When it comes to surfers who are exceedingly interesting, it’s tough to beat Laurie Towner and Torren Martyn. That interest isn’t just because both are unique and talented surfers, but because we don’t see as much of them as we’d like.
Towner in particular made a real name for himself before his star faded a bit. Not because Towner didn’t surf as well as he did when he made that name, but because of the vagaries of sponsorships and the surf industry in general.
Way back in February of 2006, Laurie Towner was relatively unknown in the surfing world. He was just 19 years old, and although he had the chops and the talent to be a household name, no one had really taken notice just yet. He had, though, just proven his worth with a a Wave of the Winter at Backdoor, and big things were on the horizon. Then he paddled a wave at Shipsterns Bluff that put the world on notice. In the months and years that followed, Towner quietly built a name for himself that was on the lips of the general surfing public, even if many big-name sponsors had their mouths firmly shut.
Torren Martyn is one of those surfers who, in a world where uniqueness is a rare gem, surfs like no one else. His partnership with filmmaker and friend Ishka Folkwell has given us many films of the highest quality — films not so much about surfing, but about traveling. Films like Lost Track: Atlantic and Thank You Mother. The surfing is just the icing on the cake. Folkwell and Martyn, in fact, made a film about Towner called Slow Lane a few years back.
“Slow Lane is a surf film that follows big wave surfer Laurie Towner and his family as they travel on a dream road trip exploring the vast Australian coastline in search of waves, good fishing, and adventures,” wrote Folkwell and Martyn. “This film, produced by needessentials and edited by Ishka Folkwell, not only showcases Laurie Towner’s surfing but also gives you an in-depth understanding of Laurie as a surfer and father. The film explores the concept of passing on knowledge to the next generation through shared experiences and good times spent together as a family.”
Both Towner and Martyn live interesting lives. Different from the norm, but in the best ways. They’ve both got more than their fair share of tales to tell; tales of surf adventures that anyone dreams of being able to tell. In needessential’s latest YouTube offering, The Notes In Between, we get a glimpse into “a day in the life of Laurie Towner and Torren Martyn as they share stories over a short fishing trip. An everyday conversation between a couple of mates where they take time to just enjoy the simple prospect of potentially catching a meal.”
