Bells Beach is part of a seriously epic stretch of coastline. Photo: Bonython
Winter in the Southern Hemisphere has been a little slow this year. For someone like Tim Bonython, who spends most of his time chasing giant swells where ever they may arrive, that isn’t easy. He’s got wandering feet, so he’s been feeling a little… stagnant.
“A few hit-and-misses had me itching to get out there and chase something,” he wrote. “Then the forecast for world-famous Bells Beach in Victoria appeared, and I couldn’t ignore it. Three days of pumping Bells. Well… Bells and its next-door neighbour wave, Winkipop, which actually features heavily in this edit.”
If you’re familiar with the kind of content Bonython puts out, you may notice a bit of a departure in this video. This particular trip to Bells wasn’t so much about waves that could kill a person. Instead, it’s about looking back at a place that has had a massive influence on surfing and surf culture in general — especially for someone like Bonython.
“This trip was about more than just chasing waves,” he continued. “Bells Beach is where my filming career began back in 1981. I returned for my very first visit 45 years ago, when Simon Anderson changed surfing forever — riding massive 15 to 20-foot waves at Bells on a revolutionary three-finned board that would become known as the thruster. So there’s some history in this one.”
It’s hard to talk about the history of a place without talking to someone who has lived it, so Bonython caught up with a man named Chris Ray, who has been surfing the iconic stretch of coastline since the early ’60s. To round things out, Bonython features Laurie Towner and Torren Martyn, who add a whole new chapter to a place that has been inspiring surfers and filmmakers for generations.
“This isn’t one of my crazy big-wave missions,” Bonython finished. “It’s a revisit. A look back at where it all started for me, mixed with three days of beautiful Victorian waves, some serious surfing and a few stories from the people who have lived it. Bells Beach, 1981 to 2026. Some places you never really leave behind.”
