Surfing
With Aussie up-and-comer, Sheldon Simkus.
Western Australia’s “Box” is one of Australia’s most infamous slabs. It’s incredibly fickle and almost stupidly dangerous, but if you ever make it into (and out of) that big blue cavern, it’s unlike any other surfing experience. Short, sharp, intense and absolutely mind-boggling.
And so, it only seemed fitting to kick off our new “How To” series, outlining the techniques behind some of Australia’s most rewarding waves, with a chat about The Box. Let up-and-comer Sheldon Simkus talk you through it…
“Surfing the Box can be tricky. It's one of those waves where it can be surfed in a few different swell directions and winds, but is a whole lot easier to surf when the conditions are near perfect. SW or W swell with NE Winds and a rising tide is pretty close to perfect for surfing the Box – or close to it anyway."
It almost looks like it’s a wave that’s not even meant to be surfed… would you agree?
It's a pretty angry looking wave, but at the same time it's almost perfect to look at – and when you make a good one, it gives you the most intense couple of seconds you could ever experience. It's a slab of reef you could easily get hurt on, and being a couple of hundred metres offshore doesn't help the situation. I wouldn't say it’s the most dangerous in Australia, but it's definitely high on the list.
Can you describe a perfect day at The Box?
A perfect day at The Box would have to start with an early high tide, 6-8ft. I've never had an afternoon session out there, but I've heard that it’s pretty special… the sun setting and the colours in the sky.
Walk us through that ultimate wave and what it would be out there for you...
A nice easy roll-in, trying to set up back-dooring the first section… not too deep… then just hold on and get spat out into the channel. There are normally a few boils at the end of the wave that are from the big chunks of rock that sit off the edge of the reef, and they can be a challenge to avoid. When you make it past all of that, it’s pretty awesome.
The first time you surfed it… how’d you go?
My first session out there was really fun. It was my first morning in WA last year during the Margaret River Pro and I was actually just down in the car park on dark, checking the surf, and I noticed a few guys paddling out (it was the morning before they ran the event out at The Box last year). It was actually Joel Parkinson who frothed me up to get out there. I was lucky I had someone to follow.
What are the most important things to remember when you’re going to surf The Box?
- You’ll need a good strong board that paddles well (generally a bit longer or thicker, depending on how big the waves are) – I’d actually recommend bringing two, because that wave snaps boards like twigs!
- Choose your waves wisely and be smart.
- Keep your eyes peeled out the back, because you never know what you might see – you might see a set coming or a fin headed your way (both common sights out at The Box).
- Wear a nice warm, thick wetsuit – partly to keep yourself warm between waves, and partly because it’s a tiny bit more protection between you and the reef.
And, let us prepare ourselves for a wipeout… can you walk us through one of yours?
Haha! Actually, my last session out there was a bit of an interesting one. My second wave I swung late into the wind and tried to stick it at the bottom. I went over the falls and hit the bottom with my head and neck. The reef ripped my wetty and cut my shoulder and both hands. I ended up surfing for another couple of hours dripping blood ,which isn't the best thing to do out there (definitely don’t try this at home, kids).
My last wave was a fun barrel but it wasn't until I got to the end section, where a bodyboarder was right in my line to get out of the barrel. I ended up trying to ollie the bodyboarder. I cleared him but was then landing back down on one of the boils that pop up from the rocks, and that just snapped my board clean in half. I was lucky to get a lift in on a jetski… cheers Antman!
Now, who’s up for a sunrise session at The Box?
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