Tracks No. 576

IT’S AN IDEA YOU HAVE PROBABLY ENTERTAINED – TO ABANDON IT ALL AND ESCAPE TO A TROPICAL ISLAND; TURNING YOUR BACK ON THE SOCIAL EXPECTATIONS, THE TRAFFIC AND THE CROWDED LINEUPS AND AIMING YOURSELF AT A SIMPLER, SALTIER EXISTENCE. However, how many of us are willing to follow through and make island life more than just a fantasy? This issue profiles two surfer/photographers who, like mutineers from the Bounty, bit the bullet and decided that Tahiti was the place they had to be. Greg Nagel and Dominic Mosqueira were convinced that French Polynesia, with its thrilling waves, Edenic geography, colourful marine life and intriguing history, would always be fertile ground for their photographic experiments. From tracking down ancient skulls to capturing the local warriors who hurl into atomic blue tunnels…

THEY SAY A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS. IF THAT’S TRUE, THEN THIS TIMELESS IMAGE OF A SORE AND SORRY LOOKING DWIGHT PASTRANA DRAGGING WHAT REMAINS OF HIS SURFBOARD UP THE BEACH AT PIPELINE CONTAINS A WHOLE BOOK. AN APT TITLE OF WHICH COULD GO SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF ‘THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF SURFING PIPELINE, BUT MAINLY THE LOWS’. Moments before this shot was taken the 19-year-old Puerto Rico raised, Maui residing, Dwight, had packed one of the biggest tubes of the insane early season Pipe sessions of late 2019. Had he of come out, which he was a was millimetres away from doing, it would’ve been a Wave of the Winter contender, but sadly he didn’t, and this was the result. As Chrissy Amphlett sang in…

NOW WE ALL KNOW JOHN JOHN NUDGED OUT KELLY FOR AN OLYMPIC SLOT AND WILL BE CHASING GOLD IN 2020, BUT IF MEDALS WERE TO BE GIVEN OUT FOR BEST ALL-ROUND PERFORMANCES OUTSIDE THE WCT IN 2019, IT SEEMS NATHAN FLORENCE WOULD BE THE MOST LIKELY RECIPIENT OF THE TOP HONOURS. While John John went under the knife and nursed his wounded knee, Nathan ensured the Florence name was permanently in the spotlight. In the last year he has graced the cover of Tracks, chased down swells in every corner of the globe, put in notable performances on the Big Wave Tour and made his You Tube channel one of the most watchable surf portals on the net. Part of Florence’s allure lies in the fact he knows how to…

While Christmas is well and truly in the rear-vision mirror you probably have fond memories of a family lunch, maybe even a few fun little waves ridden in the morning to work up an appetite before unwrapping the presents. Things didn’t quite play that way for Kauaian big-wave specialist Titus Kinimaka back in 1989. Thirty-four years old, and at the zenith of his career as a big-wave rider, Kinimaka had his heart set on winning the Eddie Aikau Invitational and had spent months preparing for the event with a winter-long waiting period. When a massive swell showed up for Christmas Day on the North Shore, Titus saw it as a gift and was up at three a.m. getting prepared. He paddled out at sunrise and by most accounts attacked the…

Behind the Cover - Matahi Drollet by Dom Mosqueira This was by far my best shot of this particular day. It was towards the end of a fun session that saw waves from six-feet to a couple of tow size bombs. I saw Matahi paddling for it and had a feeling he was going to do something unique. He bottom turned, stood tall, and at the west bowl he looked up at the lip. It was almost like mutual respect was being given. Matahi to the wave and the wave to Matahi. It was epic to see. It has been fun to watch Matahi’s surfing evolve out there, and super special to have been shooting him since he first starting surfing Teahupoo. He has become one of my best friends…

THE SHIPPER SURFBOARDS AD IN THE FIRST ISSUE OF TRACKS – OCTOBER 1970 There was no ‘Shipper Surfboards’… it was a combination of ‘Shane’ and ‘Nipper’ and it definitely tells you something about the times that Shane Stedman and Nipper Williams agreed to it. It was a double page spread in the first issue. It was madness. This was the text we ran with the ad: ‘We’d like to announce the formation of Shipper Surfboards (but honesty forbids)’ NIPPER:… Shane & I had occasion to share a double bed at Bells last Easter. This blew everyone’s minds because they couldn’t believe that two rival manufacturers could be such good friends. If I had a choice I would have preferred to sleep with someone else but the accommodation situation at Easter…