SB-issue59_digital

One glance at Jake’s social media will tell you that
he’s quite the globetrotter, sharing experiences
from Canada to London, Austria, Spain, and Japan.
However, it was his experiences in the beautifully
isolated breaks of Norway, each bordered by
mountains, pebbled beaches, and long stretches of
green pastures, that had us particularly enthralled.
The deep fjords and windswept coastlines of
Scandinavia certainly sound like heavenly places to
surf, at least for those that vibe with cold water, fires
on the beach, thick wetsuits, harsh offshores, and
the serene feeling of being alone with the ocean.
Jake said he’s always had a weird obsession with
going to Norway, and cracked up when he told us
that it’s probably because he watched The Polar
Express when he was young.
“As soon as my girlfriend Bayley and I stepped off
the plane, it was like we were in James Cameron’s
Avatar. The surf scene over there is just so different,
but still super respectful and honest. I think they like
to keep their little paradise close to them. A beer at
the beach is just not a thing – I paid for that one!
“I love Ireland too. My dad is Irish, so there’s a family
connection to the country for me, but I also like the
people, the landscape, the Guinness, and the surf
vibe, which is really sick. I’ve made some great
friends over there now, and I can’t wait to go back.
“For some downtime during our months away,
Bayley and I loved Denmark. That place has got
it all figured out. I heard you can also get waves
there if you know where to look. If anyone has the
opportunity, I would highly recommend going over
to France too. That whole strip all the way across to
Spain is just wild.”
Understandably, surfing was always the priority
for Jake after moving to the Sunshine Coast.
That is, until he turned 17, caught the travel bug,
and became increasingly frustrated when his
underwhelming iPhone photos and desperate
attempts at describing the picturesque backdrops of
the waves he caught just didn’t cut it.
As a result, Jake started shooting film on thrifted
cameras, which then led to him investing in more
serious, heavy-duty stuff.
“I still don’t consider myself as much of a
photographer, but I do love it. I think I get too surforiented
to commit to photography, but when the
waves are flat or I’m surfed out, it does become a
fun way of capturing perfect moments.
“I like to shoot all different things. Special moments
really, and when people are least expecting it. I
think it’s cool to capture people. I still get all artsy
and stuff, but there’s always plenty of emotions in a
photo, and they’re rad to look back on.”
Of course, Jake is being a little humble here.
His photos really are extraordinary, and capture
everything from sick waves to the authentic
moments that come with living as a nomadic surfer
(such as carefully slotting a surfboard through a gap
in a barbed wire fence).
# 59 // smorgasboarder //
66
One glance at Jake’s social media
will tell you that he’s quite the
globetrotter, sharing experiences
from Canada to London, Austria,
Spain, and Japan.