Why Does No One Surf The Largest Sand Island In The World?

Made in partnership with Hard Fizz and Afends.

K’gari, also known as Fraser Island, is the world’s largest sand island, located just off the coast of the world’s largest island, Australia. It’s home to ancient rainforests that grow straight out of the sand, as well as Lake McKenzie, renowned for its crystal-clear water. K’gari also boasts a purebred population of dingoes, towering sand dunes, rainbow-colored cliffs, and an abundance of fish, whales, and sharks.

It was on this wave-rich mote that Afends and Hard Fizz chose to shoot their collaborative project, a little over two months ago.

Fizz’s buzz generator, Joel Scott, gave Stab the rundown:

“Everyone talks about how shark-infested it is, but weirdly we didn’t see any. I don’t know if that was because we had the skis and were doing step-offs, but it felt a lot safer than, say, Straddie or Pinballs. I’ve known the guys at Afends for years now, and we were super excited to make something fun together as two independent, surfer-owned brands—not just some gnarly picnic splay that no one gives a fuck about. Before this trip, I’d only ever been to Fraser once, and it was one-foot and terrible. I ended up making a clip of it on YouTube, and it just blew up—200K views or something. I realized then that a lot of people are interested in that region. So when the Afends lads proposed the idea of going back, I was all-in.”

With a promising swell window, the crew began the 431-kilometer journey northward to shoot their summer campaigns—hemp on body, seltzers in hand. But one of the chart oracles in the back had a better idea: “Why don’t we check this other point on the way?”

Joel explains, “It had been storming in the lead-up, and the beach was all eroded with landslides and debris. Once we’d finally gotten the cars and skis up the beach, though, we realized it was absolutely cooking. Probably the best I’ve seen in 20 years. We surfed for four or five hours without any camera gear. Later, we brought a GoPro and iPhone out on the ski, so what you’re seeing from that session is just a taste of what we scored all day.”

Taj Richmond, who you may have noticed in Afends’ previous surf series, Activated Aquatics, was the clear standout, according to Joel. “I’d never surfed with him before, and it was just mind-blowing. He has that full crossover of Asher Pacey and Torren Martyn in his style. He looked like he’d just done a massive line of rack, he was frothing so hard. He and a couple of the boys ended up staying an extra night and driving up to Fraser the next day because it was so dreamy. He said to me, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen waves this good.’”

The rest of the clip was shot on K’gari, which Joel insists has real potential in the right conditions. “There was a bit of devil’s wind on that righthand point, but I reckon it would be amazing on its day. Still, the open beachies had plenty of poke—ramps and tubes aplenty.”

A wise destination for your next stepoff soiree, I reckon.