ET the barrel monster & test pilot!

Barrels = reef = scars!

Age: 31
Local Spot: Fence
Weapons: Any sticks by Dean Gerharty - best boards ever!
Wheels: Audi A6 station wagon
Graft: Pilot for SAA
Favourite surfer: Kelly Slater & Dane Reynolds
Favourite spot: Fence & Skeleton Bay (Nam)
Local Crew: Dylan Stone, Bruce Campbell, Donovan Zoetmulder, Warren Auld
Achievements: EP team multiple times, 2nd in SA Champs this year

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Right foot forward....

ET's one of PE's best goofy's by a long shot. Whether it's carving on the face, getting stuck deep into a barrel or trying out his pilot's wings in the air - this ou rips senseless. Check out Etienne's story - and some insane pictures.

Take us back to when it all started‌

It started 21 years ago when I started going to Fence with my neighbor after school. When you’re hooked you’re hooked. From that point I pretty much surfed every possible opportunity I got. It’s still like that now.

What was your first stick‌

When I started as a lightie of 10 I had a boogie board that I got from my cousin, I used to stand up on that. Then I borrowed a board from my mate Neil Van Niekerk, the brother of Eugene Van Niekerk, both of whom were Fence legends back in the day. I also had an old kak thing with a broken nose, but basically it was a Truesurf (Thys Strydom) with the maddest rocker that I bought from Neil.

Sweeping cuttie at Fence. By Frikkie Greybe

Slash into cuttie. fence again. Frikkie again.

Avo's hook. By Millerslocal.

Avo's top turn. By Millerslocal.

Who were your crew back in the day‌

Well obviously Neil, Jos Albers and the rest of the Fence crew at the time. The older guys being Ryan Anderson, Son Dixon, Brad Peens, Wildman, Ashton Gardner and Clinton Bradfield. Also a mention to Ryan McSkimming and the rest of the lids. Then there were my school mates Michael Summerton, Brad Scheepers, Mark Groch, Michael Sternberg and Graeme Baker. But they didn’t get to surf as much as I did.

What sort of kak did you used to get up to‌

Not too much really apart from crazy Billabong outings. But myself, Neil and Jos always did the early before school. Somehow Neil always managed to convince us to wake him up. Jos would meet me by my drive way, he lived around the block, we would head down to Neil’s place, he lived next door. He would strap a leash to his leg and hang the end out the window. We would then tug on the leash and wake him up. All the while freezing outside getting numb feet for the walk down the road to Fence.

'This is your captain speaking...' By Frikkie Greybe

'Fasten your seatbelts!' By Frikkie nog weer

Boilers. By Kody McGregor

Supers hook. By Frikkie.

Did you ever used to bunk school to surf‌ Ever get bust‌

Actually I only bunked school once and that was when we had finished exams and had a couple of days where there was no school work to be done before December holidays. Growing up the road from Fence meant that I surfed before or after school. Or both. No need to bunk.

Any grom abuse back in the day – given or received‌

I received a couple of smacks in the face from being too cocky. It was different back then, you never messed with the older dudes because you would receive a thick lip. Literally. The kids now days have no respect.

How’d you rate the surf now vs then‌

Well fence has changed every year since then. The buildup of sand is killing the spot. It was more consistent, hollower and more consistent. You used to be able to jump off the beginning part of the wall into the surf. Now you hit dry sand on the high tide.

Port Alfred sequence

Any classic surf trips or sessions that stand out‌

Oh many, every surf trip I have been on has turned out amazingly. There was one trip to Indo with 3 of my best mates. That could possibly be one of the best months of my life. The four of use cruising the islands scoring awesome Lakeys and perfect Scar Reef. 10 sec pits at Desert point. Nuts

You scored the newly famous left in Nam recently – tell us a bit about that.

That is the best wave on Earth. 2100m of nonstop barrels breaking a mere 3 meters off the beach. It was Adin Jeenes, Mat Bromley, Chis Leppan, Alan van Gysen, Donovan Zoetmulder and myself. It was for a Zigzag article. It is supposed to be in the Christmas issue, so keep your eyes out for it.

This wave is incredible. It’s not a 100m or 200m or even 500m. Its 2100m. 2.1km. think about that.
You have to catch a car ride back up to the top because it’s too far to walk. If you make the drop you basically go as fast as you can and get slotted. Hopefully you don’t get one that swallows you up and come flying out, pump a few times and pull into the next section.

I watched Adin get a 20 sec pit in front of my eyes while I was walking back up to the top of a section we were shooting. I cannot explain how awesome this spot is. You have to see it to believe it. I will be going back next year for sure. A couple of times.

Skeleton Bay in Nam

Anyone get bored in a 20sec barrel?

Mind surf heaven - real surf epiphany

Yah, better take a pic - no one will believe you!

You’ve also done Indo – take us through that.

Ah Indo, well that is the home of warm perfection and scary pits. I have done a couple of trips and on many occasions left some DNA behind on the reef, ask me and I will show you the scars. I think this year was trip number 9. I have done Bali, Nusa Lembongan, Lombok, Sumbawa, Java, Sumatra and the Mentawaii’s.

Famous spots that I have scored really good would be Kuta Reef. Bingin, Temples at Uluwatu, Razors at Lembongan (ask people about that spot, really really shallow, basically you come out and straighten out onto dry reef), Desert point, flawless Scar Reef, ridiculously perfect Super Suck, Lakey Peak, Lakey Pipe, G Land, Jimmy’s Left, the Sumatran Pipeline, Macaroni’s, Rifles, Lances Left and the Cobra. There is so much to that place. The waves are amazing. The swell is like no other. It’s the same swell we get here, but it has the whole Indian Ocean to be groomed, lined up and gain momentum before being unleashed on perfect reef setups.

When they talk about corrugated iron to the horizon, Indo is the pinnacle of that saying. I have travelled there with friends and on my own, either ways its always been rewarding. It is a place that will take you way out of your comfort zone, put you in surf beyond anything you will find in and around PE.

It will scare the living daylights out of you but it will teach you how to properly get shacked out of your mind. I have had times where I could not stop hooting and laughing my ass off because of the perfection. I have also had times where I have been caught inside of monsters, going for a ride over the reef, standing on dry reef with a proper 6 foot wall of white water about to mow me down and times bouncing off of coral heads. It’s all about the yin and the yang.

Sweet Sumatra hook. By AVG.

Sumatra hidey hole. By AVG.

Not quite as mellow as a Fence barrel! By AVG.

Shacked again in Sumatra. By AVG.

Where else have you surfed overseas‌

I have also surfed in the South China Sea off of Malaysia. It’s pretty kak, you can only surf there during the monsoon season, so there usually tends to be massive trees floating around. Not good. I have surfed England, super cold and super kak. I have also surfed Raglan in New Zealand. It’s the left Super tubes of the world. Pretty amazing left point. It comprises of 3 points that link up on a big day. Really fun spot.

Any scary moments surfing‌

Being from PE you see the odd shark here and there. I had a shark buzz me at Secrets then turn and come towards me. Not sure what happened then because I had my head down sprinting for the beach shouting at my mate Ross Truscott.

Then there was the time Ross snapped his leash at 15 foot Balangao on Bali, got caught in the rip just off the beach. After he managed to get sucked around the head land at the bottom and not smashed into it, I managed to get to him on the other side. Just as he swam over to me a set exploded on the headland right where he was. It would have killed him. We then made our way down the coast and snuck in on a little beach. We climbed up the cliff and got a lift back on the back of some local’s scooters.

Then last year at Jimmy’s on South Sumatra I didn’t make the take off on an 8 footer. I managed to punch through but it was followed by a bigger set. What followed was a series of serious beatings that took me straight to the death zone. Managed to get through that to be smashed by that 6 foot wall of white water I was talking about to end up in the middle of the reef with no booties on. It was pretty hairy.

What’s it like being a goofy in the land of rights‌

You know I don’t mind too much. There are a couple of really good lefts around. One being one of the loves of my life. Besides I don’t mind a good right at the best of times. As long as it’s got a lip and hopefully a barrel I don’t mind which way I go.

You’re a pilot right‌ How’d you get into that‌

Yes, I started after uni, did my commercial pilot’s license, instructed in PE for a while. I then worked in Algeria for a year and a half, working 5 weeks on 5 weeks off, for the oil industry. I then joined Nationwide Airlines followed by my dream job at SAA.

My dad is a pilot so I caught the love of airplanes from him. I get pretty amazing travel benefits which make surf travel much easier. As for scary moments I can’t say there have been too many, which is a good thing and how I’d like to keep it.

I did however once have a near miss in Algeria thanks to a rubbish air traffic controller, but we managed that one quite well. Oh, and I got struck by lightning last year, right on the nose of the airy right in front of me. I kakked myself, if I wasn’t strapped in I think I would have jumped right out of my seat. But it happens quite often and isn’t really a problem.

Barrel meister at work! By AVG.

Deja Vu. By AVG.

Sundowners in the Ments.

Bankvaults in the Ments. By AVG.

Who’re you riding for now‌

I used to surf for Lizzard for many years. I have been riding for Rip Curl, Reef Brazil and VZ for the last 2 years. Dean Geraghty has been making my surfboards for a long time. I don’t really compete any more, I focus on getting exposure for them. Besides, my sponsors don’t get anything out of contests. So it’s pretty rad getting sponsored just to surf. It also gives me a reason to try push my own performance.

Any advice to the lighties looking to get sponsored‌

This is a hard one. Apart from winning contest and getting the shot, use your brain, don’t act like a chop and be professional before you become a professional.

Anything interesting bout you peeps might not know‌

For some reason I cannot buy a chocolate bar that is broken. It has to be in one piece. Not sure what that means.

Last words‌

It’s really weird; there is a dude in PE that looks a lot like me. Very occasionally you might spot him at Pipe. It’s not me, I don’t surf Pipe.

Amen!

Millerslocal don't surf Pipe neither! Thanks ET - let's hope we get a decent swell at Clubhouse again next winter - you're one of the few guys comfortable out there paddling into the big stuff.

Avo's attack. By Millerslocal.

BIg day at Clubhouse. By Millerslocal.

Boilers. By Kody McGregor

Mind the guppies...By AVG

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