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How did you first get into surfing?
- I spent 8 months in Australia; for the mostern part in Manly, Sydney. Simply amazing place! Manly beach was incredible and there's almost a wave guarantee through the whole year, and it's also a great place to improve/hone your surfing skills. Another good thing about Manly Beach, is that is has excellent surf spots in near proximity, such as DeeWhy or CurlCurl. This is where I first started surfing, and I have been infected with the surf virus ever since.
The experience which tipped me over the edge was when I went on a 7-day surftrip from Sydney to Byron Bay. You'll meet a lot of great people in a 'camp/trip' setting like this, and the spots are fantastic!! Just imagine... 6am, you come lurking out of the dense 'jungle' with the surfboard under your arm, first you hear it.. the waves roaring.. visual contact; beautiful sets lining up (with no people whatsoever!), and just to top it off.. "the locals", the dolphins are already out surfing. Wow, daydreaming myself away.. it actually happened like that though.
What drives and motivates you to surf?
- The pure essence of this beautiful watersport. It also provides a great feeling of self-achievement and mastering.
Any bad injuries or near death experiences?
- I've had some pretty bad wipeouts, but the first experience that comes to mind would be DeeWhy in 2005. Ingredients: Huge waves and a thunderstorm.. The waves were the biggest I  have ever surfed, and at this point I had merely been surfing a couple of months. On the firstwave, I popped up (amazing feeling going down the wave face), but due to lack of skills I slipped and fell into the wave. The wave was so strong that it brought me up to the peaking point and then slammed me to the bottom, where I was pinned down for what seemed like aneternity.. As I finally stopped spinning I swam to the surface, gasping for air, I turn my head 90 degrees just in time to see another wave just about to collapse on me. History repeated itself a couple of times, and I made my way to the beach knackered and battered by the wrath of Poseidon.
Do you feel at one with nature when surfing...why?
- Definitely. The feeling of being one on one with a big wave is simply amazing. In my honest opinion, it's as close to mother nature as you will ever get. Unless you are a dendrophiliac that is... 
Alex (@gone-surfing.com) |
