As my surfing days on the east coast of Oz are limited (apparently something called the Great Barrier Reef gets in the way as you go north) I decided to take a surfing lesson to improve a little quicker. The guy who took me out is a relative of the Henwoods and is an ex-pro as well as a top guy. We headed out to Pippi beach and paddled out to start the lesson. We met up with Shane and Justin Henwood out the back. As the surf was pumping they decided to switch shifts at the hostel and come surfing for the day. The lesson was really useful and I managed to steal the wave of the day, which Justin was especially narked at.
After I got back to shore, I turned back to look for the boys and spotted a guy who was in a different class to the rest. After watching him for a minute we figured out it was Andy Irons! Apparently he was staying at Angourie for a few weeks getting a few bits of footage for Billabong.
Andy Irons surfing at Pippi Beach
When I got back to the hostel I told Ruth and some of our friends. We decided to head down there to watch and take Charlie for a walk whilst we were there. We watched him for about an hour (with poor Charlie not getting much attention). It was easy to spot Andy from the other surfers as his paddling and riding was just effortless. Justin and Shane went back out there with him and the rest of the locals but Andy stayed out of the way and caught the waves people left. Lots of the locals were a bit miffed at him as he kept showing them up!
Other pro surfers have also been known to surf around Yamba recently with Joel Parkinson showing up a few days late and legend Tom Curren riding Angourie. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see them but it goes to show how good the surf is around here.
