#leglesstv

Chayne on Jeffrey’s Bay 2024.

A couple of years ago, after some twenty years of crowded sand bottom points, endless closeout beachbreaks and logjam Gold Coast traffic, I packed up and moved south. Following the dominant theme in my life, there was little planning involved, so when I finally fetched up on the outskirts of Ulladulla, down in Yuin country, it was pure happenstance that I found myself occasionally bumping into Chayne Simpson both in the water and out. I first got to know Chayne over a decade ago through our mutual involvement in Legless.tv. I’ve always found him a kind of calming presence. He exudes a blend of confidence, contentment and charisma that never fails to improve my mood. Given that my mood is usually fairly positive, I took these occasional meetings to be good omens indeed.

Late last May I pitched up at one of my regular spots for an early morning surf check – it was small and clean but already starting to choke on the incoming tide - and found Chayne leaning on the rail next to me. We both had things to do, so the conversation was brief, but I thought to ask if he was planning on making the trip to J-Bay for the World Title competition a few months ahead in August. He didn’t think so. “If it was J-Bay proper, I’d definitely go, but it’s going to be on The Point, which isn’t the same. It’s a lot of money just to get there, so probably not.” I left shortly after to go about my day and that was that.

Over the next couple of months life became pretty busy and a couple of nagging injuries kept me out of the water, so I saw nothing of Chayne but I kept an eye on developments with the Jeffreys Bay contest all the same. I wasn’t really surprised to learn – in an entirely incidental way - in mid-August that Chayne was going to South Africa after all. Not long after that I watched on YouTube livestream as he beat Albert Munoz in the Open final. The next time I saw Chayne was a cool Friday afternoon in mid-September, when  we sat on his front verandah to talk through the 2024 World Title and what it all means for him.

R. People are saying it was the best run kneeboard contest they’ve ever seen.

C. 100% Couldn’t fault it. They put a lot of money into it. Gigs (Celliers) is quite well known over there, he’s done a lot for surfing, a lot for kneeboarding I’d imagine he probably called in a few favours from people. That’s just an assumption, but … Micky Kirsten - CineFx - was the main sponsor.  I don’t know where the rest of the money came from, but I know it would have been an expensive gig. They had live broadcast, jetskis, professional judging. We have a contest here and we ask for priority and they say ‘Oh, we can’t afford the extra judge.’ They had everything over there - it looked like a WSL contest.

Gigs has some connections!

I can’t imagine there’s anyone else in kneeboarding who could have done what Gigs did.

Do you think, with the bar set so high with this one in South Africa, that it’s going to be achievable elsewhere?

I couldn’t imagine it happening here. I couldn’t see us getting the money here. New Zealand, I reckon they’ve got pretty good connections over there, with government grants and things like that, they can get access to those sorts of things. I just don’t think we can. I just don’t think we’re seen as a good business opportunity.

So is that what it is? We’ve got to be seen as a business opportunity? What’s different about SA? What is it, is it just Gigs? Cos he’s a kneelo, and he’s got the contacts and the experience, he can say ‘Well I know how to do this’?

He’s very well respected.

And Mickey Kirsten’s a kneelo too.

Yeah, kneeloes in high places!

So how long before the contest did you decide to go?

Probably 4-5 weeks, I got a message from Steen and he said, ‘Are we going to J Bay’ and I said ‘I’ll go if you go’, and he said ‘Lets go!’ and then he organised it all. I spoke to Shauna about it and she said, “Do it!’ She knows I’ve always wanted to surf J-Bay. It wasn’t long. Most people didn’t know I was going until I was going. Usually if you’re going on a trip you book it 6 months in advance and somehow run into people and you tell them and so they know you’re going. Well … Shauna would say ‘Oh Chaynes off tomorrow’ and they’d go ‘Where you going?’ and I’d say ‘Oh, South Africa’ and they’d go ‘What? tomorrow?’ So it was a pretty quick turnaround. I didn’t tell most people it was the World Titles, I just told them it was a surf trip with a bunch of mates. Word got out, obviously, but I wasn’t telling people I was going in the World Titles, but they all found out.

So why didn’t you tell anyone?

I dunno. I don’t really have a reason. I was just going on a surf trip. Didn’t want to make a fuss. I was just going on a surf trip, and there was a contest there. That’s … like I was saying, my whole approach to it - I just didn’t surf the contest, I surfed Supers. The first day we got there, it was massive and it was pumping and Shauna rang me and said ‘How’d you go, I saw the photos’ and I said ‘I just surfed perfect Supers’ and she goes ‘Job done’.

Everything from that point on was a bonus.

Yeah. And that was pretty cool from my wife too. I guess a lot of wives would be like ‘Oh, you’ve gotta do well in the contest’, but she was just pumped that I got real good waves at a place I’ve wanted to surf forever and she was just satisfied with that, which was pretty cool. So, it was more like a surf trip than going for a contest.

So lots of surfing Supers - any practice sessions at the Point?

Not once. Actually, I lie cos the first two days when it was quite big, I couldn’t find the keyhole to come in at Supers, so I surfed my way down and then caught a wave in at the Point.

And that was your practice wave?

One wave from each session, on the way in. That was it. It’s just another wave. You take off on a wave and you do what it does, you do what it asks you to do, I suppose.

What did it ask you to do?

Cutbacks, lots of cutbacks!

 And a big bash at the end.

Yeah, it had a good end section on it, especially when it was bigger. When it was smaller you couldn’t really get to that section, it would run away, which … the end section runs away from you so you’re coming at it, at it, at it, thinking you’re going to get it, but it keeps moving away from you. When it’s bigger, it comes at you. It was quite intimidating to hit that end section. You’ll see a couple of photos - there’s one of Gigs especially, turning out - and it’s heaving. It’s a pretty big section to hit. Guys were getting smashed hitting it, guys were sending it, and there were guys in their sixties, fully sending it.  It was pretty cool to see. I don’t know if they wanted to win or just wanted to show they could do it, to impress people or whatever, but they were doing it. Just that push from having everyone there that made everyone’s level go up. There were some guys ripping that I’d never heard of.

That’s what you want though. If the surf’s good, then that’s going to happen. If the surf’s shit, it’s just shit.

Yeah, at J-Bay we got very lucky.

For the duration of the contest, you and Albert and Steen took up residence at Dreamland, a two-storey house right in front of Supertubes. On the morning of the final day, you were in bed when Steen opened the curtains and looked out.

Yeah. He went, ‘Oh hoh, it’s BIG’ and I remember laying in bed thinking oh fuck, what’s going to happen here today, and he said ‘This is you; you’ve got this! You’ve trained for this every day just by going surfing in Ulladulla. This is you.’ That sort of gave me quite a bit of confidence. That was before the semi. We were the second heat out, Albert went first heat, I was in the next one, and just … the way Steen was talking that morning, building my confidence, made me feel so comfortable out there.

The conditions during the final were ideal for your style of surfing.

I like a big smooth canvas to work on! I dunno, it just all seemed to click. I’m not a big wave guy. It was 6ft, it wasn’t BIG. A 6-8 ft wave like that, yeah, comfy as. That’s what I like to surf now. Fully in my comfort zone. Just because I’d been surfing so much in that two weeks, I knew … you know the keyholes there are a real drama, but they didn’t worry me. I’d just sort of jump off the rocks and float out, whereas everyone was worried about it. You’ll see some photos of the keyhole where there’s like ten-foot waves, but you just, I dunno, you take a breath and duckdive and get out there. The jetskis were there, that was a big plus. Knowing they were there helped the confidence too, knowing you could ride a wave all the way in and still get back out to get another one, that really took the pressure off.

You love connecting full power turns, carving smooth arcs on big, open faces … 

Style in surfing is pretty important. To look good on a wave, you know. There’s a lot of guys who surf really well but look terrible on a wave. It’s Italo compared to Ethan Ewing - I’ll watch Ethan all day, but I’ll get pretty bored with Italo pretty quickly.

The best surfing often appears effortless - each turn flows into the next so that the whole ride seems to be simply doing what comes naturally on the wave. I know you rank Simon Farrer as the best ever kneeboard surfer. It’s obvious you’ve drawn elements from Simon’s surfing: line, economy of movement, precision and above all, flow. Yet no-one could say that you’re a Farrer clone.

No. I think our styles are quite different, I’m a lot more upright, whereas Simon’s hunched and forward. His arms aren’t moving heaps, he’s just there the whole time. I’ve probably taken parts of his surfing: the whole not having to fit a million turns in, go around a section cos the next one’s … putting the turns where they’re supposed to be on a wave, that’s what he does, and I’ve definitely taken that from his surfing. Definitely.

I want to ask you about something else. Pretty much at the end of the street here is (a reefbreak, predominantly a sectiony right-hander popular with locals and blow-ins alike.) It can be excellent sometimes, but it’s a fickle spot, often an exercise in frustration. I couldn’t help thinking of it while I was watching the final.

Ha ha! THAT wave is a lot like where we had the contest! The Point is definitely a better version of it, but, well … before we went, the reef here was breaking quite often and I was out there quite often. A lot of that had to do with the fact I had things to do here (at home), and its right there, so I was just surfing that.  Surfing that wave got me over there without meaning to have that happen. It was just uncanny that it was breaking. It’s not a wave you’d look at and think ‘It’s like J-bay’ - but it’s similar to where we had the contest. It’s not a predictable wave, you’ll have a section come down here and you have to go around it and readjust, and another section will pop up there - it was really good preparation, but not on purpose. It was a happy accident.

You said earlier that you had a lot of strong support from Kyle Bryant - he wasn’t able to make the trip himself but was able to watch heats live on YouTube. He took on a mentoring role via SMS messages throughout the contest?

Yeah, I felt that luck was on my side. He actually said that. Kyle said in his messages that the cards were falling into place, ‘Luck’s fully on your side for this whole contest’. He was watching the live feeds, watching the free surfs, watching who was getting knocked out. Gavin Colman went down early, he was a very big threat. He was surfing with me at Supers every day, first one out every morning. There was one day there that was only 2-3ft, sort of semi-onshore, I think Gav may have gone down then. I don’t know, I didn’t see his heat.

A day when those who rely on power paid the price?

Well, yeah … I’ve been surfing my whole life in a variety of different waves. I can surf the grovelly stuff too, I can still make it work, but I just don’t enjoy it. Someone like Albert, he’s the gun in that stuff, he’s almost unstoppable in that. This isn’t a write-off of Albert at all. In 2-3ft sloppy waves, I don’t reckon anyone can beat him - he still throws spray, he still gets it vertical. I don’t enjoy doing it. I feel like I can do it if I have to, but probably not to the calibre that he does. You know, if that final had been in 2-3ft onshore waves it might have gone the other way.

But it wasn’t, and it didn’t: it was smooth water, a strong swell and a favourable tide, jetskis, real-time commentary and live-streamed video.  Two good mates in a world title final going down to the wire, with you and Albert both taking potentially winning waves in the last minute. Your last wave was the last of the heat, scored you a 9 and you took the Open World Title with a heat score of 16.17 to Albert’s 14.43. Was it a kind of redemption for you after that 2020 Dunedin victory, the one you didn’t defend in Portugal in 2022?

That’s what made this one such a meaningful win: that it was held in good solid waves. That final in New Zealand was the worst waves I’ve ever had in a contest. I won with two 4s. This one I got a 9 on my last wave.  It seems like everyone who surfs in Ulladulla was watching and it wasn’t embarrassing. They’ve all said how good it was to watch. They’ve all said they haven’t seen kneeboarding like that - ever - over all the competitors. ‘I didn’t know you guys could do that. It looked so smooth on those waves.’ You know, when they said they were going to do the live feed I was worried, but no-one’s had a negative thing to say about it.

That was an important factor for you, wasn’t it? Why?

I wanted people to watch it and think ‘Kneeboarding looks fun’, or not just fun, but impressive too. And they did watch it and they are saying that, so that’s a pretty big deal, don’t you reckon?

No pictures of you in the local paper?

I don’t know that there even is a local paper anymore! I think it’s all about Instagram and Facebook now. The support I got from down here was unreal. You know, the Ulladulla Boardriders, Aqua Surf shop, all the people just putting things up on their Facebook or Insta – ‘Check this out, Chayne at the World Titles, you can watch it here.’ Never had that in Wollongong, not even close to anything like that. In saying that though, Sandon Point Boardriders shared a thing saying ‘Chayne used to live here, he’s in the World Titles, check this out’. Yeah, definitely the most support I’ve ever had going into a contest, for sure.

Did that help?

Oh yeah, 100%. Just, if you could go back through my phone and see the amount of well-wishes I got when I was going there, before it had even started: it was pretty incredible, like the people that wanted me to win, that’s pretty incredible. It makes you heaps keener to win when people want you to win.

So the boards you were riding are the same you’ve been riding for years: the burgundy board …

Yeah, the one burgundy board! There’s about 15 of them, it’s a bit of an in-joke with Parkesy. Everyone thinks I’m on this one burgundy board all the time, it’s like - why does this board work in two-foot slop and it works at 8ft J-Bay as well? It’s actually a lot of different boards. Most of the contests I’ve been in over the last four or five years I’ve been on my grovel board. This one I was on my step-up. It’s a 5’9“. It’s more of a pin. My standard boards are 5’7”, my grovellers are 5’6”, this one’s just got a lot more pin in it. It’s the board I’d ride at waves around home most of the time. I had a fair few surfs on my 6’0”. I could have ridden that in the final. Looking back, I probably would, I was a little bit undergunned on the 5’9” at times. There’s a couple of waves you can see in the footage where I’ve gone to hit it and haven’t got there in time. I would have got there on time on the 6’0”. I don’t ride the 6’0” very often, you need a big wall, you need a bit of area to move, obviously. It’s alright to have a big board to get onto the wave, but then if the wave doesn’t give you room to move when you are on it, you don’t want to be on a big board .... Albert rode his 6’0”. It’s pretty much the same as mine. He was drawing nice lines on it but again, I think he was getting smaller waves. He should have been on the bigger waves, then he might have done a bit better. He still did well. I think he was beating me until I got my last wave.

It was close, but he didn’t beat you, did he?

Yeah, I think he got a wave, and I caught the one behind him and the wave that he got put him in front and then I got the wave behind him and got the 9. So it was pretty lucky.

Did you know at that time, that you’d got the score?

No. I didn’t know. I figured it was a pretty good score but I didn’t think it was a 9, and I didn’t know what he got, I just knew that his wave was a bit smaller and probably wasn’t going to allow him as much. He was paddling for it and he was going ‘You gonna use priority?’ and I went ‘I will if I have to.’ And he said are you gonna use it on this one? And I went ‘No, you go.’ I knew there was a bigger one behind it, so he went that one and I got the next one.

So, in the last minutes of the final it was just, ‘Oh no, you go’ …

Yeah, but I knew there was a better one behind it. I could have blocked him. I had priority, but if I had, he would have had the one behind me, so I had to make that choice. So to get back to the other question, I was on the jetski going back out and there was a minute to go. At that point I didn’t know if I had the score. We couldn’t hear a thing, the jetski riders were giving us our scores. And I had like a minute, so I’m going ‘Gotta get back out – go go go’ – and he - the ski guy - was just cruising. I don’t know if he knew I had the score or not, but then I jumped off the ski and was paddling and he calls out ‘ 9.2’ or whatever it was, and that was it. I just paddled over and caught one in and that was the end of the heat. That’s when I knew, when he gave me the score.

Was it a good feeling?

Yeah. When I was coming in … you know it was a bit of a monkey off my back, cos I’ve always been … plenty of people say I’m a small wave guy - if the waves are small I’m going to win the contest, cos I’m small. So to win it in good bigger waves, that was the whole feeling for me – ‘There you go, I can do it’. I knew I could do it, Steen knew I could do it, he was telling me every day, but I felt like half the people didn’t know I could do it in decent waves.

The small wave guy.

Yeah, me and Albert. The small wave guys, we’ve always been told that. So to get us at 1 and 2 in good surf, that’s where that thing ends I reckon.

That’s crazy, isn’t it.

Well we just don’t have contests in bigger waves. People aren’t out filming, so you don’t see much footage of kneeboarding, so when people see us surf, they just see us at contests, so they just go ‘these guys are’ …  there’s heaps of footage of me online at Pipe - it’s only 4ft, it’s not big.

So. what’s big? There are waves around here that get up to like twenty feet. That’s huge.

I’m not surfing that! That’s big. I think there’s calling someone a small wave guy and calling someone a big wave guy, I’m neither of those – I’m just a guy! I’m happy at 6 to 8 feet, unless it’s heaving on dry rock, but if it’s safe like that was, it’s good. But I’m not kneeboarding waves over ten foot, it’s just too bouncy on the knees. I’ve had some days out around here when it’s been ten foot and I’m just bouncing! It’s gotta be super clean or you just bounce off. And that’s only fun for people watching from the rocks. 

Given the logistical hurdles - access to a quality surf break at the right time of year, an adequate waiting period, the availability of qualified judges, (including enough to run a workable priority system), internet access, video cameras and operators for a live feed, commentators, food trucks, merchandise, PAs, press and promotion - do you think it will be possible to produce a contest of this quality in future? Will it happen again at J-Bay? 

There was talk of it, but I think we only got to have it (at J-Bay) this year because they didn’t run the WSL contest there. It was the best winter they’ve had in 60 years. I’ve never seen so many teeth at a kneeboard contest, ever. Everyone was smiling. Even the sun came out. 

Maybe 2024 at J-Bay will forever stand alone as the year it all came together. Whatever happens from now on, one thing is certain: every World Title contest is going to be judged by a new standard, and that goes for the surfing too. Who are the next generation moving into the top ranks?

Owen Fairweather, Liam Taurens and Tom Novakov, although Tom is hardly a newcomer. Tom looked like the one to beat. On a righthand point like that … I was quite impressed with him, he came out at Supers one day and he was killing it - good style, good bloke in the water too, not all frantic and carrying on upsetting people, he just cruises. Owen’s the one though, he’s just 18. He’s the next big thing for sure. I don’t think you’d find anyone who’d argue with that.

So the NSW south coast’s long-standing dominance of kneeboarding might be coming to an end? 

It’s hard to say. Owen’s just one guy, but there seem to be quite a few kneeloes in Victoria, just underground dudes jumping out when there’s a swell. You always see someone out at Bells and Winkipop when you see video of the big swells. 

When we look at kneeboarding’s future we tend to despair at the lack of new young blood adopting the low centre of gravity approach. What’s your take on it?

Theres not a heap around, but we’re still ticking over, aren’t we? I don’t think it’s as big an issue as everyone carries on about. A lot of guys start kneeboarding when they’re 30, 35, for one reason or another, probably injury, ha ha! I think for kids, it’s not cool. When you’re a kid, you just want to be cool, everyone’s just doing what their mates are doing, no-one wants to stand out.

Your two boys are pretty keen and competent surfers, but they stand up, right?

They kneel on their surfboards all the time. They might stand up on 5 or 10 waves, then they’ll kneel on a couple - they love it. I probably stand up 50% of the time, I reckon, so they see that I’m not just a kneeboarder, I can stand up too, and they probably think, ’Oh, maybe I can do both.’ I surfed bodyboards till I was about 17, and then slowly moved over to fulltime kneeling. I’ve always stood up on the kneeboard, but now I’ve got a couple of surfboards that I’ll take out quite regularly … on smaller days. If it’s good, I’m on the kneeboard.

Which makes you a bit weird, but a World Champion. A weird World Champion.

Yeah, I’m happy to be weird, but I don’t like that world champion thing. THAT’S weird, I reckon, that we have a world champion. I dunno. People congratulate me on winning this, but …  it’s a funny one. I went in a contest. It’s not like a tour. The stand-up guys have their tour, we have just one event. I just won a contest and suddenly I’m world champion. I’m not the best kneeboarder in the world, Simon Farrer is. Someone will say ‘Chayne won the world title, he’s the best kneelo in the world’ and I’ll say ‘No I’m not. I won a contest’. Thats what I’m trying to get at. I don’t think I’m the best kneeboarder in the world.

Will Simon always be the best in your opinion?

Yeah. He’s the one I most looked up to in the water as a kid, he’s still the one I look up to in the surf now, probably. He doesn’t look like he’s slowing down either.

It makes a world of difference to have a competition with good waves where you can see the best surfers at the peak of their ability. The best surfing in the world: that’s what you want to see in the World Championship. That has to be good for the sport. Do you think of it as a sport like that, or is it just a thing that you do?

It's a thing I like to do … but if it’s competition, I guess it is a sport.  If I were to grab my gear now and go for a surf, I wouldn’t consider it going to play sport. I’m just going and doing what I enjoy doing, but then as soon as you put a rash vest on and you have judges and what not … it’s a sport.

You were saying before that Albert’s the ultimate strategic surfer - the heat IQ thing - yet here you’ve come ahead of him with your approach, which is completely different. Not just your style, but your contest strategy. You have any thoughts on that?

I think the main difference between Albert and me is that I’m big on wave choice. I’m big on getting the best two waves in the heat whereas Albert will just catch whatever comes his way and rip the shit out of it. My strategy is to wait, get the best two waves in the heat and that allows me to surf them better because they’re better waves.

When you’re free surfing is he the same?

Mm-hmm A wave will be coming, and he’ll go ‘Are you going this, its your turn?’ and I’ll go ‘I’m not going that, it’s shit’. And he’ll turn round and get it and it might be shit but he’ll make it look good anyway. When we surf together, I’ll probably catch half the waves that he’ll catch, cos I’m waiting for the good ones, Albert spends a lot of time catching shitty ones. It’s the same in a heat.

So J-Bay really worked to your advantage because it let your style come to the fore. Just the way you time your turns and flow through critical positions. Obviously, style is just one element in the judging criteria, but your approach - concentrating on just riding the wave, that’s who you are as a surfer and it really worked for you in that contest.

I think when it comes to a good wave it is a lot about style. It's definitely the best win of my life, for sure, but by a long shot. All things considered, the fact that it was probably the greatest contest we’ve had since I’ve been doing it, with the organisation, the live feed, the jetskis, the judges, the priority judges, just everything. That contest had everything, and it had good waves as well. All the guys were there.

And to come out on top, it must fill your heart with pride. Your cup must be runnething over.

Yeah, 100%. And again, it fills my heart with pride and I hope it fills my kids hearts with pride. My youngest just had to do a speech yesterday. They had to choose a country to go to, and he chose South Africa. Never been there, never talked about going there, but he said ‘Dad just won a comp in South Africa’ in his speech, so that’s pretty cool. I reckon if they ran another one there in 4 years’ time they’d be coming with me.

It may not be there, it might be … I just hope they can continue with the venue choice, that they pick the right places.

Yeah, that’s probably the number one most important thing. If you get the right venue the rest of it just comes. The people will come! Like I said, me and Simon particularly weren’t going to go, but … it was at Jeffreys Bay, so we went.

Rob Harwood Legless.tv

This is not a design article or surf trip story, but rather a combination of words that came to me after a recent trip overseas.

After 6 weeks of traveling throughout Europe and no surfing apart from a few 6” body surfing waves in the Mediterranean Sea off Italy, we arrived in Bali. I didn’t have any boards with me, but I had an old favorite stashed at my good friend, Captain Peter Fletcher’s house near Canggu.

Peter passed away nearly a year to the day that Karen and I arrived in Bali. His wife, Lia, graciously let me get my old board and also one that I had shaped for Peter a couple of years ago.

Packing up the boards to go to G-Land, it really hit me how lucky we are to be able to still go surfing even as getting older limits our options and the surf is getting more crowded all the time. Peter and I had made tentative plans last year to meet up in G-Land late season last year, but his sudden illness and passing put an end to that.

As it was, Peter’s board was the exact same dimensions as mine but a completely different shape and volume. Mine was a 6ft, 4 fin swallow fish tail and basically the same board that I have been taking to G-Land and Indo for years - tried and proven. Peter’s was a 6ft tri-fin arrow pin tail but more voluminous even though the same length, width, and thickness.

Anyway, arriving in G-Land after 6 weeks of no surfing and enjoying the food and drink of Europe, the waves were 6 to 8ft and pretty good. I surfed my trusty fishtail the first day and felt back at home on it, even though pretty unfit surfways.

The next day started off a bit smaller, so I took the pintail out to the top of the reef where the waves had more face and walls so as to get a feel for it. I could tell it had too much foam for me, but it did catch waves well, and I managed to jag a few nice long steep waves but not barrels. As the morning wore on, the swell came up, and after getting a long wave to the bottom end of the reef, I decided to sit with the crowd and try to get a real G-Land barrel.

I'm not particularly spiritual, but after waiting for a good hour, it seemed like I got a message to slowly drift out and sit next to a boil that started to appear just as the tide was dropping. After sitting there for about 15 minutes and simply enjoying the ambience of looking back to the jungle with the sun shining, wind blowing offshore, and swells rolling, I felt in a real happy place. Especially when there was no one sitting anywhere near me, and I caught a glimpse of what looked like the biggest set of the day on the way.

All it took was to sit tight and wait for it – a big perfect set wave aimed straight for me. Everyone else was either too deep inside or too far away to get out to me. The accompanying video shows what happened, and this is where the "One Wave, Two Boards" headline is associated. Pete’s board was so different from mine, but it still handled the wave no problem, except for when my knee slipped off halfway through the ride. Probably because of the extra volume and different fin location and set-up, I was not quite at home on the board but trusted it to make it to the other end. As can be seen, it was a bit of a rodeo ride!

As I turned off the wave, I again thought how lucky I was to be surfing and how we should not dwell on the negatives of crowded surf spots, onshore, wrong tides, flat spells, etc., but rather be appreciative of the gift that surfing is.

In my head, I said, "Thanks, Captain Pete," for the wave as I reckon it was him who guided me into it. And I dedicated the buzz I got from that ride to him.

RIP old friend Captain Peter - I'm sure you are sailing fair seas somewhere.

Words & Surfing: David Parkes

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.

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

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

THE DARK DAYS BACK– 2021

 I have been struggling with how to start this piece. I guess I should tell you a little about myself.

What I do for a living is not who I am, yeah, I get to blow shit up and its super fun but it’s not what defines me.

I have been a water baby all my life from growing up on the beach to commercial diver.

The ocean or the ocean’s rhythm ebbs and flows within me.

Surfing has been the biggest part of my life for longer than I care to remember. For sure I have been out the water for extended periods before while working on projects overseas. Always with the knowledge that I will be getting wet again, sometime soon. I have never before been concerned that surfing will not be an option. I have always just figured I would surf till the day I die.

 October 2019 we were still basking in the glory of a once in a lifetime trip to the Ments. 10 Kneelos on a boat sailing around the Mentawai’s. Absolutely what dreams are made of. Red, Giggs, Lester, Larry, Craig, Steve, Johan, Andrew and myself. Jason the skipper of Switchfoot made it 10 chargers in total.

We had also had a run of solid swell at the local, which for me was all time as my new Kneeon that Nick had shaped for me had arrived. Nick and I had chatted over the phone, had a few video calls and bam!! this magic carpet arrives. Oh my sack, I have never been happier with a stick. My surfing went up in leaps and bounds. Never been happier in my life.

 Around this time, I started to get pains in my left hip which radiated down the leg. Initially it wasn’t too bad but it got progressively worse. It got to a stage where I literally couldn’t walk anymore. Thinking it’s got to be the hip, off I went to the hip specialist. Had some photos taken of the hip, back to the clever guy’s office and this is where things started to go south.

Mate, as hips go, yours look beautiful but I recommend you go see a neurosurgeon.

Your spine doesn’t look good at all.

You can imagine, I’m thinking “what the fuck, are you sure you’re looking at the right X-rays.”

So, at least by this time I was on crutches to help me get around and waddled off to see Dave. Dave is a neurosurgeon that had done some work on my spine before.

Same sort of story, pain in my shoulder, radiating down my right arm.

True as nuts, I had gone to the shoulder clever guy who had told me exactly what the hip guy had just told me. Anyway, a long story short, Dave did a decompression on the C7 and T1 vertebrae.

I was booked on a boat trip to the Maldives with my good mate Guy. He is a stand up but I love him anyway. I manage to get on the plane without really having tested the neck or having had time for rehab of any sorts. Probably not my brightest move. We had solid swell the whole trip, but truth be told, I was in constant pain.

Once back in SA, I was off to see Dave again. X-rays and CT scans followed, and Dave said unfortunately we going to have to fuse the C7 and T1 but we will go in through the front this time.

Absolutely no problems whatsoever and I was back in the water 3 months later.

Dave, howzit I’m back. More scans and X-rays (starting to know everyone by their first names by now) followed. Yip, pretty much the same story, crumbling, degeneration of the spine.

I was booked in for a decompression on the L4 and L5. The procedure was pretty standard and uneventful. Unfortunately, just as with the neck, the decompression was not successful. A week later, I was booked in for a multistage fusion, L4, L5 and S1.

So, they going to open me up again along the same incision line, not feeling great about that but hey, there are worse things in life. Waking up from this op was a rude awakening. Fuck me this shit hurts. Trying to move was pretty tender for sure. Anyhow the drugs did their thing and a few days later I was able to get out of bed and lose the dreaded catheter. Walking was fair interesting to say the least, I had to laugh at myself as I looked like a mummy.

Little shuffles with my hands out front but hey, I was mobile. The day they let me out rolled around. Crap balls I felt like shit and was fair tender. It felt like someone was taking a mallet to my head.

I remember battling to get into the wheelchair to get me to the car. The nausea was just incredible, I thought I was going to throw up all over the place. Between the porter and Jo (my wife) they managed to get me into the car.

The ride home is not too far but I was deteriorating at a rapid rate of knots. Got home, Jo managed to get me onto her “throne” where I just passed out.

Through the rest of the day and night I remember fleeting moments of being awake. Couldn’t move, didn’t know what was going on. Basically, a vegetable on the couch.

The next morning Jo realized that this wasn’t good. Somehow or other she managed to bundle me into the car. I have a memory of the gardener holding the car door open with a look of concern on his face. The next thing I was on a gurney at the hospital with Debbie staring at me. Debbie is Jo’s business partner and one of my best friends.

Tests and more tests.

Somehow or other I had picked up Bacterial Meningitis.

Jo had literally just saved my life. A few hours later and it wouldn’t have turned out well.

Some serious antibiotics and medication I can’t even pronounce later, my infection levels started coming down, but the headaches wouldn’t go away. Back into the noisy tube for some more scans. Was good to see all the guys and gals in radiology again.

Crap balls I had a rupture in the thecal sac. Basically, it’s a sac that runs up your spine and over the brain. The sac contains cerebrospinal fluid. When leaking the sac “collapses” on the brain causing insane headaches, headaches that are just next level. Think migraine on steroids.

Back into theatre to patch up the leak.

Once again, they opened me up on the same incision. Success at last, once again freedom day arrived and was bundled into the wheelchair again and back into the car.

Was great to be home with the animals for sure. Jo had made a bed for me in the lounge as walking at this point just really wasn’t an option. To say I was tender would be a bit of an understatement.

A day later, I got this incredible pain down my left leg. Kinda like being hit with a cattle prodder. I remember screaming as the first one hit. Absolute agony, pain like I had never felt. It would last for about 30 seconds but in that time, I couldn’t move a finger for fear of escalating the pain. I just screamed and screamed. Over the next two days, it got worse and more frequent.

This was an incredible low point. I remember crying like a baby. I was emotionally drained by this time. I remember thinking I just want to be normal again. Remember, I can hardly walk, can’t even get down on the toilet to take a dump. I hadn’t had a shit for as long as I can remember.

My wife was washing me and dressing me. It was taking its toll.

This carried on for two days until it got to a point where I just couldn’t move.

An ambulance and crew had to come and peel me off the couch eventually. They dosed me up, got a stretcher underneath me and carried me out to the ambulance.

Jesus, what the fuck!! But hey, could be worse…right?

Back to my favorite people with the noisy machine. Hi everyone, true as nuts I’m back. Another scan revealed that the crushed bone material that they place between your vertebrae was leaking out and catching the nerve going down my leg.

Another twirl in theatre to clean up the debris, by this time the clock on the wall and I were good friends. I used to watch the seconds tick by as the anesthetic started kicking in. I woke up from here being wheeled into high care. Now I have to tell you this was by far my worst experience.

The following morning two nurses came to wash me. I was in absolute agony and they kept moving me and turning me. I was screaming in absolute agony, but they wouldn’t stop and no-one came to help me. To this day I can’t understand it.

Couldn’t wait to get out of there and back on to a ward. Or so I thought…

From there they wheeled me into an isolation ward. Apparently, I had picked up the dreaded hospital Super bug. My infection count was in the 400’s (8 being normal) and to make matters worse, the headaches were back. I had sprung another fucking leak in my Thecal sack. FUCK!!!

Back to my old friend on the wall with the ticking second hand. Again, opening me up on the same line. This time I wasn’t friends with the clock on the wall.

Dave patched me up as best they could.

What the actual…

My new home turned out to be a glass box in the ICU. In isolation in intensive care. Jesus, this isn’t good.

Nurse and doctors were putting gear on to come into the glass box. “What’s going on???”

Machines were everywhere beeping and hissing. “Fuck me, this isn’t good.”

Waking up at 4am with people sticking needles into you to draw blood loses its shine after a while. I think all I ate for the two weeks was watermelon in the morning that Debbie used to bring me with a cup of coffee. When I say bring, I really mean bribe the porter.

 Now you must remember I have basically been bedridden for 6 weeks and not had an appetite at all.

I could see the concern on peoples face when they came to visit, as much as they tried to hide it, it was there.

Nights were the worst and the tears used to flow. So as not to let the pressure in the Thecal sac become too great, they drained it every few hours. This as I’ve said to you before brings on insane headaches.

Morphine and I were no longer friends. It made me incredibly sad and depressed.

I came off the morphine by choice and gritted the teeth. Absolutely worth the pain.

 Lester and Marco organized a live feed for me for the warmup session before the SA Kneeboarding Champs. What legends.

Once again, I cried like a baby, but these were tears of joy. It was so good to watch my mates surfing and everyone saying “hi” on the feed made me feel like a million bucks. The brotherhood is strong here in Cape Town. Love these boys.

 At this point I was literally skin and bone, but my infection levels were coming down and I had managed to get out of bed and make the few steps to the toilet. The sun was definitely coming up for me. For the first time in a long time, I thought I was going to make it.

Fuck, the thought of dying in that glass box haunted me every night there.

Freedom day was like no other. Getting out of there into the sunshine and colors and breeze was a sensory overload, but hey, I was out and feeling good…ish.

 My mates, Debbie and Sian had kept me going. Sian is my office manager and best friend.

She tried to feed me all the way through to no avail, true as nuts she used to arrive with bags of food.

 God it was good to be home.

Reality starts to kick in pretty quickly. Fuck me am I ever going to be able to surf again, am I ever going to be able to sit on the toilet again (it’s the little things hahaha…)

Time to reset the mind from “fuck me, I don’t want to die in here to I need to get in the water again”.

 Enter the amazing Lara, the physio that is a gift from the angels. I remember that late December day shuffling and shaking my way into her office. By this time, all my muscles had wasted away and just holding my frame up was as much as I could muster. I could do about 2 minutes before all my muscles started shaking from fatigue and I was still shuffling like a mummy.

The question Lara asked me off the bat was “what do you want to get out of this.”

“Just get me back in the water please,” was my response.

At this point it was a fantasy I had to believe in, physically I was a mess, but I think mentally I was scarred and the mental trauma was real. But fuck it, if I could survive that, I can achieve anything. The will to get back in the water was incredible and became all consuming.

 Walking around the house became my exercise routine initially and braai tongs my best friend (in case I dropped stuff as bending was not an option). I had to hold on to everything at first as I walked along, eventually I could skip the kitchen counter on the way to the TV room and skip the chairs on the way to my room, and so it went on until I could just about walk the whole house without holding or resting.

 Lara had given me gentle low impact stuff to do, just to tone the muscles and stretches to get some life back in the buggers. Everything hurt. This was a continuous process that I did all day every day for a few weeks. I was starting to feel more stable on my feet which did wonders for my mental wellbeing. Progress was gradual but I started noticing results which made me feel like a million dollars.

 Getting behind the wheel again was a massive boost for me. My buddy Kante who is a running coach, walked with me from my local to St James, what a joy being next to the ocean again, mind surfing every bump that came through. I steadily built this up over time. Eventually I could make it to Muizenberg and back (5 kms). Everything ached at this point and the thought of shortening every walk was ever present. 4am wake ups every day can be a challenge and for sure there were mornings I couldn’t bear the thought of getting up. Sore back, sore hips, it’s dark and it’s cold, fuck this shit. On the odd occasion that I didn’t manage to get going, that feeling of worthlessness would set in. What the fuck is wrong with you, don’t you want to get back in the water? That’s not a cool feeling. I have probably missed 3 days in the six months I have been rehabbing. A 45-minute 5km walk followed by an hour of rehab back at home. I can’t begin to count the many lonely hours I have spent in the dark, walking and processing thoughts and priorities.

 My weekly visits to Lara are always a highlight. My flexibility is measured as well as my strength. Some weeks just like some days are better than others. Lately there are a few moments of some days that I am totally pain free. These can quickly be followed by days and moments of crappy pain, but I will take the good ones for sure. Setbacks some and it’s natural to be bummed by them. Thinking “end goal” always helps. Watching Billy Kemper’s story after that crazy injury in Morocco has inspired me tremendously and there is a kinship that forms in adversity.

To keep the spirits up, I have ordered me a new board from Nick (Kneeon) which should arrive any day.

Jedd has also shaped me a 5’4 twinny that looks more like something that should be flying in space rather than the water. Can’t wait to get these beauties wet.

 The daily grind continues relentlessly and it’s not always easy to appreciate the reasons for the dark hours one spends with oneself on the rehab trail. I want the prize now. Sheesh, it’s a constant battle upstairs. Here’s the weird thing, the closer I get to the end of April (paddle out day…hopefully), the more fearful I become. Will I be able to, and can I still?

All this and more just keeps swimming in the head and there’s the self-doubt.

Fuck it’s terrifying.

I have gone over it a million times in my head, do I just paddle out at a gentle beach break and see how it goes. Na, that scares me more. Soft waves are hard work and the amount of torque on the spine terrifies me. What if the nuts and bolts pop out?

There is no way in hell I am going back to that building with the big red cross on it. This drives me harder for sure back on the road, back to the floor and core exercises.

Lara assures me the hyperextension of the back I have obtained through this time will definitely be fine for paddling.

The torque and pressure on the lower back coming off the bottom and turning off the top, is what scares the crap out of me. The reef and I are intimate, god knows I have bounced and scraped along her so many times. I have certainly paid my dues.  

Wiping out doesn’t scare me, it’s that word again “TORQUE”.

Perhaps I will just go straight on the first few. That in itself presents a bit of a problem at the local, but that’s where my head is.

I know you will all understand this, “what if a section just presents itself, just asking to be slapped”.

It is so ingrained in each and every one of us, that muscle memory just takes over. Going to have to be ever vigilant.

I have swum out to the peak just to be out there with the guys. The first time was not great. It took me so long just to get to the water. Jumping off the railway line so not an option. Doing the walk around and trying to get over the rocks was tricky to say the least.

Feeling the water over my feet was an absolute delight, but crap balls, had the water got colder since the last time? As soon as I laid in the water, it dawned on me that this is going to be quite the journey.

I couldn’t swim on my stomach as the pain was intense, but fuck it, I was going out. I swam on my side and back. Eventually I made it, the guys cheered and whooped, I felt like I had just won the lottery.

It was so good to be part of the conversation out there again, it was so good to hear how stoked the guys were for me, life was good.

I fed off this like I had been starved of life for ages.

 Today being the Saturday before the Wednesday that I go back to Dave (the surgeon), brings turmoil to my emotions.

I’m not sure what I am scared of more, being told you aren’t ready or yeah, go get in the water. I am so scared of not surfing to my full potential again. Every day closer brings more panic. I just want it to be over now.

 Wednesday morning dawned (but not really), up at 4am and back on the road. Usually, I am thinking about the workday ahead but this morning not so much.

My head is swimming with what ifs. What if there is still something wrong, what if I can’t anymore, what if, what if…

On the drive to see Dave, the surgeon, my heart is beating at a million beats/minute.

It’s good to see Dave again in a weird type of way, he really is a very cool guy.

Anyhow, he sends me off for some more pictures of the spine. Gotta say I was staring at the radiologist for some clues, but nothing.

The stress is killing me, and I feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest.

So, back up to Dave with the thumping heart, I can hear it in my ears.

It all looks brilliant mate. What… I could not believe what I was hearing. He took me through the X-rays explaining what he was looking for and everything was just right.

There’s no use putting off the inevitable he says to me, go get in the water…but don’t be stupid. I wanted to scream it to the world!

Obviously, the doubts started kicking in hard right about now, but hey, I had gotten the green light.

Thursday morning I was off to Lara for physio. I couldn’t wait to tell her the good news. The muscles on the left side of my back had been in spasm for two weeks now, so as thrilled as she was, there was the don’t be stupid again.

I had coached myself in my mind for months now, high tide, small waves and just go straight…right.

 Friday morning and the reports started coming in. There’s a bit of a wave at the local.

“It’s go time.” With my heart in my mouth, I started packing the car.

Sweet Lord, it had been a while, I had to keep double checking I had everything packed.

I don’t think I noticed any other cars on the way, I was mind surfing all the way through to the local.

I got there a few hours before the high just to get my head straight and check the lineup.

There were some chunky 4 footers coming through, but I wanted some more water on the rock. I watched my mate Dave paddle out and get some screamers.

Steve finally arrived, “I thought you would be in your suit already” he says.

This is it, heart in the throat again, off we went.

Sheesh it was so good to feel the waves crashing over my feet and legs again.

Jumped on my board and started paddling.

Woooohoooo absolutely no pain. Got out to the takeoff zone and everyone was cheering and welcoming me back. How humbling.

Mickey Duffus, a local big wave legend was out. Everybody back off he bellowed, this man hasn’t surfed for 6 months.

For some reason, this made me relax and just enjoy the moment.

Something started standing up out the back, Steve was sitting in the channel waiting for me to have my first ride.

“You going Mick?” I heard someone ask.

Yip I heard coming out my mouth, I spun and went.

Muscle memory and familiarity with the wave kicked in. I made the drop…Fuck I couldn’t believe it came around the section and just flopped off my board.

Steve and Dave had the biggest smile on their faces. The emotion of the occasion just swept over me like a wave, and the tears started flowing. All I kept thinking about was lying in ICU thinking fuck, I don’t want to die in here to taking off on the first wave.

Well, for the rest of the session, I absolutely sent it, trying to take off as deep as possible on the gnarliest set waves. All the coaching I had done in my head for the last few months went straight out the window.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

 Damn, I felt so alive, without a doubt, the happiest man on the planet. When I got back to the car park, all of the Kneelo crew were in the car park and boy were they happy for me.

Sean Thompson was there too, shooting my waves and recording the moment.

How blessed am I. Nothing was getting the smile off my face.

 When I lay in bed that night, I kept thinking of the months of rehab and hard work I had gone through. The many lonely dark hours of the mornings, but I had done it.

 The next morning, we were on it at first light with the Westside boys coming through as well. The Kneelo brotherhood in Cape Town is tight. I am so humbled by all the good wishes and thoughts from everyone.

Just want to mention Lester, who kept me sane in the last two months. We chatted every day for the last while, sometimes a few times in a day. He kept me motivated and hungry and for this I will be forever grateful.

There are so many people to thank for getting me through this period. I think you know who you are, and I will get to everyone individually.

It’s good to get wet again.

I started writing this piece to help anyone in similar circumstances.

Stick with your plan and give it everything no matter how hopeless your situation may seem.

At the end of the day this was such a therapeutic exercise for me. Something I didn’t expect.

The trauma was and is real and this has certainly helped me face it and deal with it.

If this helps even one person get over and through a rough period of hopelessness, its job done.

Mickey Kirsten

Legless Contributor