Wavelength Community Radio

For the latest episode of The Inspired Surfers Podcast, Jim is joined down the line by one of surf culture’s most enlightened duos; iconic free surfer and environmental campaigner Dave Rastovich and his partner, pro-longboarder turned author and activist, Lauren Hill. 

After many years of surfing professionally, just under a decade ago the pair settled on an idyllic plot in Byron Bay, where they grow food for the community, raise their child, Minoa, present the Water People podcast and campaign on environmental issues. 

In this conversation, recorded through an at-times patchy phone line (they only get signal in one room of the house) the pair discuss activism, growing food, parenthood, and – after a lifetime of non-stop surfing – the wave riding experiences they now find most fulfilling. 

Episode summary: 

• An introduction to Lauren and Dave, live from the ‘Culture Club’.
• The recent floods that have devastated Australia’s East Coast and the reflections they’ve inspired.
• The joy at seeing surfers stepping forward into more of a protective role.
• Campaigns to prevent the industrialisation of Australia’s coast.
• Dave’s idea to develop ‘the surfer’s garden’ – a community permaculture garden, which feeds local families. 
• Actions inspired by the economical and political ideas of localisation – creating connective tissue. 
• Cultural changes brought on by Covid.
• Dave’s reflections on his recent interview with Fergal Smith.
• How Dave’s relationship with surfing has changed since having kids.
• Work with Patagonia.
• Lauren’s upbringing in Florida and the elements of the culture she’s looking forward to reconnecting with.
• How Dave and Lauren met.
• Cultural evolution in women’s equality – an exciting time in the diversification of surf culture. 
• Plans for the future.
• A discussion on the surfing experiences they find most fulfilling.

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In this episode Jim is in conversation with Fergal Smith; surfer, environmentalist and regenerative farmer. 

For long time fans of British and Irish surfing, Fergal needs little introduction.

From the late naughts to the early 2010s, he set the bar at Ireland’s heaviest waves, gracing magazine covers, laying down incredible video parts and cementing himself as one of his generation’s greatest surfing talents on the international stage. 

Then in 2012, he made the sudden shift from jet-setting free-surfer to hard-grafting farmer, establishing a small community garden in County Clare, spurred on, in no small part by a decision to quit flying for good. 

In this episode, Fergal takes us deep into the thought process that led up to that moment, charting how his upbringing, his surf career, the Fukushima disaster and a chance encounter with Kelly Slater in Fiji all converged to see him plough his unique furrow.

From the tale of his last ever tow wave in Tahiti ten years ago, to a recent two-wave hold down beneath the cliffs of Moher, it’s packed with great stories and wide-ranging insights on food, land management and the changes we desperately need to secure the future of our planet and all who inhabit it. 

• Spending January away from the farm, hauled up on a small island with the family. 
• Fergal and his wife’s differing experiences of the cold, dark days of winter. 
• Plans for a wind-powered adventure in the future. 
• An in-depth look at his decision to stop flying during the height of his surf career. 
• Reflections on the pro-free-surfer lifestyle of constant swell chasing, refined by an encounter with Kelly Slater in Fiji. 
• The abundant rewards drawn from feeding people in the community and seeing the land improve. 
• The impact of food and food production on physical health, biodiversity, climate change and social issues.
• Gaining an education in holistically managed and mixed farms.
• The story of Fergal’s last ever tow ever wave.
• His experience of surfing now.
• His desire to inspire others to take up regenerative farming and the guidance he offers.
• The huge potential impacts for both people and planet of changing the way we manage ecosystems.

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In this episode Jim is in conversation with Tom Hewitt MBE, founder and CEO of Surfers Not Street Children – a charity that uses surfing, mentorship and care to intervene in the lives of children living on the street in South Africa and Mozambique.  

After first encountering street children on an anti-apartheid fact-finding visit with his father, Tom settled permanently in South Africa at the age of 19 and set about working with local organisations to improve the lives of the kids sleeping rough around his neighbourhood. 

It wasn’t until many years later that he was inspired to combine his lifelong passion for surfing with the programme and establish a new structure that offered mentorship, intervention and distraction through the act of riding waves. 

In this conversation, Tom recounts the charity’s origin story and the significant moments in his own life that led to its inception and development. He dives deep into the logistics of operating in a fast-changing South Africa in the early days and the importance of embracing anarchy as well as the myriad ways SNSC has since established itself, from forging relationships with local gang members to applying global media pressure to the South African government via a well-timed newspaper editorial.

He also discusses the unexpected challenges – like the backlash faced by local white Durban surfers when young black kids from the programme took their place in the lineup – and the humbling rewards – like when a group of kids in his care stepped in to face down a man threatening him with a machete.

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In Episode 5 of Series 2 Jim is in conversation with athlete Melissa Reid who's list of sporting accomplishments is long enough to make your jaw drop, including but not inclusive of her paratriathlon Olympic Bronze medal in Rio Brazil in 2016, her 2 World titles in the AmpSurf ISA World Para Surfing Championships (making her Britain’s only ever surfing World Champion), being named Cornwall’s Young Coach of the Year in 2012 and the BBC’s South West Disabled Athlete of the Year in 2013. Make no bones about it, whether it’s dropping into bombs at Aggie or passionately working to widen the opportunities for people with disabilities in surfing, being born with a visual impairment hasn’t held Melissa Reid back one jot.

This episode was recorded live from day 2 at the Blue Earth Summit at The Bristol Wave.

Enjoy!

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Born and raised in Newcastle, NSW, Belinda first made a name for herself as a competitive surfer, winning the Aussie longboard circuit and getting third in the World Champs in 2000. However, after falling in love with single fin logs on a trip to California, she became a key figure in traditional longboarding’s resurgence. As a free surfer, she became celebrated for elegant style and approach, landing roles in numerous surf films, including the seminal Sprout and becoming the first female surfer to be featured on the cover of the Surfers Journal. 

Belinda is also a passionate climate activist, having worked as a surf and environmental ambassador full time for Patagonia for several years. She played a central role in the Fight For The Bight campaign, which last year succeeded in deterring Norwegian oil giant Equinor from drilling in the Great Australian Bight. 

Around the same time, Belinda co-founded Surfers For Climate – a non-profit set up to provide a place for surfers to come together and turn the tide on climate change, alongside legendary surf filmmaker Jack McCoy and Sir Paul McCartney.

In this conversation, Belinda and Jim discuss her various forays into surfing and activism, exploring in detail the elements that allowed the FFTB campaign to succeed and how local communities around the world can apply that powerful model to tackle their own local issues.  

Episode summary: 

• An introduction to Belinda; her winter surfing habits and wetsuit needs along her home coastline in Victoria.
• Her appreciation for her adopted home and its variety of waves. 
• The challenges of getting waves at Bells.
• Her early life, growing up in Newcastle and following the family footsteps into longboarding.
• The experience of riding a traditional single fin log for the first time in California.
• Moving away from competition and into a role with Patagonia as a global surf activist 
• What the role entails 
• How The Fight For Bight inspired her to start her own non-profit; Surfers For Climate
• A recap of the campaign and the momentum and enthusiasm it garnered 
• A dive into why the campaign succeeded
• How communities can apply that powerful model to other local issues
• The just-launched ‘Wipeout Your Emissions’ guide, which will help surfers figure out how they can reduce their carbon footprint. 
• Introducing a new campaign against the approval of natural gas exploration in the Otway Basin. 
• How having a child drives Belinda’s passion for fighting climate change, to ensure he has the best possible future.
• Jim’s experience of parenthood and the KYCU academy – which uses positivity as a tool for success 
• Belinda’s three favourite waves on earth and Maldives surf trip recommendations.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Ep.3 Jim is in conversation with Nick Hounsfield, Blue Health researcher and founder of The Wave. In the episode, the pair discuss Nick’s ten-year journey to achieve his dream of creating England’s first inland surf facility, how the reality married up to his expectations and the ramifications of a life-changing stroke he suffered last year. 

The pair go into depth on the importance of purpose when striving to build something, exploring the experiences that allowed Nick to refine his vision for The Wave, including his past career as an osteopath and the seismic impact of a conversation with his father just before he passed away. 

More than just an inland leisure resource, Nick has always strived to create a facility that enables people from all background’s to access the social and health benefits of surfing and spending time in nature, with his current role in the organisation dedicated solely to bringing that further to fruition. 

Episode summary:

• Suffering a stroke; the role stress played, Nick’s rehabilitation and his current state of health. 
• The 10-year journey of creating The Wave; the excitement, the build-up and the reality. 
• How two surfing swans and a Spanish engineer scuppered plans to capture Nick’s reaction to seeing waves rolling in Bristol for the first time. 
• Opening up in the face of pent up demand and anticipation and the realisation that they were at the end of one journey but the beginning of another. 
• The good, the bad and the ugly of doing something for the very first time. 
• Jim describes his experience of camping at The Wave. 
• How Nick’s first-ever visit to the Wave Garden test facility and a conversation with Eden Project founder Tim Schmit lit the initial fire. 
• The health and social agenda that underpinned the project.
• Learning a love of water from his dad and weekend’s spent at his grandmas place surfing, fishing and sailing as a youngster. 
• Making a promise to his dad on his death bed that he’d do something to create a positive impact and the important sense of purpose that instilled in the project. 
• Teaching his sons to surf and the possibility of passing the business on to them. 
• Bringing in the benefits of Blue Health and his aspirations to create accessibility to The Wave for people of all ages and abilities. 
• The sense of perspective offered by his stroke.
• Nick’s favourite wave on earth.
• His favourite setting at The Wave.
• Ruminations on the best boards for artificial waves. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 Episode two, features a conversation between Hannah Green and our host Jim Cregan. Hannah is a surfer and Author from Scarborough, whose been on a journey involving sexual abuse, homelessness, PTSD and drugs, with surfing playing an incredibly positive role in helping Hannah get her life into a more positive place.

Episode summary:

• Hannah’s introduction to surfing. 
• How her childhood trauma led her to become homeless.
• Day to day life in a youth homeless hostel. 
• Using drugs and alcohol as an escape from the chaos. 
• Being moved at a moment’s notice into a notorious block of flats.
• Coming to blows with other residents after reaching her wit’s end. 
• Going back to sofa surfing in a friend’s temporary accommodation and getting sober. 
• Enrolling in a surf therapy course. 
• Finding a sense of calm in the sea.
• Becoming a volunteer mentor at the Wave Project, making friends and giving back.
• Finding a flat of her own.
• Becoming a journalist and writing a book in lockdown.
• Taking a job at the Centre For Homeless Impact as a Lived Experience Specialist. 
• Getting a converted van and setting off around the country with her board to promote the book. 
• Hannah’s plans for the future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first episode (series 2), Jim is in conversation with master lensmen Nick Pumphrey and Mike Guest, hosting a wide-ranging discussion centred around their Dawn Days project. 

Episode Summary:

• An introduction to Nick Pumphrey, covering his childhood in St Ives and the last two decades spent living on the road. 
• A quick 90s bodyboard nerd out 
• An introduction to Mike Guest currently hauled up on the edge of a sea loch on Scotland’s west coast. 
• His introduction to surfing and surf photography through the Cold Water Classic events in Thurso. 
• A look into his skiing background and how he used lessons from the mountains to adapt to the ocean environments. 
• Examining the different flow states brought on by surfing and skiing and the sense of perspective each offers. 
• The story of how Mike and Nick met in South West France. 
• The inception of Dawn Days.
• The inspiration drawn from books on mindfulness and the desire to rail against lazy starts. 
• Mike’s tipping point.
• The importance of committing to an action, even if it’s uncomfortable.
• Mike’s decision to seek therapy.
• The books on mindfulness that resonated with Nick.
• The importance of having a wide-ranging toolkit when it comes to mental wellbeing.
• The evolving nature of Dawn Days; from a personal quest to a community activity. 
• The powerful forces of Dawn Days on sleep 
• Facing the challenges of expectation and ego that have arisen from the project. 
• Rethinking and reshaping the project into the future to keep it creative and authentic. 
• Exploring new ways of presenting the images, to see the creative journey through from start to finish. 
• The idea for the Dawn Days book and what comes next. 

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In this episode we are in conversation - Nick Corkill. A surf photographer who has battled addiction.

Nick's story and his relationship with surfing are distinctly different to that of our other guests, like world champion Carissa Moore or business folk Richard Walker and Andy Medd, who used surfing as a supplement alongside a more conventional life on land.

Nick has always worked in the ocean, from years in the Navy to stints on superyachts as a diving instructor. However, alongside these varied roles, he's fought a long battle with drug and alcohol addiction. 

Throughout his journey, he's been offered lots of different support. But it wasn't until he realised the positivity he could draw from his time in the sea that he began to find a way through his troubles - something he now describes as his ‘higher power’.

Today Nick focusses on surf photography and its abundance of positive influences on his life. When he is in the sea or focussed on photography, he is able to show people his love for the ocean and its this which he credits with helping control his addiction.

Nick has managed to make a career out of something that has arguably saved his life. Today he is an established photographer who works for different clients and sells shots to others who share a passion for the ocean and surf.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Jim is in conversation with Bethany Hamilton - one of the most inspiring sportspeople of our time!

A Hawaiian surfing sensation, who overcame the loss of her arm in a shark attack aged just 13 and to become one of the world’s top female surfers. The diversity of her accomplishments remain unrivalled among her peers, from big wave exploits at Jaws to setting the bar in barrels at Teahupoo and Padang and leading the charge of female aerial progression. And this year, before Covid struck, she had planned to rejoin the QS full time and have a solid crack at qualifying for the CT in a move that undoubtedly had the rest of the field standing to attention. 

Beyond her surfing achievements, Bethany has worked tirelessly to share her inspiring story far and wide and, over the last half-decade, raised a family with her husband. In this conversation, the penultimate in the first season of Inspired Surfers, she delves into family life, surfing pregnant, shifting perspectives, dealing with trauma and the importance of telling her own story, including the parts left out by its Holywood dramatisation ‘Soul Surfer’.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.