Mick Fanning wipeout at huge Cloudbreak - video
On June 8th 2012, Mick Fanning was one of the few WCT surfers that decided to paddle out at huge Cloudbreak. The wind wasn't exactly perfect but as the afternoon wore on, the wind lightened, swung around to a more offshore direction and the waves started to clean up and turn on. Along with Ace Buchan, Fanning grabbed a borrowed board from Hawaiian Big Wave Surfer Kala Alexander and stroked out to the line up without a safety vest on, just board shorts.
This preview segment of the internationally award winning documentary 'Thundercloud' is just a taste of what the complete production is like. It's available for download on iTunes by clicking here.
Comments
One of the best afternoons of surfing ever !
Who knows the names of the many highly paid pro surfers that piked it ?
All of them except Mick Parko Kerrzy Ace and the Hobgoods??
JJF
Lets ask them one by one -Why- how many are gonna say cos they were shit scared.
And we all remember what Mark Healy said.
JJF and Pat Gadauskas too:
Just watched that again, Jesus what an afternoon!!
I don't know how Kelly could sit there frothing out and not want to get out there. Crazy footage!
If my memory serves me correctly, didn't Mick's Mrs give him a serve for going out in it and nearly killing himself!!
And didn't Kelly have a crack???
Oh yeah forgot JJF was on the tour then. He got a FUCKEN mad one.
Pretty sure I remember reading that kelly went for a look, saw one massive set and said fuck that, not for me..
Don't forget one of the Gudang brothers maybe Pat ???? took that massive air drop and go down .
There were a few out there , they didn't dominate . But definitely had a crack .
When you think about it though , of all the days to have a go that would be it . Water safety had a collective 500 years of experience on hand in the water at any given time .
It was as safe as it was ever going to get , perhaps Parko could have lent Mick a BBG buoyancy vest though .! ?
Where was Jordy? Oh yeah, shoulder strain, again
I think it's a tired argument the one about the ct guys being pussies for not surfing that day and perhaps suggesting they are not as good as the big wave guys. It was extreme conditions best suited for the the guys that have built themselves up inch by inch to that level in those types of conditions. If you watch the movie, plenty of guys from the ct talk about not really wanting it that day. I don't think they are as ashamed of it as the Internet troll world would have them be. They respect the guys for charging openly. It's really comparing apples with oranges. Do we question Occys world title even though he dodged all the air comps. I'm personally happy with the way it panned out. The sets that poured through that afternoon were very rare gems and deserved to have the best guys on it. It shone a light on the chargers one that they thoroughly deserved.
Agreed Shoredump.
The tour guys take on triple overhead waves across shallow reefs as part of the job. it's easy to sit on the couch and call them cowards for not going out on that day at Cloudbreak. I'm sure they were scared, as all the guys who surfed it were. Those giant days are not where the tour guys earn the sponsor's money. They are not going for wipeout of the year. That day was not the target swell for why they were at Cloudbreak, unlike the big wave guys. The next day, they had to be fit enough to contest heats. That was their priority. Let the big wave specialists enjoy, who are awesome and have my awed respect.
Agreed Wally and Shoredump. In Thundercloud most of the CT guys admit they were shitting themselves. If even KS said he didn't want a bar of it, you know it's seriously heavy. This is a completely different realm to what most pro surfers are used to. To paddle into that on someone else's board, in some of the most extreme conditions imaginable, is borderline certifiable. I'll bet most of the armchair surfer/trolls calling these pros out for not surfing have never even watched a wave like Cloudbreak at serious size, let alone surfed it. Knowing your limits and admitting it deserves respect.
Shore dump I tend to agree. If the comp continued I would imagine quite a few waves would of gone through unridden, not due to lack of balls but that's the way comp heats go, guys tending to only pick off the cream (naturally). As I recall most of those waves were ridden & for the most part by guys that had the right equipment for the day. The proof was in the pudding really..
Mick is as sic as they come!
What else is new... Most people would rather watch than participate.
Stu, and the Swellnet crew, you are all the best!
The impending 2015 inaugural WSL season is going to be SICK!
Yew.
And a yew to the 2 backatchya, Roller.
Maybe I've got the year wrong but I seem to remember Bede Durbidge in the last heat before the contest was postponed, slicing through a wicked sidewind chop as the swell was topping. Then it cleaned up for the big waves guys (and the ISP, bless them, kept the cameras rolling). As for courage, skill and charming modesty, it's hard to beat Bede's effort.
Bede must be the most 'under the radar' guy on tour. Does anybody ever think of Bede when they think of hard-charges on the ASP (WSL)? Nup. And he was forgotten on this thread again until you pointed this out. But he surfed that heat so well, and then look what he did at chopes last year. I am really hoping for a big Bede comeback this year (although he came a very competent 16th last year - but no one remembers that either)...
Bede was on a 6'10 I think ?
Melling also surfed that morning, as did Raoni Monteiro.
And the knee injury Raoni suffered during that heat effectively ended his career.
Kai Otten was in the heat with Monteiro. Kai said he had a hold down in that heat that forced him to hold his breath like he'd never had to before. He climbed up his legrope to reach the surface.
Still they knew it could be on thats why all the big wave guys were there and to hear a lot of pros say there biggest board was a 6-4 or 6-6 is a joke why wouldnt you have a 7-0 +.Anyway kudos to the guys like parko and mick etc for having a go true water men imo and i couldnt imagine it being called on and you get offered a 9-6+ for your heat that youve never surfed,haha.
Yades was out there. He is paddling out while Healy is copping that monster...
Well if that was meant to entice me to watch the whole movie....it worked perfectly.
Yeah the movie is well worth a watch. .
Gives you a different perspective on it for sure. The argument that the Pro's should have been out there is a pretty weak one for a whole number of reasons but mostly because they aren't big wave riders and it's a different ball game. The big wave guys seem to recognize that, it's mostly just the armchair experts that are calling them out. Pro's aren't gonna start turning up to contests with quivers ranging up to 9'6" any time soon.
The story about Kelly not going out is a good one. He and Wassel had been commentating in the booth on Tavi and both went out late to get amongst it. As they were about to jump in, THAT set came through that absolutely detonated on the reef. Kelly put his board down, pulled his rashy off and said "Fuck that, that's not what I'm here for" while Wassel jumped in and got the wave of his life on a 10' 2" straight after. Got the one wave and headed straight back to the boat. 5 minute session. Said he was so scared he blocked the whole thing out and can't remember it.
Any idea what length of board KS was going to ride ?
From memory it was damn short. Can't put a figure on it though.
Also, it was only in hindsight they realised the set that swatted Healey was the peak of the swell. Imagine seeing that and thinking the next set is gonna be bigger again.
He goes shorter as the waves gets bigger, so probably a 3'4. Or a skateboard deck.
Bought the whole movie the other night.
Healey actually WANTED to catch one of those massive freak ones. As did Kohl Christionson. That's just not right!
If I could have any surfer in the worlds mindset it would be healey's. The way he processes life threatening situations is simply amazing
Not sure if you saw Reef Macintosh's wave straight after Parkos big one.......but he was riding a 7 4......and had to sit inside everyone to catch a wave...he reckons its the fastest he has ever been in his life on a s/bd and he made the comment that as he had quad G10 double foiled tow fins....he was hanging in by his fins and he remarked that the guys really getting and making waves that day all had tow fins..
It s interesting to lok at Micks wipeout...the board he rode looks like it got sucked up high and then caught on a piece of chop...hence the forward head dive....
Just worked out that Melling, Ranoi, Kai, Yadin, Bede, Mick, Parko, Hopgoodx2, JJF, Kerrzy and Ace were all out (including the morning heats). Maybe some more. That is at least one third of the entire tour...
Another thing Healey said was as he was paddling up the face of that first mutant monster, the one before he took his leggie off, he was looking at the curve in the face studying where he would need to position his board to catch one. Guys got a screw loose. He's pretty much the ultimate waterman imo
Where's this interview Goofy?
On Thundercloud Craig
Thanks.
Does anyone know what happened to his board after he took the leggy off? Did it get washed in over the reef in 12 pieces, or was it vapourised never to be seen again?
"The argument that the Pro's should have been out there is a pretty weak one for a whole number of reasons but mostly because they aren't big wave riders and it's a different ball game."
Makes no sense. So when Chopes is ten-12 feet or Pipe is over ten feet the Pros shouldn't be expected to surf? That's equally or even more life threatening than 15ft+ CB.
Kelly has won the Eddie.
The Pros weren't prepared for a swell every man and his dog saw coming.
There's two ways to die: hit the reef or run out of air. Chopes will do the first, and when Cloudbreak is huge it will do the second.
Pro surfers are agile and nimble, they've got fast twitch reflexes, they can generally avoid the worst that 10ft Chopes can dish out.
But 15ft Cloudbreak is another matter. Apart from simply not seeing surf that often - shit, if at all - the skills that served them so well in their climb to the CT aren't the same as those used by the world's best big wave surfers.
I agree. They are meant to be the best all round surfers in the world, not just there state or country, the world...
They should basically be able to and be confident to surf anything.
As one of the big wave guys said on thundercloud, they made it clear to the tour guys that they could borrow there boards.
Epic Cloudbreak: vimeo
How do you know it's equally or more threatening than 15'+ CB? All the evidence points pretty strong the other way doesn't it?
Given that the pro's surfed this year at pretty much maxed paddleable Chopes, and have surfed plenty of times at big Pipe - why did most bail on Cloudbreak that day? Yes, Kelly has won the Eddie and come close a couple of other times yet he bailed on it instantly as soon as he got out to the line up..."Fuck that" were his actual words.
Yeah every man and his dog saw it coming. That's why all the BIG WAVE guys were there. Because they pretty much knew that the CT wouldn't run in massive conditions and they would most likely get to surf.
And that wave that almost took out Healy didn't look life threatening at all.....
[quote=lolo And that wave that almost took out Healy didn't look life threatening at all.....
That's very easy to say sitting watching it from the comfort of your computer screen. You may think differently if you were out there. I've been out in 6'-8' cloudbreak and it's somewhat intimidating at that size. I would be in awe watching it from the safety of a boat at 15'+.
How may deaths at Pipe and Teahupoo?
How many at CB?
Pipe is the most dangerous surf spot in the world. For the most part when there is no comp on the Pros don't want a bar of it.
Why did most Pros bail on CB that day?
Simple; because the comp was called off and they didn't have to surf. You can bet your nutsack most of them wouldn't have paddled out at Chopes last year unless the comp was called on.
With respect Stu, and I'm very well aware of the fact I wouldn't be within a nautical mile of it, there was very little danger of drowning that day with flotation vests and jetskis on hand. Never a safer time to surf big waves than in the Comp.
Got a feeling lolo might've been talking the piss Fitz...
Hmm lolo taking the piss...if not could you please define for us what a life threatening wave is ?
Kala Alexander recounts that day on Youtube...and calls the Healy wave 50 feet !
Anyone know if Sean Woolnough surfed it that day.
50 feet, eh? So much for the Hawaiian scale undercalling it.
Lets organize Paul fisher to chat Kala about his wave size calling.
Stu, maybe you need some emoticons to help the people that missed the sarcasm. Was just having a dig at Freeride saying 15ft + CB was not as threatening as big Pipe or Chopes.
It's worth watching the movie just to see the aftermath from when that wave hit and Healey's description of it. The brown soup it stirs up and sideways chop waves it generates as everything boils up afterwards is just crazy.
Wooly was out there pretty much all day Udo. When you see any of those photos of that big set, Wooly is one of the two guys a bit wider scrambling over the shoulder.
The Pros were prepared. As Mick Fanning said, we were all prepared, with our Restaurants boards because that is where we expected the contest to be that day, like usual.
These days the pros charge much harder than in the 90-05 era where some of them couldnt surf waves over 6 ft .i reckon becos they didnt have to surf they happily sat back and watched the guys that needed or wanted to surf it . If none of the expert big wave guys didnt arrive it could have been a whole different scenario. But i reckon they were relieved that the experts come n did there jobs .
Scardy would go.
Caml have you ever not gone out because you thought it was too big? Or heavy?
Yes GF many times its big & wildly onshore in aust seas usually the southern shores when the swell buoys are reading 8-9 metres swells .
Given that Kai Otten is rated as a full on charger in dangerous conditions, it was interesting to read his comments.
From a Fred Pawle article in The Australian.
'Australian Kai Otton, who was in the heat with Monteiro, said the waves were the heaviest he’d encountered in a contest.
“That was the next level,” he said, adding that he needed to be rescued by the jetski after a “nasty hold-down” and a climb up his legrope to the surface.
“I haven’t had to hold my breath like that before, and by the end of the day, the wave that got me was a nothing wave. The waves at the end of the day were huge. There were 20 guys out there, and they were the best big-wave surfers in the world.
“There’s been a thousand arguments about whether we should have gone out there. Do people want to sit there and watch someone drown just for their enjoyment?”
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Good piece also on Coastalwatch with Kai Otten talking about that day.
http://www.coastalwatch.com/surfing/10622/the-bends