Perhaps that headline is a little misleading, I’ll admit it. Mick Fanning probably never said that, at least he never did to me personally. But in the inaugural episode for Rip Curl’s resurrected ‘Search’ series he basically, kinda, maybe, sorta said that when he hopped on a plane mid-season to go hunt a swell in Indo.
Before the series launched, we were teased with a few trailers, including one with Gabs Medina nearly decapitating himself on a boat. The first episode launched titled “Let’s Do This!” – or in other words, I’m gonna take a break from the rigorous tour schedule and go get barreled with my friends (Mick Fanning). And that’s exactly what they did.
Mick is joined by fellow Rip Curl-ers Dillion Perillo, Luke Hynd, and Garut Widiarta on a beer-swilling, barrel-riding, jersey-free Indo vacay. And the clip does not disappoint. It has the feel of an old, full-length surf film with a little lifestyle, a little surfing, and a little giddiness that you only experience by going on a surf trip yourself. Not to mention, you got Mick channeling his inner Slater with a bald head. Then there’s the epically high-def water angles (particularly starting with Perillo at 3:32). And Mick even pulls a fast one on us at the 4:41 mark by taking to the air for a full rotation alley oop. Note: He was still riding “Yum Yum Yellow,” so this trip was pre J-Bay, pre shark boxing match.
Rip Curl is sticking to their roots with this resurrected ‘Search’ series; a bit of nostalgia back to the era before Vimeo, before a visual assault of groms doing air reverses at Lowers besieged your eyeballs every time you open your computer. And Mick seemed stoked to have a break from the tour, breaking focus for a good ol’ fashioned surf trip while in the midst of the hunt for his fourth Title – now, as we head into Pipe, it didn’t seem to slow his roll at all.
“That’s the best way to do it. You see a swell and just jump on a plane and go chase it.” (Actual quote from Mick Fanning).
