Watch: Dave Rastovich On Narcissistic Surf Culture, Gimmicky Designs + the Future of Flax

A few weeks ago, we were fortunate to host the world premiere of the Electric Acid Surfboard Test (EAST) in Byron Bay, just a stone’s throw from Dave Rastovich’s home and the iconic points and beachies where much of the series was filmed.

For this year’s experiment, we flew in Ryan Lovelace, the winner, all the way from Kauai. To our delight, several other featured shapers — Darren Handley, NPJ, and Corey Graham — made the trip to join the celebration. Their presence added a heightened sense of anticipation and pressure; not only did we want to deliver an unforgettable experience for the audience, but we also wanted to do justice to the artisans behind the boards themselves.

The final stretch to the premiere was anything but smooth. Danny Johnson, who had already pulled several all-nighters to complete the edit, had to prepare two versions of the film at the eleventh hour. The first version, spoiler-free for the kids’ screening, omitted the announcement of the winner. The second was the polished final cut for the adult audience later in the evening.

But there was a catch. Both versions needed to be transferred in high resolution to a USB drive compatible with the venue’s prehistoric PC — one that seemed more suited to running Windows 98 than screening surf films. Cue the chaos: after 20 minutes of attempted file transfers, the progress bar barely moved. Panic set in.

With less than 20 minutes before the kids’ screening, we were on the brink of disaster. I’ll spare you the nitty-gritty details, but let’s just say it involved frantic troubleshooting, some creative problem-solving, and a bit of sheer luck. Somehow, we got it done in the nick of time.

When the film finally rolled, the Stab team, still riding the adrenaline of narrowly avoiding calamity, could finally exhale, grab a beer, and join the audience.

Before the grand finale played, the packed auditorium was treated to an insightful panel discussion with Rastovich and the shapers. Conversations touched on everything from narcissism in modern surf culture and the allure of gimmicky board designs to how fins can unlock a board’s full potential and what the future might hold for sustainable materials like flax.

It was an electric evening — pun intended — and a testament to the creative energy and passion that fuels the surfboard design community.

PS, if you haven’t had enough Rasta, check out his and Lauren Hill’s podcast Water People. They’ve done three EAST-specific eps, including interviews with Dave’s primary shaper Gary McNeill, his Puerto Rican tour guide Otto Flores, and EAST creator Danny Johnson (below).