The Depth Test Notes For A Young Surfer

In: The Depth Test by Stu Nettle 11 Comments Wed 2nd Jun '10

Tags: dr clifton evers , notes for a young surfer

click to enlarge

Stuart Nettle
June 2, 2010

Paul Briggs is a hard nut; a world champion boxer turned underworld standover man with a long list of victims, both officially recorded and not. Like I said, a hard nut. Yet despite his combat credentials I once watched Clifton Evers take him on and win.

It was about three years back and Triple J were filming a live debate of their current affairs program, Hack. The topic of the debate was male violence, and the guests included, amongst others, Paul Briggs and Clifton Evers. The former advocating the use of violence as a disciplinary tool for young men, the latter arguing in the negative, that energy is better expended in other ways.

If, before the debate began, I didn't know what Evers looked like then I would've assumed that he was the one supporting violence because, when he fronted the camera, he was sporting a fat lip topped with a fresh scab. Evers, you see, had come undone while surfing a south coast reef that very morning - the end result being a clash of head and rock. Yet here he was on live television speaking out against violence while looking every bit the pugilist! The irony unintentional but wonderful.

Evers stood up to Briggs, at least figuratively, and gave a passionate and convincing argument that young men find another outlet for violence; that it was a road fraught with danger and that other choices were available. His latest book, Notes For A Young Surfer, could be considered an addition to that argument, at least for those that have already chosen surfing.

The surfing life is a healthy one, though as anyone old enough to look back on their formative years can attest, the surfing community is replete with it's own systemic notions of sexism, racism and homophobia. For young surfers it seems natural to follow that lead, wise voices and guiding hands often rare. For Evers, the silent path to manhood is analogous to the surfers code of secrecy regarding surf spots: "Some crew say the same about manhood - that you have to get there on your own - but the consequences are not the same. Not finding a secret wave may be frustrating, but not getting help on your way to manhood can lead to much more than frustration"

And so Notes For A Young Surfer provides an open, alternative voice to the mainstream surfing media. Written in an informal, conversational style it is well suited to it's intended audience. Evers uses his own life as an example calling upon personal anecdotes and hard-won lessons while also examining the destructive influence of surfing mythology. It is a reassuring read for young surfers negotiating the path to manhood.

Notes For A Young Surfer is published by Melbourne University Press and is available for $24.95 (plus postage and handling). Click here to purchase.

Loading Comments