Ain’t That Swell Presents: The Inaugural Swellness Summit

You could probably use a few days off your phone, eh?

So could we. 

What better way to spend a weekend than connecting — in real life — with other surfers and surf icons from around Australia, to chat about surfing, health, and sustainable forms of living? 

Seems pretty worthwhile to us.

From Oct 21-23, our good friends at Ain’t That Swell are putting together their first ever Swellness Camp, and there’s some big names on the docket. Tom Carroll, Nathan Hedge, Brad Gerlach, Laura Enever, Asher Pacey, etc. We could try to explain, but Smivvy probably does it best:

Ain’t That Swell’s inaugural Swellness Camp will bring together some of the surf community’s biggest names to share their techniques for living, loving, surfing, and surviving. Using everything at our disposal we aim to provide guests with the ultimate guide to feeling swell and send an army of DIY healers back into their respective communities armed with the latest tools for surviving and thriving in a complicated world. Free tickets will also be given to select financially disadvantaged and/or down on their luck individuals, as per our ‘Golden Ticket’ program, to make sure the right people get the help they need. This is The Swellian’s – Jed and Vaughan – attempt to give back to the community that has supported them thus far and leave a resoundingly positive imprint on the minds and bodies of all those that have been kind enough to come on the journey with them.

Through podcasts, the internet, and the convergence of science with ancient healing techniques, humanity has arrived at a golden age of self-help and biohacking. We will package all of this up neatly and deliver it to our guests. For three days Swellness guests will literally live and breathe good physical and mental health before returning to their respective surf communities and continuing to spread the good word and, more importantly, good action.

Each morning will start with a round of Wim Hoff breathing and Ice Baths followed by a group meditation led by two-time World Champion, Tom Carroll. From there Bra Boy, big wave maniac and former UFC fighter, Richie Vaculik, will put us through a brutal workout, followed by breakfast, and free time for our guests to luxuriate in our film or meditation space, or scour the abundant coastline of Crescent Head for waves. The afternoon will feature seminars, films and bands.

Swellness Seminars will feature the likes of two-time world champion, Tom Carroll, discussing the science of meditation and the wisdom accrued over the course of his remarkable career. Californian surf icon, Brad Gerlach, will be talking about the ups and downs of his time on and off tour, including a spell of depression, while also taking us through the finer points of his cutting-edge Wave Ki program.

Australian Surfing Hall of Famer, Jodie Cooper, and skitz slab queen, Laura Enever, will talk us through their brand of stoic resilience and how to survive and thrive in a challenging world.

Former World Tour icons, Dean Morrison and Nathan Hedge, will join the likes of Tom Carroll for seminars covering everything from Drugs, Depression, Addiction, Meditation, Toxic Masculinity, and the Road to Recovery.

A representative from the Veteran Surfers Association will deliver a seminar on surviving PTSD and how surfing has enriched the lives of ex-servicemen. We will have a plant medicine expert to bring us up to speed with the latest science on the efficacy of mother nature to heal and help us prosper.

Underground surfing icons, Jarrah Tutton, Asher Pacey, and Josh Ku, will talk us through the art of hunting, gathering and permaculture, while also preparing a fresh kill over the fire (deer and various species of fish, we’ve been told).

There will be a live Podcast on the Sunday, film screenings, bands, the lighting of the ceremonial Swellness torch, and many more feel good shenanigans.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMADDDDDDDDD

Tickets on-sale now here.

Meditation with Tom Carroll, technique with Brad Gerlach, food collected and prepped by Asher, and some seminars from Hedgy and Dingo? 

Sounds like a no brainer to us.