Interview by Brendan McAloon

Wayne Lynch is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. In a surprise about turn, the man who shunned the spotlight in the early 70s, famously declaring that he wanted to be “just a surfer, not star”, has become the unlikely subject of Craig Griffin’s excellent feature-length documentary Uncharted Waters. Not only is Lynch touring around Australia with the film, he’s also engaging audiences in lively post-screening Q&A sessions. Brendan McAloon spoke to him before the Sorrento screening on Friday night.

On stepping back into the spotlight…
Wayne: I’ve tried as much as I can to do only what was necessary to live the life that I love. It took a long time for me to agree to do the film – it took a year for Craig (Griffin) to convince me. I’d been approached before and I was sure that I wouldn’t do it but Craig wore me down. He convinced me that it was a unique story, that it was an important part of our history and culture that would just disappear. I have been very surprised to the reaction (to the film) so far. I thought that today’s generation wouldn’t even know who I was. I’m really glad that I did it and that so many people have related to my life in some way and been inspired by it.

On the post-screening Q&A sessions…
I’ve really enjoyed it. 98% of people ask genuinely interesting questions. I think the film has touched people because they’ve lived some part of that experience or have been able to relate to it. I think it reflects just how fortunate we have been in our lives to find something that allows us to experience that sense of freedom and fun. I found something that I liked to do and I stayed close to that, which I think resonates with people. So the Q&A sessions have been good fun.

On opening the inaugural Lorne Film Festival in his hometown…
I spent so many years sitting on the other side and suddenly I’m out the front, which was an odd experience. I was so fortunate to grow up in Lorne in that era and I think people picked up on that sense of appreciation. I’ve only watched the film once – I go for a walk during the screening – but I try to interact with the people who come along. They’ve made the effort to come out and see the film so I make the effort to say hello. I’ve re-connected with people that I haven’t seen in a long time. At the Geelong screening I caught up with a guy who I hadn’t seen for 35 years – one of the pioneers at Bells who is in his 80s now. It’s been really really good to see these people who have taken an interest in it.

On being a recluse…
I have led a sort of reclusive life but I’m very interactive with people – I like people, I like people’s company. There might be this perception of me sitting at home peering through the curtains, but it’s not true.

On his reputation…
I wouldn’t say that I’m cynical. I say things how I see them. There has been a lot of conjecture about me, a lot of half myths, so one of the reasons I agreed to do the film was to break down those perceptions. Martin Potter introduced the film at Frankston. We were talking beforehand and he said, “You’re anti-competition aren’t you”. I’m not at all. I did a lot of competition, particularly when I was younger, but I became very mercenary about it. I just didn’t feel very comfortable with it. There were some of the fiercest competitors ever in that era and the rivalries, the politics – it was unbelievable what went on behind the scenes. It just wasn’t part of my personality. Part of the reason I walked away was to pursue different tangents (in surfboard design) where you have to be prepared to take risks and be prepared to fail. You can’t do that in the competitive arena because you need a board that works in a whole variety of conditions and you have to surf to a certain criteria, which is very constraining and constricting. I was more interested in finding a way back to that joyful thing about surfing. I couldn’t go on the world tour, it would be just too boring and it goes against who I am as a person. Surfing for me is a lot of fun. I hope the film brings that sense of fun and that spirit of freedom. Today surfing is more about contests and business, which is just one paradigm but the prevailing paradigm, particularly in Australia. If anything, I hope the film helps broaden that sense of what surfing is.

On the surfing in the film…
When you’re doing it, it’s more about the feeling – if it’s feeling good you’re happy. I feel really good about the surfing (in the film) that, yeah, that was what I was trying to do. I wouldn’t say that I’m proud… I feel good that the surfing’s nice, particularly in the context of the time and the equipment. In a sense I think that it’s still relevant.

On surfing today…
I still have the same relationship with surfing. Today, I mainly ride four fins but I also ride three fins. I ride everything from 6’2” up to 8’6” depending upon the waves. I ride contemporary boards with some elements from that earlier era in terms of foils and thickness. They’re not absolutely contemporary surfboards – they’re not that fine. They’re single and double concaves with more volume spread through the front of the board. I get tubed – I’m that age where I don’t get barrels, I get tubes.

On reflecting upon his life…
I had so much attention in the 60s that it turned me off it – it was too much for a young kid. The film gives an insight into what it was like for a 16-year-old kid from a little town who became a “worldwide phenomenon”, using their words. There was so much pressure of constantly being under the microscope. It’s not natural. It really influenced how I was going to live the rest of my life and made me back away from that. I’ve lived a fairly quiet life, surfing with friends and family, and family is kind of a big deal for me. It comes down to personality. To receive all that acclaim is not that valuable in life – it’s not all that good for you. There have been a hell of a lot of surf stars that haven’t fared that well. I’ve watched it happen over and over again. I remember getting back home, sitting on the rocks and thinking, “those bastards are mad”. For me, surfing was this absolutely wonderful gift that came into my life and to turn around and bastardise it – no way, I’m out of there.

//BRENDAN MCALOON