I was a little surprised when I found myself really wanting to go have a look at a comp. Being a spectator at a comp is a new twist for me. It’s been a long time since I competed myself, and to some degree I just kind of faded away from the scene. But I must admit, I’m grateful we made time to spend a day on the Tweed. Checking out the ALSO (Australian Longboard Surfing Open) really was a pleasant surprise.
The original plan was that we’d spend the day shooting the Pro women’s and men’s semis. I like the semi’s as they are usually hard fought. But you know what they say about plans, they tend to make Huey laugh. And laugh Huey did, we were dished up a radical storm midweek, which put the comp on hold for a day. A last minute reschedule was in order to catch up the as yet un-surfed rounds.
So it was that we got treated to the Nose rider, logs and the open men’s amateur divisions instead. Not a problem, the surfing in these divisions was insanely good.
Despite some cross shore wind, tricky currents a lumpy swell from the earlier storm. The bank at Kingscliff lived up to its reputation and held its form. The crew took to it with reckless abandon and the end result was some breathtaking surfing.
Only wish that we could have got back up there the next day for the semis and the finals. But it was not to be, we only had one day to squeeze in our day on the tweed.
The ALSO environment was a joyous and friendly one. There was plenty of parking for those who got there early enough. A huge bonus for anyone who knows how hard it is to get a car park near a comp. There were plenty of stalls, a jumping castle for the kids and live bands down on the beach. Couple that with seriously good food onsite, excellent surfing and a really well run event, and you got a winning combination.
If you missed the 2014 event you may want to book for 2015. The ALSO seems to have something for everyone, its good fun, with plenty of waves, room to move and plenty of entertainment. Go for the whole show if you can, but if you can’t at least make an effort next year to spend a day or two on the Tweed.
- slideaholics journal # 5
- A day on the Tweed
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- photography | yoko & bear bennink
- editor | bear bennink
- digital production | yoko bennink
- copy writing | bear bennink
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