Tracks

Mental health is a hot topic of late.The once taboo subject is now a talking point at dinner tables, workplaces and even the pub. It’s no longer shameful to discuss a bout of the blues and it’s ok to put the quest for a meaningful life above the pursuit of more money. In the search for a better headspace, surfers have always suspected they had an advantage. Now the science supports the hunch. Extensive research shows that one of the best antidotes for depression is exposing yourself to settings that induce a sense of awe. If you consult a dictionary, awe will be defined as a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder. Exactly the kind of vibe you might get when standing on a headland and watching a clean,…

01. Lightbox Shaun Anderson (pictured) didn’t have the smoothest start to this day.With a clean swell bending into crystalline slabs at his favourite offshore reef, he was eager to hit the water and hitched a ride out on his mate’s ski around seven a.m. At least he didn’t have to make the long paddle out over the trench manned by grey-suited, big-finned security guards. However, in his haste to hit the water, Shaun miscalculated the variables at play and got his legrope tangled in the ski. “It made all sorts of horrible noises,” he reflects with a guilty chuckle. “Then a set came through and we almost lost my mate’s twenty-five thousand dollar ski over the falls.” Fortunately, they scraped over the ledging eight-footers, but by then Shaun’s board had washed…

BEHIND THE COVER: TREY MARTINHO BY NOLAN SULLIVAN When a glorious shot like this appears on the cover it’s easy to take it all for granted. Someone just clicks a button and presto, the magic happens. However, to make this dreamy hook up a reality all three players – photographer, surfer and friend – had to dodge Mexican roadblocks, pay off cops, drive on Cartel back-roads and take their cues from cocaine-fuelled surf guides. So when Trey Martinho scored this nugget of curling green, his friend, Coleman Langstaff, figured it was worth celebrating. Sometimes, someone has to do the claiming for you. Turn to page 50 to read all about their travails. GIVEAWAY! SCORE ONE OF FIVE PAIRS OF PATAGONIA’S NEW HYDROLOCK BOARDSHORTS! Patagonia are always on a mission to make things better. Whether…

Wayne ‘Rabbit’ Bartholomew must have cut quite a figure as he strutted through airports in 1978, resplendent in his white suit, Panama hat and spats. The flamboyant attire was garnished by a board tucked under his arm, featuring the iconic WB logo and a Bugs Bunny image. The branded suits were the stipulation of his major sponsor, Smirnoff, who were paying Rabbit $20 000 a year.The boards were shaped by Gil Glover under Hot Stuff, who chipped in ninety- bucks a week for sponsorship. Meanwhile, the picture of Bugs Bunny and the iconic WB logo were the result of a post-movie epiphany. “I’d been sort of going, you know, I need my own sticker, I need something that says me,” reflects Rabbit over the phone. “You wouldn’t believe it, I…

DEREK HO – FIRST HAWAIIAN SURFING WORLD CHAMPION 1993 In 1976, Fred Hemmings, along with fellow Hawaiian, Randy Rarick, co-founded the basis of the first Professional Surfing World Tour consisting of 12 events around the world. Considering Hawaii’s status in surfing, Hemmings and Rarick designed the Tour so that at least three of the events would be held in Hawaii. Looking back to that time, you would have assumed that with Hawaii’s surfing history they would have produced a World Champion in the early years of pro-surfing, but it took nearly two decades for that to happen when Derek Ho finally nailed the first one in 1993. The previous 18 years the Tour had been dominated by Australians like Mark Richards with four, Tom Carroll with two and the USA’s Tom Curren…

TALKING TO DAKODA WALTERS YOU GET THE IMPRESSION THERE IS A UNIQUE HUMAN ALCHEMY AT WORK IN HIS LIFE. INDIVIDUAL TALENT AND CREATIVE DRIVE COMBINED WITH A DIVERSE COLLECTIVE OF PEOPLE IN HIS ORBIT HAS HELPED MAKE HIM ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST EXCITING SURFERS TO WATCH. When Tracks phones up the Angourie natural-footer he has just finished shaping a board on Baddy Treloar’s old racks. Baddy passed away two years ago but Dakoda spent the better part of a decade living next door to the soul-surfing icon, inhaling all that knowledge and wisdom. Meanwhile, when CT world-beater Morgan Cibilic comes back to Anga’ he’ll spend most days surfing and hanging with Dakoda. Only a year separates the two surfers, who are best of mates.Then there is Dakoda’s younger brother, Harley, a…