The Dust Up

In this episode we catch up with Damien Cole, former CEO of Varuna surfboards.

The surfboard industry is a fickle beast; it owes nobody anything and we are regularly reminded of this.  Earlier this year Varuna surfboards closed its doors for the last time.  Varuna surfboards was a new type of wooden construction with a focus on reducing the environmental impact as well as improving the lives of Indonesians who had experienced large ...

In this episode I chat with Sergio Gomez from Gomez surfboards.

Sergio grew up on the coast of Argentina.  The town was rather large, but surfing was considered counterculture and there were only two surf shops.  Sergio fell in love with surfing and on one occasion when his board was being repaired, he borrowed his friend's brother's board.

The board went amazing!  It was like no other board he had ever ridden, and he took ...

In this episode I chat with Dylan Perese from DP surfboards and inventor of the soon to be released 'Leashbar'.

Dylan caught the bug for shaping in his early teens and instantly knew this was what he wanted to do.  A couple of years later he left school to focus on surfboards and never looked back.

A member of a thriving surf community south of Sydney as well as an opportunity to work with Graham King was all he needed to e...

In this episode, I chat with Daniel Hawes from Shapers Collective, New Zealand.

Howie and I recently discussed the feedback we received about the difficulties currently facing shapers around the world.  Shortly after hearing our chat, Daniel reached out to share a business model he is implementing. 

An Australian expat living in a town named Mangawhai, tucked right up in the north of New Zealand.  After establishing Small Kine Ding R...

In this episode, I chat with Wayne Roach from Roach Approach surfboards.

Wayne's story is a classic tale about a boy that fell in love with surfing at a young age and developed a passion for surfboards.  Wayne or 'Roachy' as he is more commonly known, was a product of the bustling surf industry in Cronulla during the 70's and 80's.

Roachy worked under multiple brands including Jackson, Southern Comfort, and F...

In this episode, Luke 'Howie' Howarth and I discuss the alluring and sexiest design aspect of a surfboard... Rails. 

Rails come in all shapes and sizes to best satisfy the shaper's accompanying design ideas.  The perfect rail is different for different styles of surfboards.  We discuss some of the shaper's rails that we like as well as what makes a bad rail in our opinion.

I throw a few different rail designs at L...

In this episode we speak with Dan Thomson from Tomo Surfboards.

Dan is arguably the most creative surfboard designer of the last 20 years.  The art of surfboard shaping and designing was handed down from his father, Mark Thomson.  Dan and his father would discuss all aspects of hydrodynamic theory to improve their understanding of real surfboard design.

In the mid 2000's Dan moved to America after a chance en...

In this episode Christian and I talk to Sam Griffiths.

Sam is a passionate surfer who pursued a career in the surf industry.  He started his time in the industry at Rip Curl on the back of his love for surfboards and spent time developing their board program.

When the opportunity to be a team manager a Quiksilver presented itself, he jumped on it.  It was a great career choice for a person who is very personable a...

After a long wait, The Dust Up is back for 2024!  We kick things off chatting with a truly fantastic shaper and designer - Nev Hyman.

Nev describes himself as a 'Ranga from Perth' in a jovial way, but the truth is he has been heavily involved in the development of surfboard design as well as pursuing future surfboard production methods.

Nev has always attracted the most talented surfers on his team as we...

In this episode we explore Technique vs. Equipment with Brad Gerlach from Wave Ki.

Brad competed at the highest level and reached number one in the world.  His smooth Californian style did not all come naturally and with some advice from his Olympic diving father, they explored body dynamics in surfing. Fast forward a couple of decades, Brad has created Wave Ki to assist others improve their surfing.

We have all e...

In this quick episode Christian 'Priddo' Pritchett and I let John 'Robbo' Robertson out of the basement to hear what he has discovered about the WSL's final five for 2023.

Never mind the fact that they wont replace Ethan Ewing if he is injured, we explain how the system needs a slight tweak to ensure the world's best surfers can compete to the world title on finals day.  

This is the ...

In this episode I welcome Luke 'Howie' Howarth to  discuss the all important surfboard design element - Bottom Contours.

The bottom contour of a surfboard can be described as either flat, convex or concave.  Its the detail within these three categories that determine a surfboards performance.  What is the best bottom contour for a shortboard, fish, midlength, or longboard?

Bottom contours are used to ble...

In this episode we discuss the Rip Curl Bells Beach Pro, Margaret River Pro and the Surf Ranch Pro.

After a classic intro from Bodhi, we chat about some behind the scenes adventures during the Bells competition.  Unfortunately, the waves didn't turn up but that doesn't mean there wasn't a lot to talk about. (Time 0:1:30)

The next stop on tour was the West Australia Margaret River Pro and the tour fi...

It's been a little while since we put out a shaper interview and with good reason.  There has been some restructuring happening with The Dust Up  and before we welcome Luke Howarth to the team, we wanted to take an opportunity for him to introduce himself to the listeners.

Luke was introduced to the ocean at Avalon on the northern beaches of Sydney when he was only 2 years old.  He built a long and healthy relationshi...

In this episode we look back on the first three WSL competitions including the Billabong Pipeline Pro, Hurley Pro Sunset Beach and MEO pro Portugal.

We introduce a new member to The Dust Up family, Christian 'Priddo' Pritchett is a lover of competitive surfing, shres the head judging role at Surfing Vic and long time travel partner searching for waves.

We break down the results from each comp as well as ...

In this episode we speak with Adam Baldwin of Reclaim Surf.

Adam is based on the Sunshine coast, Australia and very passionate about sustainable surfboards.  In the beginning, he would recycle dis-guarded building materials and other items to create all types of surf craft.

A  health scare prompted him to re evaluate what his priorities are he chose to take time out from his full time teaching career and dive deep...

In 2023, The Dust Up Podcast is launching the first ever Manufacturer's Cup in surfing.

We aim to celebrate the surfboard craftsmen shaping boards for the world's elite surfers.  Each event we will attribute points to the shaper based on the success their team rider has,  for example 17th place = 0 points and 1st place = 12 points.  These point will be accrued throughout the year and the shaper with the most poin...

Robbo and I look back at the highs and lows of 2022.

We chat about the STAB Electric Acid Test, new board design from Jim Banks, our choice for best new surfboard model from a big brand, as well as Firewire's decision to use Futures fin plugs exclusively.  We also look at FCS vs. Futures and which system is more likely to win a competition.

We discuss the best and worst moments of the 2022 WSL season, choose ...

In this episode we chat to Tim Just from Fluid Performance about junior development and Grom boards.  Tim is based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia and has worked with some of the top juniors including Reef Hazelwood, Keely Andrew and Isabella Nichols to name a few.

We wanted to chat about what makes a good Grom board, what to look for if the board is under performing as well as a few tips for groms.