{"id":98286,"date":"2026-02-24T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tracksmag.com.au\/?p=98286"},"modified":"2026-02-23T11:46:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T00:46:05","slug":"young-brave-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tracksmag.com.au\/young-brave-heart","title":{"rendered":"Ned Hart announced as wildcard for Capitulo Perfeito in Mozambique"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WA charger Ned Hart has been announced as the international wildcard for the Mozambique edition of the Capitulo Perfeito – a one day invitational tube riding contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event, which translates to ‘The Perfect Chapter’, was originally born out of Carcavelos in Portugal and has been running annually in Europe for over a decade with the aim of showcasing the best surf of the European winter. However, organisers announced they would be expanding the contest this year to host events in Mozambique and Indonesia, as well as its usual offering in Portugal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balaram Stack, Bruno Santos, Joel Parkinson, Noah Beschen, Rob Machado, Soli Bailey, Torrey Meister, Tosh Tudor, Cam Richards and Anne Dos Santos have been confirmed as the international invitees for the European edition of the event. Meanwhile, Ned has been granted the wildcard for Mozambique which was decided by a selection of international surf media, including Tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest of the Mozambique field will be made up of the finalists from the Carcavelos comp, two local surfers and a second international wildcard. There will be a top prize of 10,000 EUR for the winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The waiting period for the event, which is due to be held at Praia da Barra, runs until 30 March. In the meantime, check out our feature on Ned below, which ran in a previous edition of our mag<\/strong> when he was making his early ascension into the big wave game.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ned going over the falls at OTW. Photo: Ryan Craig.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For the third time in as many minutes, Ned Hart is having a little trouble stringing a sentence together. \u201cI went up north, then home, then chased a swell down south, then south again, wait\u2026that doesn\u2019t make sense. North, then south, then I went home\u2026then south? Wait, what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was an amusing, and it must be said, charming, slip in syntax trigged by the 17-year-old attempting to recount where\u2019d he been over the past two months while chasing waves.

Perhaps compounding the confusion is that Ned had also not long returned home from a stint in Sumatra only to learn his presence was required the following month in Portugal for the inaugural New Big Wave Award ceremony as a finalist in Ride of the Year category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A Monster attitude to Monster waves.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Of course, all paths will lead to Hawaii in December and the order for Jaws specific paddle guns (9\u20196\u201d and 10\u20190\u201d) has just been completed with board sponsor, Pyzel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot going on,\u201d surmises Ned, before reaching for a version of a phrase he\u2019d repeat over and over throughout an illuminating two-hour conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so sick, I\u2019m pumped on all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ascent of Ned Hart, professional big-wave surfer, would appear to have been launched when two thrilling rides at Tasmania\u2019s Shipstern Bluff were pinged online seconds after they\u2019d been completed in March this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Tim Bonython\u2019s masterful ultra-high def recording of both rides would later appear, it is the grainy, filmed-on-a-phone-from-the-rocks versions that really gives them scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Ned is no stranger to thick walls of water.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In both, the filmer and bystanders can be heard drawing a collective breath as Ned airdrops into the fabled warped bowl section before erupting into cheers when he emerges from a no-make barrel on one wave, and hoots of disbelief when he charges into a closeout end section on the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amusingly, in both, the filmer obviously caught up in the revelry forgets to hit the off button on the camera and the viewer is privy to a sustained chorus of \u201cOh my God, that was sick, that was nuts, what the fuck was that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As these things do, the footage quickly gained traction and 16-year-old Ned\u2019s Instagram account was equally as quickly bombarded with congratulatory comments from the surfing illuminati.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was so sick,\u201d Ned recalls of the session and all that followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was pretty crazy to think, I had guys like Kelly, Taj and like, all the main guys looking at this wave going, \u2018Woah, this kid\u2019s gnarly!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a genuine joy radiating out of Ned as he recounts the Tasmanian experience, so much so he gets up to shake it all off.

He\u2019s not tall but certainly not short either with a stocky, almost muscular build and a crown of closely cropped blonde hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We sit in the kitchen area of his parents\u2019 Dunsborough home through-out which lay a modestly sized quiver of Pyzels, wetsuits and clothing from apparel sponsor, Florence Marine X, and a small box of \u2018pit viper\u2019 style sunglasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone just hit me up on Instagram and sent them over,\u201d Ned says before popping a set on and laughing at his appearance.

\u201cI think I just have to put a few posts up in return.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would be easy to dismiss the spoils as the result of some kid who got lucky at the end of a tow rope and shot to fame as quickly as the footage went viral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the truth can be directly linked to the age-old proverb of luck being what happens when preparation meets opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
He’s also pretty hand backside, making him an ideal candidate for the Indo edition of the Capitulo comp as well.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ironically, Ned says the preparation did begin at the end of a rope, albeit one hitched to the back of his father Paul\u2019s 4×4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Dad used to tow me along on a boogie board at one of the beaches down here,\u201d says Ned.

\u201cI\u2019d always be loving it, just the sensa-tion of going fast and tumbling around when I stacked it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ned then toggled between a range of other hobbies, including skateboards, bikes, bombing steep hills before gravitating toward surfing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>
View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/a>

A post shared by Ned Hart (@ned_hart)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n