Back in Blue

Early years?

I was born in Tauranga, New Zealand and grew up surfing the northern end of the Gold Coast

Current family situ?

Yeah I’m settled now. I have a wife Dana and a 6 month-old boy named Sunny.

How do you pay for the wife’s pleasures and Sunny’s nappies?

I’m a cinematographer/producer.

You were at that God Almighty biggest swell of the year at Cloudbreak last year. What was your take?

I'm working on a producing a documentary of that epic day at the moment called Thundercloud and in my eyes, it was one of most amazing days in surfing history. It wasn't for everyone. I don't believe that just because you're on the WCT you have to go out in conditions like that, unless the event is called on and you just have to man up and do it. If they look at it and feel it's not right for them, then that's them saying "you know what, that's my limit." and there shouldn't be anything wrong with that. In waves of consequence you can't have 1% of doubt in your mind otherwise that 1% will fuck you up. You have to commit 100% to a situation where shit is heavy and life threatening. People can say what they want but no one else has to live with the consequences other than the person making the decision and it's their decision to make.

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Twiggy rides the bomb that got a Ride of the Year nomination at the Billabong XXL awards and won the Oakley 1Wave Wonder. Talon won a trip to Macaronis Resort for two from All Aboard Travel

Shouldn’t the ASP have called it on and let the surfers man up or pussy out? At the 1986 Billabong Pro in closing out 25' Waimea Bay, Gary Green and Bryce Ellis chose not to go.

There were surfers like Parko and co. that were keen to surf their heat. It would have been amazing to watch. Serious injury was a very real possibility however, and a possibly season ending, career ending risks or even death. If a WCT competitor happened to be in the wrong spot for a set like Healey's one, then it could've been lights out. No one, not even the arm chair hellman screaming at his computer that they didn't run, would want that. It was a whole different perspective from the channel or lineup. I don't care what people say, it was 100% the right thing to do. It's not Blade Runner. It's real life brother, and people's health and wellbeing are worth more that most care to consider. After all, apart from love, it's all we've got.

Whoppers came through. Reef’s wave was a bit of serious goddamn. You got the clip in stunning clarity. Reckon it might win at the Billabong XXLs?

I'm not going to hold onto some precious opinion that because I shot Reef's wave that I think he will win. I don't think it's the winner. It's an amazing ride of a crazy wave but I think the judges of the Billabong XXL awards have a hard-on for anything in the Northern Hemisphere like Jaws or Cortes. Wassel's wave was mean as too. They all are. I'm glad I'm not a judge.

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Kirra the day after the Quikkie Pro? Insane. You had a top-end camera rig.

I shot the Kirra session on a Red Epic-M with a custom made Dave Kelly water housing. The first time I swam out I used a 5.7mm Kinoptik rectal linear T1.8 wide-angle lens and the second session I used my 40mm Zeiss Distagon Mk2 T2.1 lens.

Must have cost some large.

I borrowed 100k to buy my equipment. It's an investment, pure and simple.

There were lots of different calls on that day at Kirra. Reckon it was a bit over rated?

No. Not in the slightest. It was the best I've seen it since I was a teenager. It was pretty pumping, but I blew it. I was at the beach at my house (Broadbeach) hanging with my grom and my dog in the morning and the ocean had this look to it. I said to myself, it's gotta be firing down south. But I'd just finished work on the Quik Pro and it was kinda nice just being peaceful with Sunny and not scrambling with my gear, driving to Cooly. Then something clicked and I just went... I have to get down there.

Who was standing out?

The best barrel I saw anyone get was Luke Dorrington. Fark that thing was mental. But like I said, I blew and should've been there earlier so I can't really say about the whole session. But Dozza's one was rad.

What's the worst thing about pro surfing in 2013?

The worst thing in pro surfing in 2013 has to be that the Quik Pro didn't have just one more day on the waiting period. Shit would've gone nuclear if the boys had Kirra that next day in the comp.

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What’s the best thing about your life?

If you had told me that I when I was 14, I would be swimming around in the ocean shooting some of the world's best surfers for a job, I would've been psyched. Because that's all I've ever wanted to do. I didn't grow up wanting to be a pro surfer or a world champion. I just wanted to make surf movies. I haven't made the ones I want to make yet but it's all a learning curve.

If you could go back 10 years and tell yourself one thing, what would it be?

Focus on what's important. Have fun, but remain focused. Stay fit, surf often, and eat well.

What’s with the strange name?

My dad was a race mechanic all his life. He built race engines for guys like Jim Richards and owned his own Dyno Tuning business. So he was into fast cars all his life. Around the time I was born, Formula 5000 was big in New Zealand and there was this car named the Talon MR1 that was always doing well in race meetings. This guy Chris Amos drove it and my oldies agreed it would make a good name for their second son. That was me.

What’s your brothers’ name?

My brother's name is Reine. He was named after an Austrian racing car driver. But in French his name means Queen, which is pretty funny.