By Leroy Bellet.

As we roll into the dark carpark, I notice a short figure standing under the flickering, yellow glow of a street light. Approaching the lonesome figure, we roll down the windows and hear him playing a tribute serenade to the sea. He has his wetsuit half on, violin perched between chin and hand with a grin spread ear-to-ear. Meet the star of the shot: Benjamin Serrano.

Benny is always buzzing and this morning was no exception. While we gear up in the dark he shows me footage on his phone from a certain desert slab, and explains that he has screwed his knee and is due for surgery next week. “Sure you’re good to surf?” I ask.

“Yeah, I gotta get it done anyway and this will be my last surf for a coupla months.” 

This attitude showed in his surfing. There was no holding back for Benny on his last taste of green Spring tubes, before the depressing blues of Summer ensue. 

He threw himself straight into the guts of the first wave of the morning, a teal-toned monster surging out of the darkness and erupting onto the cunji covered rocks. Benny squatted, his silver helmet glistening in the eeriness of the available light, menacing shock wave in pursuit. The wave really squared out but by lowering his centre of gravity he found his way to safety.

This particular break is a short, shallow, bombora-type thing a couple hundred metres off the headland. It’s pretty much a closeout, hence why you can get it like this to yourself. No-one really wants a bite of the closeout cake it would seem. But a few, like Benny Serrano, love it for just that. 

His audacity always strikes me, because Benny isn’t on a mega sponsorship deal or anything of the sort. He’s a guy that simply loves slab surfing, for all the right reasons. I admire him for that.

This morning Benny got the last of his kicks for the season and satisfied his urge to seek thrills - at least temporarily. //LEROY BELLET (Leroy on Insta)