Oney Antwar, Frenchmans, North Stradbroke Island

Jack Dekort woke up a little dusty. He’d been clapping his hands and sliding his feet across the dancefloor of the Stradbroke (Island) Hotel the previous evening – a few beers deep. He’d stumbled back to the little shack on the hill he’d been staying in, and in the morning woke up a little dazed. He emerged from his “shoebox” accommodation, (what it lacked in size and luxury it made up for in price and views), to find Straddie firing. It’s a drag to get to Straddie – you gotta catch a ferry over – and you’re all but guaranteed to spot a shark every surf. Unfortunately, neither of these factors affect the crowds – the waves just get too good. After watching Straddie for a while, he heard a coupla groms frothing about the waves at Frenchman’s, north Straddie, so headed up with his camera. Whilst there, he clicked off this little doozy of 17-year-old Indonesian kid Oney Antwar. Oney grew up surfing Lakey Peak, in Sumbawa – an area that was, by the looks o’ thangs, a very effective training ground. – Elliot Struck