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CAUGHT INSIDE # 133

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It’s a new day. And that is always cause for celebration. And we start this Surftime with an image that perfectly illustrates he brotherhood of competition. Especially at this year’s Rip Curl Cup. Here is Mason Ho and Winner Noa Deane embracing in the sunset light post final. And perhaps that was the real spirituality of the Cup this year. The kind that comes with camaraderie, regardless of where you are from. Despite the challenging conditions on the final day, as you will see in our big feature this year, the overall the surfing on the Cup’s two days of competition was insane. And the timeless Padang Padang Barrels, those beautiful spinning vortices that are her gift to us, were ridden with the verve and the aplomb we have all come to expect. We hope you really dig the giant full-page photos by master lensman Nate Lawrence. It is his camera that tells the real story, so take the time to really check them out. And of course there is plenty more in the issue, and you might have notic
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KAI LENNY - A Photographer’s Point Of View

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Photography by Damea Dorsey Surftime recently sat down for a conversation with global ace photographer Damea Dorsey to discuss what it’s like to work with elite surfers in the new age of digital consciousness. In this case it was his latest adventure with Kai Lenny to the southeast of our archipelago. Surftime: What do you look for in a surfer when you are working with them? Damea Dorsey: Well you sure hope whoever it is that you are working with is a real pro. Guys like Kai Lenny. Kai understands that we need much more than just action shots and he has the patience and the skills to help a photographer score them. In order fill all the demands of sponsors and social media and everything else, we need the lifestyle photos and the right lighting and the right times of day and the best conditions on land or in the water. All that stuff. All these photos and video’s don’t appear like magic. It’s real work. And it takes two, a partnership, no matter how temporary. And what is
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TSUNAMI DREAMS: 30 Years After With Robbie Bain And Simon Law

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In the early hours of June 3rd 1994, a 7.2 richter scale earthquake occurred deep underwater in the Java Trench. Some 40 minutes later, a powerful tsunami charged its way at approx 300 kilometres an hour towards the Indonesian coast. It hit with extreme force, in the dead of night, while no one was expecting it. At this moment, Rob Bain, Simon law and fellow surfers were at G-Land were fast asleep. What unfolded at G-Land, became a fight for survival and one that has left an impact on all those that were there. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the Grajagan tsunami and a number of the surfing survivors came back to attend a special ceremony held at Bobbys G-Land Surf camp. To not only honor those Indonesians that did not survive, but to share the experience with their son’s and the give thanks for their own survival on that horrific night so long ago. Notes on the G-land tsunami of June 3, 1994 Java is situated in a tectonic subduction zone, where the Indo-A
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CHILD’S PLAY - Jason Childs Pearls Of Wisdom

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Top flight Surf Photographer Jason Childs spent most of his career living and raising a family on the island of Bali, the most exotic surfing crossroads on the globe. Not only capturing the iconic images of an extraordinary place, but learning about what it means to make a surfing life in a foreign land. Here are his reflections and a few of his photographic gems. Connections is what it’s all about with the Bali surfers. That is why I am so grateful for how lucky I was when I first came here. Because I was automatically invited into a tight community. We all seemed to have time for each other. And we were hungry for it. I was so lucky to be welcomed into that world when surfing felt so new here. There were no color issues, no distance, no wallet envy, it was a surf society and I was so lucky to contribute to it. By documenting the revolution and giving the locals the top priority instead of the visiting surfers. There was a strong sense of pride in what I was doing and the
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THE REAL MEANING OF THE RIP CURL CUP PADANG PADANG 2024 - A TRUE STORY

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Photography by Nate Lawrence • Text by Matt George Kalani Ryan, fifteen years old, tall for his age, smooth skinned and handsome and graceful in his movements despite of all this, bobs in the channel of Padang Padang on Mason Ho’s favorite board. He has been asked by Mason to be his board caddie for the duration of the Rip Curl Cup contest and, surrounded by all boats and the ski’s and the grown-ups and the fans and the noise in the channel, his private thoughts are divided. On one side it’s cool to be helping out Mason and to be in the heart of all the action, but on the other hand there is an agitation. On the cliff’s edge of manhood and as one of Bali’s most talented up and coming juniors, he believes he is good enough to be in the heat with Mason and not off to the side. And standing at 182cm and courageous and already have developed a relationship with this rare wave, he is good enough. But he has to eat all the words he hears. All the torturous words of teenhood from the gr
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SINGLE FIN CLASSIC 2024: ULUWATU’S MOST ANTICIPATED SURFING EVENT

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It’s hard to call this a contest, it’s more of a celebration. And the The 5th annual version took place in perfect 4-6 ft surf. With this year’s invitees list resembling what could have been a world championship event the level of surfing was off the hook. The weekend began with a blessing and an official event opening ceremony in the Uluwatu cave. Things continued with a traditional Balinese dance and some insightful words from past World Champions Occy and Joel Parkinson. With the level of surfers and waves that were on offer, the judges’ jobs were made easy with quick decision-making and 10-point rides handed out left right and centre from sunup to sundown. Thank you to all this year’s sponsors including Island Brewing and Billabong. We look forward to seeing you all next year for yet again, the Greatest Surf competition in the world.
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EVOLUTION / REVOLUTION

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After witnessing the phenomenal performances at the Rip Curl Cup this year, we thought it might be time to remind everybody of just how far surfboard design has evolved. Tom Blake, circa 1929 on the left and 1924 on the right, with his cutting edge blades that he built himself. Now imagine yourself riding any one of these things at Padang Padang and you’ll get the idea of what we are trying to say here. Still, these were innovative and cutting edge boards then and the lineage of all surfboard design can be traced through the ages directly to the high-performance boards under your feet right now. This might be a good time to go see your shaper with a case of beer and thank him for your magic modern machines.
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