Ten years ago the view would've been somewhat similar: a double overhead reef, a few ugly ledges, and a smiling nude nut falling from the sky. It's been more than a decade since Justen 'Jughead' Allport made his name as one of the hardest charging surfers of his generation. He was the fella who spun on anything, landed a few covers and spreads, and famously busted his leg at massive Ghost Trees in Northern California.

Last Thursday Jug fell from the skies again and Swellnet cornered the NSW Central Coast surfer for a chat (click the photos below for full screen viewing).

Swellnet: You haven’t been seen much outside the Cenny Coast the last few years. What’s been going on?
Jughead: Just working and taking the kids surfing. Still doing a few trips actually, trying to be where everyone isn't. Sometimes that means surfing where no exposure is accepted. That's nice...

Had you surfed the Cape before?
Yeah, I first surfed Solander about 2008. I was blown away. It was really east and I thought for the size it was one of the most intimidating waves I had surfed. But then a couple of days later I went to Cyclops. That is the most intimidating wave out there for sure...hands down. However, Cape holds its own and is definetely number 2 on the list of most intimidating and heavy.    

Got plans to surf it again?
Yeah, that was my third trip down. I don't ever like leaving home when there's swell, though it was slow and inconsistent at home that day so I thought I'd go check it out

Gonna start chasing slabs the way you did ten years ago?
I got a bit lost for a while. My passion when I was young was to ride big waves, but living on the East Coast wasn't too kind. Countless trips to Victoria and Hawaii and Indo got my fix but at home there was only slabs to fill the void. Then after a bit of exposure on the slabs I started chasing them around the country, instead of chasing big waves and getting my rush off slabs back home.  

I’ve seen plenty of shots of you falling from the sky at your fave Cenny Coast reef, what’s the percentage play for that kind of move?
Well since I was a kid I've always had a deep regret of pulling back - especially after I came in from a surf wondering. These days I'm a little more calculated, but in saying that I still hate pulling back. It all depends how much surf time I've had lately or how many waves I've had in a particular session as to what risk I'm willing to take. Or even what mood I'm in.

What odds did you give yourself for this chop hop last Thursday? 
Well towing in I normally just take what I'm given. Bones went deep and made wave of the day a bit earlier. I saw Mark in the lineup and didn't want to go too close to him. And Bones said he just charged the rock, so I thought I'd be up for that. As I hit it, the wave doubled more and quicker than I thought so I was up high in the lip.

I had been paddling all morning and was frustrated by not getting many waves as the tow guys were on every set, so I thought there's no way I'm backing out. I just hopped it, went for the lien grab and thought I could make it......sooooooo wrong. Ha ha. It was fun, hey! But at least the guys paddling didn't have to watch an empty go by.

Spud and Mark had front row seats. What’d they say about it later?
They said nothing. I like them guys - very polite and nice guys. Always greet me with a smile and ask how the family is. I love watching them charge too, they're very down to earth and always good to watch. 

Any other words about the sesh?
Yeah. Thanks Bones for towing me into those two and all the locals for sharing the waves. The locals have that wave wired, there are so many underground low-key guys that surf so well out there. So good to watch. Dom going switch was cool to see. Sam Jones the grom was charging. It was good to catch up with Bones and Richie and a few others I rarely see. Doobs and Mozzy had some heavy wipeouts. Going for it!

(Click the photos below for ful screen viewing)