Wednesday 19 December 2012

brazil .........2012 trip

me and zane ready to start the adventure to brazil
Pack your bags ,its off to brazil and the town of ubatuba around 5 hour bus ride from sao paulo for the next stop of the stand up world tour . The city of Sao paulo has around 20 million people living in it ....around the population of Australia , so it was amazing to see. 15 mintues away was the a town set in the jungle named itamabuca this was where the event was be hosted and a small creek flowed out the corner of a small headland covered in jungle and  was awesome .We stayed on the beach in a brand new 10 room house that was really homey .Everyone we meet ,was such nice people willing to help in anyway they could .
screen grab form matty 7,4 starboard
the town that hosted the world stand up tour
The days before the event it was around 4 feet and really fun ,we had a good run with waves ,and the weather started to clear and the sun came out .
The event site was impressive
The food in brazil was not as cheap as we thought but was certainly great and we all stayed health thanks to great new friends Aline and her family that are locals and know the good spots , they surf and sup , they really looked after all the starboard team and other surfers with us...thanks guys ...I was traveling pretty light with a quiksilver back pack and 2 stand ups in a single cover, with was handy ,traveling by bus is easy and lets you see the sites and not worry about anything.
amazing food 

more locals in the brazilian rainforest
With the event underway the stand up world tour had the live web cast cranking and with 30,000 people tuning in. we had it on in the house , which was cool we could see scores and then go outside to the beach and surf our heats ...
webcast was a real hit ....
I ended up coming away with a 5th and just came up short to make the semi final s......an on fire mo frietias was the winner and leco salazar 2nd .Overall the people in brazil are wonderful and every person i came across were really nice we all had a great time and should thank the event organisers for a great event .South America is one of the fastest grow nations in the world and with such a large population soccer ,basketball , and surfing are big sports , the country is developing fast and the city was packed and crazy ...a real experience ,not speaking portuguis or spanish was hard at times but generally it was fine .Being such a big country we only seen a small part but it was a great experience and cannot wait to go back . Next blog i will put many more photos up so you can check out the awesome sites .......

Thanks again check the next blog soon .......wi fi  possible on the road blogs ...cheers justin

Sunday 21 October 2012

sup super tips i live by .......

Sup super tips i live by ........

Hi guys and girls with summer coming up in Australia ....my kids have been starting up the froth meter and getting back out there on the sup and short boards .....and it got me thinking about the few things i have been teaching them about the basics of surfing and suping in general.

Always check the surf and  conditions for the correct board your going to ride ......make a good choice .....where to surf......never surf alone .

Whether your on a shortboard ,longboard ,sup , i think its important   to bend your knees and get low , so you are like a coil spring ready to un leash that energy , this will help with balance when you get hit by the foam or as you try to go around the breaking part of the wave ......here im at speed hanging on and getting low .....

Getting low can help greatly in those high speed foamy sections....
Use the paddle as a balance weapon as well......you can get really great bottom turns on your sup with the paddle at full extention .....really lean into it.......Theres alot to gain here..
Notice a good paddle made of carbon still bends under the pressure


take your dog to check the waves
he probably needs a run.....ha ha
EAT healthy key to strength and power
A solid stance and body language  is everything , as this shot of laird shows.................epic body language ,stance.  And be aware of where you want to go on the wave ...and point yourself in the correct direction ....notice where im looking in this shot down the line to the section of the wave i want to attack .....also laird is ready for the next section ....jaws inside bowl and ...he's set to tackle it ....focus , body language .
looking forward at the section , or part of the wave i want to be going to ....ready for action

Here im right up the front of my 7,4 starboard chasing a small wave down ,its good to move your feet around ..
.Never be afraid to explore your board, there big enough, walk around feel them out theres lots to learn about every board , you just have to find its sweet spot, and unlock the magic.

Once you have taken the drop  and got around the section and bottom turned with bent knees use of the paddle to increase balance and your ready to attack the next section .....get your thoughts back to the use of the paddle..... and one turn i love ......the drop wallet , through of the paddle behind your back .
By using it as a lever you can do a great round house and whip the board round as far as you want ,
by holding it in the wave long enough and turning your body back to the breaking part of the wave ..
the bigger sups will follow your lead .....but speed is a must .....without it you will stop .....
NEXT BLOG .........will explore the need for speed and how to generate it on the sup ....and remember
using the paddle behind me to bring the board back into a round house 
always have fun ,eat health, and focus on one thing at a time and anything is possible ......till next time hope you enjoyed .....keep frothing ......justin

Monday 2 July 2012

weekends,wave hunting ,wind guru and web cams....lost ?

When i was younger ,like a grommet. living in a small coastal town on the east coast of Australia it was epic .....i lived in a small house with my parents and dog.We lived a short distance from the beach , whether the wind was north or south we had options for surf and beach life with the front beach or the back beach ......
running to see this is a really insane feeling......
There was no computers in the house to turn on and check in with the tides,swell size ,wind guru,or web cams to check your spot of choice .It was all about the stoke ,surprise, the froth or disappointment of the conditions of the ocean that day.
And you know what it was un real , to have that element of surprise at seeing the off shore wind blowing ,feathering the top of 3-4 foot waves and knowing as you run back to the house that you were
barrels are always welcome in my house hold
going to catch a couple before school  was great.
Being older now and having more on our plates its great to have all this technology at our finger tips ...
but i really miss that element of surprise , like when its good you had won the lotto , it was that good .
enjoying the sup ready for anything
So doing a test, i tried not to look at the condition reports for a week ....and you know what ? that feeling started to come back that feeling of stoke to check the waves ....and now i have 2 grommets of my own its the feeling i want them to get as they start there day ....the stoke, the froth , the surprise is there , no better way to start the day .....what ever board you choose to ride .....or what ever your into ...
short board,sup what ever you ride ..enjoy it.....
enjoying the last wave of the day ..looking forward to tomorrow 
Get out there and enjoy the day .......keep the froth ......justin

Friday 29 June 2012

Paddle mount go pro weekend of waves in Australia

A rainy cold day this week carving cut back 8,0 starboard 
well its good to be home and getting out there in the waves .There has been plenty of them all week and the weekend is also looking great .Grabbed the go pro and got out there to capture some shots .I used the paddle to mount the camera to see what i could capture.........
After all the rain this week on the east coast it was a little fresh in the water so there was no hesitation
to grab my new quiksilver cypher steamer 3mm by 2mm ...with its taped seams i was as warm as toast.
With my recent board change to the starboard team there boards are set up to use FCS control systems ,
this has now given my the chance to try the range of starboard and FCS range in all my boards ,the starboards fin box set ups have 5 boxes giving the rider a excellent chance to try heaps of different combos on there boards ....i really love the feeling of changing fins from 2 plus one to a quad and seeing and feeling the difference....its awesome ......i have been riding the 7,7 zane schweitzer pro model and really liking it in anything from 1 foot to around 5-6 feet any conditions rainy, windy or clean its a cracker of a little board coming in at 98 litres volume.....check them out at www.starboardsup.com.
About to glide into a fun one .....
well any way back to the waves and some new angles with the go pro ...enjoy your weekend where ever you are and remember keeping frothing .......cheers justin
wipe out winter sessions Australia frothily fresh water

Reo down coffs harbour  way 7,7 pro surf model starboard

Tuesday 5 June 2012

Tahiti 2012 sapinus pro

Hi guys well another year in tahiti and we were all stoked again with the waves and tahitian peoples kindness .I traveled to tahiti early for a photo shoot with my new board sponsor starboard which was great
fun little insider
fun testing the new equipment for 2013 .I was looking forward to jumping on a starboard for the first time  which happened to be the  4 days before the event. The surf was not as big as last year but still very challenging to say the least ....one thing about tahiti is knowing the break and knowing that if you fall you will pay the price ...going up on the reef .So once we were at the event site i pretty much surfed my brains out at the break and trained on my new 8,0 starboard till i felt comfortable with where i was at . Tahiti is very laid back and everyone is kind and giving but when the contest starts its game on . The internet over there is not so good so its very hard with live feeds unless you have a big budget so the contest guys were doing there best to relay to the world what was happening .
I really wanted to make a point of winning my heats and not just get through so i was stoked to win every heat to the final ...but came up short in 3rd ....i was really stoked and had a great week in tahiti , big congrats to everyone and especially sean poynter for the win . Id like to thank my family and partner shelly for her support at home , and without her i would not be able to do this also quicksilver for there
support and confidence in me , starboard sup for there great boards and equipment and Kona red for there


Beautiful tahiti
sean poynter ,me and zane starboard team
support they have a great product and we can not wait to get it out to people in Australia .Im looking forward to the next world tour event I'm currently in 8th and looking for a good result in the USA in the coming months .....thanks again for all your support .....cheers justin

Sunday 20 May 2012

All good things come to an end......


Hi guys well i just thought i would get it out there to let you all Know , that after 18 great months with Hobie Sup Australia and USA we have parted ways. Id like to thank the team in Australia , Gordon and Steve for the chance to ride for such a great and iconic brand such as hobie and also the Usa team Jeff,Hobie ,Sean,Mark for all there support in the past year ,they are all gentleman and love the sport ,and i wish them all the very best in the future . For all of you out there wondering where I'm heading 
well, it was a really hard decision to leave hobie but where one door shuts another opens and i will now be riding for starboard Australia and International as of now .Starboard have offered me a great opportunity and i look forward to working with there team to help create great surf sups and continue to chase the world stand up tour and world title crown and events around Australia ....
I m leaving for tahiti this week and the next stop of the world title race ....hoping for some great swell and good waves ...stay
tuned for some updates from my adventures in Tahiti ...
France 2012 
Thanks again ......cheers justin

Monday 7 May 2012

France 2012 
The trip begin ,with 10 degree temps in and out of the water which was a shock to the system as i had left ,24-26 degree temps in the water.
Paris was rainy and cold , the conditions didn't get any better for days .
just one of the amazing churches we saw.
The contest started in 1-2 foot rainy ,windy waves .....and ran the next day in full and was finished in the 2 day of a 7 day waiting period which was frustrating as a competitor .I finished 9th in the quarter finals .....My team mate colin mcmphillips had a good result with a 3rd place ......and taking the win was Antino delpero .......well done guys ......stop 2 of the world tour done sitting in 10th .It was amazing to see how the war touched everywhere ,the german forces were there waiting on the beach for the english,american and aussies ,and just how bad the weather was made me think of the men who lay in trenches in the cold wet mud waiting for hours ....it would of truly been hell.....
war effected beach .gun bunker.
a castle walls out side .
after the contest we decided to see the sights and cruise around .....the brittany area is all country style with fields of yellow flowers ,stand walls, small stone houses and gothic churches every where ......the weather came good for a couple days ,where the sun shone which was great ......but as far as surfing this area , commitment is one word that comes to mind .........the surf went flat for the entire trip so ....we had time to see a lot of stuff , all the local french people were great and very friendly .The food was great crepes the order of the day ,but it was far more economical buy bulk food at the super market ..... 
coffee and crepes go hand in hand in france 
I would like to thank Greg Closier and his wife celine for looking after me whilst in france and jp from Hobie Europe ,also bob a french photographer and jour no .......Thanks also to quicksilver ,kona red ,hobie sup for great boards  and of course my family and wife shelly for there support ........next stop home and then tahiti .....
free surf la torch france 
till then  .......keep frothing ......justin........

Friday 20 April 2012

New Sponsorship support .....frothing .....


Hi Guys ,well I'm stoked to announce that I'm now representing 2 new sponsors .Quiksilver Watermans collection  and Kona Red [Hawaiian super fruit  antioxidant juice].
Im really excited about going forward with both companies , quicksilver has a reputation for being the "surfers" brand and with its surfers such as Tom Carroll , Kelly Slater , Steph Gilmore and Jamie Mitchell just to name a few , so I'm really stoked to have the opportunity to represent and build a relationship with them.
Kona Red is a drink i came across  whilst in Hawaii last year and a mate of mine put me onto it , i love it .
Check out the link by clicking the logo on the blog to see more info on my favourite drink....Im stoked with Kona reds support ,thanks guys .
Im off to France next week for 10 days to compete in the stand up world tour , really excited as i have never been to france and it should be great .
I have just started a small radio spot every friday on an internet radio through the USA  supported by Hobie sup called 'radio chum' you can go to the web site distressedmullet.com and go to the links to down load the player , it plays all types of music but has all kinds of stuff such as my small spot called 'froth fridays ' pretty much me talking about whats new in stand up paddle boarding in Australia and whats happening in my backyard .....check it out , you may get a laugh .....
Got a new sup RAW board 8'4 coming soon that i ll pick up in France thanks to Hobie ,and colin mcphillips for getting it to me ....so I'm frothing for that ......thanks HOBIE and all the team.
In my next post i will give you all a taste of my french adventures ......till then get out there ...justin

Monday 2 April 2012

A barrel of fun ,if only summer was forever....well it kinda is ,,,,,in australia

Little hollow barrel .....fun
WARM ,CLEAN WATER , AND A FEW WAVES KEEPS ME SANE ......in summer.
sharing experiences with others makes it all more fun ....
take the time to enjoy things as they happen.....
I love summer in Australia ,the waves are really good ,the waters warm and it all seems to be meant to be if your a surfer .....i have been enjoying this feeling more than ever lately , and why not ,lifes too short to stress ,and worry, its better fun in the barrel ......  stand up is to much fun ......
i have a few boards at the moment that are by far my best yet off Hobie , i don't really notice they at all ,and that s a good thing ....when you feel your catching rail or bogging a turn theres some thing not quite right  , but when its on that magic board it all is working fine ....summer time we all love it where ever we live ......

I have a contest in france next month , and  it will awaken the winter in me , 4,3 steamers ,oh well thats what makes summer so good the cold you have to endure to get to summer ......stay warm ....justin

Monday 12 March 2012

home and love in it ......

at home in oz on the weekend JM camp
sunset beach no mans land ,get me out of here
JM sup camp team epic weekend 
Hi guys well its great to be back in Australia and our beautiful clear water and landscapes that are so green and lush.I had a pretty fun time while away and would like to thank shelly and my kids for being so supportive as i was away for a month and hobie sups for epic boards and gear, also surfing Australia for there support  .... this will be a quick brush over my travels ......hawaii first well the swell just keep coming and man we all loved it ......had a few short board sessions  at velzy land sunset and the west side , which were great ......i actually got to sup waimea for the first time around 12-15 pinball's which was fun on a 9'8 hobie shaped by mark johnson in the states ,rounded pin went unreal ,i was using jamies thruster futures set that worked well in the juice ......The sunset contest was pumping after a week of waiting the waves did not disappoint .....i made it again to the 3 round and again went down to the guys that made the final by 0.01 ,but ill get there i learnt a lot about my equipment and supping sunset.
After the disappointment of exiting just before the quarters ,i had an in vote to head to Maui and stay with Kai lenny and his family ......so i really needed to clear my head so when in hawaii......i  had a great time 
hanging out with kai and his family ,really great people .........we surfed , had a training session with dave kalama which was great and generally were like grommets frothing out on every thing ......it was time to say goodbye and head to peru for the world isa sup championships,  i hooked up with jamie and jackson close in L.A and we jumped aboard for another 9 hour flight , and i watched 3 movies and did nt sleep big mistake....
lima peru ,wow crazy cross between indo and the gold coast sort of......the team performed unreal with everyone winning or placing second so we took the title .I finished second in the sup surfing so i was stoked after hawaii ........a week in peru ran fast ,and it was back to hawaii for a couple days then home ......
2nd world championship isa titles peru 2012  
time to let the hair down happy aussie team
it great to be back after a week at work and the jamie mitchell surfing australia sup camp I'm officially stuffed ....check out some shots of the last few weeks .......catch you out the back  

Tuesday 28 February 2012

The first edition of "FROTH TALES " from peru feb 2012

water shot from one of the heats .
Well as I'm writing this piece i have just got back to Hawaii for a few days before heading home .
I have been in Peru ,Lima for around 7 days . I was there for the ISA world stand up paddle board and paddle board titles ,with 7 other Australians representing Australia.We came away with the overall win and we all performed great , i finished 2nd in the stand up surfing mens , which was great .The event was really well run and was a great effort ,by all invovled .
the buildings in the main city of Miraflores were amazing

These small shops are everywhere with all sorts of things in them
local corn nuts and traditional wine before the meal
old school buses run packed to the brim are everywhere.
We stayed in a hotel around 3 km from the beach and event , i was interested to here that there is around 10 million people that live in lima .Afternoons were quite but by 5.00pm till late the place would crank up , and the city would come alive.We would have early mornings up at 6.00am and gone by 6.30am and not return from the days events till around 6.00pm so every night after dinner it would be 10.00 or 11.00pm before we got to bed , but i look back now and think well we made the most of it.The food was great and there local dishes were beautiful , we eat at  a different place every night to experience as much as we could .I was surprised at how modern Mira flores was but it is a wealthy area and it was described as a classy bali /indo if that makes sense ,but i thought it was really nice .We did venture an hour and a half away towards puter hermosa and the conditions of living rapidly fell away , the land scape really turn dry and large sandy hills with small houses stacked on top of each other appeared everywhere.It was an epic trip to much to tell all now i'll continue more in my next blog stay tuned for more on peru ...till next time..........i love Australia .........justin