Harry Bryant lightens a dull mood, Northern NSW

Meet Harry Bryant, a 16-year-old from Sunshine Beach. Harry’s in grade 12 at Sunshine Beach High School, which sounds like the location of an excellent teen TV drama, but is actually just where Harry makes himself smarter and enjoys the surfing program the school offers as a subject. So, his favourite class is a no-brainer. And after surfing, it’s maths, which he says he ain’t that great at, but finds interesting. Another thing Harry finds interesting at school is hearing stories from his principal about how much an ex-student, by the name of Julian Wilson, used to be absent due to surfing commitments.

So, is Harry taking the freesurf route, or going the way of the jersey? “Contest surfing is a tricky one,” he says. “So many emotions. Winning a contest is an amazing feeling and makes you feel like you’re ripping, then loosing a contest makes you feel horrible and question yourself as a surfer. I think you just really have to back yourself and stay positive and enjoy your surfing. Freesurfing would be the best job in the world. Getting paid to surf perfect waves and travel the world? Doesn’t get much better than that. There’s guy who I look up to at home and have my whole life, Dean Brady, who’s just come out of a freesurfing career. But as good as freesurfing sounds, I feel that it doesn’t have the longevity of competition surfing. I mean, look at Kelly. Forty-one years old and he is still dominating.”

If burning around throwing hucks like this into the grey light is what lies down the freesurfing path, then things ain’t looking so bad.