Watch: Caity Simmers // Bell Jar

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Reels

Bookended by the Box and Teahupoo, Bell Jar is, like the book it takes its title from, a pushback against societal pressures. Increasingly, the world of women's surfing is inhabited less by wannabe bikini models succeeding on the strength of a satisfactory pop up and plenty of exposed flesh, than by women holding their own in heavy water and above-the-lip assaults.

The movement has been coming for a while - Carissa Moore and Steph Gilmore are two who eschewed the coquette aesthetic and have been piling up the world titles - but now the CT is following a different schedule and to succeed women have to break yet another mold, again pushing against expectations.

Stars Caity, Timo Simmers, Steph Gilmore, and Zoe McDougall

Comments

swab's picture
swab's picture
swab Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 9:15am

First wave! Picks the wrong line and gets smoked...that's as far as I got.

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 9:41am

She figured it out quickly, by third wave she nailed it.

mugofsunshine's picture
mugofsunshine's picture
mugofsunshine Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 8:47am

Named in the credits. What's the go Steve?

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 11:00am
mugofsunshine's picture
mugofsunshine's picture
mugofsunshine Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 11:10am

Hahahaha

Thank you

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 11:40am

FWIW a year or so back a famous photographer told me, "I always liked Steve's photos but didn't know he could write so well."

I let that sit for a while as we chatted but then had to ask: "Where have you seen Steve's photos?"

"Oh, all those black and white portraits he used to take in the American mags," was his reply.

I gently had to inform him that it was Steve Sherman not Steve Shearer.

mugofsunshine's picture
mugofsunshine's picture
mugofsunshine Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 3:09pm

I'm sure there's a Tank/Sheep joke in there somewhere.

mugofsunshine's picture
mugofsunshine's picture
mugofsunshine Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 3:08pm

What ever happen to Rottmouth?

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 3:14pm

Last I was aware he'd got off the grog, cleaned himself up, issued some 'been X days since' messages, plus a few quasi-apologies, and that was about it.

No-one can keep going at that pace and last.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 3:29pm

Who is that? Is he a surf industry figure?

mugofsunshine's picture
mugofsunshine's picture
mugofsunshine Friday, 22 Sep 2023 at 6:15pm

That's almost worth a separate discussion. Almost.

braudulio's picture
braudulio's picture
braudulio Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 11:02am

Your loss. To me, more respect for leaving that in rather than cutting it and only showing the ones she made. Go Caity.

getbarrelled99's picture
getbarrelled99's picture
getbarrelled99 Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 1:53pm

braudulio - spot on - in a world of edits to the point of silliness - how many airs do the boys attempt before making one? Go Caity!

swab's picture
swab's picture
swab Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 5:42pm

OK OK I get it. The internetz has sucked me in

getbarrelled99's picture
getbarrelled99's picture
getbarrelled99 Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 12:59pm

Hey Swab - how do you reckon you'd go on that wave??!!

swab's picture
swab's picture
swab Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 5:39pm

Yeah probably pretty shit...I just don't like the hyperbole. Good call though

Dave Drinkwater's picture
Dave Drinkwater's picture
Dave Drinkwater Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 1:39pm

Wow, Wow nothing like a push down..Its clear that she rips and all the power to her..I was thinking Ive never surfed that well or pulled into a wave like that at Chopes at that size..Mate

mikehunt207's picture
mikehunt207's picture
mikehunt207 Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 9:25am

Caity charging harder than the mens world champ at da box! What a breath of fresh air for the pro surfing world , new lines, good style and guts. Bout time something changed

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 9:47am

Young Bluey has a dig. Nice to see.

Future world champ imo.

BD's picture
BD's picture
BD Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 10:01am

Imagine being Toledo watching this, shes what 48 kg dripping wet? What a charger - ripper too

kimbo1's picture
kimbo1's picture
kimbo1 Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 11:03am

Steph safe bet for another year

rj-davey's picture
rj-davey's picture
rj-davey Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 11:13am

"Carissa Moore and Steph Gilmore are two who eschewed the coquette aesthetic"

Not sure about the latter. You could sub for Tyler Wright though.

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 11:20am

From day dot she wore boardies. Only time I recall her wearing something brief was for that weird fashion shoot thing she shot at Maroubra a few years ago.

rj-davey's picture
rj-davey's picture
rj-davey Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 12:16pm

Remember this?

&ab_channel=MohobuEurope

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 1:52pm

Doesn't every girl wanna be Phil Jarratt?

rj-davey's picture
rj-davey's picture
rj-davey Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 2:12pm

lol that's the best!

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 2:29pm

Ha ha!

Only an old surfer knows the feeling.

blackers's picture
blackers's picture
blackers Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 5:28pm

That's hilarious.

Finnbob the terror's picture
Finnbob the terror's picture
Finnbob the terror Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 7:21pm

Hahahhhah

AndyM's picture
AndyM's picture
AndyM Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 11:27am

Sick skills from 7.35.

Sprout's picture
Sprout's picture
Sprout Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 11:34am

Ripping, great stuff.

Chipper's picture
Chipper's picture
Chipper Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 11:57am

what a great surfer!!!

nextswell's picture
nextswell's picture
nextswell Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 1:03pm

Killer. Young female generation is what the tour needs if they are going to proceed with male/female tour running parallel at waves like pipe and chopes. Thus far it’s been lacklustre from the experienced crew. At 17 sky is the limit for Caity.

southernraw's picture
southernraw's picture
southernraw Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 6:06pm

Agreed. Sky is the limit for this grom.
Unreal clip.

PeteWebb's picture
PeteWebb's picture
PeteWebb Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 3:48pm

She surfs like a guy...and I mean that in a good way. So many of the girls have the bent at the waist, bum stuck out crouch all the time. She compressing and extending more which is pleasing to the eye.

Solitude's picture
Solitude's picture
Solitude Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 5:43pm

Hahahaha. I watched the Jarratt one first before the Steph one. Very classic, had forgotten about that Steph clip.

swab's picture
swab's picture
swab Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 5:56pm

I was wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. She's unbelievable. Just watched the lot. Wow.

southernraw's picture
southernraw's picture
southernraw Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 6:07pm

haha. Good on ya swab!

Nick Bone's picture
Nick Bone's picture
Nick Bone Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 5:45pm

Love a good redemption arc storyline

Tooold2bakook's picture
Tooold2bakook's picture
Tooold2bakook Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 6:36pm

Rips, charges.

goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot's picture
goofyfoot Wednesday, 20 Sep 2023 at 7:34pm

that was really good.

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 10:12am

Ripping! Caity's got such an unreal style.

FrazP's picture
FrazP's picture
FrazP Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 12:11pm

I think we are watching the girls hitting the next level, and to my mind she seems to be one of the leaders. I've been a fan ever since she tore the bag out of snapper a year or so back at the QS event.

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 4:03pm

X2.

I was thinking to myself back then, that's the future of womens surfing right there.

mugofsunshine's picture
mugofsunshine's picture
mugofsunshine Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 3:05pm

5'2" and 50kg

Jono's picture
Jono's picture
Jono Thursday, 21 Sep 2023 at 3:57pm

Great vid and the backside barrel at 7:30 is insane

conrico's picture
conrico's picture
conrico Monday, 25 Sep 2023 at 2:09pm

Her and Caroline setting a whole new standard for the comp. Very very impressive!