Taj Burrow, kicker-drag in north-west WA

It ain’t shabby having a pal who flies a plane. One of Taj Burrow’s buddies, by the name of Luke Wylie, burns around above Western Australia in a Cessna Conquest. The biggest perk? Spotting a swell a few hundred (or thousand) clicks away, and being there at first light the next morning.

Just before Taj took a long flight to Cali for the approaching Hurley Pro, Trestles, he jumped in Luke’s Cessna for a short flight, along with Luke’s mate Yewy and photog Jamie Scott (who shot this). They met at Perth Airport at 5am, flew 45 minutes to Kalbarri, where they picked up Ry Craike and his filmer Mike Riley, then flew another 45 minutes deep into the desert. “When we arrived, we could see signs of the swell,” says Jamie. “The tide was a bit low, so we watched for half an hour as the water filled in. A couple of screamers came through, and we were out there.” And out there, Taj dragged himself through more of these things than you’d care to believe. A far-cry from what he’s flown into in Cali, but certainly a sweet farewell.

Check out more of Jamie’s work over here.