WEEKS OF WAVES & GOOD WEATHER

The trees I was talking about last blog: that organic mulch will get ‘em charging. BBQ on the verandah: it hasn’t been turned off for the last three weeks.

The days might only be short this time of year but jeez they’re good - surfing, training and cooking up on the barbie every afternoon has been my schedule for this last stint at home.

Baddy has been catching a good bunch of fish in the mornings so I’ve been raiding his icebox through the day and eating fresh fish that night. Cheers Dave, haha.

Boards for Jeffreys; Rod Dahlberg shapes amazing 6′5’s , so I’m taking a heap of them; a couple of Danny Sherrrrwoods from Aloha ; a DS (Darren Symes); and few other 6′3"’s.

There have been some fun days out at the point the last few weeks so I’ve had some good sessions testing out some boards off Rod D, that he has done up for me to take to J Bay.

I was in at the factory the other day chatting to Albert Fox and a few of the other local legends, hearing some hell stories about when they were in J Bay in the 70s; using surgical rubber and rope for legropes, tied around their leg with an old sock. All time, I loved it, it got me so pumped to get over there early and get some waves.

The neighbours … cheeky foxes.

So here I am on the plane, six hours out of Jo-burg and loving my last minute surprise upgrade to premium. Otherwise my laptop would have ran out of battery hours ago and I wouldn’t be writing this blog.

Anyway, I’m going to bail because the altitude makes me too emotional and I could write some weird shit, haha.

Love yas all!

Dan

SOUTH PACIFIC

Had a big day today, I planted a whole heap of trees out the front of my place. Pretty exciting, they’re going to look unreal in about five years, haha.

The last couple of months has been fun, spending a lot of time in the tropics, with warm water and unreal weather.

View from the water in Tahiti - the sunrises are amazing …

… Sunsets are just as good - Chief sitting on the rocks.

Tahiti was cool, it is such an unreal place - just a bummer that what we thought was going to be one of the heaviest and scariest events of the tour was only head high or smaller for the whole time. Although, I still managed to get a lip to the head first wave and tear a few layers of skin off my back.

Things didn’t get much better in my next heat and I ended up with another 33 in the tally. Except for the right that I got in the last couple of minutes of the heat. Yep, a right-hander out at Teahupoo. It was a good one too. Probably the best wave I caught all trip

Ronny Blakos chillin’ by the pool in Fiji. That spa behind him there has the best view you’ll ever see from a spa. You feel kinda spoilt when you come in from a surf and kick back in the spa watching crew getting barrelled for 100 meters.

Cambo and Willsy watching the comp.

Then it was off to Fiji a week later. We arrived to pumping waves and pretty much jumped straight off the boat into 4-5′ Restaurants. There were only a few of us out for about 20mins before everyone hit it. Sooo much fun.

The next day before the comp started I caught one of the most perfect lefts I’ve ever caught. And had a great freesurf but again I struggled to put it together in my heat.

Since I’ve been home I have just been getting into the training and swimming and surfing heaps. The waves pump this time of year at home, and there is hardly anyone surfing — so I’m lovin’ it.

Dan.

HELLS BELLS

What a banging joint at Easter time. I had such a ball down there. Staying with Jack Pezza and his family, I got looked after like a king. I’ve never been down to Bells when the Rip Curl Pro has been on. So to check it out, and at the same time competing in it, was a pretty cool experience for me.

Bells Beach, Australia

I was running down the track for a surf one arvo with Tommy Whits a few days before the contest started and I was saying, “It’s a pretty sick set-up here, hey Whits.”
(Tommy got a 3rd here last year) And he said, “Wait till it actually all starts up and they play ‘Hells Bells’ over the massive sound system while you’re free-surfing … It’s bullshit, haha.”

KP checking himself out, haha.

I got goosebumps at the thought of it, and before I knew it I was out at 6-8′ Bells bowl for my first heat, and frothing, haha. I felt unreal out in the water and had managed to shake off those nerves that I had on the Gold Coast.

I got a couple of good scores and picked off better waves than what Bede and Timmy could find, and ended up with my first heat win. Yeeewww - I was a happy kid.

Really got into the AFL down in Vicco. 45 - Linga’s number.

I had the chance to keep the run going after a good start in my Round 3 heat against Taj, but again my mind got the better of me in the last two minutes and I made a mistake that pretty much handed the heat over to him. As much as it stings - it was another good lesson learnt.

Me and Talig.

My Dad, brother, and his family were all down for two weeks, so it was awesome to catch up with them and spend some time with my nephews - the little legends.

Talig and Jaspur in their new wetties.

I’m in Newy now and then off to West Oz at the end of the week for the WQS event down at Margaret River, it’s always sick fun down there, I can’t wait! I’ve also been practicing some breath holds and doing underwater training for when we go to Tahiti at the start of next month …

Packing for the MR Pro in Newcastle.

… I’m up to 2 1/2 minutes at the moment but I’d say that I would be a little more relaxed on the bottom of a swimming pool, than at the top of a 10′ Chopes bomb. Haha. Good times.

Chat to you soon,

Dan

JUST DIG IN

Thanks to my mates and all the crew from Yamba who came up to watch and support me.

Well, it felt pretty damn good, chucking a pair of boardies and all my sticks in the car to head up the coast for my first WCT event - ever.

I was singing to myself the whole way from Yamba turnoff to Tweed Heads. The waves were cracking in the week leading up to the contest, and when I did managed to jag one off the other 400 frothers in the line up, they were some of the funnest waves I’ve had this year.

MR Mania: day-glo twin-fin flyers.

It was a bummer the swell dropped off for the comp; this made free-surfing and pre-heat warm ups almost impossible, unless you got out there two hours before sunrise.

Don’t get me wrong though, it was nothing short of amazing, sitting in the line-up at Snapper, going wave for wave with one of my good mates, for my first head-to-head battle on the ‘CT.

I was trying to tell myself the whole time “it’s just the same as any other heat you’ve had, just go out and surf.” But with the crowd, the hype and everything that comes with a WCT event, I found it hard to shake the nerves and focus on my surfing.

My result - a 33rd, but an invaluable learning experience that will only boost me mentally for the next event.

Bottle’s ‘CT qualification party at the Burleigh shed.

Thanks to my whole family / extended “Carrier” family, my mates and all the crew from Yamba who came up to watch and support me. It was so cool to see so many familiar faces when I ran down for my heat at D’bar … I loved it.

My two main sponsors, Oxbow and Odyssey 20/20, have given me their full support and are keen to see me do well in the upcoming events. No pressure, just dig in.

I’ve been down here at Torquay for about a week now, getting some fun waves and adapting to the water. Bells was good today with a few 4-5 footers on the bowl.

I picked up a couple of nice boards off Danny Sherwood from Aloha on the way down and they have been feeling unreal. I’m keen as to get started. Haha, bring on the comp.

Happy Easter for next weekend. Get an organic egg in ya guts. Yeew.

-Dan Ross