Sabbath's Theatre has been haunted by the Macdonald twins since the turn of the century.
Early adopters of jetski technology, Phil, now a world beater, and Ant, a team manger for Red Bull, the pair've always kept an eye on this bombie, one kilometre out to sea. It rarely breaks well, it's always fickle, surfers almost always need a jetski-assisted push to get over a ledge populated by bodyboarders, and it's easily ruined by anything other than a light offshore.
On Sunday, April 16, however, the rare occurrence of a giant south swell and westerly winds meant Sabbath's Theatre would finally have a chance to prove its reputation. The previous Tuesday gave the world a taste (via the images of Justin Gane and the surfing of Phil Macdonald and Trent Munro) but Sunday was the day Sabbath's Theatre opened its curtains to its full potential.
Unlike Teahupoo whose tube thickens more than it grows as the wave gets bigger, ST's tube actually grows with its size.
On this day, it was bodyboarders-only, early. World champion Ben Player, a Teahupoo and Pipeline regular, paddled out on dark, wore a 15-foot top-to-bottom on the head, snapped a dowl-core craft (first time ever, he says) and was forced to swim in without catching a wave (later in the day, he'd lose a board and get stuck in a powerful current, be forced to scream for help, and be resuced by Clint Kimmins on a jetski. In total, five bodyboards would be lost at sea).
As dawn broke, out came the tow teams: Phil Macca and Clint Kimmins, Paul Morgan and his 16-year-old driver Brett Burcher and Ant Mac/Linton Fathie/Rich Gozales/Dave Clark and Damo Wehner, most of the last crew sharing Linton's strapless Maurice Cole 6'6". Ant had gone to visit his parents in Bateman's Bay and didn't take his stick cause he figured the surf'd be too small.
By consensus, the stand-out surfer was Mollymook's Paul Morgan, a 20-year-old sponsored by Rusty and DC, who is keen to position himself as a big-wave surfer. The goofyfooter enjoyed the profound pleasure of facing the wave. Paul's haul from the day included two deep tube-rides and a thoroughly unpleasant wipeout that requires his rescue from the soup. Stab spoke to Paul soon after the session...
Stab: This place has been all over swellnet, it's now all over the magazines. How secretive about it are localss like yourself? Paul Morgan:
We were secretive, but not any more. Everyone knows about it now. The good thing is, everyone knows it's down here somewhere, but they don't know exactly where.
How did it come to pass every man with a ski and a pulse arrived there on the morning of the most perfect day in its history?
Bodyboarders have been on it for a while and during the week we surfed it on the Tuesday when it was pretty big (as seen on swellnet and television networks, filmed by Justin Gane). Two days after that we saw this swell coming on buoyweather and it was way bigger and, well, everyone else saw the same thing.
How long have you been performing at Sabbath's Theatre?
I've only surfed it six times. You have to tow it. It's a fucken kay out to sea and it comes out of real deep water and it's so quick - it jacks up, big and quick. It's a heavy slab. This was easily the biggest I've ever seen it.
Did Phil and Ant, as pioneers, pull rank in the lineup, as is their right?
Phil tried to a couple of times, hee hee hee. But no one's real locals there, we're the closest thing, but, like, he's been onto it longer than all of us.
What are the implications of all the press? Shipsterns and Teahupoo were relatively uncrowded before the media got hooked...
I can see it already. Since everyone's been talking about it, since it's been all over the news, all the Sydney guys have been coming down. I surfed it a week after that swell, and it was nowhere near as good as the Sunday, and there were so many guys on it: four boats, four jetskis, it was full on.
Tell me, and without being a hero and talking it down, how big it was this day?
There were a couple of 20 footers. I honestly saw 20 footers coming in. There were people pulling into 15-footers. They were the biggest waves I've ever seen in Australia, like, the most amazingest joint. You can't really see it from the beach and when we got out there there were waves like Chopes. It's the best place to tow: you can sit in the channel and watch and guys were cheering. Awesome waves.
How bad is the wipeout here?
When you get smashed you get hit by two waves and dragged completely under. And then it goes into deep water and
disappears.
What do the innards of the tubes look like?
Inside? Hee hee heee. Awwwwww, pretty biiiiiiig. Huge, ay, a couple blew out and I disappeared, it all went white. I got clipped when I was pulling in, couldn't see cause it was all white in the barrel, and then I popped out. It was mental. I didn't have any straps on so it was sketchy.
You're a no-straps guy?
Aw, I would have straps, but, like, I've only started towing so I haven't got organised for a tow-board yet. I just use what I got. I wouldn't know my way round straps.
What's the right like?
I've never been right. It looks sorta fun, but it's nothing like the left. waves and dragged completely under. And then it goes into deep water and disappears.
What do the innards of the tubes look like?
Inside? Hee hee heee. Awwwwww, pretty biiiiiiig. Huge, ay, a couple blew out and I disappeared, it all went white. I got clipped when I was pulling in, couldn't see cause it was all white in the barrel, and then I popped out. It was mental. I didn't have any straps on so it was sketchy.
You're a no-straps guy?
Aw, I would have straps, but, like, I've only started towing so I haven't got organised for a tow-board yet. I just use what I got. I wouldn't know my way round straps.
What's the right like?
I've never been right. It looks sorta fun, but it's nothing like the left.
Did anyone attempt a paddle-in surf? The bodyboarders were trying to in the morning and they realised it was too fucken sketchy. There were about 40 of em watching it. When we came out on the skis, they sat and watched. There were a couple of lidders towing in.
Did you see god on any waves? I had this one wipeout there and it wasn't on that big of a wave but it got me in a good spot. It held me down so long and I couldn't get through the foam. I was weak, ay. I couldn't get through and when I finally broke through I didn't get a breath and was hit again. I was so weak, when my mate picked me up I couldn't talk. I had a five-minute break then got back out.
As a freesurfer and someone who wants to position themselves as a big-wave rider, did you make a decision to charge in front of the cameras?
Yeah, I knew this was the time. I'm not going to get noticed any other way. I'll do what I need to do. And I love getting barrelled like that.
The wind came up, what, 12? What'd you do?
Surfed all morning and when it stopped barrelling so hard we went back, washed the ski and I napped all arvo.
Post sleepies, you booze it up? We had a couple of beers, told a few stories.
Next time it's on and the crowds are all over it, you kids going to flex a little local muscle?
Oh yeah! F'sure! Just like at every other break. That's what'll happen. Everyone here'll use priority. Everyone knows the rules.
