Filmmaker Tim Bonython has stated many times over the years that Cape Solander is one of his favorite slabs to film. Sydney’s most infamous slab dishes out its own kind of carnage for a variety of reasons, from a long history of high-profile localism back when the Bra Boys dubbed the wave “Ours,” to the straightforward fact that it’s a thick, mean wave breaking over shallow water right in front of a giant exposed rock.
The place doesn’t exactly scream tranquility, which made it the perfect spot for Red Bull to launch its initial Cape Fear event. As for Bonython, there seems to be an appreciation for the entire process of documenting sessions there.
“It’s not easy,” he says about the hike to his filming location. “But where there’s a will there’s a way.”
That “way” involves crossing through chest-high undergrowth that’s hiding snakes and dangerous cliff edges. It’s full of dead ends, but most importantly, it leads to his favorite vantage point to view the surf. It goes to show that filmmakers wait for, and work as hard for, the right shot as the hellmen waiting for their wave.
“Man, I got so lost,” he said after his hike. “With all the rain we’ve had, everything was so overgrown. What should take 25 minutes took an hour. I was way too north and once I could see the ocean I thought I was there. I continued to bush bash towards the sea with the roar of surf getting louder until suddenly, I went over a five-foot drop, landing face first on my wrist and camera. (Lucky the camera was in a rain jacket and the lens was in my backpack.) Then I had to crawl back up the rock face and retrace my path and move south. Finally I got to where I needed to be. Always believing if there’s a will there’s a way. Although my wrist is screwed. I was an hour late and probably missed some great moments. But at least I got there.”
He got the shot, though. And his newest edit from the infamous slab covers its entire layout with POV footage contributed from the water, and drone footage to boot.
