Surf Travel 64

Australia is a big, lucky country. 25,670 kms of coastline, chock full of bays, points, pubs, and pro surfers that I’ve disparaged. There are some places in the surfworld that it may prove unwise for me to visit - Brazil, Basque Country, the North Shore… places where I’ve stirred the pot enough to expect to deal with consequences.

In all honesty, I did not think Australia was one of those places. Usually, Aussies are more likely to “get” my sense of humor. They’ve been raised with piss-taking, and most Aussies aren’t egotistical, sensitive divas who suffer from insecurity issues.

So when I scheduled an Australian stopover last week, I figured, “no worries, mate.” As mentioned, it’s a big fucking country, and I didn’t plan on visiting the Gold Coast or Maroubra or other areas where Aussies-who-hate-me happen to live. Then Jed Smith published his little Stab piece, in which ASP Top 45er Drew Courtney was interviewed concerning my writings.

“I’d love to meet him face to face. It wouldn’t go real good.” Drew told Stab.

Flash-forward to the present. I’m standing in a parking lot in rural New South Wales, off the beaten track, looking for a little solitude, hours away from any city. I’ve barely seen any other surfers. So it struck me as a bit strange when Drew “Benjamin Button” Courtney pulled up and parked next to me.