Watch: ‘Prenda Mia’ Featuring Josie Prendergast

Prenda Mia has the bones of a familiar surf trip: three weeks in Mexico, a small camera crew, warm water, long lefts, and not a whole lot on the itinerary beyond surfing.

However, Josie Prendergast is joined along the way by a swath of underground local surfers Patty Ornelas in Saladita, Coral Muñoz Ricardez in Barra de la Cruz, and Linda Monroy in Salina Cruz, who drift in and out of the film across 15 minutes of mostly left-handers.

We called Josie to talk about the trip, then ended up somewhere more interesting: fears of drowning, her conversion to shorter boards, being pushed in the surf by her partner, and the accumulated wisdom of Bob McTavish.

What kind of creative direction did you have on this film?

“Basically, when I create my surf films, I kind of come up with a rough concept of what I want, where I want to go, and who I want to work with. Grigs (Georde Grigor) was our videographer, and my good friend Anna Maria Janssen was our photographer. My partner (pro surfer Taj Richmond) also came along.

I knew I wanted local surfer girls in this one. That’s why we have the name Prenda Mia, which is ‘My Darling’ in Spanish. Each little town and girl I visited, they’re almost like their little darlings from the town, which I thought was really sweet.”

You wanted local Mexican surfers to be part of the film. Did you know any of them previously?

“I had only known Patty beforehand, through longboarding. I met Coral in Barra, and she is amazing. She’s just this young ripper girl. There’s only one or two or three girls local to Barra de la Cruz who surf, and I just saw her surfing and was absolutely mesmerised. I thought she was doing amazing for the girls; really showing up.

I didn’t know Linda prior to going, either, I just met up with all of them, and I wanted to showcase what these Mexican surfer girls have to offer. They were incredible.”

It sounds like the language barrier was pretty significant. How did you navigate that?

“Anna Marie is originally from the Netherlands, but now lives in Mexico, so she speaks Spanish. I’m so grateful for her being with us, because there was no way the rest of us could communicate with anyone. I think the reason we didn’t run into any trouble was because of her. I definitely don’t think you could do the trip we did without someone who can speak the language. 

Even being with Patty, she doesn’t speak that much English, but we’re friends and we’re close and we love each other. All we can communicate with each other is smiling and hugging. We just say, ‘buena, buena!’”

You’re known for longboarding, but lately you’ve been spending a lot more time on smaller boards. What changed?

“I think it was with my partner, Taj. Up until a few years ago, if the surf was three or four foot, I wouldn’t even go surfing. I was always on a longboard, and I only liked small waves on my longboard. There was one day when it was a bigger day, and my partner was just like, ‘You gotta try a mid-length,’ and ever since then, it was like magic to me. I realised I didn’t actually have to stay home or just chill on the beach.

It opened my whole world, and now I literally have an addiction to trying to get barrelled. I feel like all of last year, probably 80% of my surfing was on a small board. I love how grounded and calm I feel on a longboard. But a shortboard is just so exciting and so humbling.

I actually grew up riding shortboards, but got hooked on longboards when my dad got us a secondhand one as a kid. But switching back again now, I feel way more confident in my surfing, and it’s helped me improve.”

How much has surfing with Taj pushed that progression?

“We’re quite competitive with each other. I think he knows me so well that he can really push me to challenge myself, and he’s put me in situations in the surf where I’ve been highly uncomfortable. But I know that he believes in me, and then I’m like, ‘Okay, I can do it.’

He’s really pushed me to get barrelled and pushed me to ride smaller boards and pushed me to ride bigger waves or more hollow waves — so scarier waves — which I think is really fun, because ultimately, that’s what I want to do.

Through my teen years and up to my early 20s, it was longboarding only and not really challenging myself, whereas I feel like the older I get, the more challenged I want to feel. But only to a certain degree, because one of my biggest fears is drowning.”

Where does that fear of drowning come from?

“I don’t know — I’ve always had that fear. I think there have been times where, because I don’t open my eyes underwater, I think I’m swimming to the top and end up swimming to the bottom. Which honestly feels like I’m drowning.

So now I just have to remember to open my eyes. I used to have my eyes closed the whole time because I’ve had pterygium eye surgery — the surfer’s eye. It would just get really inflamed if I opened my eyes underwater.”

Has pushing yourself on smaller boards changed your relationship with that fear?

“Yeah, I’m getting over that. When I’d go back to the Philippines, I used to strictly surf only one wave on my longboard, and now I’m able to travel to different areas and look for more hollow reef breaks.

I used to hate the thought of me failing or getting smashed, whereas now I find it fun. I think it’s a good laugh. But part of me, many years ago, would feel embarrassed if anyone saw me fail on a shortboard or a smaller board.”

What McTavish boards were you riding in Mexico?

“I was just on my log, my quad, and then I had a bit of a section towards the end of our trip riding my McTavish Blue Bird.”

You’ve worked with Bob McTavish for a long time. What wisdom have you pulled by being around him?

“Bob is one of those people who is so incredible and so good at what he does with board shaping. With him being at his age and still trying to get out in the water, he hasn’t lost his spark, and he hasn’t lost joy. There’s this phrase that he says, which is ‘Don’t let the old man in.’

He really represents that phrase. Every time I see him, he’s just beaming. I see older surfers who are a little on the grumpier side. Bob is just eternally young.

I’m so grateful to be able to ride his surfboards, because they were my first sponsor. Growing up in Byron, and being obviously a Byron Bay surfboard company, it just feels fitting.”

Now that smaller boards have opened up a different side of surfing for you, where do you want to take them?

“I would love to go to Morocco, although I’m terrible with the cold. Then I think Africa would be amazing, and I’m hoping to do Papua New Guinea next year.

I feel like I’ve ticked off so many boxes for longboarding, and now I’m trying to find new waves that I think I will love for the smaller boards — I’m almost only looking for what I can ride a mid-length on.”

Looking back at Prenda Mia, what are you proudest of?

“I feel like it’s so fun, and I’m really proud of the Mexican surfer girls in it.  I know that they are proud of it, too.

I was actually speaking with Coral’s father, and he is so proud to see his daughter be in a surf film, especially one promoted by Billabong and all that. For me, it’s those moments. If that’s something I can do by going to someone else’s home country, then that’s the least I can do.

I’m really happy with my surfing, especially the longboarding, because I haven’t put out a surf film where I’m just going left, really. I love surfing backside, so that part I’m really proud of.”