Surfing
Surfing
See Mathea Olin take on one of Canada's toughest waves in Wild Beauty
Grounded from travelling and a break in competition, Canadian surfer Mathea Olin reset her goals. At the top of the list? The slab off the coast of Tofino.
To wedge oneself into a full-body, 5mm wetsuit on a day that’s hovering around zero degrees celsius is no easy feat. To do so on a daily basis and with such consistency that you can translate bitter cold-surf sessions to standing on podiums all over the world? Well, that takes a village.
For professional surfer Mathea Olin, her hometown of Tofino in British Columbia, Canada, is that village. At the end of the road on the west coast of Vancouver Island, surfing is a different game. Board shorts are replaced by neoprene, conditions aren’t always perfect, and when they are, days are short and the weather is often harsh and uninviting above the 49th parallel.
So how does a Canadian growing up in a town of just 2,000 people make it to the world stage? If you want to bring the age-old nature vs nurture debate into the conversation, Olin's story starts to make a whole lot more sense.
Humble beginnings
While it’s quickly gaining recognition as a surf destination, Tofino remains in the winter months a quiet town where storms collide with the coast with ferocity and complexity. The challenge is making use of those storm surges – a skill that is honed only by research, repetition, and perhaps most importantly for Olin – following the lead of those who came before you.
Born in Canmore, Alberta, Olin moved to Tofino at the age of six. By the time she was seven, she was donning a neoprene suit and practising her cutbacks, and by the age of 10, she was getting noticed by the local pros. Now well into her career as a professional surfer and with plenty of competition experience (and trophies to prove it), she’s aiming to add another dimension to her already storied career – free surfing.
Mathea Olin heads out
© Jeremy Koreski
Talk about a Canadian backdrop!
© Jeremy Koreski
Olin and mentor, Pete Devries, heading out
© Jeremy Koreski
Getting barrelled
© Jeremy Koreski
With ample time at home, it was the perfect time for her to do so, and with plenty of surf surrounding Tofino (particularly in the winter months), she has her work cut out for her. Her first goal? Tackling the famed slab north of Tofino.
From that day I was like, oh, I want to surf that wave at some point, even though watching it was absolutely terrifying
The slab
Accessed only by boat, the wave was pioneered by local legend Raph Bruhwiler. It was categorised as one of Canada’s gnarliest waves due to fast-moving water that quickly pitches over the surfer’s head as soon as they are able to get to their feet. At the young age of 10, on a family trip to a nearby beach, Olin got to experience it firsthand.
"I sat on the beach the whole time and watched Pete (Devries) and Raph (Bruhwiler) get absolutely barreled," said Olin. "And then from that day, I was like, oh, I want to surf that wave at some point, even though watching it was absolutely terrifying."
Mathea Olin exploring offshore breaks in British Columbia
© Jeremy Koreski
The slab outside the coast of Tofino
© Jeremy Koreski
Olin finding her way into a frigid Canadian barrel
© Jeremy Koreski
Golden hour
© Jeremy Koreski
Devries, a young up-and-coming surfer at the time, has had a uniquely intertwined career with Olin – and it all started when Devries noticed Olin at the local break.
"I remember seeing her in the water when she was around 10 or 11", says Devries. "Just seeing how poised she was from such an early age; she already had such a naturally good style. I was like, 'wow – this girl has a lot of potential to be a really great surfer.'"
For the past decade, the two have travelled around the world competing together and Devries has got to experience first-hand Olin’s career take off. As Olin sets her eyes on adding a new dimension to her surfing, she’s lucky to have Devries, commonly referred to as Canada’s best surfer, by her side.
"Some of the more special moments in my surfing life have been at that wave just trading off barrels all day in perfect conditions. It's definitely a wave that means a lot to me and has provided a lot of opportunity for growth within my own surfing," Devries explains.
With a deep understanding of how special the wave is, Devries also appreciated how dangerous and difficult it could be. "The wave itself is a lot trickier than it looks in photos and video," Devries points out. "It's basically just a barrel. It's a wedging peak that's a right-hander that you've got to get behind the peak on the takeoff, or else you're not in the barrel."
Being far from a hospital and well out of mobile phone range, surfing a wave-like this came with plenty of consequences – a different type of challenge for Olin, who’s more used to facing off in head-to-head competition than trying to tame a remote wave.
From the tent, straight to the water for Mathea Olin
© Jeremy Koreski
The pink quiver never gets old!
© Jeremy Koreski
Things are a little different surfing in the Canadian wilderness
© Jeremy Koreski
The wave breaks in shallow water, and a bail might mean getting slammed on the reef below. Even a minor bail can be serious when you’re hours away from the nearest hospital and well out of phone range. That’s a reality that is not lost on the small crew that surfs there.
"I've definitely seen some injuries up there and some near hospitalisation kind of moments. It's a tricky spot to surf, and you put yourself at a very high risk of a serious injury, that's for sure," Devries says.
With an understanding of the risk she's taking on, Olin was ready for the challenge and excited for the opportunity to add another dimension to her surfing while keeping the most important thing at the front of her mind – having a good time. "When you're out in nature doing what you love for the pure joy of it – that's huge for me," Olin explains. "Whether it's competing or free surfing, for me, it's all kind of getting to the final goal of just being happy and surfing every day."
With the surf community of Tofino at her side, Olin attempted what no woman has done before – getting barrelled at the famed slab. Most importantly, she did it with a smile on her face, as you can see in the video at the top of the page.
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