Over 800 nautical miles on the clock and the cast and crew of Tracks magazine’s ‘Contrast’ trip are finally back on land – but not all back home. Like any military personnel tour-of-duty in Iraq, not everyone onboard the MV Addiction made it out uninjured (unfortunately).

Over 800 nautical miles on the clock and the cast and crew of Tracks magazine’s ‘Contrast’ trip are finally back on land – but not all back home. Like any military personnel tour-of-duty in Iraq, not everyone onboard the MV Addiction made it out uninjured (unfortunately). While the mayhem we encounted on our last day at 8-to-10 foot Rifles will make for great dramatic viewing, the experience was far from milo and ice cream. Cruelly, the youngest of our surfing action figurines Perth ‘Wonder Boy’ Standlick from Bondi, went down hard on his very first wave on our very last day at a break aptly named Rifles. Rifles is situated in the Playground area of the Mentawai Islands and is a hard beast to score due to tide and swell requirements. Picture this; after a night on the cans and the passing of the story stick our eyes were illuminated come morning by a roaring line up of spitting rights straight from the hand book of goofy footer hell. Excitement ran through the surfers and camera crew like swine flu through a Byron Bay Backpackers Hostel. Being a lover of finely sculptured waves of the larger kind meant Perth was second only to Dean Brady to be off the boat at into the line up. Within 5 minutes Perth was floating like an aimless kilo of coke of the Florida Keys with a flipped runabout coming for him… Tracks.com caught up with him back home in Bondi.

So Perth, tell our readers what happened?

I was pretty excited when we woke to pumping 6 to 10 foot Rifles so I got out there as quick as I as possible. My first wave roped of down the line and I stayed with it till the end and right on the inside got sucked up and over the falls and landed right on my tail bone. On a finger of reef I suppose. From there I floated in a little and got caught inside by the next two bombs.

One of which hammered the runabout that contained both our photographer Nathan Smith and filmer Tim Wreyford (and captain Eric)?

As bad as that was it’s lucky for me it happened. Otherwise it would’ve taken a while for you guys to spot me. It was Smithy’s camera case that I hung onto first, and all the other shit was floating around me. And then you all came to rescue them and the boat and found me, luckily. From there I don’t remember you guys getting me out of the water and into the boat very well. I think my eyes were rolling around in the back of my head a bit.

Surely you remember that huge American Doctor come onboard and attend to you?

How was he? He said some weird things, but he claimed to be a doctor and helped I suppose. He checked me for spinal damage and I’m thankful for that. It’s just I was told later he said something on a blog about it, “being a fun day – about 4 feet.” I’m pretty sure it was bigger than that. I also heard he can’t surf.

More a line backer for the Oakland Raiders than a surfer I was thinking. So what’s the diagnosis on your injury?

At first I was told I had a fractured spine (L3 and L4 vertebrae). And, that I’d have to stay in hospital in Singapore for a few weeks. They told Greg (owner of the MV Addiction who was injured earlier at Lance’s Right) he’d be able to go home. Then they changed again said I was fine, only soft tissue damage. Finally I was told I’d actually fractured my tail bone, and that I’d be able to go home, they then discovered Greg had fractured ribs and a punctured lung and he’d have to stay. Eventually we were flown in a private jet to Singapore and hospitalised there. Then when I could stand up I was taken by ambulance to the airport were they checked me on a flight and wheeled me onto the plane straight into business class for home, which was cool.

Fuck, it was a roller coaster ride wasn’t it? Talk about Contrasts, now you’re back home happy days?

So good to be home! Greg’s bed in Padang (West Sumatra) had bugs on it and there was dry blood on the walls and shit it was, well, pretty fucked up. Stoked to be home. Trip was epic, but home right now is real good.

All the gory details of this crazy trip (spitting volcanoes, broken bones, perfect and not so perfect waves, big airs, big personalties, horrid lacerations and behind the scenes revelations) will be in the December issue of Tracks. Along with the cover-mounted documentary style surf movie ‘Contrasts’ – Col B

Pic: Perth, finally at home doing a last interview for the movie.
Credit: Bernasconi