CHASING THE PERFECT DAY

Joe Average Citizen usually gains an impression of a surfing trip to the world’s greatest waves by looking at fascinating photos and video clips. In combination with media reports they create a lasting enough impression but are seldom fully comprehended. This time it’s different: Australia’s Jason Polakow, who has twice won the PWA Wave Sailing World Championship and is one of the world’s finest surfers, gives a highly personal account of his most recent surfing projects in Bali and Tahiti. But he provides far more than just an insight into the technical and mental challenges and dangers; he also talks freely about his cultural impressions and thoughts, helping Joe Average Citizen to better understand how it feels to surf through the world’s biggest waves. In his Travel Report No. 1, Jason talks about his extraordinary trip to Bali.

"The eternal search for the perfect spot never seems to die. A gut-wrenching urge that swells in the pit of the stomach, telling us that it’s time to venture to a better place. With so many spots around the world already photographed, the search can become an obsession.

With technological advancements an almost everyday occurrence we can now rely more than ever before on the weather to tell us when and where the pressure systems are going to intensify or dissipate. In some instances, however, it’s not technology’s fault but our own! Lack of knowledge with regards to metrological weather and accurate information can potentially cause a disaster. Understanding the weather and waves will greatly improve your chances of success. We didn’t know it yet, but we were about to experience, first hand, the trials and tribulations of a very shaky trip.

Low-pressure systems adhere to known patterns but are in a constant state of flux. The weather and waves they produce cannot be reliably predicted beyond three or four days. You have to be ready to travel anywhere at the drop of a hat. The downside to such sporadic decision-making is the immediate cost involved. Tickets prices soar, direct flights are often oversold, girlfriends are pissed off, and photographers have already made arrangements with other clients.
Is it all really worth it? You bet your little arse it is!

Based in Australia during certain months of the year, I have the entire Indian and Southern Oceans at my fingertips. Spanning from the Tahitian Islands through to Fiji in the East, to Indonesia in the North, I have the luxury of monitoring the winds and swells that are born in Antarctica and slowly grow as they make their way north in the cold seas of the Southern Ocean. Like a dog on heat, I wait feverously for the right moment, trying to find the right bitch to ride! Five hours by plane will get me to any one of these tropical locations. Jealous? Well you should be!

The first spine-tingling moment came around the beginning of May, with a huge low pressure system moving upward from Antarctica and about to slam itself into Balinese waters. Myself and my buddy “Dog” were debating whether or not we should go, as there seemed to be a good-size low pressure at home in South Eastern Australia. We had made the decision to stay at home and try to sail this solid right-hander near my hometown. With all our knowledge of local weather and vast amounts of information we still made the wrong call. They say that two heads are better than one, which I guess means that between the both of us we barely passed for one! Indonesia was apparently 15 to 18 foot for three days with strong trades. We ended up sailing three-foot mush at home. What a mistake!

You see, the weather is such a fickle thing. If you take her for granted or ignore her too much, she’ll eventually turn around and slap you in the face. Like all women, she needs understanding and respect … well maybe not all women. Lessons in that department seemed to be a common occurrence for us, too.

It wasn’t till mid-August that we saw another low pressure developing, ripping up the waters of the Southern Ocean. The size and magnitude of the low was almost that of the last low that hit Indonesia with such brute force that not one surfer was seen in the lineup at G Land. The forecast for Indonesia estimated that the wind was to be a moderate trade direction with swell readings topping out at 12 to 16 feet at 20 seconds. If this was our reward for our continued patience with the weather, then “she“ must have blessed us with wisdom and understanding, or maybe “she” was baiting us, waiting to play another cruel and twisted joke. At any rate, we had made the decision to go. Neither hell nor high water was going to stop us now."