We Shouldn't Be Friends

“Sorry, Mr Pipeline!” Imagine surfing at a psychotically high level for 50 years, then being run over in a two foot beachie by an unsteady grommet. This is what happened to Tom Carroll, just a couple of days before Nick and Hannah put him on the spot to follow up Shane Dorian’s awesome take on ageing. What lessons do you learn in your mid-60s from stuff like this? What do you give up, and what do you gain? Is there some sort of weird trick involved in surfing extremely well into the last third of your life, or is it just a crapshoot? And possibly more important: what’s a Pro Turn, 2026-style, and can Tom still do one?

There’s never been a time quite like this one. Since Surfing World published issue 428, “Shark Country”, there’s been three shark fatalities around the nation and one very seriously injured swimmer at a Sydney metro beach. Drones are being dispensed to boardriders clubs, shark bite kits are common sightings on coastal trails, and surfers — including Hannah and Nick — are being chased out of formerly safe waters on a daily basis. There’s a lot of shared concern out there. In this episode we get into some of what we’ve learned since the magazine hit the streets, and try to answer some smart questions from the readership.

Does anyone really think they’ll get old some day? The whole notion of ageing seems to run counter to surf culture’s obsession with youth — after all, at some level, maybe staying young is what it’s all about. But how do you manage that as your body and mind begin the inevitable process of change through mid-life and beyond? Be like a modern tech-bro and obsess instead over immortality? Kick back on the couch, add a few kilos, and reminisce? Or just try to do the best with what you’ve got? The fabulous Shane Dorian, now unbelievably 53 years of age, joins Nick and Hannah to explore this modern dilemma.

It’s one thing watching a surf movie, or any movie really. It’s quite another thing to make one. “Now Days”, the recent release via Red Bull’s highly skilled and solidly funded media team, is a classic example. It come across as clean, sharp and clever — you see the surfing, but you never see the work. Jodie Nelson is a surfer and film-maker from Seal Beach, California who has spent decades developing the skills required to pull off such a project. Jodie is formulating culture on the run, driven by smarts and an intensely competitive nature, and Nick and Hannah dived right in with her on what this stuff takes.

Watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okE2130c4Xw

What’s a “designer?” Can a designer even tell you? Trent Mitchell is a highly gifted photographer and graphic artist who’s well into one of the most interesting career arcs of his generation. If you’ve seen his book “Australian Lustre” you’ll already know that. But Trent has also signed on as art director of Surfing World, which means he’s deeply tangled up with Nick’s and Hannah’s supposedly creative lives on a possibly far too regular basis. We spoke to Trent as he was bracing himself to view proofs of an entire SW re-design, which he’d tackled on about a week’s notice. All we can say about that is we’re glad he’s around … but he’s a lot more than his work with us, as you’ll discover here.