Vote: Who should surf in the Bells Beach 50 Year Storm Invitational?
Voting for the Bells Beach 50 Year Storm Invitational has started and runs till Saturday May 15.
The event will see Shaun Brooks honoured, as a field of family, friends, local surfing royalty and big-wave chargers paddle out for a one-day invitational contest at Bells. Shaun, a former World Junior and Victorian Open champion, took his own life in 2012 after a long battle with mental illness.
Mental health should be in the forefront of all our minds after the spread of Coronavirus worldwide. Talk to your mates, and ask the hard questions. Please, if you feel this way, reach out to your friends or one of our partners for help. The Bells Beach 50 Year Storm aims to raise funds and awareness for Mental Health.
Comments
i think dan ross
Rossy x 2
Wayne Lynch
Tom Curren.
Greg Brown
Barry Cornell
Bender from Metro Boardriders.. he is really fat now but he still rips
Bodhi!
I’m surprised Maurice Cole isn’t on the list
haha , I am pretty much hated by the local boardriders clubs and Surfing Vic....so no chance of getting start......good luck to all the boys , hope they have a great one!
I couldn't see an option for Vic Local or Gary G?
Gary G will be just, you know, watching.
*Gary posts 'eyes' emoji
Voted for two Island boys Simon Mcshane & Sandy Ryan both great guys that charge and rip.
They both charge and Sandy has to be one of the nicest and happiest guys in any line up.
Second that...
goofyfoot
Lol
Gary's rubbing off on you, Goofy
Fnarr fnarr
That’s a horrible thought
The entire cast from The Ultimate Surfer.
I like where your heads at belly. And let's give the winner a wildcard for the next 5 Bells comps.
I don't know 30 surfers, let alone a Top 30.
I'd still like to vote for Stu, Ben, Craig and Jono...and goofyfoot
Laurie Towner
Im not sure i would call Bells really a big wave.
Maybe genuinely 1 every 50 years it gets biggish
Good cause though
Tommy Peterson......representing MP...
Selim
That you Slim?
Joe Turpel or Elo.
Yo I was gonna say Strider
When was the last time they actually ran this event ? Feels like a lot of hype each year around the list but....
I don't think it's ever been run
A few years ago it was on standby and they called it off the night before. The following day it was falling out of the clouds.
If Gary recalls correctly that was the huge raw day where Luke H (Kneelo) absolutely dominated the bowl and kicked off on one past the button? Gary watched from the hill; an incredible effort.
Big miss not to run on that day, you could see waves breaking from the Bells Boulevard / Bones Rd intersection.
Gary surfed a point east of TQ later that day. Blew the takeoff on his first wave, snapping his leash and endured a very long swim in. Recovered the board, miraculously.
Very true Gary G.
The buoys did lie a bit that day and it was significantly bigger than expected in the morning.
I reckon wetsuit companies should make suits with a little brown stripe at the back for days like those. It took a while to get rid of the skid mark.
I'd be happy to see that kneelo in the comp. Mix it up a bit.
I see Mark O is on the list. Don't know the guy aside from the odd g'day around Bells but he seems like an absolute frother and is always on the pick of them on the good days.
*Mark B
Yeah, is this even a real event or a hypothetical?
There's been a few chunky swells of late which would suited.
Oh well.
Worth watching the video to get some context around the value of holding the contest vs the opportunity to simply make mental health a mainstream issue via the opening ceremony and all the relevant discussions - including this one - motivated by the event (even if it's rarely held).
Thanks Stu - that was helpful. Cheers
Imagine if they put the list in alphabetical order to help find the people you want ? You can vote as many times as you want which seems a little silly.
love to see Occy out there again
No Brainer. Nicky Woods.
Is he any relation to Nicky Wood or Tiger Woods?
V's Mark Richards
Gary Elkerton
Simon Anderson
Joe Blow most definitely!!!
Ralph The Bong as well....was a legend....name was plastered on every wall during the 70's
Dirk Edward Ziff
Vote 1 Camel .
I want a Geoff Rowley V Maurice Cole heat.
For old times.
I think the invites should be local legends and chargers who have a genuine connection to the family and Bells area. Think Wayne Lynch, Greg Brown, Tony Ray, Donny Alcroft, Maurice Cole, Darren Wilcox, Cahill Bell Warren etc. Hopefully they don't wait for some huge swell that might not offer good conditions, a classic 6-8 ft day would offer a fitting spectacle and tribute.
Laurie Towner
plus the person or persons that the locals recommend
Mick Fanning
If any out of Towners then the Tas HX brothers.....
Richo
Occy and Johnny Utah !!
"Utah ........ get me 2 !!"
Rod Brooks, let him use a ski
Laurie Towner
Sandy Ryan , Phillip Island.
Edward Blackwell
That'd be entertaining.
Especially if he was full of piss at the after-party and the cameras were rolling the whole time.
Glen Casey
That video is excellent. Great messages in it and some cracking footage.
Seriously Bells .. why don't you just go down South..
As above +1 Bnkref.
Nick Wood should be on the list. Yes he won Bells once, but he’s had more than his fair share of demons and the Nicky Wood that I knew was (is) a great guy.
Is Nick "Nicky" Wood still surfing? Youngest ever winner. Had battles with his own demons. Or what about Dave Reardon Smith? Lots of fantastic surfers that had issues. Both these guys were explosive
hell yeah sheepdog and morgs. Woodsy is legend. Just don't get in a rented Tarago with the maniac .
.
The Torquay/West Coast area has and has had so many great surfers over the years I personally think the invitees should all be locals. I understand having the bigger names or interstate people generate publicity for the cause which is fantastic but still I feel it should be locals comp.
Second that
x3. Local crew only would be ideal.
Voted for Chad Campling, don't know him but his 2 uncles are long time mates of mine so go Chad.G'day Ant (cheetah ) long time no see mate , hope all good in Warnambool . Elder uncle good mate in WA .Good concept , a comp I could actually watch, hope it runs at 15 ft cheers
Hellman McConachy. No brainer.
What about Camel. I know he's from WA, but he's probably the definition of an underground charger. He'd lend a bit of street cred to the event I reckon.
Then there's Andy Campbell from Tasmania. Pretty much Australia's Jeff Clark I reckon. Don't know what's become of him though.
Good call on Andy Campbell he use to charge harder than anyone he was the first to really surf Shipsterns he use to walk in a surf it alone.
He has been living in Bali for the last 20 years, still charges but seems his main interest now is filmmaking/photography, he was making a docco late last year in Sumba in his own words.
"a feature length documentary film in Sumba. Set in one of the most sacred villages in Lamboya, Sumba. A story about customary beliefs and how breaking the rules led to the village being cursed after the village was burnt to the ground, A story of ritual, black magic, murder, a crazy man in a cage, and how a family embarks on a journey with the village leaders to restore balance and harmony through sacred ritual."
He hasn't updated his FB or Instagram, so hopefully its still coming out.
I travelled through Indonesia in '94 with a guy from Tasmania called Andy Campbell. He was a total charger, so I think it must be the same guy. We had one pretty epic big day at T-Land when he was absolutely going for it. Hard to put a size on it but I'd say it was ten foot+. Only a few of us paddled out. Still to this day the biggest waves I have surfed over there and that includes a certain West Java big wave spot. Later on he came over to NZ and we had some fun waves in Taranaki, Wairarapa and Raglan. I lost contact after that as he was probably sick of me by then haha!
Anyway, he's a top man, and it was no surprise to me when I found out he'd pioneered Shipsterns.
100% him.
If you want to reconnect
https://www.facebook.com/andrew.campbell.372
https://www.instagram.com/baron_van_dieman/
That's him for sure. Cheers. By the way Indo, I reckon we've possibly crossed paths before. Lakeys in 94 and Krui in 2008.
Spuddups, T-land must have been pretty quiet back then?
There were about twenty surfers there. Pretty uncrowded most of the time. Was there for about three weeks and there were waves all day every day.
Sounds great. I've been a couple of times but not for a few years now. Lots of crew around last time but quiet in the water once it hit around 6ft or bigger.
It'd be a long, long, long shot for Campbell to fly into Vicco......solid surfer who understandably seems to value his freedom to the extent that he's stayed well clear of Tassie on hiatus for around a couple of decades......
Kong, Bryce Ellis
Heath Joske.
Tahlijia Redmond
Excellent vid. Great concept to base a comp around. Hope they can run it this year.
Lance Johnson- "he can really ride the nose, and his cut back is pretty damn good too."
Troy Brooks?
Rod Cunthorpe???
Local charger, ex world champion and the head of the Mucca Mad boys Blake Oakfield
Can’t stand that alleged comedian.
Agree. Re Chris Lilley....
BF - Wings like a shield of steel....what about this guy?
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Joker dropped in. Interference. Easy win for Batman.
Great concept, and anything that helps blokes admit to being a bit down and learning to talk through what they are going through gets my vote.
Any local indigenous surfers who should get a guernsey?
Chris Ryan as long as his back holds up
The comp is on today. No live action unfortunately but we'll try and keep you abreast of the action here.
Im sure my brother would give it a crack if bodyboarders from cronulla/newcastle are allowed in. as long as its 8 meters plus