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Chapter 3: Feral Obsession

"I’m used to rickety old boats and sleeping in tents," Timmy Turner says the other day over the phone. You have to excuse Timmy, he’s not a man accustomed to the ultra-modern boat charter operations going on these days in Indo. Rather, he is a man whose comfort levels peak in the bellies of dugout canoes and mosquito-infested swamps, over skin lashing reefs and home-killed meals.

FeralObsessionMain.jpg
That’s the kind of Indo Timmy and his friends pioneered back in the early 2000s. And that is the Indo that will be fondest to his heart eternally.

Dean Brady is no stranger to roughing it either. He’s done his fair share of feral disengagement. Like Timmy, he’s made a career of it. Professional Free Surfer – uppercase letters intended. The deeper into the jungle, the keener Brady is.

And then there’s Bruno - a rather enigmatic Brazilian surfer very unlike a Brazilian surfer. He doesn’t care much for contests, unless they’re held in waves of consequence. Then if so, he enters them and simply wins them. Bruno is quiet and unassuming: the typical character traits of a man crazy enough to reach peak levels of comfort in life-threatening surf.

Young Dillon Perillo is the least "feral" of this crew… or was, that is. His seemingly infinite position on this Tip 2 Tip mission is turning him into such a figure. He hauls in enormous fish from the sea with the lusting roar of a maddened and hungry seaman. He is grizzled and doesn’t mind swilling beer heated to equatorial temperatures. His hide is beyond tan; he looks like this place.

Indeed, all four of these guys are reflections of the first lonely souls that pioneered Indonesia’s bountiful saltwater harvest back many decades ago. But these boys aren’t immune to modernity either:

"That boat was amazing," Timmy finally says as he comes to grips with Indo Searching the ultra-modern way. "I loved it."

CHAPTER 3 PASSENGERS

DillonPerillo.jpg BrunoSantos.jpg DeanBrady.jpg TimmyTurner.jpg

episode 3.3 - release

Everyone’s drunk. Been drinking beers since noon, when the storm came and blew everything to shit. There’s nothing else to do. Like Chapter 2, Chapter 3 has been a battle with the elements, therefore a battle with an excess of downtime. But these boys are veterans of this sort of dance with Indo; they know how and when to let loose. Tonight is mortals night: just a few dozen beers, some poker, and some laughs. Tomorrow is for gladiators. Swell’s on the rise.
This is how you get the cobwebs out on the Tip 2 Tip mission. Photo: Todd Glaser
When you've been surfing Indo for almost a month straight like Dillon Perillo has, picture-perfect bottom turns tend to come effortlessly. Photo: Todd Glaser
Shown here is a small percentage of the overall amount of Bintangs drained on this trip (see Brady's Trip Stats below). Photo: Dan Warbrick
Bruno Santos, living his dreams. Photo: Todd Glaser
Laybacks are golden. Photo: Dan Warbrick
This is why one of Dillon's favorite songs on the trip was "Wish You Were Here". Photo: Dan Warbrick
Brady and Dillon have been on the Quest 1 so long that they're starting to get a little emo. Photo: Dan Warbrick
Mooned. Photo: Dan Warbrick

Delphic's "Doubt", from tomorrow's episode

Tomorrow, when you're thoroughly enjoying Episode 3.3 of Feral Obsession - called "Release" - you may also find yourself wondering about the catchy melody behind all the great surf porn. Well, in this case, that melody comes from Delphic. And since they've gone through the trouble of making a pretty weird video of their own for their track "Doubt", we thought it was only right to share. So enjoy. Then make sure you watch Episode 3.3.

episode 3.2 - adversity

When the doctors got done cutting out the 3/4 of staph-infected skull in Timmy’s head in December, 2005, they said he would be a vegetable. They were very, very wrong. Fast-forward to now and Timmy is directing Tin Boat over to the left he discovered almost 10 years ago. The memories flood back as if they were yesterday’s. Bruno, Brady and Dillon watch the left cautiously as it grinds like lightning over a few inches of reef. Timmy grabs his board and turns to the boys: “We’re out there!” he shouts, then jumps overboard. He’s not wearing his helmet. He shouldn't even be here.
Timmy Turner has just recently started to return to the tropics again after years of exile in arctic waters. He's happy to be home. Photo: Todd Glaser
This is the kind of boat Timmy prefers in Indo. Photo: Todd Glaser
The local crew on an afternoon stroll. Photo: Dan Warbrick
Your typical Indonesian color palette. Photo: Dan Warbrick
To many people, this is a familiar image of Indonesia, but on second glance it's very strange: that's Timmy, helmet and wetsuit-less. Heavy. Photo: Dan Warbrick
"I needed to get back," Timmy says. It's easy understand why. Photo: Dan Warbrick
Timmy, digging for the foam ball. Photo: Dan Warbrick
This is the left Timmy and the Second Thoughts crew pioneered many years ago, and low tide wasn't gonna stop him from reacquainting himself. Photo: Dan Warbrick
"I woke up three weeks later and didn't know why they were taking stitches out of my head."
-Timmy Turner, reflecting on the staph infection that nearly took his life. For the story of his recovery and return to Indo, check out episode 3.2.

Boat Sounds: Musical Weirdness from Dillon Perillo

episode 3.1 - farther

On your average Mentawais boat trip these days, you’re at sea for 10 nights and you cover about 300 miles. In those 300 miles, you’re likely to check around 13 spots. So are about 16 other surfers at the exact same time. And more often than you would think, one or two of those other surfers are the same guys you see out at your local beachbreak on Saturday mornings. That’s the reality in modern Mentawais. Unless, of course, you blow life off and check out for six months on a boat. Then you’ll see there’s still hope floating out there.
Direction is for the birds. Photo: Dan Warbrick
Modern Indo pioneer Timmy Turner, getting back in the comfort zone. Photo: Todd Glaser
Dillon Perillo has admitted to struggling with backside tubes... well, looks like he's been practicing. Photo: Dan Warbrick
Dean Brady's barrel here looks harmless enough, until you notice the white coral heads at the bottom right. That's shallow. Photo: Todd Glaser
Bruno Santos enjoys long walks on the beach... Photo: Dan Warbrick
...and big barrels. Photo: Todd Glaser
It used to be that the unique aspect of an Indo photo like this would be the local crowd hanging out on the shoulder - now it's the fact that there aren't any surfers on that shoulder. Photo: Dan Warbrick
On the prowl again. Photo: Dan Warbrick

Trip Stats: With Dean Brady

  • 280 Beers consumed by the entire crew
  • 10 Islands we visited
  • 8 Spots we surfed
  • 75 Percentage of sessions surfed with no one else out
  • 40 Amount in dollars that I lost in poker
  • 100 Amount in dollars that I won in poker
  • 10 Games of poker we played
Tip 2 Tip is a 6-month quest on the Infinite Search, stretching from one end of the Indonesia Archipelago to the other. Stay tuned for daily updates and 3 fresh video edits a week. See more here

Your Comments

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entry #1 by luke

04/10/2011 08:27

probs cause his surfin over a shallow reef or something save him gettin cut up to bad when he stacks

entry #2 by adam

09/04/2010 16:59

i have all the respect in the world for timmy turner, but just curious of why he wears all full suit and booties?

entry #3 by Tip 2 Tip Team

09/04/2010 04:05

@ Paul... the song is by Seth Sentry, called Simple Game. Glad you liked the episode.

entry #4 by Paul

09/02/2010 01:00

I like episode 3.2. Timmy is way cool. Who sings the song in the video?

entry #5 by Lozza from Oz

09/01/2010 05:14

I hate you guys!!!!(actually I'm just jealous!) have a gr8 trip...bastards!!!

entry #6 by Indo Rat

08/31/2010 21:15

Damm... Timmy-T is back... Get some boy