Episode brought to you by Official Beer Co. and produced by Podfire.

In this episode Tappa sits down with Jean-Marie Lartigau, a pioneering French surfer, artist, and six-time national champion whose life has taken him from the waves of the Basque Coast in the 1960s to a deeply rooted home on the Gold Coast. Jean-Marie shares stories of the early European surf scene, discovering surfing through family and community, competing through the sport’s formative years, and eventually travelling the world before settling in Australia in the early ’70s. He reflects on shaping, artistry, the evolution of surfing culture, and the personal philosophy that’s driven him through decades in and around the ocean. It’s a warm, thoughtful, and beautifully human conversation with a true surf original.

Show Notes

• Tappa welcomes Jean-Marie Lartigau: French surfing pioneer, artist, and multiple-time national champion.
• Growing up on the Basque Coast and discovering surfing in the early 1960s.
• Stories from the early French and European surf scene and how small the community was at the time.
• Competing from 1962 to 1968 and becoming French National Surfing Champion.
• Travelling the world in the late ’60s and early ’70s as global surf culture exploded.
• Arriving in Australia, falling in love with the Gold Coast, and deciding to settle there.
• Transitioning into shaping, art, and developing a recognisable artistic style.
• Reflections on the differences between France and Australia’s surfing culture.
• The philosophy, creativity, and joy that still drive him today.
• Jean-Marie’s thoughts on the evolution of surfing and the importance of community and connection.