Owen Wright

The Dometic adventure with O

The legendary goofyfooter Owen Wright passes the baton onto the next generation.

Owen Wright’s legacy as one of the greatest surfers of the modern age is well established. Fearlessly threading barrels at some of the world’s most dangerous waves like Pipeline, Teahupoo and Cloudbreak. Going toe to toe with 12-time world champion Kelly Slater in the heat of battle. Twelve years on tour, seven of them in the top 10. An Olympic bronze medal.

Now, his long-standing partnership with Dometic is providing a new legacy – turning the next generation onto the simple joys of camping along the Australian coastline. 'The Dometic Adventure with O' sees the legendary goofyfooter playing mentor and camp captain to some of the best junior surfers in the country.

For Owen, it was also about re-connecting to his roots as a lifelong camper, who was introduced to the outdoors lifestyle by his father. “Camping started with my dad and mum and my family, way back in the day. Then to do the pro juniors we’d just stay in the back of the van,” he says.

The concept was to pick two surfers – one male and one female – from the four top clubs in the Hyundai Australian Boardriders Battle, and take them on a good, old-fashioned, Aussie beach camping trip. Some friendly competition, fireside chats under the stars, with no mobile phones or social media, and empty beachbreaks were the order of the day. For Owen, it was about initiating these young up and coming surfers into the proud Australian surfing tradition of loading up the cars and heading down the coast.

The surfers for this unique surfing/camping hybrid event were Maddy Jobs and Isla Hupptaz from Burleigh Boardriders, Macy Callaghan and Joel Vaughan from North Shelly, Nyxie Ryan and Harry O’Brien from LeBa, and Holly Williams and Alistair Reginato from North Shore.

“What was nice for me was combining my two favourite passions and then seeing the next generation get that same excitement and passion,” says Owen. “How excited they were, no heads down in phones, that’s what I loved about it. I’m sure the next generation loved that experience as well, and that makes me inspired.”

And despite a lack of camping experience, it was clear the super groms took to the coastal camping experience with gusto. “Everyone took it quite naturally. They’re looking into the fire telling stories, waking up the next morning for a surf. It was pretty cool to see them adjust straight to it. It comes so naturally to people, but we just don’t take the time to do it.”

For these contest-focussed surfers, intent on pro careers, this was a rare chance to decompress, pitch a tent, hunt for waves, go fishing and talk story, with some good-humoured competition thrown in. It also formed the basis for a raucous, six-part, YouTube series that provides an intimate, fly-on-the-wall view of the entire experience

“It’s stripping life back to basics, a true-blue Aussie adventure. I want to see them get dirty, build fires, dig pits, put up tents, just experience everything that is epic about the Aussie bush,” says the series host, surf journalist Vaughan Blakey.

With club pride and some world-class Dometic gear up for grabs, competitive instincts were always going to arise – whether it was a trivia quiz, fishing contest or a loose contest format that allowed for free expression and friendly rivalries.

“I like seeing the competitive mongrel come out in the grommets,” says Owen, who made an unannounced appearance just as the grommets were settling into their remote bush campground. “That was good to walk in and surprise them, see their camp set ups and hear how much fun they’ve been having. It was so fun, to just hang out and chill and talk story.”

And it seems the experience has left a lasting impression on the surfers that will serve them well as they embark on pro careers, grounding them in the natural environment and the simplicity of the coast camping experience, even as they navigate the world of international competition, airports, hotels and hire cars.

“Adventure for me always involves camping and new locations, not just going to the same place twice. It just felt like a really wholesome event, out adventuring and having a great time,” says Owen.

“I feel proud to give them that opportunity and experience. I know a number of them are looking to do camp trips in their breaks. It’s pretty cool, just joining the dots to a good brand that supports surfing, like Dometic. It might just start opening their minds, that they don’t have to spend thousands on accommodation. You can just pack the car and head down the coast.”

“You don’t need a lot; somewhere to sleep, something to eat and somewhere to surf,” says Vaughan Blakey, summing up the experience neatly.

With season three already in the works, the 'Dometic Adventure with O' is set to introduce more elite Australian surfers to the proud heritage of coastal camping.

Go to the Dometic website for more info:

https://www.dometic.com/en-au/outdoor/lp/surfing-australia-adventure

And you can watch the full series on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxXhhw8qulv2fvyr8q09IBBxWwIQoqUoh