Aussie native Jason Polakow has had a charmed existence competing in windsurfing competitions and free riding the best waves the ocean has to offer – or so he thought. After one-score years of total commitment to the PWA tour (during which he has managed to win multiple world titles), Jason’s now dancing to the beat of his own drum when choosing surf destinations. Meanwhile in New Zealand, I was 8 hours into a 26 hour road trip from Queenstown to Auckland, driving through rolling green fields and beautiful snow covered mountains. Out of the blue Jason jabbed me with a text, wondering ‘have you seen the latest swell heading for Tahiti?’
‘No Pozza, are you going surfing?’ I thumbed back. Suddenly I felt weak, distracted, thinking of warm waves in Tahiti, when he hits me again from another angle. ‘Yes, but not Tahiti’ he texts. ‘Western Australia. Tomorrow. Chasing a huge swell’. The news hits me like an uppercut to the nuts.
