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When the wave breaks there, don't be here: The story of Laurie Towner

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crazysurfer

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Uploaded 5 years ago ·

Affectionately known as the ‘big three’ the surf industry’s biggest players Rip Curl (Torquay, Vic), Billabong (Gold Coast, Qld) Quiksilver (Torquay, Vic) all have their roots in Australia. The companies grew from the back of cars and garages, servicing a small but growing surf population during the 1960s and early 1970s with clothes and surf hardware. By the late 1970s surf culture had become a global phenomenon and the fascination surrounding surf culture led to unprecedented growth. By the late 1990s the industry’s value was estimated at $10 billion. Fast forward to the late naughties, the industry bubble was ready to burst. The global financial crisis of 2008, an over-saturation of surf culture in the marketplace and the rise of online retailers all contributed to the downfall. For core surfers the industry had lost its way. It was brought to its knees and is yet to recover. As in most cases when industries fail, those who lose their jobs adapt their skill set and apply their tools to a new industry. But for the surfers whose job it was to surf to market the multi-billion dollar industry, the job openings were slim. There isn’t a big market for surfing critical, high-risk mountains of moving water outside the surf industry. One surfer who was riding the wave and was plunged into the depths as the industry fell apart is Laurie Towner, regarded by many as the greatest big wave surfer on the planet. Laurie, like many former pro surfers works a trade and surfs between shifts.

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Affectionately known as the ‘big three’ the surf industry’s biggest players Rip Curl (Torquay, Vic), Billabong (Gold Coast, Qld) Quiksilver (Torquay, Vic) all have their roots in Australia. The companies grew from the back of cars and garages, servicing a small but growing surf population during the 1960s and early 1970s with clothes and surf hardware. By the late 1970s surf culture had become a global phenomenon and the fascination surrounding surf culture led to unprecedented growth. By the late 1990s the industry’s value was estimated at $10 billion. Fast forward to the late naughties, the industry bubble was ready to burst. The global financial crisis of 2008, an over-saturation of surf culture in the marketplace and the rise of online retailers all contributed to the downfall. For core surfers the industry had lost its way. It was brought to its knees and is yet to recover. As in most cases when industries fail, those who lose their jobs adapt their skill set and apply their tools to a new industry. But for the surfers whose job it was to surf to market the multi-billion dollar industry, the job openings were slim. There isn’t a big market for surfing critical, high-risk mountains of moving water outside the surf industry. One surfer who was riding the wave and was plunged into the depths as the industry fell apart is Laurie Towner, regarded by many as the greatest big wave surfer on the planet. Laurie, like many former pro surfers works a trade and surfs between shifts.

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