Ocean surf 65

The art of 'tow in' surfing

The art of "Tow in" surfing is the new buzz word for mainstream media. Over recent weeks and months we have seen huge waves adorning our television screens and magazines glorifying this relatively new form of surfing.

But unfortunately the truth is that Tow in surfing should not be seen as a shortcut to a little fame and glory. Your heart, body and soul needs to be in it, not only to make the huge waves, but also to survive them.

A little over 6 years ago West Team Rider Courtenay Gray teamed up with his good friend Damon Eastaugh to become the first West Australian surfers to pioneer tow-in surfing out at a favourite big wave spot "The Margaret River bombie".

"We started towing in at the bombie, as we were well aware of how the wave broke and of all its moods. We always used to surf it as our big wave paddle in spot and thought we would give the bigger ones that you couldn't get on to by paddling a try, by being towed into them by jet-ski. We would never have to go anywhere else because no other people were towing in at the time, but now of course all that has changed" recalls Gray, a renown waterman.

Gray and Eastaugh are no stranger to power and size as they regularly frequent the huge waves of Hawaii to gain that extra edge in big wave surfing.Eastaugh and Gray now have a little more pocket money. $20,000 in actual fact for their efforts in towing into the Biggest Wave ever ridden in Australia and New Zealand. Eastaugh won the Oakley/ASL big wave award, in which the surfer who rides - and survives - the biggest wave ridden during a 12 month period in Australia and New Zealand, wins the $20,000. To win it you also need the proof of the ride captured and recorded on video. Eastaugh's ride was estimated by event judges to measure more than 30 feet and was ridden at a secluded secret reef off our WA's South West.The winner is not only judged on the height of the wave, but also how critically they are positioned on the wave.The ride was caught with the help of Tow-in partner Gray who utilised a jet ski to propel Eastaugh on to the winning wave.The need for the Jet-Ski to tow the surfer onto the wave is used when the waves are too big to be caught by the normal way of paddling into it, that is with your hands and arms. The winning footage was shot by another West Australian surfer and another one of Wests Team Riders film-maker Rick Jakovich.Jakovich sat out of the impact area in deep water on another jetski and shot the footage of the two making WA and Australian surfing history.

Just over two years ago Eastaugh was lucky to be alive after a hideous wipeout at the infamous surfing break "The Womb" in our states South West. He tore his pcl ligaments from his left leg and received compound fractures of the left tibia and fibula which could have easily severed his femur artery causing him to bleed to death.

An injury like this would have put a normal surfer out of action for a very long time, but Eastaugh was back in the water in less than 12 months, proving that his fitness is one that is envied by many a surfer. At thirty nine years old he is fitter than surfers and sportsmen half his age. Eastaugh was renowned during the 80's for his fearless approach in big waves and competitively he could have gone on to the World Professional circuit, but opted to go onto University and now holds two university degrees, that has led to his current job as chief administrative officer at the Willyabrup -based Flying Fish Cove winery.

"It was amazing on the night of the awards as you had to attend on the night to be eligible for the prize" said Eastaugh, "Here we all were at the Crown Casino in Melboune looking at the photos and footage of all the nominees, there were some really good entrys and I thought Jake Paterson might have taken the award out for sure, but when they called my name out as the winner it was kind of surreal and I was shocked and happy rolled into one" explained Eastaugh. The $20, 000 prize money will be shared with his tow-in partner Courtenay Gray with the money more than likely being used on updating equipment and possibly a new souped up Jet-Ski, because the last thing you want is a Jet-Ski that might cut out or stall as you are going down the face of a 30 foot wave.

Tow in surfing is a dangerous practice with a lot of hard work and training going into this extreme form of surfing. Exponents of this extreme form of surfing spend countless hours diving on the reef they are going to surf to explore the reef and the dangers associated with a wipeout eg: looking for holes or cracks in the reef that you could get trapped in if you wipe out, how sharp the reef is, etc.

Most of the individuals who tow in surf at these locations in the South West and world wide are experienced surfers with many years of big wave riding under their belts. Some are also fully qualified in CPR and first aid. Equipment is checked and special boards and buoyancy vests are used. The location is well researched before they venture out and at times it can take up to several months before they even venture out to surf the location because of unfavourable weather conditions. Gray and Eastaugh always paddle surf a break first to get used t o the wave, before attempting tow ins They are also very skilled and strong swimmers who go to the extreme lengths of training under water in pools and the ocean conditioning themselves and their bodys to handle the wipeouts that could hold them down under the water for extremely long periods where others would just drown.

Tow-in surfing is a dangerous practice for the inexperienced and should not be tackled by anybody who is not familiar with paddle surfing big waves. "The very first board we used was a normal board that we put a set of foot straps onto, Martin Littlewood made a tow board around that time also and gave it to us to use. Maurice Cole was living here during these early days and lent us a couple of boards to try out which was good of him. Damon and myself then started working on boards with Martin Littlewood (reknowned windsurfing shaper) and Jake Paterson (who unknown to many shapes a few boards). More recently we have been working with Dave Lewis and again Martin Littlewood," described Gray.

It took them a while to convince Rick Jakovich to tow in as "Jacko" was more interested in shooting the footage. They eventually got him hooked while on a trip to the North West Coast, Jakovich is reknown for his tube riding ability and his "go for it" attitude when anything that looks like it is going to tube does. He always wants to go for deep tubes and he figured that wouldn't be much fun if he was strapped in and got nailed. "He towed for the first 6 months without straps and every time he towed with us he wouldn't strap up, but he's into it now" said Gray.

Paddle in surfing in big waves, where the surfer catches the wave with his own power and not the use of a Jet-Ski sees the surfers use boards that are a lot longer, "My biggest paddle board is nine foot eight inches, I've only used it here in WA a handful of times and use it more in Hawaii. The biggest paddle in waves I have surfed would have to be in Hawaii at Waime a Bay" said Gray. When I asked Gray if he could describe the feeling and what goes through your mind when being towed in, he had this to say, "What's it like being towed in? Well, Damon and I have talked about this, trying to best describe the various feelings and sensations we experience. You get out in the lineup on a big day and the butterflies start going, the adrenalin kicks in and you are really amped and excited, we start talking to each other really fast, fully hyperactive. Then when a swell line starts looming out the back and you figure it's the one you want, you start getting towed in by the ski, as you approach the reef you start checking out how that particular swell is lining up, if there is a better one behind it, where you are positioned on the reef etc. When everything starts lining up, your partner starts to gun the ski and you load up the rope then release (let go of the tow rope). Now you are making your way down the wave and you kinda go into this focused state of mind where you are totally in the moment, you are not thinking of a single other thing and you are very aware of your surroundings. It's weird cause you don't hear any noise, it is as if you are deaf or something, you are totally focused at that moment and that is the only thing you are consciously aware of. Yet the total opposite happens if you get nailed, you suddenly become aware of lots of external noises and elements and you begin to think about plenty of other stuff. Everything can tend to happen in slow motion whilst riding a tow wave successfully, but things speed up incredibly when something goes wrong. Some waves you will actually kick out at the end after a pretty hairy ride and you are glad you just made it, survived it, while with others everything is so perfect, your entry, your positioning, you might have scored a tube or done a few manouvres that you can't even describe the feeling, you finish the ride and come off the end of the wave giggling like a little kid, looking at your partner in disbelief. You share a really unique experience with your tow in partner, your putting them into fantastic waves and watching the amazing rides that they get and vice versa. Just the two of you out in the middle of nowhere sharing an experience that very few will ever get".

Sometimes when they are out in the lineup they might see someone turn up that really doesn't have much of an act and it can end up spoiling their session. They not only have to keep an eye on each other but also feel like they need to keep an eye on the inexperienced team in case something goes wrong.

Training for Gray consists of a lot of aerobic and anaerobic exercise,with a normal week being a combination of swims, mountain bike rides and soft sand running along with at least one paddle surf a day. He was doing weights for a while, but found that it did not help in keeping him nimble for surfing and is now doing lots of stretching. Besides training, the normal surfer does not realise that for 12 months of the year, time is spent maintaining the Jet-ski, fine tuning equipment and making sure it is all in tip top shape as one of the last things they want to happen is for something to go wrong on a serious day. Preparation is a very big part of the picture when it comes to tow in surfing and if you are not properly prepared, physically, mentally and equipment wise then you are asking for trouble.

Trouble happened for Gray in 1999 while surfing the infamous Pipeline in Hawaii, Gray temporarily lost his life.

The story begins when Gray was on his way home from a dawn session at Rocky Point, where he had seen the swell jump from 3ft to 8ft close outs in an hour and a half.

On the way back to his house at Log Cabins, he pulled into the Pipe right of way to see what the swell was doing there. Pipe was looking good though very crowded. Courtenay decided to race home and grab his Pipe board, returning to the beach within minutes.

Pipe was in the midst of a fast rising swell that, combined with a super low tide, was churning out some heavy waves, nasty big double ups on first reef and the odd wave starting to break on second reef. He surfed for an hour, only managing to get a couple of waves amongst the maddening Pipe crowd. It was then that he decided to paddle in from the pack a little as well as a tad deeper. Here he waited for a good one to go in on. This is Grays' last memory.

There are two accounts of what happened next, the first involves Gray dropping into one and coming off the bottom only to catch his inside rail on the backwash which promptly launched him chest first into the trough of the barrel of which he was sucked over the falls and driven head first into super shallow reef. The second account sees Courtenay pulling up into the barrel only to be dropped in on by a bodyboarder, whose' track he caught a rail in, causing him to launch over the front of his board and end up in the same scenario as the first account. What is certain is that Gray hit the reef at such a speed that he split the back of his head open and was knocked unconscious. From here he remained underwater for the rest of the set, an estimated 5 or 6 waves, the whole time being dragged through Pipes ragged bottom as the rip took him down towards Ehukai Beach Park. During the set his board was snapped, leaving only the back foot or so of the tail. This was what Australian surf photographer Dean Wilmot saw “tomb stoning” in the fast moving rip.

“Tomb stoning” is a word that most surfers dread as it reflects what it means.

The board sticks up in the water from the weight of the body that is attached to it like a “Tombstone” in a grave yard and the sight of this in the water means trouble.

Wilmott instantly knew what it meant and started dashing towards the waters edge. Closer to where the tail was “tomb stoning” was Tom Carroll and Troy Brooks, who were about to paddle out. Wilmot yelled at them as he was coming down the beach and they quickly dropped their boards and dove in, swimming out to the partially submerged tail. They pulled up the leg rope and brought Gray to the surface.

By now the Pipe lifeguards, lead by head North Shore lifeguard Terry Ahue, were also on the scene and assisted Tom Carroll in getting Gray to the beach. Once out of the water, the lifeguards tipped him upside down and let the water and foam gush out of his lungs. Gray was taken from the water with no breathing or pulse. He was a horrible purple-blue colour and was totally lifeless. Once up and on the sand, Terry Ahue commenced CPR and revived him. Once revived, Gray was stabilized and then medivacced by helicopter to Queens Hospitals Intensive Care Unit in Honolulu, where his head wound was cleaned and stitched up. He spent a couple of days in ICU before being moved out to a standard ward for a couple more days of observation before being released. He was back surfing the North Shore 10 days after the accident and stayed on for another month.

Marzs Tips for riding Big Waves

1.. Make sure your will is intact and current.

2.. Make sure you have a power of attorney appointed.

3.. Make sure funeral arrangements are made prior to any tow-in session.

4.. Try to pick up an underwear sponsor, this goes for spectators too as you go through a few pairs just watching these guys.

5.. Make sure you can a hold your breath for a long time. This can be practiced by walking into any public toilet or your own after some one has dumped last nights curry.

Tow in surfers are a rare breed and one that spend countless years perfecting the skill, but like Courtenay Gray says, "People have to realize that just because they have a jet ski to access these waves, it doesn't mean that tow in surfing is safe. It gives people a false sense of security, they've got a rope, they've got a friend and they've got a jet ski out there with them, but believe me, you are going to get into situations where you are going to spend time alone such as once they get on a wave or when they are in the impact zone and for whatever reason the jet ski can't get to them. There you are on your own and you have to be prepared for that and the worst case scenario could easily happen. You must have the utmost respect for the ocean."

Story by Mario “Marz” Vassallo