HOME & ABROAD

 

Won this moped in the Jim Beam Surf Tag …

It hammers, eeewwwwww.

Hi all,

Well, it’s been a decade since my last blog … sorry!!! So much has happened -
it’s halfway thru another year, the tour is in full swing, we have had some fun surf this year - I’m loving it.

Dion, up on chocks in Bali.

Around the comps I’ve been having a hell time too … Went to Bali and caught up with a good friend of mine from the South Coast, Kimo Fafie. Dion blew his foot out this day. It was really pumping tho … poor Dion.

Down home for the Cooge Classic.

I just got back from down home. We have a memorial contest every June long weekend. It’s for my dad’s mate Bruce Meaker who passed away back in 1985. It’s called the Cooge Classic. This was the first time I had been back in nine years due to other contests on at the same time. I was so stoked and grew a banging beard for the occasion.

 

Anyhow, enjoy and I’ll be back soon.

Ottz

BRAZIL = REAL GOOD

Well kids, it’s been a while since my last blog … and a lot has happened. The tour is coming to a close and I’m now in Hawaii. Waves are pumping today too, wwooo.

OK, I just got back from Brazil … I had an OK trip… ha ha ha ha. I had a f#$%in super doopa all-time bangin’ trip = I got 2nd to Mick and witnessed Australia finally get a deserving world title … wwoooo.

This is what I looked like when I got on the plane

We drank loads that night and partied ’til all hours. This is what I looked like when I got on the plane … I only had 40 min sleep before leaving so I felt like a shell of a human … or something.

Cheers,

Ottz.

EAR, NOSE & THROAT = CRAPTASTIC EELS & SWANS = FANTASTIC

Yeah kids. Wow, feels like I haven’t surfed for months … since my heat at J-Bay I’ve surfed five times I think.

I had stitches in my eye after my heat with Trent. No surf for a week. I went home from there incubating the worst flu of all time. It hit me down south in Tathra and I then passed it on to all my mates down there, (sucked in, ha ha) they were spewin’! Some of them had the week off work, it was real nasty. Kept me out of the surf for 10 days too.

This is from Palm Beach in Sydney, from an old series of Insight ads. This shot is part of a portfolio us boys are running on the site from photog Nathan Smith. It’ll be up in the features section next week. © Nathan Smith

I came good and went training on the Goldy but it was flat like a pancake, so no surf for that week which brings me up to now. I just got out of hospital after having my Surfer’s Ear operated on. Painful op and another two to three weeks out of the water. Tell ya what I’m going to be absolutely frothin’ for Trestles. A break always does ya good.

Old school Eels legend and south coaster Mick Cronin. Runs the Gerringong Hotel nowadays.

By the way, how good has the football been? Some crazy games being played coming into finals time. Go the mighty Swans!!! Go the mighty Eels!!!

Cheers,

Ottz.

NAILS ON A CHALKBOARD

Yeah lips … OK, all you crazy kids out there, I just touched down in Sydney after a couple of really hectic weeks on the road …

Embracing Arica.

I think my last chat was about Tahiti … Straight from there I shot thru to Bali to get all weird for the new crazy Insight advertising campaign. Now this was a really bangin’ time.

We had some really pumping swells and surfed a couple of new waves. Yes, yes there are a couple of secrets in Bali so get on your moto and search it out! My favourite part about Bali is easily the food … Umm, that’s a lie… its’ girls, then the food! But anyway I ate a lot. How cheap is it? Crazy!

Chile: go south, then left.

We nailed the shoot and I bailed back to Sydney for a day then charged off to the WCT in Chile. I did a sneaky trip down south with fellow Insight team rider Luke Stedman. Geez we had a cool time down there as ya can see from Steds’ blog. The only thing that sucked was Luke trying to play guitar. He fully stinks but really thinks he can play. Nails on a chalk board.

Steds’ and his crucial pre-jam caffeine hit.

Like I said, got back to Sydney today, straight of the plane and Myself, TB, T WHITS, Jimmy CLOUSE and Sponnas jetskied over to OURS but it was shit. After being away for almost the best East Coast swell I’ve heard of we tried to catch the tail end of it but got skunked. Win some, lose some. Anyhow, its now 6am and I have been awake since 2:30am … Aaarrgghhhh, jet lag!!!!!

’til next time

Ottz

The Nailbiter With Cory & The Sweet 9.9.

OK, Tahiti. First off, BOOM, amazing time at my first Teahupoo event.

Stayed with Luke Steds and Dayyan for the entire contest and we had a groovy time. We stayed with the Parker family and they have a great little establishment right on the point at Chopes.

With Steds and Dayyan stocking up with about 600 litres of water. © Joli

The contest is like nothing I’ve been in before. Sitting out in the water is unbelievable. There are literally 30 boats and 200 people a stone’s throw from the take off. As you surf the wave you watch all the people and boats fly by while trying to negotiate a crazy pit.

I had made it to the quarter finals and billabong decided to extend the waiting period for a swell that was coming. I was up against Cory Lopez. He is real good out there and a past winner of the event. I knew it would be a tough, tough heat. I didn’t think that after the first 5 minutes of the heat I would need a combo of 17.5 though.

So, I’m sitting with priority, Cory already had two high 8pt waves and this lump rolls in. I nearly missed it, but scraped down and stood in a perfect barrel and scored an 8.77. I thought, “Right, I’m back in this.” Cory had priority but made a crucial error, paddling and standing on a really bad wave.

Deciding whether to extend the contest for good waves. © Joli

The door opened a little for me. Then five mins later, a bomb wave rolls in and I take a real late drop, pull in, the wave goes white, but the spit blows me thru to the channel. The judges award me a 9.9. I take the lead. Cory is not happy.

Next heat i lose to mick fanning because of a similar error like Cory. I’m that frothing though, 3rd place at Chopes … thankyou very much. No complaints…BOOM.

Cheers

OTTZ

THE WORLD’S CRAPPEST MOZZIE NET

 

OK kids … I made it to Tahiti. I’m staying with Tommy Whits, Steds and Dayyan. We have a cool little crib on the point at Chopes. The boys have been rippin’ me all day about my shithouse mozzie net purchase. I paid 60 skins for what I thought was a crocodile-proof net, turns out it wouldn’t even stretch over my bed. Fuck, so ripped off. I’m now using an old $10 special I found in another room.

It looks big and luxurious on the packet

but looks more like this when ya try it on for size.

My froth got the better of me early today. I convinced the boys to paddle out without checking it in the dark. The call was ‘back to bed’ but I was frothin’ to surf so we charged out.

It’s been raining so hard all night that the whole ocean is poo brown. The waves were 2′ max and the current was crazy. We don’t have a boat so we have to paddle out to the break. It was terrible. The coffee and brekky chats were amazing though. Back with more during the week

Boom.

Ottz

SLEPT IN, ALMOST MISSED HEAT, ARGHH

Last week I was hangin’ in the wild west for the 6 star at Margarets. I had a fun event, making it to the round of 24. We had a great house to stay in up at Yallingup. It was on the fringe of a bangin’ big winery with a view of Smiths Beach. It was a maniac drive each morning with my travel buddy Troy Brooks, dodging huge big Red Kangaroos along Caves Road towards the contest site each day.

One of these Red’s is a scary hothead with sharp claws that jumps out at traffic at dawn and dusk on Caves Road, and can occasionally be seen eating its own faeces. The other is a kangaroo.

I left for Bells on the Sunday night on the dreaded ‘Red Eye’ flight; had a couple of surfs on the Monday and went to bed early for my first heat at bells the next morn.

YES, I did sleep thru my alarm clock the next morning … Fuck it!… I was 3rd heat of the day and the comp had started at 7:30. I paddled out with a vicious ‘bed head’ on and proceeded to get lost in the line-up and miss all the sets that came thru. Stinkin’ it up, some might say. Tom Whits won the heat. I need some more time out there its a real frustrating line up and hard wave to read

At the moment it’s a waiting game. Conditions aren’t looking great for the event, but I’m frothin’ cause I have Mr Bells in my heat, THE OCC. He is one of my heroes and I’m so glad to have a heat with him.

Cheers
ottz

The ‘CT Trip

I landed on the Goldy a week early for the event … the waves were pumpin’ and I definitely had a surge of instant froth take over.

I had my good mate Grant with me, and the rest of my entourage would soon arrive. I had my Dad and a handful of other good friends staying with me in an apartment onRainbow Bay.

Pre-Gold Coast pit fest on the South Coast with Macca and Whits credit: Morris

I thought I would be super nervous for this event, being my first ever WCT, but for some reason I was quite relaxed. I figured I should enjoy this moment and have a lot of fun.

The waves pumped but so did the crowds, at times I was super frustrated, not getting any waves in the free surfs, but I just re-assured myself that I’ll be out there with one other person so that made it all good.

I had a great night at the ASP Banquet before the event, getting on the red wines and donning the good clobber, super fun. The event came so quick and I had a couple of great heats and ended up with a 9th placing. In my first round I had Damo Hobgood and good friend Mick Lowe. I jagged a couple of quick waves early and had a good lead on the heat and was able to hang on for the win.

… Another trophy for Kelly credit: Grambeau

Round 3: I had Bobby Martinez and I knew this would be a hard heat. I was lucky to get a wave under Bobby’s priority which ended up being my highest score. I backed this wave up with another quality score and took the win. In my 4th round with Bede Durbidge a crazy storm came in and I could not see a thing.

This heat was really low-scoring and Bede was able to adapt to the deteriorating conditions a little better and progress to the quarters. It was a great introduction to the ‘CT with really fun waves and the event set-up was amazing.

Right now, I’m at home doing some fine tune training for the next Event, Bells, looking forward to it.

Cheers
Kai