During the Southern Hemisphere’s winter, I was fortunate enough to travel with a great group of humans aboard the good ship Mangalui Ndulu. We were in search of waves off the Mentawai and Telo Islands.
Our crew of surfers included Brad Gerlach, Dave Rastovich, Aamion Goodwin, Chris Del Moro, Dane Gudauskas, Dylan Graves and Soli Bailey. It was a diverse group, gathering from Australia, Kauai, California and Puerto Rico, and ranging in age from 19-year-old Soli to 48-year-old Gerr. As a filmmaker and surfer, it was a supreme pleasure to witness and document world-class surfing in world-class waves. Our two-week trip flooded over with peak surfing moments.
Reflecting back on it, however, we all seem to agree that the highlights of our journey were often the moments in between: an oily sunset, shared conversation over the dinner table, stars reflected in the midnight glass of the Indian Ocean, newly forged friendships, the wonder of a green backlit Indian Ocean jewel spinning along an empty reef, the joy of an all-in jam session with the boys. A surfing life. Who could ask for anything more?
Commissioned by Tracks Magazine, “Sojourn” is available exclusively with the December issue, available soon.
