AIN'T THAT SWELL

All the stats and facts that matter as the Challenger Series climaxes at Haleiwa.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been a checkered run that’s delivered former World Tour surfer Dustin Barca from Kauaiian street fighter to politics. More checkered than any politician you’re likely to find. The difference is he doesn’t hide from it. Nor is he ashamed of it. Jed Smith follows the Kauaiian hardman, turned World Tour surfer, turned MMA star, turned environmental crusader and would-be m...

They don’t come any more iconic than Albe Falzon. Born and raised in a tenement in Redfern, deep in the industrial heart of Southside Sydney, he went on to have arguably the single biggest impact on Australian surfing culture through his seminal surfing and counterculture classic, Morning of the Earth, as well as Tracks Magazine, which he founded with John Witzig and David Elphick. See omnys...

Join Smiv, Deadly and Mark "The Raging Bull" Occhilupo for the very last show of the ATS Up in Smoke Tour live from the home of the Big Banana, Coffs Harbour. Find out who bit a chunk out of Occy's board during his first session at Sunset Beach, why he and Munga didn't go for earlies during the iconic Pump! Reunion Island Sessions and the sorcery behind Cheyne Horan's failed World Title bids. It's...

The Red Bull x WSL Big Wave Award winners are in and our man, Pete 'Condor' Mel, has taken out the Ride of the Year gong for his Mavericks Mondo Cone of Mortal Conequence. We thought it worthy of re-living. Here's his spine-tingling blow-by-blow account of a wave many have called the greatest ever ridden at Mavericks.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/li...

More grit than you could fill a Gina Rinehart neck-flap with in this Ain’t That Swell celebration of Australian surfing character. ‘Whacko’ Jacko Baker, ‘Geddit’ India Robinson, and Connor ‘O’Learyzy Bra’ O’Leary grit their cheeks and give it a full blown crack in the European Leg of the Challenger Series. No shore break is too gritty to rinse...

Join us live at the Bondi Bowling Club for an old fashioned schimozzle featuring a paralytic (and heavily redacted) Rod 'Kerrbox' Kerr, the charismatic journeyman and former world number two, Brad Gerlach, and the unflappable, iconic, iridescent '93 World Champ, Pauline 'Naughty Pauls' Menczer. Stick around for the impromptu freestyle from the mouth of a man who'd only seconds earlier eaten a cob...

What not to do the night before one of the most historic days in professional surfing: take four times the recommended dosage of hardcore trance grade LSD and head to the last night of a three day trance festival titled "Conscious Convergence" held in a commune called "Wacky Woods."  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re going off the deep end Swellians and who better to take us into the underworld of demons, drug addiction, jail cells, and redemption stories than Ain’t That Swell’s very own CORE SHAMAN, former Pipe Master and world number six, Robbie Page. A veteran of the Bellambi housing commission and a survivor of more horse shit than you can poke a pitchfork at, Paigey takes us on a s...

It was a stacked house back in April for a wild old night of ATS Live in the Cenny Coast Ice Rink. With a panel featuring all-star freesurfing icons Dion Agius, Creed McTaggart and Craig Anderson it’ a bummer that most of this ep had to be cut at the risk of endless defamation and litigation suits. Still it's worth trawling for nuggets like an 11-year-old Dion witnessing Dylan Longbottom get...

Five world titles worth of knowledge break down the WSL grand final fantazmo fandango at Trestles, in the form of three time world champ, Michael 'Mick' 'Micktory' 'Eugene' 'White Lightning' 'Liquid Lightning' Fanning, Pauline 'Naughty Pauls' Menczer, and Barton 'Cosmo' Lynch.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We get the scoop from Gabe Medina's coach and Swellian iconoclast, Andy King, on his way back up the Trestles track, following a week of high fidelity shralping and high drama. We get the lowdown on the unfolding Filipe Toledo drama at Trestles. Nic Von Froth buries his face in the best bush since Dirk Diggler was getting around. We go deep on the Albee Layer x Matt Meola Opus, Rainbows in the Rea...

The most unbiased analysis in surfing history is about to be schvitttttssst straight into your third eye via the pineal gland, as ya boys Smivvy and Deadly break down the chances of the 10 World Championship hopefuls a week out from judgement day. Who will win? Spoiler Alert: MORGS WILL WIN! OUR SAL WILL WIN AND FEMME GOAT WILL IMPOSSIBLY WIN TOO! Get educated and get ready to bunker down for the...

The world's gone hmmmmmmmad!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We mighta taken out the womens and mens divisions in Mexico but did you see the core lord blood bath at the other end of the Tour rankings? The Big O, the Surgeon, the Gosford Grug, Olearyzy bra, all gone. Gone! GOOOOOOOOOOONE! The Punch Drunk Pikey and Rinsed Corn go deep on what might be the darkest day in Australian Tour History. We demand a ROYAL COMMISSSSSSSSION! Get off ya fat sack SCOMO! We...

In 1974, three men set out on an epic journey in search of a perfect left in the West Australian desert. Their map was a beer coaster with a set of crudely drawn markings. They had enough supplies for a week.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian surfing's first ever Olympic Medallist Owen Wright joins the Swellians live from the Tokyo Games, fresh of winning the bronze. Da Big O takes us on an emotional journey through one of the biggest achievements of his career, and the biggest spectacles in world sport. SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSST! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

As Tokyo’s five ring circus kicks into gear ya boys Smivvy and Deadly break down the chances of our much loved Aussie Olympic surfing hopefuls the Iru.. Ira.. Irudu… fuck it! UP THE GELATINOUS BLOBS! The boys also deep dive into the not-much-discussed possibility that if successful, it’s the Olympics that could dismiss the WSL into the dustbin of history as a competitive comical side bar and not t...

A MENAGERIE of CORE Live from Bourgeoise (Byron) Bay ft. MOTE GOAT, Chris Brock, BY-GOAT, Danny Wills, Swellian Spirit Animal, Tom Carroll, Slab-Nerd-Cone-Freak ex-WSL Commish, Kieren ‘Chronic’ Perrow, and Lenno LORD, Jimmy ‘Taipan’ Wood See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Battler from Baia Formosa and reigning Brazilian world champ, Italo Ferreira, joins the beating heart of the Brazilian Storm, Jadson Andre, LIVE from Narra De Janeiro. What a story it is. From starting out surfing on his fisherman father's esky lid to dominating Gabriel Medina in a Pipe Master's Showdown to claim his first World Title, Italo is the quintessential done-good battler. A village k...

Join Smivvy on a warts and all journey through the House of Foo. In a moment of altruism that far outlasted his short but exceptional life, it was opened by the legendary Hawaiian big wave surfer, Mark Foo in the 1980s. It remains the only affordable lodging on the North Shore of Oahu today. "I felt like I'd stumbled into some kind of nirvana. A nirvana of kitsch nineties surf iconography and a li...

The catacomb of core has been prized open revealing the walking hellman himself, Chris Davidson. The North Narrabeen hmmmmmaniac joins fellow Rip Curl Search stalwart and Bonnie Hills World Tour battler, Darren O’Rafferty on the mike. Occy makes his debut as the quiz master on everyone’s favourite gameshow, OCC or NOT! Port Mac prodigy, Matt Banting, rounds out the show bringing us up to speed on...

Hold onto your corn holes Swellians! Smivvy and Deadly have outdone themselves yet again, bringing together a panel of Australian surfing legends more steeped in sweet sweet oceanic glory than a bagful of puckered calamaris. Thats right, Mick Fanning ("He's that fucken good!"), the Penrith-born, Ballina-raised, Coolangatta kingpin, and winner of three time world titles ("With a hammy on a screw")...

Two of Cronulla's favourite sons, Occy and Dog Marsh, join Cronulla's prodigal son, Dylan Longbottom for a hall-of-fame chron'd out froth-off of crontacular proportions. We're talking pioneering slab hmmmmmadman, stealing cars to surf Aussie Pipe, eighties tour shenanigans, tsunami survival stories, Shippies mayhem, Nazare wipeouts, Tahitian Roulette, and much much more! See omnystudio.com/listene...

It’s with heavy hearts the Swellians take to the air this week. The program lost one of its own in the late great, Jack Macaulay, Gracetown’s finest, son of Dave and Lorraine, brother of Ellie, Laura and Bronte. In this mental health special, the boys go deep on the nature of depression and anxiety, and offer their thoughts on the various solutions.  We also talk the Aussie leg of the Wozzle, and...