Cheer Up, Slow Down, Chill Out… Or Sail Deep Into Patagonia’s Myth Department

Jed Fasso and his partner Bodhi Genis live in the caravan park behind Broken Head.

Cunnavajoint for parking on weekends, largely thanks to the yerba-mate-sipping squadrons who clog the main artery all the way to bom dia, bunda and BBQ in packs.

Helluvajoint to call home, though. Private beach access via a eucalyptus-veiled dirt path. Bang in the middle of Northern NSW’s coastline, girt by spinning points.

Even the sun seems to shine brighter than the hinterland west of it. A microclimate custom built for perineum sunning and crystal sparkles, which conveniently caters to the resident boho-gypsy-wellness-influencer industrial complex.

“You need to get out, periodically,” says Jed, who’s called Byron home since he was seven. “It’s such a bubble. And even though the points are great, you can get stuck here.”

Put it this way. Most young people with ambition and big dreams eventually move away from this paradise. Not because they don’t love it. Rather, because it’s so good it anesthetizes ambition. Outside of tradework, retail, or hospo, opportunities for decent work gigs thin fast. It’s seasonal. Cyclical. Comfortable. And if you don’t intend to “cheer up, slow down, chill out” in perpetuity, as the town slogan gently commands, you risk petrifying.

“I think the whole idea of finding a new wave is a dream to so many surfers,” says Jed. “And in 2026, that means taking risks and getting off the beaten track. There’s so much more opportunity outside the easy comfort zones. But it’s not just waves. There’s culture and places you’d never think existed, waiting to be explored.”

It’s hard not to see the Torren Martyn effect at play. His former neighbour has turned remote coastlines and culturally curious surf expeditions into a viable career path. Proof of concept: Lost Track. Escapism, packaged correctly, sells. The difference with Jed is that he’s playing the dual role of artist and muse.

We won’t spoil the narrative arc of Beyond Borders: Patagonia. Just sketch the basic blueprint.

The premise is simple enough. Fly to Chile. Rinse the known point breaks. Then head south into Patagonia via the Carretera Austral (Route 7), widely regarded as one of the most beautiful roads on earth. Hanging glaciers, deep fjords, Marble Caves etc. 

Then the real mission: surfing unseen waves with NCO (No Cunt Out).

They tried hiking first. Came unstuck. Ran low on supplies. Backtracked to the drawing board. Found some local GORP-core lords: Guillermo Satt (Arica, Chile), Guga Dvorquez (Arica, Chile), Santiao Guerrero Inigo Correa (Santiago, Chile), Tatan Clementeller (Puerto Montt, Chile) who understand the many moods of Patagonia, and waited for an overlap in swell and weather.

Sailing was the only realistic option because land access is, in Jed’s words, “just impossible.”

A few sketchy moments on a shallow-hull fishing boat later:

“We finally made it to the stretch of remote Patagonia coast I wanted to explore. In the final days of our expedition, we found this wild cobblestone A-frame. It was 3 to 4 ft for a few days. Access to shoot was tricky, but it was everything I’d dreamed of before having to return home. It really puts things into perspective, how much opportunity is still out there, especially in that region, to discover new waves. Along the way we also pushed deep into the Andes with some pro snowboarders when the weather went bad on the coast, searching for a new backcountry mountain.”

The take-home?

“Even if you just go to the main areas, it’s so untouched. If you have the balls to go have a crack, anyone could go. If they could find a sailboat, go find waves along that coast. There’s so much more to be found, I reckon.”

Australian Film Tour tickets now live:

Byron Bay Premiere
Byron Theatre, Byron Bay NSW
Saturday, March 20, 2026

Sydney Premiere
The Ritz, Randwick NSW
Saturday, March 28, 2026

Noosa Premiere
Thomas Surfboards, Noosa Heads QLD
Saturday, April 4, 2026

Melbourne Premiere
Brunswick Picture House, Melbourne VIC
Saturday, April 18, 2026

More to come.