branch of surfing whose constituency is aging, into which few younger surfers care to venture. The event this year was remarkable in that both finalists were under 40. Chayne is as keen as anyone to see new blood in the sport. Who does he rate?

Well, it’s an ageing sport. The talent pool in that younger age range isn’t deep, but there are some guys. Tom Novakov (son of past World Champ Michael Novakov) came through the harder side of the draw and took down a couple of guys people probably wouldn’t have expected him to take down, but he surfed well, he had me on the ropes in the quarters. There’s a young kid from Dee Why who’s surfing really well at the moment, Charlie Mowbray – he wasn’t there (at the World’s), but he surfs really well. He wouldn’t be 20 yet. Owen Fairweather, he’s from Victoria. His surfing is so much better than any of us were at his age. I wasn’t even kneeboarding at his age - he’s 14, I think. He’s ripping, he’s going to be one to watch, for sure. His dad, Pete, has won the Phillip Island comp. In fact, he’s the only Vicco to win Phillip Island.

That’s fine, but is there enough new blood entering the sport for it to continue as a competitive field?

Yeah, there’s enough to keep it going. There’s not enough for it to reach new heights or anything like that, but they’re trickling. There’s probably just as many kneeboarders now as there were when I started out.  

So, what was it that drew you in to riding kneeboards in the first place?

When I started, I was riding bodyboards and kneeboarding, but I went full cripple around the time I left school, when I was around 17 or 18. It was just … fun! I kind of liked the fact that it was different. Surfing Pipe all the time, it was just so suited to that, and just doing turns. I was riding dropknee before – you do a turn and the tail slides out and you go into a spinner. You do a turn on a kneeboard and it just holds the rail, you’re just down low and … you’re carving rather than just sliding.

So, Chayne is a world champ who just wants to go surfing. With Wollongong the long-established centre of Australian kneeboarding, he surfs a lot with Albert, his World Title arch-nemesis. Some 16 years after their first meeting they seem to have worked out how to get through a session by dividing the available waves equably between themselves, but the contrast between freesurfing friendship and cut-throat competition is not lost on Chayne. Their friendship has been forged over years, through long hours at close quarters - travelling to comps, sleeping in cars, hunting waves together. When I pointed out that their friendship might be seen as unusual, Chayne agreed.

No way that would happen with the standup guys. Their one and two are focused on contests all year, training and eating right. They have to, it’s their job. I couldn’t think of anything worse than a sponsor putting pressure on you, saying that you have to finish in the top ten this year or we’re going to cut your sponsorship money, that pressure must be insane. We don’t have to worry about that, we just go surfing. If the World Titles are on one year and we don’t want to go - like Spain (the last World Title two years ago) - we just don’t go. Just go surfing. You know, the odd person over in New Zealand actually looked at me funny like that. They’d see you going for a surf and they’d say, ‘Oh, you’re going to do some training for your heat’. I’d say, no, I’m just going surfing mate. Yeah, people are funny.

The 2020 World’s contest, like many others, was marred by inconsistent surf. With a contest window of limited size, and a lot to get through - with age divisions as well as the big one, The Open - the organisers had a busy week. The Open Final came right at the end, but the best waves arrived much earlier in the week.

The Final was easily the worst waves of the whole contest, through every age division, every heat. It was almost unsurfable. They waited until the very top of the tide. I mean, every surfer on the planet knows at the top of the tide it goes slack – no waves break. It was up against a concrete wall, so there was backwash through the whole line-up. It was one to two foot, it was choppy. There was only pretty much one good wave caught in the final, and that was my first wave. That was why I managed to keep him off, because after that first one there was stuff all.

Chayne took that one scoring wave, and priority, and hung on.

It’s not something I do, ever, but I’ve had those other finals where it was always my fault: something went wrong, I didn’t do something right and lost it. Well, I wasn’t going to lose this one, so it was about the last 8 minutes, and I had priority. I just sat half a metre away from him. Every time he paddled, I paddled. I don’t know that he could have caught any waves, but I knew they were going to be no good, and he was getting desperate and taking off on just anything. I managed to hold him right down to the wire. Neither of us got to perform, it was horrible. I did apologise. With about five minutes to go, I said I’m sorry about this mate, but I’ve got to do it. He was fine with it. He just laughed and said, ‘Yeah, it is what it is’, and I continued to block him. It might have meant more to him than me, maybe I shouldn’t have blocked him, but I don’t know, I don’t think he was going to get a wave anyway. They just didn’t come in.

We talked briefly about money and the influence it has on surfing. Chayne likes the idea of surfing as amateur sport.

People are in these competitions and everything, but they’re not that competitive. We’re not surfing for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

So, why do the contest at all? Were you motivated by the titles you didn’t win previously?

That was my full motivation. My motivation for going to the contest to start with … well, I actually wasn’t going to go, but Parkesy phoned me and said he’d appreciate it if I went. You know, as promotion for his boards and all that, so I went. I had pretty much no intention. When Albert asked me if I was going I was probably 90% not going, but once I was there, and once I got to the quarters, I thought, I’m not going to let another one go, I’ve got to get this one.

And the lovely Mrs Simpson - what does the missus make of it?

She just loves that I love it. She’s proud of me for winning the World Title, but she says to me all the time … I go away on these trips with Zion and Drag and we do these video clips and she always says ‘I don’t know why you go in the contests, you get way more enjoyment out of doing this’. She’d rather me not go in the contests, just go away with those guys, do the videos. She knows I’m not stressed about doing that stuff. I always have fun and in my eyes it does a whole lot more for kneeboarding than a contest win does. A lot of people said that to me while we were over there, that they really appreciate the clips that we put out, cos there’s no-one else doing that. I wish there was – I don’t want to watch myself surf! I’ve had quite a few messages on Instagram and Facebook from younger guys that are getting into it because of those clips. They’re not getting into it because they might win a contest.

Particularly when you have a contest with the final held in unsurfable conditions. There was that one day where everybody turned up and it was offshore and barrelling. In my mind, that would be the time to have a contest. Just put everybody in the water and see who’s going to be the best.

Yeah, it was cooking. That was the day they did all the age divisions. They didn’t do the Opens that day. The day after the final, on the way to the airport we went in and surfed that beach again and it was even better – it was fucking cooking! Me and Maukino and another young guy from New Zealand. They were keen to surf some swell as well, it was 10 out of 10 pumping. There was me, about 4 American kneeboarders and a bunch of local guys. The whole beach was cooking. So, if the final had been on that next day, and we’d had video, well that would have done wonders for competition kneeboarding.

This year the South Africans kicked off a big campaign with a lot of big claims and were all out to win the Title, and they didn’t get it. They had some wins, but not the big one. How did they take that?  

The South Africans were great. They motivated me big time to go, actually. They were all online with the Saffa attack and they were going to take over and that fully motivated me to go over and not let ‘em win. But they’re really good blokes and they’re really good surfers. There’s three or four of those guys who are world class, and they’re good guys. Albert and I were in a heat with Lester (Sweetman) who was their main threat, it might have been round 5, and we knocked him out and I thought – he’s a really nice bloke, really chummy, wanted to have a chat, gives you props on your surfing and all that - but I thought when he got knocked out he was going to lose it, but he was fine. Came up and shook our hands, smile on his face - Great surfing with you - and off he went. And they’re all the same. Yeah, top blokes and if they keep doing these contests like they’re talking about, just keeping the ball rolling, one of those blokes is going to be at the top in no time.  

Chayne has an uncanny ability to thread his way through deep barrels and an explosive above the lip attack. Both are documented in a growing body of stills and video online via Legless.TV and longtime sponsors Zion and Drag. Chayne’s widely recognized by kneeboarders as one of a handful of surfers pushing the performance boundaries. His name is as familiar in kneeboarding as Simon Farrer or Peter Crawford. His win was popular.

I need to mention that. The support we got from people I don’t even know, just random people stopping us to say that they wanted me to win, they needed me to win. That put a bit of pressure on, for sure!

So is the pressure off, now you’ve won a World Title?

It will take the pressure off in a way, but … I don’t know how I’m going to word this without offending people, but I don’t want another 50 year old to win the title. My motivation going into the next one is to make sure we don’t get someone old. You know, see some of the kids go through instead of those really old blokes.

It’s great that your style of surfing has finally been recognized. Don’t get me wrong. Simon for instance: he’s a great surfer, but he doesn’t surf the way you do. He’s less progressive, more of a classical surfer. You’re different. Long barrels and then massive airs.

That’s how I want people to know me, I want them to know me as the guy who’s in a barrel and comes out and does an air. I don’t want to just be a guy who’s got a World Title. Freesurfing, I wouldn’t have been happy with any of the waves I surfed in the contest, except for one in the teams challenge, I almost would have just went in and done something else for the day cause I just wasn’t surfing well.

So being World Champion, does that do anything for you?

Well, people have been coming up to me at the beach and congratulating me on winning the World Title, but it’s funny, having a kneeboarding world champ. Like, what does that even mean? It’s more embarrassing than anything. It’s a funny thing, competition. There are people around that I surf with, whose opinions about surfing mean something to me. I’m good mates with those people, and they’ve all congratulated me, and that feels good. They’re genuinely happy for me as well. There’s a few guys around who’ve been saying - ‘Oh, I thought you were world champ already, you know, I don’t see anyone else surfing like you surf.’ And that’s such a wanker comment, but that’s what’s been   happening. At the moment, the guys I surf with are all pro surfers: Asher Pacey, Harry Bryant, Craig Anderson and all these big names. When those guys come up and say, ‘Fark, how was that turn,’ that’s … well[RH2] , having guys that shred in the surf, that you look up to, telling you that a wave that you got or a turn that you did was sick, yeah, that’s a better feeling for sure than a contest win.”

Chayne’s back home in Wollongong and keen to get back on the road making videos with the crew from Zion wetsuits. He had surfed twice already the day we spoke and was pretty pumped.

“The guys I travel and surf with, I don’t ever get the feeling that they’re like - why have we got this kneeboarder with us. They’re just stoked on what I’m doing, that I’m doing something different, they’re happy to tell me that I got a good wave, or did a good turn. When you’ve got people like Taj Burrow or Dane Reynolds commenting on your clip, that sort of blows my mind. That’s pretty big.”

Words: Rob Harwood - Legless TV

Images: Steen-16images, Richard Kotch, Others supplied by Chaye