Stab Magazine | How To Surf Your First-Ever-Second-Ever World Tour Event With Kael Walsh

Live now: How Surfers Get Paid, Season Finale

233 Views

How To Surf Your First-Ever-Second-Ever World Tour Event With Kael Walsh

The trials and tribulations of one contest in two countries. 

news // May 31, 2018
Words by stab
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Kael Walsh’s CT debut was canned.

It was south of his home, Yallingup, in Margaret River.

There were sharks.

The WSL deemed the event too dangerous to run, and now, along with Jack Robinson, Kael is headed to Uluwatu to make up the remainder of the event (which will take place following Keramas). Lucky for the West Oz folk, Indo might as well be a second home.

After he took the wildcard spot at Margies, we jumped on a call with him to see how the 18-year-old felt going into his first-ever CT event. He told us how if he could beat anyone on the CT, it’d be John Florence, “Just because everyone sucks his ass.” We used that as a headline, knowing all-too-well it could stitch him up. The quote, however, was too good to not super-impose at the top of Stabmagdotcommerical.

The rest that followed was a candid and refreshing interview.

Now, that Kael’s about to be surfing his second-ever-first-ever World Tour event, we asked him for some words of, er, wisdom.

Stab: Kael, did you ever cop any heat for that John John quote?
Kael: Ah, Jordy was like, Woah, how was that interview? Saying it was kind of heavy I said that about John John. I was like, mate, I suck John John’s ass too… [Laughs]

What was your first CT event like?
The CT is weird. It feels like you’re in this big arena, like it’s an actual sport. Whereas the QS there’s just one tent on the beach. There are so many skis in the water and the whole production is sick. It would definitely be a goal to do that full time. But, I can see how it’d get old after a while, like being in that gnarly of a competitive mindset pretty much year long.

Was it weird at all in the competitor’s area?
To be honest, I tried not to spend that much time in there. I just dropped my stuff off and bailed. The competitor’s area was kind of awkward. I think everyone was like, Who the fuck is this kid? [Laughs] I didn’t really care though. People just need something to talk about.

How’d your few heats go?
I did alright. The first round was pretty annoying. Gabriel [Medina] was trying to sit on top of me and chase whatever waves I was chasing. That bowl I went down on, Gabriel had priority and I was on the outside of him. I thought he was going to go. But, then he didn’t even look at it and at the last minute I tried to scrap in and just ate shit!

https://player.vimeo.com/video/272621798

Sometimes you win some, sometimes you get pulverized. Video: WSL 

Are you bummed that the comp got called?
It’s pretty crazy they canned it. [Matt] Hoyo made a good point on why they should have kept going. He said that is some of the competitors still wanted to compete they should let them, and those who did want to could just sit out. Like there are sharks everywhere. There are sharks in Hawaii, at J-Bay. Mick got attacked by one at J-Bay and they still go back there.

Does the potential for the event to finish at Padang make you tick? 
I’m pretty keen on it! It’s so crowded there, you never really get good waves, so to surf with one other guy would be so sick. It’s supposed to be pumping for the Keramas comp. It’ll just be sick to be in Indo. Although, it’ll be pretty tough to beat Julian [Wilson] there.

Yeah, that’s a rough draw.
Everyone’s pretty tough. Like, they’re all pretty gnarly now. I’m just gonna go have some fun, do some work; get a little action done. [Laughs] I just want to surf and not surf bad because it’s in front of the whole world!

How many times have you been over there?
Ah, I go there heaps. It’s only a three-hour flight from Perth to Indo. If you see a good swell headed there, you just jump on a plane. It takes the same amount of time to get there as it does for me to drive to Margaret River.

I’m going to stay after the event and hang with a few of my mates.

Get some waves. Go out a bit.

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

6:20

Diamond Tail = Diamond Hands?

We'll explain everything in the Rusty D-Min Joyride.

Mar 27, 2023

Behold Australia’s Nine & NZ’s Two Challenger Series Qualifiers*

May the Southern Cross smile upon you at Snapper.

Mar 27, 2023

Long Read: Pete Beachy Is No Bore 

The life and times of an off-the-grid Alaskan surf pioneer who claims to cure cancer.

Mar 26, 2023

17:08

Watch: ‘Haiku’

Scenes From a Remote Reality, by Vans & Karina Rozunko

Mar 25, 2023

Sun Room: The Overnight Success Of A Young Surf Band

What's it like touring the world and living off of McDonald's?

Mar 25, 2023

How Surfers Get Paid, Episode 6

An instructional manual for the modern professional surfer

Mar 23, 2023

7:03

Caity Simmers — Extreme Competitive Surf Vlogger

Cool is chemical.

Mar 23, 2023

Globe Pulls Out Of The Apparel Game

…and, Taj Burrow and Dion Agius are now looking for new main sponsors.

Mar 22, 2023

Owen Wright Announces Retirement From Competitive And Heavy-Water Surfing

But will surf final CT event at Bells.

Mar 22, 2023

29:05

Fancy An Ale, Some Good Music, And A Bunch Of Tubes?

Ballet's minimalist full-length will satiate your needs.

Mar 22, 2023

João Chianca Spent Seven Years On The QS Without A Sponsor

And look where he is now.

Mar 22, 2023

Take Stab’s 2023 Audience Survey, Win A 3-Board Quiver

Stab towels and Premium subscriptions also up or grabs.

Mar 21, 2023

Jessi Miley Dyer On The New Challenger Series Schedule And More

Did you know that you could miss the mid-year cut and still theoretically win the…

Mar 20, 2023

5:05

Don’t Miss The Last Wave Of The First 2023 SEOTY Entry

Jacob Willcox's ‘Into Dust’ just set the bar.

Mar 20, 2023

Warren Smith on New Welcome Rivers Range and Buying Jaguars on Facebook Marketplace  

Now available in the Antipodes...

Mar 20, 2023

5:13

Wavegarden Spills How The Sausage Is Made

BTS of their global air wave rollout ft. Yago Dora, Dion Agius, Reef Heazlewood and…

Mar 18, 2023

Minds, Machines, And The Magic Of Hands

How modern shapers split their time between designing files and hand-finishing boards.

Mar 18, 2023

3:31

Are Hectic Lefts The Final Finless Frontier?

William Aliotti is on the right-foot-forward fringes.

Mar 17, 2023
Advertisement