Ziggy Alberts is a young surfer from the Sunshine Coast. He first appeared on our radar as a favoured subject of photographer Jack Dekort. Although a talented and photogenic surfer it happens that Ziggy has also got game on land; he's academically inclined, musically adept and unfailingly polite, a grand example of an unconventional schooling and a tight family. Following is a conversation we recently had with Ziggy.

Swellnet: From the top, how old are you Ziggy? Ziggy Alberts: I turned 18 in July.

Congratulations. Thanks.

Do you know what generation that makes you? No idea, I haven't looked into the whole generation grouping to be honest.

Generation Z perhaps? Maybe. It'd make sense.

So you're 18, when did you leave school? I graduated from school at 16-years-old. I was really young. I was home-schooled until Year 10.

Did you go to a normal school after that or was home-school the extent of it? I went to a state school on the coast. I worked my butt off. I went into Year 10 at 13-years-old. I was really young and from there I graduated.

What can you tell us about home-schooling? It was an amazing experience. It would be something that's hard to replicate. My Mum is just about to release her book on home-schooling. It's a story, not a guideline to home-schooling but a story.

You've got a few siblings, is that correct? Yep, I've got five siblings all up.

And were they all home-schooled too? No, there was five us that were home-schooled, some part time, all of those so far up till Year 10 then moved into normal school.

Mum's pretty busy then? Yeah, Mum was basically a full-time mum and a full-time teacher. And Dad worked from home as a computer programmer. I've had a really strong family upbringing.

OK, music. Rumour is you've only been playing guitar for two years? Not even two years. I only started playing guitar in 2011.

Last year.... Yeah, last year.

You still practicing your scales and all that? I'm not gonna lie, I don't even know scales (laughs). I don't even know how to read music. I literally learnt off YouTube and I play by ear.

Well that's pretty organic. I taught myself. I've never had a lesson, I've never done any vocal work, I've never had any guitar lessons. I've just tried to keep it really natural, play the music that I hear in my head. It's not anyone else's music.

Do you think that ties in with the home-schooling somehow? Yep. It definitely ties together with the home-schooling. It comes down to a type of learning; you get taught an idea and then imagine yourself doing that thing. The idea in my mind is me imagining myself doing something – in this instance playing music.

It's hard to explain. Whenever I go to write music or to play music I cant imagine someone else singing it or someone else playing it. It's me, it's my idea, it's my art. That's something that's not just confidence but it's a way of thinking that's come from my home-schooling.

Have you learnt it in a way that you could teach someone else to play the guitar? I'm not a good enough musician to teach anyone else. I go by ear, I don't even know the names of the chords that I play.

But you've picked up a couple of gigs along the way? Yeah, I'm opening for the likes of Josh Pyke, Ball Park Music, Ben Lee - I'm opening for him at two different festivals which will be awesome.

If you didn't pick up the guitar 20 months ago what else would you be doing? Well, I finished school at 16-years old. I got in the top 12% of the Queensland state schools but I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I didn't go to university the first year, I chased down the guys at STAB magazine and I did an internship there several times. Did a lot of writing for them. So I was considering journalism.

So that would've been an option if you weren't playing music now? Yeah, and to be honest I work two days a week in an organic coffee shop making coffee and I make more in two hours playing music than I do in a week making coffee. So music is my employment and it's my sense of release, I guess. And it's something I just love to do. It's just different to surfing, its a different outlet.

How many songs do you have? I've probably released four plus six of my own. I've released 10 songs and I've probably written 16 or 17.

How many of those are love songs? Ha...probably too many.

Got any protest songs in your repertoire? Sorry...

Protest songs. Are you angry about the world? Oh, as a tone you mean. That's a hard one. I've never been angry, I guess more contemplative as such. Because of my writing I have a major emphasis on the lyrics.

OK, let's move it on and talk about surfing. Surf competitions: good or evil? Whew...the battle of Batman's mind.

Sorry... That's the battle of Batman's mind right there.

Ha ha...OK, but are you a naturally competitive person? I am, (long pause) I've done pretty well in some comps. I work really well under pressure but I just don't put as much value in surfing a heat and doing a cutback as I do, say, trying a backflip in front of a photographer or videographer. I think that's more exciting and has more value.

So that's something you'd rather pursue then? I'd say that, and maybe it's because I didn't do as well as some kids in comps but at the same time I get amped pushing myself, trying something under pressure and creating a moment. I'm not as good as surfing comps as other kids but I think my strong point is creating a moment. Something special.

There's so many amazing surfers in the world and there's so many amazing surfers under the age of 17 and 18 so while they may surf better than me it comes down to the fact that I'm sticking to my strengths.

What have you got in store for the next 12 months. To be honest I don't know where I'm going to be or what I'm going to be doing. If it's surfing then I'd like to be making lots of clips and keeping up my profile and work on travelling to places that are more challenging to surf. Improving my surfing.

Hopefully in 12 months I'll be able to play my music and surf full time and the job would be being myself, being Ziggy, which is the easiest thing for me to do. Hopefully that creates enough interest in the media that it becomes worth someones while to pay me to do that.

All the best Ziggy. Thanks Stuart.

(All photos Jack Dekort)