DENT: A Ding, A Clip, A Statement

Words by Max Hollingsworth

Inspiration can strike anywhere — sometimes in the form of a vulnerable adult learner mowing straight into your rail. Which is exactly what happened to Manon at The Pass the day before filming this clip, and saw her fixing said dent with masking tape and stickers.

That dent became a title. And the title became a surf clip. And the clip? A potent concoction of kettlish joy cut together by Manon herself — 19, Byron-raised, half-French gal who oozes point break panache on boards of all descriptions.

The whole thing was shot in a single day: first at Angourie, then up at Yamba, filmed by longtime mate Tahnee Stautner. It stars Manon, Ollie Hughen, and Noah Davis, who all piled in the car when the swell lit up and the right-hand points started humming. While the boys peeled off to skate, Manon stayed back and edited the thing in one sitting.

Manon moved to Byron at age one, toggled between bodysurfing, booging, and standing tall — finally committing to the latter around age twelve. And when she did? It wasn’t on some stock-standard high-performance blade.

“I think growing up in a town where alternative surfboards and cultures are the norm has given me a unique perspective on surfing. My BFF and I were riding butchered asymmetrical handshapes at 13,” she laughs.

Today, Manon splits her time between France and home. She’s at uni, but plotting a life that leaves maximal space for surfing and creative output. She’s the type who pulls inspiration from skate parts, obscure YouTube channels, and off-kilter cultural corners.

What’s fanning the flames lately? Women’s surfing. The celebration of weirdness, the death of the one-size-fits-all Gidget. She’s fired up on the rise of individual style and space to simply be — not conforming to the archaic norms once expected of female surfers in the industry.

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And what gets under her skin? Just the usual: people being assholes in the surf. Treating weekend sessions at The Pass like a J-Bay final. Her local lineup swelling with kooks sowing ruin.

No, the Northern Rivers certainly isn’t the North Shore — still, a little Aloha goes a long way.

“It’s not hard to smile and say a quick hello,” says Manon. “Because after all, surfing is about having fun and being around your friends. I can’t stand it when 400 average Joes are acting like they’re trying to win a world title,” she giggles.