Sunproof - 1 - Surprise, There's Waves

Surfer: Rod Vieira

A dismal forecast advertising 1ft cheeseburgers, turned into a ripper solo session.

Rod and I arrived at the beach to find waves the size of a boat wake and a few heads already in the water. We waited around watching the tide change and a storm front roll through, spinning yarns about our favourite past sessions and catching up on each others lives.

Every so often we'd see a wave with a section to blast a carve down as it fizzed into deeper water. There was potential but neither of us were in a rush to surf it.

Rod went on to show me a fresh board he'd been given by his sponsor and in that moment realised how snobby we were being. "Let's go test the board!" We packed up the car and went on a grovel mission. Every step towards the ocean seemed to improve the conditions slightly; the swell pulsed, the wind cleaned up and the guys that were already out paddled in. By the time we got to the waters edge we were both laughing in disbelief. Rod surfed by himself for a full hour. Each wave he would blast a turn down the horseshoe bowl we'd been watching then look at me and yell with excitement.