Introducing Dion Agius' Long-Lost Brother

Erwin Bliss is a new name for us.

His surfing, however, possesses shades of a man we intimately know and adore: Dion Agius. 

In this 10-minute thriller, WEB, we find Erwin in his natural habitat(s): playful lefthand wedges between the French Caribbean (his birthplace), Australia and France (where he currently splits his time).

Filmed and edited by Yentl Touboul, WEB depicts Erwin as a talented, passionate, and somewhat angsty figure with a chip on his shoulder. 

Wanting to peel back his coarse exterior, we emailed Erwin a few questions to see what he's about. The responses did not disappoint. 

Stab: How old are you? 
Erwin Bliss: I’m 24.

Where do you live now and where are you from? 
I live half time in Wollongong, Australia and the other half in Hossegor, France. I’m originally from the French Caribbean.

What’s the best thing about living in France? The worst?
France has a deep and broad culture and above all, the food is simply the best. That’s the best thing about France. The worst would be the political system. Mostly contradictions.

Does Dion know he has a long-lost brother?
Cool joke, flattering.

What inspires you then?
What inspires me the most is real, authentic things, authentic people and the lifestyle that come with real-life struggles. Nothing inspires me in beautiful stories. 

I was born and lived 10 years in social accommodation buildings; smelling piss, dealers lounging down the stairs, burning cars and bins in the car parks. I think that you’ve got to know what rock bottom feels like to aim for higher things whilst staying real. Nothing about those stupid influencers inspire me. They know fuck all about life, and also why would you need someone famous to be influenced by? My close friends are my biggest source of inspiration. 

Tell me about your experience in board-building.
Well, as I never finished high school, l had to find something to do. l actually started making surfboards because l always wanted a million boards myself but had no money. Ended up passionate about it. 

I then created bLISS Surfboards and started working on some shapes like the Christel and the Christel Twin that gave me some really unique board feel. Seeing other people trying them and feeling these things themselves has been really cool.

Do you ever go right / or surf waves over head-high?
I do surf rights and actually love it. We just didn’t get lucky this year, hope we can find more rights for the next project. And no I’m not after an XXL mega wave award. l like snowboarding better.

Do you have an affinity for spiders? 
I always found them very interesting, aesthetic, and intriguing. The way they create and weave their web is amazing. 

What do you want people to feel after watching this film?
l don’t know. I just hope they had a good time watching.