Two months after winning the Mexico event at a radical righthand point AI flew to Denpsar for a hit of island lefts. from Padang in Bali to this wild left on Lombok, the three-time champ soared, floated and licked the cirrus. a two-week long lesson in the prevailing level of the best surfer in the world right now...
A new film on the boil with Taylor Steele along with Taj and Parko, still in race for his fourth world title and a style of surfing that is squared purely around destruction of the lip. After a week of dead numbers, futile messages and drop-outs, we found the champ in an LA hotel with his chick Lyndie. While the tonsils weren't in the scintillating form we've grown to love, he still had a little gold to drop on us...
Stab: You're a hard man to track down. Message banks filled, phone's diverted to your dad, it's tough.
Andy: I don't like messages, I don't like getting back to people. I just let it fill up and then no one can leave messages. If they really need to get a hold of me, they usually figure out a way.
Yeah, you evil man, it's three in the morning here and we're trying to get a hold of you.
Yep, see, and you tracked me down...
Talk us through Bali and these crazy waves you've been scoring...
I lost in J-Bay really early so I bolted to Ball and stayed with Taylor. Taj was supposed to meet me there but he had some ear problem or some shit and Parko lost his passport and before you know it, I was just solo hanging out with friends in Bali.
What's the best thing about Bali?
Oh man, I fucken love that place. The waves are good, it's cheap, food's good and there are fun guys like Betet (local hotrod, Wayan 'Betet' Merta) running around to get you in all sorts of trouble. It's a fun town.
I hear you and Betet hit it hard.
Oh yeah, we nailed it. We surf all day, go out all night. I had my birthday there. Loose.
Where'd you guys hang out?
A little spot by the beach called Ku De ta. We were lovin the cocktails there, anywhere Betet would take us, Mbargo every night, they love that place.
Handy to have a local to show you round so you're not surfing the rank beachies or going to the crook bars?
It's the most important thing about travelling. Betet and Rizal knew where there were waves, best places to eat. All I had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride.
Ku De Ta and similar bars would be the financial equivalent of foreigners corning to the US or Australia and paying a hundred bucks for a drink. Do you fear that kinda hedonism could spark animosity or reprisal from extremist muslims?
Fuck, I don't really think about it that much. I know they check under your car for bombs but I try not to think about it. I live my life, man.
Were you suspicious of anyone with a backpack?
Everyone has a backpack so... you ruin your trip or life if you worry about everything.
Do you worry about more world titles?
World titles are great but I've got three of those, a fourth one would be great but yep, got three of those. I try to win every contest. If not, I'll always try to find good waves somewhere else.
Just wanna wind back the clock a little. What kind of mindset do you get in to go for an air like one in the final at Mex that's been claimed as being the biggest air ever in competition?
I don't really think it's too big of a deal. Taylor (Knox) went the wave before me and the next wave didn't look as good. When I see a section I don't really think about it, I just go for it. It was weird section, wedged up all right, and threw me up but where I landed was pure flat, it was like a board breaker. I figured that was the only way I'd get a score. I wasn't going to do a floater.
It must take some incredible confidence?
It's like this. My board was working good, there was a section. It's just what happened. If you think you can pull off shit like that, you can do it.
Talk us through the big right in Bali? You guys were the only ones out?
There was a contest going on at Bingin and all the local guys were around there and there was a massive swell running. We surfed Fadang the afternoon before and when we got there, there was only one guy out. Eight foot solid, doubling up and breaking like Off the Wall.
It looked like some real late drops.
It's a super ledgey wave so I was sitting right under the ledge and waiting for the waves to come to me. I was only on a 6'2" (Jason Stevenson) so you need to stay under the wave if you're gonna make the drop. I had 10 boards over there and I'd buckled that one four times but it felt really good. It was really hard to do turns out there. You just got barrelled, kicked out and then you'd take the next one.
And what about the left on Lombok?
Taylor has it so dialled. He has two drivers so the day before they come pick up,the boards and clothes and they drive through the night and ride the ferry to Lombok. We wake up in the morning, drive to the airport and fly across and they're waiting for us with the gear at the airport. We're in the lineup at Deserts by 10 o'clock.
How's the wave?
Kinda like G-Land. It's one of the best lefts I've ever surfed. It's just so long and perfect. We got there and it was high tide and, like, three feet. Then, the tide dropped out and it was, like, six foot. You do a few turns out the back and try not to fall because you know you're gonna get barrelled on the inside.
Any tude from guys in the lineup when the champ's out there with a chopper buzzing round?
They were cool. There were two locals who were cool and every other guy out there was a transplant. I figure I'm just the same as them.
What's next?
Tour, film, more tour. Gary's wedding's coming up in Florida. Gary's taking the plunge.
You the best man? Speech duties?
I'm going huge. His brother Shea's the best man but I'll be doing a speech. Spur of the moment, no notes, I'm just the freestyler.
Posts: 1
Reply #1 on : Thu August 30, 2007, 00:24:32