From dreamy sunset sessions to thumping new swells at dawn, 2017 was a bit of a ripper. But when I think about the standout sessions – the ones that rattled me or give me a new insight – then two sessions leap to mind.
The first is the Cloudbreak session we had in Fiji with the four chosen surfers on Launchpad 2017. We knew it was going to be big and we also knew this would be the first time all trip that the swell angle would be lined up for the reef. It also happened to be our last day and through some twist of incredible fortune, we were heading to Navula Reef in a luxury motor yacht with three jet skis on its bow and the owners and their family fizzing about what lay ahead.
Watching the young surfers Elliott Brown, Jonas Tawharu, Caleb Cutmore and Kaya Horne surf Cloudbreak during this trip – and stepping up to each challenge the reef and swell threw at them was nothing short of inspiring.
The next, and in many ways, ultimate session of 2017 would have to be the day a buoy in the Southern Ocean pinged as a 19.4m wave crossed beneath it and set in motion a sequence of events that would see some of the best big wave surfers converge on a remote reefbreak.
Dale Hunter, Oscar Smith, Tim Searing, Brad Roberts, Nat Parsons and a bunch more rode some of the most amazing waves I have ever seen that day – and the images landed in the NZ Herald, NZ Geographic and The Inertia. The standout on the day was Jimi Crooks who found his way inside some of the biggest barrels and committed to sections as long as a football field is wide. Scary. Inspiring.
Let's hope 2018 brings us some more.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS In case you missed it, grab a cuppa and check out this story on the southern right whales that often visit our shores.
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