Barrels, Inspiration and Creativity; Johnny Abegg

Hanging out with Patagonia team rider Johnny Abegg you quickly learn that he is inspirational in every sense of the word; Ex WQS surfer, filmmaker, documenter, photographer, environmentalist, waterman…

For Johnny the list of attributes grow on a daily basis. One thing is for sure, he lives his life to the fullest. This journal entry is to share a little of Johnny’s motivation into your day!

To live a life via ones heart, to bring joy, to bring despair. To forever live these dreams and reflections. To always know myself as I — From Johnny Abegg’s website

Johnny on Korduroy. TV

Korduroy TV and Cyrus Sutton meet up with Johnny in his hometown of Byron Bay. They tell Johnny’s story through the beauty of film.

A swell for Christmas

“I could see on the charts, a BIG cyclone swell was on it’s way. Speeding off early Christmas Day from Lismore (where my folks live), I headed straight for Main Beach Byron. It was massive. Feeling a little weak post-flu, I was taking my time picking off the ones in between the big closeouts, and trying to get the milder death tunnels. On my second lap I stroked into this one, barely making the drop before lining up…”

“There was this stillness, I was flowing freely within a beautiful aqua cave, with the odd moment of “your doing this without grabbing the rail”. Woohooo! Instead of restricting, the barrel opened up and suddenly I was spat out. Apparently there were cheers from the carpark, but I didn’t hear a thing. I was dumbfounded. It’s not often I get that “buzz” surfing these days, that euphoric feeling you get from doing something extreme. But looking back from where I’d been, I was blown away that I actually made it. So happy! One of the most memorable waves of my life.”

- ‘Joggly‘ and Kirra Pendergast.

Kobe and the Sea

“I made a film with acclaimed Chef Ben Shewry – of Melbourne’s amazing Attica Restaurant – called ‘Kobe and the Sea’. We explored three different story-lines, molding the film into one beautifully personal insight into Ben, his relationship with his son Kobe, the essence of living ‘simply’, and passing subtle commentary on the overfishing problem of Abalone in Southern Australian waters.”

The film won “Internet Food Film of the Year” according to The Chef’s Directory.

L’Amant

L’Amant is an artistic and moving portrayal of falling in love, shot against the dramatic landscape and natural beauty of Byron Bay. The film features bohemian luxe styling by Karissa Fanning of The LANE and was a creative collaboration with director Sybil Steele.

“A few months ago, I got to film/edit an amazing film for Karissa Fanning at The Lane called L’Amant, which was directed by Sybil Steele (Taylor Steele‘s wife). We had some amazing footage, and had gone through a few edits when Sybil found the song “July” by Trevor Powers, AKA Youth Lagoon. The song was haunting, dark and beautiful. That’s when L’Amant was really born. It’s now had over 46,000 hits on vimeo! L’Amant was created to inspire brides-to-be and provides a glimpse into the feelings & emotions of falling in Love.

Background Photo: by Mike Tittel