Dispatches from the Fijian frontline
Without a webcast to turn to, viewers of Sunday's swell in Fiji were forced to make sense of the disjointed updates being posted to social media. The central story was the size of the waves - and the highlights video is now online - however, various back stories unfolded amidst the chaos.
Here's a few of them as told by the people that were there.
Clint Kimmins: “It’s been a hectic 48 hours getting everything in place for what looks to be the mega swell at Cloudbreak hitting this Sunday. Let’s see what the ocean delivers over the next few days.”
Tim Bonython: “It was a nice warm up day before the real deal. It’s gotta be the most anticipated swell event this century.”
Peter ‘Joli’ Wilson: “This morning at first light the swell was lucky to be pushing two foot but as the tide started to push in after the 9.30 low tide so did the new swell. It’s just gone 3.40 and it’s rolling in hard. Wilkes is eight foot plus with lots of energy in the ocean. Sunday looks like the peak so it will definitely be interesting to see how big it gets.”
Ramon Navarro: “I’m happy to be in this magical place for the most anticipated swell in years. I’m preparing everything for tomorrow. That will be something else.”
Ryan Hipwood: "I had some dreamy waves this morning. I'm sure this pic will be obsolete by tomorrow."
Makua Rothman: “Wave of a lifetime. Thank you Danilo Couto for the whip. Mahalo to my brother Koa for making this happen for me, packing all my stuff and making me go on this one. Mahalo to Kaiborg for saving me after this wave.”
Chris McLennan: “Ramon’s wave was insane but Makua Rothman’s one earlier in the day was off the chart as well. Cloudbreak at it's best!“
Koa Rothman: “What an experience this was. When I paddled out there was about ten tow teams and three paddlers. Right before I caught this wave I watched my brother almost die on one of the biggest waves I’ve ever seen which only got me more psyched to catch one! “
Caio Vaz: “After 42 hours traveling, happy to be alive and to surf on maybe the biggest Cloudbreak swells of all times. Stoked to catch two waves, one complete and the other the worst wipeout of my life! Thanks for the rescue Kaiborg.”
Clint Kimmins: “We were all screaming our lungs out while trying to scratch over this thing. Well done Ramon and Kohl Christenson for the teamwork and patience to wait for this bomb.”
Kelly Slater: “Just take a second and process this... “
Ramon Navarro: “With my great friend Kohl we had a plan to wait for the biggest wave of the day. The same type of wave that was unridden in 2012, and we were all crazy thinking about it for all these years.”
“We waited for two hours for this wave and really if it were not for Kohl this would never have happened. It was very cold and the [other tow crews] left when I took this wave. It was the biggest wave I've seen in my life. The best wave of my life, even if it's tow in. But it is what it is.”
“Today will never be forgotten. It was an honour to be in the presence of an ocean doing this.”
Clint Kimmins: “We waited out the back on the rope for close to two hours before Ryan Hipwood and I decided we were tripping and we should be paddling. We got impatient and just went on anything so we could get to the boat ASAP to get our paddle boards.”
“The next wave to be towed was Ramon Navarro’s wave. There is clearly going to be disappointment that I wasn’t on that wave but truth be told he deserved that wave 100%.”
Peter ‘Joli’ Wilson: “What a difference a day makes. Yesterday’s stormy conditions at Cloudbreak ramped up during the night with torrential rain and howling southerly winds. By mid-morning today the conditions had completely switched around. The sun was out, the wind was light and the surf was a buttery 15’ foot plus. Evan Valiere slicing down the face of one.“
Nav Fox: “OK, we rocked up to Cloudbreak after crazy rain all morning. Low and behold it was pumping! Today was a little smaller but buttery conditions, like glass and 12 to 15 foot with 20 foot sets.”
“Laurie blew the field away. I watched him paddle into a beast of a wave with the best of the best out there. Me screaming at him “GOOOOOOOOOO LAUUUUURIE GOOOOOOO”. He went.”
“The aftermath was people shaking their heads in disbelief. He paddled back out with the lineup clapping him back to the takeoff zone. I felt privileged to watch this go down and clap my mate.”
“Then Laurie put on a show getting heaps of waves, huge waves, massive waves, crazy big waves. Words can't describe how talented he is.”
“He wasn't the only neighbour blowing up though, Dan [Ross] paddled into a beast early and got tubed from the top of the reef to the bottom then wrapped it up, not biting off to much and being happy with what he had. The boys blew up.”
"My small highlight was driving our boat all day in the chaos. The only boat with no reverse out of about 50 boats. Didn't stop us from sitting about 50 yards off the take off and inside sections.”
Kelly Slater: “There is no better wave on this earth than Cloudbreak. “
Tim Bonython: “It’ll go down in history. One of the great big wave swells.”
Ramon Navarro: “Simply without words to explain what happened yesterday.
Comments
Love these back stories behind the final image of the waves.
In this case it's a thousand words worth one picture.
Yep, that was great.
So good to see/hear Ramon and Laurie doing so well (let's see some of those waves of Laurie's from Monday!).
If people know Clint Kimmins backstory they'll no how much that miss is gonna sting.
Didnt he glass someone in the throat?
So what is the Clint Kimmins back story??
Drunken Bar Brawl...in self defence Clint used a Bottle i believe...did some Jail time
Fred Pawle did story correctly by memory.
Yep. Was OAM post slammer, first a committed triathlete and then a big wave surfer. Would've been quite the narative arc, felon to redemption etc, if he lucked into Ramon's wave.
OAM - Order of Australia Medal?
On A Mission
Dude stabs someone in the back with a broken bottle. Twice. Gets 6 months in the slammer? I’d say he’s already had his fair share of luck
His comments sound like those of a decent man. Acknowledged that he'd had a shocker, and that Ramon deserved that wave. Some measure of redemption, I'd say.
If you get a chance, read Fred's article on Clint. Definitely worth your time:
https://stabmag.com/news/free-clipper/
I thought that was an inspiring article, I myself am going through a court case as a 22 year old and this really puts things into perspective for me. Clints positive attitude shows you can use a perceived negative experience to mould you into a better person. I hope to change for the better as he's done and to improve my surfing so to one day be as courageous as Ramon
Thanks Stu. Hadn't heard about that.
Good luck Tenn - be your best you
If you want to hear the whole story in Clints own words, have a listen to his podcast with Kyle Thiermann .
Absolute cracker, gives the full insight into what looks like an epic journey and lends some weight to his comments.
http://www.kyle.surf/podcast/2018/4/9/97-ironmanbig-wave-surfer-clint-ki...
Can't wait till we have a one time convicted pedophile start charging then we came afford him redemption. Seriously you guys are idiots. I have seen this fucken stupid ideology from the wannabes on this site that if you rip on a surfboard then you can be the biggest loser of all time but amongst a vast majority of the people on this forum think you rule/better than the people who can't. It goes to show what type of people you are. How to you class a doctor that is a total kook surfing. Loser ???
Nicky Boy: Do not let it bother you, felons and losers are what give doctors job security at emergency rooms and rehabs.
I can understand where you're coming from nick3, I hate violence in any form as a rule. But there are circumstances......
If anyone hurt my kids I'd be death on a stick. Any father would say the same. Allow for the possibility of extenuating circumstances, unless you know the real back story. Allow for the possibility of some grey in that black and white world.
Judge not, lest ye be judged....
I have no clue either way on him, but always like to think there is a chance of redemption
I'm with batfink too nick3. We're all young and dumb as young adults. Too full of ourselves being a young bull in the paddock, thinking things that are just plain stupid, however random and/or sane they might appear in the split seconds of time.
In the Book of Life's Mistakes, I've put more than my fair share of entries in there; hence the handle of my name ... ef... fer... f'wit.
When you've got 50+ years under your belt, you realise the sad truth, that in many ways, we'd like to think we're older and wiser, but that is a actually a very kind, generous and subjective self-call; the first bit is right, we're actually just older, but the second bit is wrong, we're still prone to stupidity and dumbness.
nick3, your post belongs in the Book of Life's Mistakes. Welcome!
And by the way, your post assumes that anyone on this site is a gullible fool.
Not a good way to make friends and influence people.
Good stuff, Foamball.
Cheers...
With all that adrenalin floating around and having seen some carnage already, here's hoping they all come through unscathed.
Is laurie still without a sponsor? If so, thats a travesty. So talented and committed and makes it look so easy. Major props.
Foamy cheers mate that podcast was Fuckin Fantastic
What a Cool Cat Clint is ...Yew !
Laurie getting supported by Need Essentials ; they are only a small company but there's a budget for him to chase some swells so hopefully we'll get to see more of him.
Will some major surf or 'surf wear ' company please throw a motza or ten to Laurie Towner. I'll buy your stuff just for that. (I already buy need essentials gear, their lined steamers are damned good).
I may be totally sold on some brilliant PR genius profile, but he seems to be the most humble and balls to the wall character on God's earth. Those two adjectives just don't fit together, but somehow he does it.
Come on companies, him and Dylan Longbottom are the sort of people I would want MY company to be associated with, if I wasn't a PAYE shit-kicker. Get on board you numb-nuts!
Longbottom still tightly held by BBong i think.
Ryan Hipwood 'I had some dreamy waves '
On a wave that would see me shitting myself in the channel, he is dragging his arse to slow down, and calling it dreamy!
He's a character. Did very well in the previous big swells at CB in 2011 and 12 by Tim Bonythons dvd.
needs essential insta
Towner on a clean beast !
Lots of other chargers i would to see have a dig but Dean Bowen keeps coming to mind
Paddling in on a AB channel bottom Gun.
Outrageous wave!
Where was Russ B?
Bad knee I think.
Missing that must of stung
hannah prewitt photography insta
link in her Bio of her thoughts of the Day.
Apparently there were 70 paddling surfers. Holy fuq!
positive vibe warriors insta
holy fuck Dane Gudang so deep !
Ski rescue pull ya leash Dane pull the Leash !!!
https://www.surfline.com/surf-news/rothman-id-rather-deep-eat-outrun-bar...
Anyone read this? What a flog!
flog ? comes across as a complete dick. kinda wish i hadn't read that cause it takes away from the spectacle of his amazing wave. the attitude. jesus. some one punch him. calling out that he was taking it regardless of who's turn and he was there for the money. mmm not the making of a legend.
Lost...... essentially what I meant
When you compare his post wave dialogue to Ramon’s it is easy to see who the humble legend was.
Wonder how all the other tow teams felt about Makua?