A few months ago, in April of 2021, Shipstern Bluff came alive. It’s a scary place when it does its thing, full of steps and warbles and strange chunks of water seemingly in the wrong place. But for a select few, it’s those steps and warbles and strange chunks of water that make it so enticing.
As you might’ve noticed, the fourth edition of the Red Bull Cape Fear event didn’t happen. It was close, though, but not quite close enough. Just as the window for the contest opened, a pumping swell showed up to play, and although it wasn’t quite right for the contest, it was quite right enough for a pile of the would-be competitors to head to Tasmania’s scariest wave — which is saying a lot — to try their hand at it.
Tim Bonython, a man who has spent way more time than most filming waves that will kill you, was there to document it. He’s responsible for the edit you see above. There were a lot of surfers in the water for the opening swell, including future first-time Red Bull Cape Fear competitor Summa Longbottom and Joel Parkinson, the latter of whom somehow maintained his inimitable style while navigating the infamous Shippie’s steps.
Although Parko has surfed Shipstern Bluff before, it’d been a long time. According to Red Bull, it was back in 2007, on a trip with Laurie Towner and the late, great Andy Irons. “I had a great day,” said Parkinson after the 2021 session. “I loved it. It was so good to get back down here and catch a couple of waves.”
