There’s a lot to look forward to in next week’s Noosa International Surfilm Festival, but the feature I’m most excited about is Friday night’s Australian premiere of a British documentary which has been winning hearts and minds all over the world in the past year or so.
There’s some great cold water surfing in it, but the real focus of The Big Sea is to build awareness of what the producers like to call “surfing’s dirty secret”, which is the abject failure of our industry and us as consumers to recognise the devastating impact of toxic neoprene production. I’m old enough to have started surfing before wetsuits were readily available in my part of the world, but as soon as they were, I quickly traded the winter footie jersey for a White Stag short john (with the new and super-effective neoprene sandwich construction), before moving to a Rip Curl springie and vest, where I’ve been pretty much ever since.
So I’ve been a wetsuit consumer for more than 60 years and for at least a dozen of them I worked in the executive ranks of surfing’s Big Three, all of whom produced neoprene wetsuits, without ever knowing the full story behind the product, now revealed with conviction and sincerity by producers Lewis Arnold, Chris Nelson and Demi Taylor. And an irony here is that I knew Demi nearly 25 years ago, just when she was hooking up with Chris, and I was head of marketing for Quiksilver Europe while she looked after PR and promotion in the UK from her London base. In the years since, she and Chris, along with their surf buddy Lewis Arnold, have put a lot of energy into calling out Big Surf for its environmental and human rights failings.
The story of The Big Sea in brief: an exposé of surfing’s hidden links to Cancer Alley and the devastating impact of toxic neoprene production. Cancer Alley is a corridor of land along the banks of the Mississippi River which houses the only neoprene plant in the US, on the site of a former slave plantation. The communities around this factory are exposed to the highest cancer risk in the USA – 50 times the national average – due to toxic emissions from the plant.
The majority of wetsuits on the market today are made of neoprene, a synthetic material born out of a process so toxic that the California government requires wetsuits to carry health warnings.
Says Lewis Arnold: “When we learned of the horrendous link between the wetsuits we use for our enjoyment and the impact their production is having on people and planet, we knew we had to do something about it.”
The Big Sea also uses the lens of surfing to unwrap wider issues of environmental racism, social justice, corporate responsibility and greenwashing. Neoprene is used in products from cars and trainers to luggage and fashion, but surfing is the undisputed poster child for this controversial material.
Filmmaker Lewis Arnold will be part of a Q&A session with writer Tim Baker following the screening of the film. Tickets available at events.humanitix.com/noosa-international-surfilm-festival-2025/tickets or visit noosaisff.com.au
Wrecks and Relics goes off
Well, the waves were tiny but the weather was perfect and spirits were high for the Noosa Malibu Club’s 21st Wrecks and Relic Over 50s surf comp.
Even your old columnist made the podium as the perennial bridesmaid (second in the over 70s for the second year in a row) among some stellar performances in the West Beach ankle snappers. We don’t have the space for full results here but a special shout out to Trevor Brady for taking the over 80s Australian title for the second year in a row. Winners in the other age divisions: Women’s Over 50 Fenna De King, Over 60s Peppie Simpson, Over 70s Margie Bryant. Men’s Over 50 Jason Cook, Over 55 Wally Allan, Over 60 Glen Gower, Over 65 Anthony Reid, Over 70 Albie Curtis, Over 75 Gordon Fuz, Old Mal Glen Gower.
Congrats also to the hardworking Noosa Mal Club organisers for the inauguration of the Gaffa Tape Invitational which, in the spirit of the Wrecks, gave our injured or infirm surfing buddies the chance to be a part of the comp. A wonderful initiative.
Merewether shines
Although former Noosan champ Julian Wilson’s dream comeback run took a slight stumble with his early elimination, pumping surf and some incredible performances lit up the first event of the WSL Challenger Series at Newcastle’s jewel in the crown, Merewether.
For the most part the beach break down near Dixon Park and the rocky rights of Ladies provided a superb canvas for the old stagers and young hopefuls trying to force their way back onto the lucrative world tour, and gave the vocal locals plenty to scream about as homies Ryan Callinan and Morgan Cibilic pushed power surfing to its limits, R-Cal finishing a commendable equal third.
But it was Margaret River’s former tour surfer Jacob Willcox who pulled out the stops in a wave-starved final in a wave-rich week, beating fellow backsider and 2024 Olympic gold medallist Kauli Vaast for the crown and the ratings lead.
Everyone’s favourite Aussie battler Sally Fitzgibbons looked the goods from start to finish in the women’s but lacked the killer punch in the final, falling to Portugal’s powerhouse Francisca Veselko. But Sal looks determined to make it back to the WCT and I’d put good money on it.
