Speak Up...

On your perfect boat trip, what would you look for most?

Chapter 7: Strike Mission

So this one wasn’t in the plans. The final (and legendary) crew is actually out to sea as we speak - and you'll meet them next week... In the meantime, we had a couple of weeks to kill after Brady, Dillon and Bruno said farewell. So, we needed to find a few surfers who were willing to fly up to northern Indo, hop on a rickety bus for a handful of hours, and get to the docks at a moment's notice. Of course, Alex and Koa Smith and Stu Kennedy raised their hands first...

Obviously, it helped that Koa had already been on the Tip 2 Tip mission (remember Chapter 1 way back when?). Turns out he hadn’t even left Indo yet, and had been holed up in Bali for months improving his dancing skills at Sky Garden and braving the masses in the water along the Bukit. He had been hearing about all the epic chapters that have unfolded since his trip and it was starting to drive him a little mad. So he rallied big bro Alex and they made the break north.

Meanwhile Stu Kennedy was busy back in Australia recovering from an injury and ramping up for a return to contest world. What better way to jump back in the action than an Indo boat trip? Naturally, Stu dropped everything and jetted to the airport without pause.

Being on the tail-end of a 6-month boat trip through Indo provides a variety of advantages – namely that the captain has lots of new secrets to share. So it wasn’t long before the Quest 1 was full-throttle back out to sea, on her way to a few freshly discovered gems, thanks to the diligent work of Tip 2 Tip all-stars Brady, Dillon and Bruno.

Passengers onboard

episode 7.3 - discovery

During a bit of a flat spell Koa, Alex and Stu hit the beach. Strolling the coastal villages way up here, it doesn’t take too long to forget the madness of Kuta, Jakarta or Padang. And it just so happens there’s a particularly weird wave up here, too – a wave that Dillon, Brady and Bruno had discovered about a month before, when everywhere else was flat. Though they had the honor of being only the second group to surf it, Koa, Alex and Stu only got a taste.... Just wait until we show you this place in all its glory in the coming weeks.

Share this Clip

What's a boat trip without some on-land exploration? Photo: Nate Lawrence

Stu liked the artwork Wade Lewis did on the bottom of his board, so he wanted to show you. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Koa says hi. Photo: Nate Lawrence

A day with the groms. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Spiderman and his little bro just scored big time. Photo: Nate Lawrence

A view that's centuries away from Padang, Jakarta or Kuta. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Stu's best Mick Knox impression. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Trust us when we say that this is just a taste of what this beachie (discovered by Dillon) can do. Alex, sampling... and not complaining either. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Outtakes: Nobody's Perfect

Even the best have to go through a few fails before they nail the shot. Here are some good ones:

"We just hit the wave from hell."

-Fletch, while cleaning up the aftermath of Quest 1's collision with a heavy rogue wave. Check out the chaos on tomorrow's episode.

episode 7.2 - retrospect

One of the filmers, Jimmy Kinnaird, likes to torture each fresh passenger on the Tip 2 Tip mission. He’s been on most of the trips and has been there to document some of the best days and biggest scores. So, what he does is put together these 10-minute edits of absolute gold to show the new crew on their way out to sea. This causes the froth level to get dangerously high as the waiting game ensues. But it’s also a brilliant tactic, because when it’s time to get in the water – no matter if the waves are all-time or not – you can be sure the boys will be firing on all cylinders.

Share this Clip

Alex here, about to stuff himself silly. Photo: Nate Lawrence

The Quest 1, stumbling upon a serious patch of blue. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Sneaking into a tight one. Alex. Photo: Nate Lawrence

A well-placed speed blur. Check out the bits of water above Alex. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Stu, narrowly missing the explosion. Photo: Nate Lawrence

The Stu Kennedy pocket punch. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Exploring the underbelly. Photo: Nate Lawrence

By this point in the trip, you're all very familiar with the evening beer spot. Alex, Koa and Stu, carrying on the tradition. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Behind the Scenes: From the Eye of Nate Lawrence

This week, we've ripped a few behind-the-scenes style snaps from Nate Lawrence... the man never puts the camera down, you see.

episode 7.1 - distance

And Koa thought he covered a lot of fresh ground way back in Chapter 1. He had no idea. For a solid month before this trip Dean, Dillon and Bruno had been zigzagging northern Indo, discovering never-surfed-before waves more than they were dropping into more familiar locales. So when they passed the baton to Koa, Alex and Stu at the docks, they let loose a few secrets just to pump them up and prepare them for what was surely waiting for them in the coming weeks. But of course Indo made them work for it - no free passes around here.

Share this Clip

Footage psych-up session at the airport. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Somewhere behind Stu, Brady, Dillon and Bruno are heading in the opposite direction. Photo: Nate Lawrence

That right there makes all the hours traveling more than worth it. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Koa, back where he belongs. Photo: Nate Lawrence

"We were spoiled rotten," Stu says of his time on the Tip 2 Tip mission. Yeah, no kidding. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Alex, first stretch after a long, unexpected journey. Photo: Nate Lawrence

Up in the trees. Koa. Photo: Nate Lawrence

The scholarly Alex Smith, indulging. Photo: Nate Lawrence

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

entry #1 by Nathan Cassel

10/18/2010 07:21

Hey I think this trip idea is an awesome idea and its great to you guys scoring some epic waves. Just watched 7.3 and was hoping you talked about the village community you visited more.

I got the impression that you visited them for 5mins then left, im hoping you guys didnt though and hung out with the kids all day and left them a little something coz they have nothing would hate to see you doing something like that. After all it is their land and their beach its the least we could do. Never know how something so little can change a kids life.

entry #2 by knowledge

10/11/2010 00:29

Alex smith sure has a style. Where has he been? I havnt seen him before. Lets see more!

entry #3 by Ben Hutchings

10/01/2010 13:44

Dear Sir/Madam

GCSE: Resistant Materials (Graphics): Headphones Point of Sale Stand

I am a Year 11 student from St. Peters School, Exeter who is currently taking a GCSE for Resistant Materials. Currently we are working on our folders and I need some ideas, your POS stand designs and photos, and a well established company would be an enormous help towards my coursework. I have been incredibly impressed by your products previously and would greatly appreciate it if you could send me photographs and the name of the materials used in your Point of Sale Stands for your products.

If you are able to do so then I will credit you fully in my coursework and folder.

Thanks in anticipation,

Ben Hutchings

entry #4 by javier diaz

10/01/2010 09:48

English

Hello my name is Javier Diaz Abelleira, I have a surf blog ***javifotosurf.blogspot.com, I'd like to publish it, is a blocg of surf, with photos, muca, videos and mach inrmacion about the sport. I surf in Galicia and is more focused in Galicia, although information from campeonatos mundiales ai and many things. I am a photographer and surfer, many of the photos are mine, I'd like to see it published so that more people and Spain and elsewhere in the world. If you want to put a publication in my blog and tell me what does and if you think that could bring something to tell me and so gustasmas Lodro improvement.

Thank you very much, a big salute

Javier (Blog: ***javifotosurf.blogspot.com)
(Email: javier_pepy_94@hotmail.com )

Spanish

Hola me llamo Javier Díaz Abelleira, tengo un blog de surf ***javifotosurf.blogspot.com , que me gustara que me lo publicaseis, es un blog de surf, con fotos, mucha, videos y mucha inrmacion sobre el deporte. Yo surfeo en Galicia y esta mas centrado en galicia , aunque ai información de campeonatos mundiales y muchas cosas. Yo soy fotografo y surfista, muchas de las fotos son mias, me gustaria que me publicaseis para que lo viera mas gente e españa y de otros sitios del mundo. Si quereis que ponga alguna publicacion en mi blog decirmelo y lo hare y si creeis que podria poner algo para que gustasmas decirmelo y asi lodre mejorar.

Muchas gracias, Un saludo enorme

Javier (Blog: ***javifotosurf.blogspot.com)
(Correo : javier_pepy_94@hotmail.com )

	Barrels
	Long, open walls
	Air sections
	Bintangs