Joel Parkinson

THAT’S SUPER

Here’s a Bells story that didn’t quite make it into the book… it’s a classic though. I’ve surfed against Troy Brooks at his home break of Bells for over 10 years… he’s smashed me plenty of times, but I got him this time a few years back and it was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ll let him tell the story…

“We had a heat at Bells a few years back, and on my last wave I needed an 8.6. I did a Superman in the Bells shorey and nailed it and got an 8.9. What I didn’t know was that Joel was on the wave behind me and had got a 9.5. I came in claming it, thinking I’d won the heat, not knowing he’d just snookered me and made me look stupid. But that’s typical Joel though. His style suits Bells probably more than any other surfer. He’s got that long drawn out carve that fits well into the Bells face, and then he can pretty much do whatever he wants; throw the fins, pop airs, tube ride, duck and weave out of Bells barrels.”