Friday Feels Like: Uncharted Waters

“I grew up surfing, living and exploring the lush forests, mountains, rivers and rugged coastal cliffs of South Western Victoria, a place of unique beauty. This part of Australia is situated on the edge of the westerly wind belt known as the Roaring Forties, a wind that continually circumnavigates the high latitudes of the Southern Ocean. This wind is capable of producing massive storms and swells. I was fortunate enough to pioneer many of the surf breaks in this area and to build specific equipment to ride the different waves.

For me, surfing and designing have always been about exploration and discovery. These days I continue to explore this ocean and its coastlines under sail, which has furthered my respect and appreciation of its uniqueness.”

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We went to see the 90minute documentary Uncharted Waters: The Personal History of Wayne Lynch the other night. A surfer described by some as the inventor of vertical surfing and by others as the ultimate soul-surfer. The documentary is a look at the Australian surfing-star of the 60’s and the 70’s who shunned the limelight of contests and sponsorship – which in turn made him even more intriguing – an attribute that Lynch has maintained to this day.

Smash talked to Director Craig Griffin asking him, “What is something you learned about Wayne during the making of this film that you didn’t know before?”

Craig Griffen replies, “That he has a very, very strong sense of the history of surfing – and I don’t just mean the last 50 years. He is a real student of history, and knows a lot about the Polynesians and their methods of navigation etc. So I certainly wasn’t expecting this ‘surf-star’ to be so thoughtful about how it all started. As I said earlier Wayne is about as far as you can get from the stereotype of the surfer. He’s one of those rare people who can not only surf to an amazing level, but can also articulate how he got there and what he is thinking and feeling at the time.”

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Watch the trailer here.