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Your backstage pass to the world of surfing, hosted by MC and commentator Terry “Tappa” Teece. From pro surfers and legends of the sport to shapers, innovators and anyone with an epic story and a love for the ocean—The Green Room dives deep. Expect tales of epic wins, brutal wipeouts, and behind-the-scenes moments from life in and out of the water. Whether you’re chasing waves or just some inspiration, this podcast will leave you stoked to paddle out.
00;00;00;04 - 00;00;26;02
Tappa
Today's guest is a unique individual that finds art in sporting pursuits, capturing amazing images in both surf and snow. Currently exhibiting at the Flotsam Festival, Nara, and not only has the world's largest coffee bowl, coffee table book and carpeting a lifetime of work from some of the most extreme places on our planet. A lifetime spent chasing images accumulated a body of work that is just amazing.
00;00;26;04 - 00;00;27;25
Tappa
Welcome to the green room, Tony Harrington.
00;00;27;26 - 00;00;30;14
Nev
Get it? Thanks very much for having us.
00;00;30;17 - 00;00;35;17
Tappa
Might. It's pretty awesome. And, this book, what's it called? We'll go over it again later.
00;00;35;19 - 00;00;37;12
Nev
The book's called Defining Moments.
00;00;37;16 - 00;00;45;18
Tappa
Well, it looks like that to me, but, let's just start. They might. You were raised on the Central Coast. What was it like growing up there?
00;00;45;21 - 00;01;07;25
Nev
Well, like everywhere along the coast back in the day. You know, I was born in 65, so started surfing when I was five on a, blow up mat, and then by ten years old, got my first surfboard, and, we got I think dad paid $5 for it at, a, just a garage sale. Yeah.
00;01;07;26 - 00;01;30;21
Nev
And I was I remember around that same time he came, came home from work, and he wrote a surfer magazine, and it had this epic cover shot of what I believe is Sunset Beach, but shot from pipeline. Oh, wow. And that really just stuck in my head, you know, I'm just going whoa. And straight away I was infatuated with big waves.
00;01;30;23 - 00;01;39;07
Nev
And, it took me a while, but I ended up spending 27 winters or half winters on the north shore of. Well. Have you?
00;01;39;09 - 00;01;44;29
Tappa
That's pretty amazing to do that right now. Like, can you remember your first wife that hooked you, like when you first?
00;01;45;01 - 00;02;10;26
Nev
I do actually. It was, We're on that family holiday, seal rocks. Yeah. And, you know, the right hand reef. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And what's amazing is only about 1 or 2ft. But as a ten, 11 year old Grammy, whatever, you know, so everything. Yeah. And I'll never forget, the water was so clear, you could see the seaweed like this, and you're looking at the rocks and you're going along the wave.
00;02;10;26 - 00;02;31;24
Nev
You going, whoa, look at that. Well, below what? We're just passing over. And, after that, went to the beach. Breaks down at home at, at Terrigal, back in the day when I was a little tacker, started Terrigal. And then as you grow up and, you move around and around to the bend and then one row and then eventually up to first is beach.
00;02;31;27 - 00;02;50;18
Tappa
Right? It is amazing, those first wives when you're a little kid. I remember my dad pushing me on the wave at the pass, and now I'm out of the biggest barrel. I've had the best time. I can't be as stout as that little 11 year old kid who ran across a wave at the pass. It's it's kind of like some weird drug that you can't replicate that first.
00;02;50;18 - 00;02;52;16
Tappa
Oh, I it's amazing, you know?
00;02;52;21 - 00;02;56;13
Nev
And it sticks with you forever. Yeah, sure. 100%.
00;02;56;16 - 00;03;05;18
Tappa
And, mate, you've got lots of moments captured in that book. But, my what drew me, like, what drew you to photography? What, what when did that sort of come to you?
00;03;05;20 - 00;03;31;18
Nev
Everyone asks that question. For some reason, I picked up a camera when I was 15 years old and started shooting little, yellow, and then out to the weather medic with 110 film. And, I did did it just for fun. I was always the first day on the water as a surfer, getting out there before dawn got my fair share of waves and it started getting crowded about 730.
00;03;31;19 - 00;04;00;27
Nev
You know, everyone, everyone's coming out. So, paddling, grabbed the fins and, camera and go out and shoot and then over, a couple of years after that, people were saying, here, I want you sending these into magazines are going, Crikey, they're not that good, are they? And, first roll of film I sent you never see the track saw Surfing Life, but I did get a running tracks with it.
00;04;00;29 - 00;04;11;06
Nev
And then first trip to Mexico, sent into surfing life and got a feature. Second or third. Well, the film I sent in and started again in front cover. And.
00;04;11;08 - 00;04;14;14
Tappa
So how old were you when all this was happening?
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Nev
That would have been late teens. Early 20s.
00;04;17;17 - 00;04;21;24
Tappa
Oh, that's an early for a for a big hop in your career. Might be in magazines.
00;04;21;24 - 00;04;55;13
Nev
And I know. Right. Because I was electrician as an apprentice. Electrician and, got my ended up when I was 21. I've got my tickets. You know, your contract is license. Yeah. And, I was doing engineering of the night time two, and I got three months before I'd finish my engineering certificate. And, the guy who Rob Allen, a local surfboard shaper and surfboard, surf shop owner in Central Coast, one, bro, used to help me out a little bit and, took me down the snow.
00;04;55;13 - 00;05;14;22
Nev
I'm going. I'm not going down the snow. It's too frickin expensive, you know, and he only making $200 a week as an apprentice. And anyway, I said no, no will make it work. So I went down there, and then I was bitten by the snowboard because, because I'd surfed all my life and I could surf well, back in the day in big waves.
00;05;14;22 - 00;05;43;10
Nev
But I was never going to go anywhere. And I would get to do the regionals. The the local Central Coast events, get through the regionals, who never got past, you know, second round. That started shooting in, I guess, you know, as grumps before social media where we would. And what happens today, every morning, every afternoon, whether you're a school kid or an, old Saudi old dog, you're always meeting at the beach.
00;05;43;10 - 00;05;57;02
Nev
Doesn't matter what the wind swells doing. And, you just hearing about these tales from your elders, you know, of stock trips I used to do, and then you're always waiting for a surf mag to come out the monthly surf magazine.
00;05;57;02 - 00;05;58;16
Tappa
You know, I used to hang.
00;05;58;16 - 00;06;28;24
Nev
Hang? Yeah. And then I used to have, you know, tubeless swells and Wizards of the water and, all the films. And I used to put them down at the Sydney Opera House, so that was content on display, which attracted us. And, the same thing happened with shooting photos. I'll do slideshows in the backyard, you know, and people would just come along and it was just, another place to gather and frothing and inspire, I guess.
00;06;28;27 - 00;06;32;20
Tappa
And it's. And that first trip to the I did that whole kill in the snow as well.
00;06;32;20 - 00;06;36;08
Nev
Oh my God. Oh. Super hooked. Yeah.
00;06;36;10 - 00;06;38;18
Tappa
Because much surfing or something.
00;06;38;21 - 00;07;02;09
Nev
No, no. As much. Yeah. Because I was 17 when I went down the snow for the first time and because I could surf, I wasn't getting better in surfing. I had plateaued where I could go out forest less. And being a goofy foot, I'd be, you know, me and my grandma were the two grams at the time, sitting out there getting all the big ones.
00;07;02;11 - 00;07;31;04
Nev
I had a pretty frightening experience. We had a giant day, and I ended up swimming for two hours out in the middle of the ocean. That freaked me out from big waves, and I didn't want to. Up until that point of time. I saw myself going to Hawaii. Yeah, but then that freaked me out. I would shoot big waves, but I wouldn't surf them and I yeah, I didn't go to Hawaii until mid, mid 25 or maybe 27.
00;07;31;07 - 00;07;40;11
Nev
But then when I went there, first time I thought, fuck, look what I've been losing out on. And I've followed up with 27 straight years.
00;07;40;13 - 00;07;40;28
Speaker 3
00;07;41;01 - 00;07;43;09
Nev
Made it, made up for it, made up for it.
00;07;43;10 - 00;07;50;16
Tappa
Definitely have mate. And, did you, did you straight away start with your camera in the snow as well?
00;07;50;19 - 00;08;12;23
Nev
No, I walked away from being the electrical electrician, engineered to be a cleaner in Thredbo so I could head down toilets and cleaning stairwells. So could ski, ski one run every lunchtime and my two days off and started taking photos of inmates just because you could. Because I could.
00;08;12;23 - 00;08;13;12
Tappa
Yeah.
00;08;13;15 - 00;08;32;15
Nev
And then, springboard it. Both surf and snow. Just, it started going ballistic. Cover here, cover there, trips there, working with brands and surf and snow is run with red boats. Early photographers for both in snow, I guess. And, just went off from there. Yeah.
00;08;32;15 - 00;08;48;19
Tappa
Well, like a lot of. So I've got some mates and I live 12 months a year in winter. And then there's other people that like to do the endless Summer. So, did you end up kind of doing both? Did you sort of like, you know, is that both.
00;08;48;21 - 00;09;13;14
Nev
I used to do a fair bit of work with outside magazine in the year and Men's Journal in the US, and outside did a big, six page feature on me. And I said, hey, bro, do you realize you're the only snow photographer who's done what you're doing at this level for so long? And, probably one of a dozen surf photographers have been chasing big waves for 40 years.
00;09;13;16 - 00;09;22;15
Nev
And they said, how are you the only photographer that's done surf and snow at this level for for decades. And,
00;09;22;17 - 00;09;23;24
Tappa
That's a pretty good record.
00;09;23;24 - 00;09;43;15
Nev
I know. Right. And then, everyone's been asking me for years. I said, how are you going to bring a book out? And, I've never stopped traveling. I have a beautiful gallery in a ski resort in Mount Buller, which is open for month for four months only from June to end of September.
00;09;43;15 - 00;09;46;13
Tappa
So anyone can go check that out. Your gallery there? Yeah.
00;09;46;15 - 00;10;20;22
Nev
In Nampula the other eight months of the year. I'm totally free to surf and snow. So that's where I usually, go to Endo for a couple of weeks in October. Get it ocean fit and spend November, December, early January in Hawaii and then from Hawaii, go to base myself in Jackson Hole or in France. And I've just come back from the 30th year in Alaska doing all the, all that big extreme stuff, still skiing things which only three weeks ago I was skiing stuff, which is to me.
00;10;20;22 - 00;10;25;26
Nev
So 15 years ago, I don't want to ski that stuff anymore, but, still doing it.
00;10;25;26 - 00;10;43;12
Tappa
Yeah, I that's that's cool that you're doing it and taking photographs. At what point in your life did it become where you went? This is what I want to do. Like I know you. You went to, you went gone. You quit the job and chased the snow. But at what point did you say, I'm going with my love?
00;10;43;12 - 00;10;46;22
Tappa
Because, you know, love pays the bills eventually. Come on. Do you know what I mean?
00;10;46;22 - 00;10;47;24
Nev
25.
00;10;47;27 - 00;10;48;20
Tappa
25.
00;10;48;20 - 00;11;29;06
Nev
Yeah. 25. I'd been already shooting for ten years getting stuff published, but, I was fortunate to have a trade as electrician, so I would supplement the income in those early days and to be able to afford buy camera equipment and film and processing by mid trade. And then, end up for 15 years being a senior photographer for surfing life and working for snow mags all around the world and then getting budgets, you know, we used to make enough money off of magazines, but and buyouts from brands for photos and get travel budgets and is yeah, it's really cool.
00;11;29;10 - 00;11;36;25
Tappa
That's the most you've ever got for a fight. I what's the most if you, if you feel comfortable saying, what's it. Because Willy was telling me something ridiculous.
00;11;36;29 - 00;11;37;19
Nev
Okay.
00;11;37;25 - 00;11;39;01
Tappa
20 K for fine.
00;11;39;05 - 00;11;40;16
Nev
Yeah. One.
00;11;40;18 - 00;11;41;18
Tappa
Wow. What was that.
00;11;41;18 - 00;11;46;25
Nev
Fight. I'm trying to think, tourism, maybe tourism New Zealand. Yeah.
00;11;46;27 - 00;11;48;06
Tappa
It's nice shot.
00;11;48;08 - 00;11;57;08
Nev
Yes. Yeah. It was. Yeah, it was used for a billboard and re licensed and repurposed. Yeah, yeah. And I mean.
00;11;57;11 - 00;11;58;27
Tappa
The 20 grand. Yeah. Go for.
00;11;58;27 - 00;12;35;04
Nev
It. Yeah. But go a once in a lifetime. Yeah. You know now my gallery pieces you know can, can I grew up where Ken Duncan, Ken Duncan moved in to where I grew up when I was young. And of course, he was very inspirational. And I was going to look at those prices. He can get that. But he said to me, hero, if you so and if you're if you go, if you're a quality photographer and you've got a name and you put in the yards and you do everything right, if you sell under those under that 3 to 5 grand per piece for an art piece, you're going to fail.
00;12;35;06 - 00;13;00;04
Nev
And, I tried everything might I've done, you know, these cafes, these beautiful cafes that you go to. Yeah. Incredible bits of photography or artwork on there. And they got 4 or $500 on there. I mean, I'd love to know one photographer who's either sold something or if it led onto something because it doesn't happen. Yeah, yeah.
00;13;00;05 - 00;13;08;20
Nev
So you gotta you just got to put in the time and, and just give it a shot. You know, value your work.
00;13;08;20 - 00;13;14;20
Tappa
Mike, what are the challenges as a photographer like surf versus snow. What's the what's the challenges there?
00;13;14;21 - 00;13;18;21
Nev
Okay. Basically there's no money in surf anymore.
00;13;18;24 - 00;13;21;23
Tappa
You know everybody's got the digital to get it, get it, get it, get it get it.
00;13;21;23 - 00;13;51;15
Nev
Brands. Brands will buy a digital camera. Give it to a kid. Yeah. Pay them an hourly wage to go if, if that given product or whatever. And you know that child majority the the the, those photos are turning up now, you know, and surfers in general, they taught houses for good reason. They'll always want to go on a safe trip.
00;13;51;15 - 00;14;16;19
Nev
They always want to buy a surfboard, a wetsuit. You know, I, I get that, you know, an edge. They grab become a family. Then they want to take the kids in the next boat trip, too, mentally. So something like that. So, surfing for the passion for it. These days I do have clients which, purchase some big ones, but a lot of it's, snow people, especially in Australia.
00;14;16;27 - 00;14;42;02
Nev
Snow people, oh. There's a big crossover with surf. Yeah. The two cultures are very closely aligned over here. So, even though I've got a gallery and a ski resort, it's interesting the number of snow pieces, which are so. But, I would love to focus more on the ocean scapes and with those communities, but, haven't found a way.
00;14;42;02 - 00;14;44;22
Nev
I haven't found it in road yet to make it happen.
00;14;44;22 - 00;14;58;25
Tappa
What about the actual, like actually shooting a shot? Like, as compared to, like, you know, like, okay, you're a swimmer. Are you mostly with the with the water. So swimming compared to being on a slide, what's the difference?
00;14;58;25 - 00;15;22;29
Nev
It doesn't compare on me and surfing. So technical and challenging. And that's what's freaking cool about it. You know you get yourself a good photo from the water and you're super stoked. I mean, I can go out on any day on the on the mountain, depending what no matter what the snow's doing, you, if you got a good athlete, you can make them look good.
00;15;23;01 - 00;15;42;18
Nev
But in the surf you got so many variables, you got the wave, the tide, the ribs, the wind, the shape of the wave, what the surfer can do on a certain part of the wave, whether they're right in front of you. There's, you know, on snow, you can sit there and they can do it again. They can do it again.
00;15;42;18 - 00;15;43;20
Nev
They can do it again.
00;15;43;22 - 00;15;45;05
Tappa
And so downtown's not moving.
00;15;45;09 - 00;16;01;20
Nev
That's right. That's right. But, I think that's what makes a good photographer though, in a sport, is when you get to work with athletes, they know that, let's face a lot of athletes are pretty egotistical. Egotistical? Yeah.
00;16;01;20 - 00;16;03;02
Tappa
Hey, guys. Not a dirty word.
00;16;03;04 - 00;16;04;06
Nev
No, no.
00;16;04;07 - 00;16;06;15
Tappa
As Skyhook said, totally.
00;16;06;18 - 00;16;34;16
Nev
So as a photographer, my goal is to go out there and capture something first. Go, because you don't get a second chance most of the time. And, to make them look better than they think they are. And when I've got that mindset in, that I'll work hard. Hard for it. And hopefully if you get the shot, you get invited to shoot them again and go to cool places, because if you fuck it up, you know, they'll pull someone else in.
00;16;34;18 - 00;16;35;08
Speaker 3
My.
00;16;35;11 - 00;16;53;29
Tappa
Now the like, obviously you started in the film era. Yeah. Now I remember Wilbur Mark Wilson telling me about, you know, like he used to get, like, say, a couple of rolls of 24 or whatever you shot. He'd say to me, and he said he might get 1 or 2 shots. Is that how it was, that it?
00;16;54;00 - 00;16;57;02
Tappa
You'd be able to, like, nail in a, in a roll of film?
00;16;57;02 - 00;17;09;22
Nev
Totally. If you're getting 3 to 4 shots per roll, which you're usable, you're doing pretty well by the time it's in focus and you're in the right place and there's no water droplets on the lens. Yeah.
00;17;09;24 - 00;17;14;16
Tappa
So do you ever, ever, think to shoot with, film nowadays or.
00;17;14;19 - 00;17;22;17
Nev
Nah, fuck that. I did that. I've shot tens of thousands of rolls of film. Yeah, yeah.
00;17;22;20 - 00;17;24;01
Tappa
Yes, it's easier.
00;17;24;04 - 00;17;47;14
Nev
It is. But what it's really interesting. Now you've got you you. Sony's unique on your cannons, which, I was with canon and they went to Nikon, but more recently I've gone to Fuji and, shooting all the action sports in medium format. And sure, it's overkill for, you know, magazines special. Yeah.
00;17;47;16 - 00;17;53;03
Tappa
So what does a medium format mean to those people who aren't, you know, the photography sort of side of things?
00;17;53;03 - 00;18;28;20
Nev
Okay. The sensor size, for example, medium, 110, 102 megapixel file is actually 6 to 7 times better than the top of the range Nikon or Canon. So it's overkill for shooting action. But because, for eight, nine months a year, I'm out in the extreme environment, I'm shooting the action. But then if there's a beautiful landscape, which is where I'll make the money from through the gallery, I've got this camera equipment which will capture in detail the landscape.
00;18;28;20 - 00;18;32;08
Nev
And typically that's what I'll make money on.
00;18;32;08 - 00;18;56;29
Tappa
Well, that's what I've noticed with some of, photographs I've seen, mate. And the great photographers. I just seem to have an aura where I see stuff that people don't see. And you capture that, like. Like, I know I've seen a million sunrises in, like, because I do my surf reports every morning and they'll be probably a 32nd period sometimes where that light's just different.
00;18;57;01 - 00;19;02;00
Nev
30s you're right. Hundred percent. Yeah. And then you say it. Yeah. You're a surfer.
00;19;02;02 - 00;19;21;07
Tappa
Yeah, yeah yeah, yeah. But that you've got to capture that moment don't you. That's the thing. And knowing that's probably a spy's why these guys are so good that the, the, the prize like yourself like some of the images are like crazy, just the way you can look at it. And that's that landscape. You do a lot of that for your gallery.
00;19;21;10 - 00;19;21;21
Tappa
Is that.
00;19;21;21 - 00;19;50;08
Nev
Correct? I've always shot landscape, but I never did anything with it because I had no outlet with it until that six years ago when I opened up my gallery. But yeah, now it's my focus. But also I like to my vision, my every day. I love to get up and go out and shoot. Incredible landscape, but incorporate the action into it if if that can be done with an athlete.
00;19;50;10 - 00;20;08;24
Tappa
Well, I've seen slowly does a bit of that like heal. Luckily I think when that cycling outfit. Yeah it was shooting there and next thing you guys I'm going and he got a went to somewhere else to get this different angle so I could get the landscape with that in and and that's something you kind of try to do.
00;20;08;24 - 00;20;10;08
Tappa
Hey that's that's I think.
00;20;10;08 - 00;20;20;25
Nev
100% every day to me is going out getting that epic landscape shot. And if I can incorporate some action to it, that's just the icing on the cake.
00;20;20;27 - 00;20;30;06
Tappa
So that's like I feel some way you you're looking while you're there, you're looking for somewhere else to try and get this angle. Is that right? You sort of always like your head's on a swivel all the time.
00;20;30;07 - 00;20;49;09
Nev
Hundred percent like I'm going out with all of the guys I grew up with. In the first week of June, we're on the main gallery for 12 days. Yeah. And they dragged me along to take photos of them, which I'm so frothing to do just today. Personally. Yeah, but in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, okay, what, what landscape photos can I shoot?
00;20;49;09 - 00;20;52;08
Nev
You know, which might show in the gallery. So.
00;20;52;10 - 00;21;08;29
Tappa
That's really cool. Now might it is the modern era. We've got the digital, we've got the iPhone. What now? Because I know like, you know, these the iPhones are surmising and the, you know, the, the bigger than most cameras nearly now that they pair power I think I think oh.
00;21;08;29 - 00;21;15;29
Nev
Look they're insane of you know, they use them for TV production now. Yeah. It's insane. I think we're.
00;21;15;29 - 00;21;16;23
Tappa
Using them and they're.
00;21;16;25 - 00;21;42;16
Nev
They, they wso I know Duane Thatcher, one of my classmates. Yeah. He just had to catch up with him the other day, and he's shaking his head. It just feels weird. He said, you know, he's a guy I used to like, you know, Hollywood films and that with red cameras and old TV shows. And now he just feels bad running around with, on the ocean, swimming with an iPhone for TV.
00;21;42;16 - 00;21;54;14
Tappa
But in saying that, my even now you've got that technology with an iPhone talent is it does really separate even with this, this modern equipment, doesn't it? It's all in talent, of course.
00;21;54;14 - 00;22;13;15
Nev
Yeah. You know, so many people say to me, I just had a classic example last week, a guy who runs a hotel, he's a manager there, and he wants to shoot some nice photos of his food just to put it online. He said, hello. What? You know what what what camera should I get? I said, mate, just yeah, iPhone, I said at the end, I was straight up with him.
00;22;13;15 - 00;22;17;18
Nev
I said at the end of the day it's the user. Yeah, yeah for sure.
00;22;17;22 - 00;22;24;15
Tappa
It's the AI and what you do with it as well. My now surf and snow right.
00;22;24;21 - 00;22;26;06
Nev
00;22;26;08 - 00;22;41;05
Tappa
Hairiest moments you've ever had first in the surf. What's a Harris moment you've had shooting in the surf. Like I know you've had your kid my, you grommet moment when you're swimming around for two hours. Say that's pretty hectic. But what about with a camera in your hand.
00;22;41;07 - 00;23;03;12
Nev
I was out Phantom set to break. Out past sunset in Hawaii in the North Shore. And it was a stormy afternoon, and, I was out. There's Jamie Stirling and Troy Lotus's two closest friends, and they were towing in, and, the swell was building, and I. It's just on this shitty little two stroke and,
00;23;03;14 - 00;23;04;19
Tappa
Jet ski, jet.
00;23;04;19 - 00;23;32;11
Nev
Ski. And, so I was driving and shooting at the same time and just had this close out came through and is probably a good, solid 2020 five foot Hawaiian. And I ran to get out there and realized I wasn't going to get up over it. So I had to turn around just as it's broken and then I gunned it and the thing flooded the Or whatever the the oh, the cabbie flooded, coughed, flooded, flooded and died.
00;23;32;14 - 00;23;56;15
Nev
And then I just got taken out by, you know, solid 12 or 15ft of white water. So, yeah, I had my neck and then, got rolled big time, you know, built it up, managed it. Thankfully, there wasn't another wave behind the set. Swam to the ski, got it started for some reason. It started go down the impact zone.
00;23;56;15 - 00;24;17;26
Nev
Went to run it up on the beach at the, at Mike Slattery's place. And, the thing Catherine coughed and spluttered again. Then it got picked up in the shore dump and just washed up, worked again, and no one else was around. But we we had a winch back there, so I ran up into the yard, hook down on the winch, pulled it up, wash it all down.
00;24;17;26 - 00;24;42;23
Nev
And Mike Prickett, one of my closest mate, said, oh, hello. Well, we're going to Maverick's. So I said, okay, so I got the ski out, washed it down, jumping on radar. I flight got to Maverick's, 5:00 this morning, and, I was driving out there and, Oh, God. What's his name? Larry Haines was a very close friend.
00;24;42;23 - 00;25;06;05
Nev
Rest in peace. Had him filming on the back. I'm driving the ski and shooting at the same time, and, it was just dark and dingy and wave just punching out in the fog, and, how we got out, I don't know, there's another ski that went out next to us. They got washed away. Two lobster guys went in a boat, and they drowned that same time.
00;25;06;05 - 00;25;12;10
Nev
Wow. Got in that afternoon and then the same. So I was heading down to Todos Santos Island.
00;25;12;10 - 00;25;14;24
Tappa
So you're following the same swell, same swell.
00;25;14;24 - 00;25;36;29
Nev
And I'm with Jamie Watts, Jamie Mitchell and Billy Watson. Yeah. And, we went down to todos, and we got the got into San Diego at 10:00 that night from Mavericks. Then we drove through all through the night. When you're not supposed to drive through north, Mexico because of the Bandidos and everything. And, went out there in the short of it.
00;25;36;29 - 00;25;57;09
Nev
Got three days, got the swell. And then later that afternoon, the third day after todos, went in, just so degraded. No food, no sleep. And I had a shower and I looked down and everywhere from my chest to my fucking knee, including my decomposed was black.
00;25;57;13 - 00;25;59;17
Tappa
Is that from when you guys.
00;25;59;20 - 00;26;03;14
Nev
When I got flogged from the ski? Wow. Yeah, I know right.
00;26;03;15 - 00;26;08;21
Tappa
It's just hectic and you did say you must have been so full of adrenaline you didn't fail. It is.
00;26;08;26 - 00;26;23;21
Nev
And that's what happens to all the, especially, you know, especially the surfers, but not just the surfers, the photographers and film is and everyone is just on the same program of just putting themselves on the line. So you're just high as a kite on adrenaline. It takes a couple days to come down.
00;26;23;24 - 00;26;25;28
Tappa
And so how many days straight was that like?
00;26;25;28 - 00;26;27;13
Nev
That was three straight days.
00;26;27;13 - 00;26;32;14
Tappa
Three straight days in like Hawaii. You went, mavericks and then Titus.
00;26;32;14 - 00;26;34;08
Nev
Titus. Yeah. So,
00;26;34;10 - 00;26;34;29
Tappa
Wow.
00;26;35;00 - 00;26;41;12
Nev
Yeah, it was classic. It was a really good one. And then, for snow.
00;26;41;14 - 00;27;04;00
Nev
I've been caught in places where I've dropped in, in Alaska with my camera gear on me. And once you drop in, you can't get picked up by the heli. You're committed to your line, and you get down, and then you've got these big, big streams. So a big stream is at the end of a 2 to 3 4000 vertical foot, you know, 50 degree run or whatever.
00;27;04;02 - 00;27;11;17
Nev
It's where the glacier pulls away and it's got these big crevasses. And, the only way out is you gotta air em out.
00;27;11;19 - 00;27;12;22
Tappa
So you got to air over the.
00;27;12;22 - 00;27;38;06
Nev
Correct with all your camera gear on. And then, for the last 30 years of dodged, avalanches of I'm very smart, very calculated. Like, like when, when people go on big waves, like any of those big wave stays at jaws or anything like that. Everyone works as a team, you know, everyone gets together to do the, rescue courses.
00;27;38;06 - 00;27;57;26
Nev
And after that you get to work with the with the athletes and the, water patrol guys. So there's a plan and same thing, the big mountains. Except last year, up until last year, Dodged avalanches last year. Got taken out twice, once in France and once in Alaska.
00;27;58;00 - 00;28;01;03
Tappa
So if you got an A perv or anything. Oh, yeah. That stuff. Yeah.
00;28;01;04 - 00;28;20;12
Nev
Everyone's got beacons and shovels and probes and we know how to use them and twice have got swept. And the only reason that us survived was firstly because a lot because you never know. Yeah. But you know when you go down, when you, when you're getting taken down, you swim, you swim frickin hard. So you.
00;28;20;19 - 00;28;22;21
Tappa
You're talking in snow. You swim. Yeah.
00;28;22;24 - 00;28;29;03
Nev
Yeah I know avalanche. If you're moving down the mountain. Yeah. You just swim and just get to the surface.
00;28;29;05 - 00;28;34;09
Tappa
Yeah. So, yeah. Like, you're swimming through, like, kind of solid, but liquid is not frozen.
00;28;34;13 - 00;28;38;28
Nev
Well, it's powdered to start with, but by the time it moves like 20ft.
00;28;38;28 - 00;28;39;25
Tappa
So you're kicking.
00;28;40;00 - 00;29;03;03
Nev
Yeah. You're doing. Yeah. You're trying to kick off your skis. You just trying to you're getting rid of your poles. You just trying to get to the surface. Get to the surface. Wow. So that was really hard. I was supposed to be in Alaska for six weeks last year. I, I got after my second slide, I got my work done.
00;29;03;03 - 00;29;24;18
Nev
I pulled out, pulled the pin two weeks earlier, and then, stoked. This year, got back on the horse. I just spent six weeks in Alaska and is skiing really stupidly big steep stuff. And, got back on the horse for sure. I think that's where you got to do whether being in anything where you get spooked, you know, soon you get back into it and you can overcome it.
00;29;24;20 - 00;29;36;03
Tappa
Wow. That's it's pretty amazing. I still can't believe that. Three days and then black and blue, that's. And yeah, that must have really shocked you that I when you had the shark because you you had no idea it.
00;29;36;04 - 00;29;38;02
Nev
Totally right. Just going oh my.
00;29;38;02 - 00;29;39;20
Tappa
God what have I done to myself.
00;29;39;21 - 00;29;41;01
Nev
Yeah yeah.
00;29;41;02 - 00;29;57;18
Tappa
Wow. Now might you've shot some like obviously you've shot for all the major magazines across the world, snow and surf. Who are those? Some of the favorite athletes or, you know, or the most memorable athletes you've had to capture? Like some of them, they've probably known him for a while too.
00;29;57;21 - 00;30;23;02
Nev
Yeah, well, definitely. Jughead, just an old port. He's from home. I've shot ISP events, so it's a very cliquey scene, and, and I've knit. I've been around, I mean, being in Hawaii and here on the goatee and shot the mo, and I know I've got, you know, I can walk up to Parco or to Mick Fanning and say, good eye, but I've never really, really connected at all with that scene.
00;30;23;08 - 00;30;41;21
Nev
My scenes more, the adventures events you saw in like chasing swells across South Australia or Indo or Tahiti or Mexico or Cortez Bank. So the big wave, all the big wave crew is where I feel part of my Taro tribe. Does that make sense? Yeah.
00;30;41;21 - 00;30;42;12
Tappa
That does. Yeah.
00;30;42;12 - 00;31;00;04
Nev
Yes. And and certainly Jamie Mitchell and Billy Watson been a big part of that. We've done crazy stuff. I found a wave 60 k's off the coast of South Australia and took me four years to get together a crew and a boat, and we got out there and we got around 33.
00;31;00;06 - 00;31;01;07
Tappa
Nuh.
00;31;01;09 - 00;31;07;10
Nev
But, we call this one the sink bombing. Right. It's only been surfed once.
00;31;07;10 - 00;31;08;28
Tappa
Wow. 60.
00;31;09;00 - 00;31;17;23
Nev
60 K's. It's just a seamount. It's just a pinnacle. And, we named it after the boat. Wow. That we went out in. Yeah.
00;31;17;24 - 00;31;24;00
Tappa
And so that. So what? You've just got to wait for the mega swell and the. And now wind is it? And I wind.
00;31;24;03 - 00;31;27;03
Nev
Yeah, it's no wind. We went out in the storm and that's pretty.
00;31;27;03 - 00;31;28;09
Tappa
Hard in the Southern Ocean.
00;31;28;12 - 00;31;48;06
Nev
Oh totally. We were we were stuck behind in Ireland for three days. And I've got a good friend down there, Jeff Schumacher. And, he helped pull it all together, getting the boat captain in. And we're always yeah, we're always talking. But South Australia, that's a different beast for sure. Just going there was.
00;31;48;06 - 00;31;50;23
Tappa
A few different bass in the water there. Tony. Mike. Yeah.
00;31;50;23 - 00;32;19;10
Nev
And on land. And it's interesting in defining moments. The South Australian segment is about sharks and localism. The first time I was in South Australia, had Jamie Stirling and I had a four wheel drive with two skis, my ski in a Red bull ski on, on the back of, and we pulled up at a, gas station, and these two locals just, you know, just abused the fuck out of it.
00;32;19;10 - 00;32;43;07
Nev
So heavy. And they went off the head and we just going, fuck, let's get out of here. Then, one minute later, I just have to pay for the fuel. Another car comes in with a jet ski on the back, and this guy says, big burly guy says Gidday. Fellas, how's it going? You've been getting waves. And we looked at main stars, looked at each other and kind of at his feet and, he said, oh, let's go and get some waves.
00;32;43;09 - 00;33;02;02
Nev
And I thought, you know, straight away he thought he was going to lead us down the back. Yeah, back roads and fuck it over. And we ended up going down there and pulled up in the car park, and they saw us two fucking idiots who went off. And I said, on the other end, the car park. And we told Jeff what happened, and he just spoke and he said, those two fuck.
00;33;02;02 - 00;33;24;15
Nev
Which are they? They've been they blow in. They've only been here for ten years. I think the and price and they, they cowered. But just continue. And so that was 20 years ago and just continuing on to that was down the last my, staying with Schumacher and again was I was on the beach just just shooting about four foot.
00;33;24;15 - 00;33;38;12
Nev
Dana, I had a local come up to me. He said, what are you doing with your camera? Put it away. Piss off. And I politely said, no, I'm allowed to do this. And, I, I've never posted a photo straight away after such an asshole sign.
00;33;38;14 - 00;33;39;03
Tappa
This is where it.
00;33;39;03 - 00;33;59;10
Nev
Was saying no, totally. I do the right thing. Anyway. So fast forward just to a couple of weeks ago. I hadn't used Muskie since last May when I was down there, and I just put it out on the lake, just to give it a run. Yeah. And, about 15, 20 minutes later, she's running a little bit sluggish.
00;33;59;10 - 00;34;22;18
Nev
So pull it up on the saw the lake, and it's half full of water. Some, so had got to, quarter inch drill bit and punched two holes in the bottom of the skate. That so that, just found out that three weeks ago. So I just had to patch it down, and she's running fun now, but that was, you know, and fucking idiots down.
00;34;22;18 - 00;34;34;06
Nev
They they don't surf anyway, right? Because there's so many sharks. There's no one down there surfing. And here's these idiots going through just drilling holes in the bottom people skis with with cordless drills.
00;34;34;06 - 00;34;40;18
Tappa
In my I and from port Mac said, you know like sometimes if it even got guns out and shot people's cars while are in the surf.
00;34;40;22 - 00;35;04;03
Nev
Totally. I was with, Tony Ray and, on on one trip, and we're just cruising through to, Western Australia, and we stopped over, at Port Campbell and, the owner of the surf shop brings up his mate, comes in and says, what are you guys doing here? You got a bit of production. Fuck off.
00;35;04;06 - 00;35;09;15
Nev
And we're just going, well, we're just driving through. And he's a guy who owns a surf shop, right?
00;35;09;15 - 00;35;10;15
Tappa
Harassing you?
00;35;10;17 - 00;35;10;27
Nev
Yeah.
00;35;10;28 - 00;35;13;20
Tappa
Help me and Tony Ray. What a blow, agent.
00;35;13;22 - 00;35;21;13
Nev
Oh, I know right. And then. Yeah, in the morning we've got all these stickers all over on skis and cars. No exposure.
00;35;21;15 - 00;35;23;14
Tappa
Oh, and stickers right up to it.
00;35;23;15 - 00;35;25;10
Nev
Yeah, totally.
00;35;25;12 - 00;35;26;05
Tappa
I covered like.
00;35;26;07 - 00;35;31;13
Nev
And the copper was in the local copper was in on the program too. He was much of it too. So.
00;35;31;15 - 00;35;35;22
Tappa
Wow, that's crazy that a like a lizard. Many sharks in South Australia.
00;35;35;25 - 00;35;38;09
Nev
I know right. Yeah yeah yeah.
00;35;38;11 - 00;35;45;12
Tappa
And then you got the sharks, right. That that's crazy. How do you get, like, a lizard in the snow? You get a bit of that? Don't know. No.
00;35;45;13 - 00;36;11;29
Nev
Look at places. Yes, but if you don't tag it, it's fine. So as long as you, as long as you show respect, you do the right thing. Respect. I think that's in any thing, whether it's sport, culture, business, family, you know, you show respect. You get respect. But, certainly you don't want to be in back in that country areas.
00;36;11;29 - 00;36;18;22
Nev
You don't want to tag where you are. Oh no, it's just not doing. It's just not cool. Yeah. You know.
00;36;18;25 - 00;36;36;24
Tappa
Right now there's got to be some surf. There's like, if you've got like 40 years, this is 40 years of of work. It's amazing. But, there must be some surfers you've, you've followed since our grommets and now they're, they're men. Have you got some of those? Yeah, that I like etched in your brain.
00;36;36;24 - 00;37;00;18
Nev
Oh, look, Killiney, for sure. Yeah. I was, I was living on Oahu and I would go across to jaws when it was big. And a friend of mine said, oh, how are you going to mate this kid? He's nine years old. He's he's going to be the next laird. Oh, and then she stumbled. She said, actually, he's going to be better than Laird.
00;37;00;23 - 00;37;17;22
Nev
I went, oh, okay. So I went out there and I was, shooting Kilkenny as a nine year old getting towed would just telling him behind the and he's on a tow board. And then he got on to a foil board and these photos are in the book. And then got to meet his dad. So there's beautiful portraits.
00;37;17;24 - 00;37;21;11
Tappa
I have been, you see, at nine years. How big is it at nine years old? Surfing.
00;37;21;12 - 00;37;25;13
Nev
Oh, I was only small. I was only small. We went out there just, you know, like four.
00;37;25;13 - 00;37;26;08
Tappa
Foot, ten foot.
00;37;26;08 - 00;37;47;19
Nev
So he might look like ten foot. Yeah. And then, become, good friends with his dad and Kai. And over the years, Yeah. So I've shot him up into, you know, like two years ago or whatever. So he's in the book from a nine year old to, what is he, 20? God, like 2020?
00;37;47;24 - 00;37;51;08
Tappa
Yeah. It's amazing. Innovator with big waves. Surfing, isn't he?
00;37;51;08 - 00;37;57;16
Nev
He is. Yeah. No one's done anything like he has. Yeah. Super freak.
00;37;57;18 - 00;38;00;04
Tappa
And on how many types of equipment.
00;38;00;07 - 00;38;04;28
Nev
On anything that floats. Yeah, probably. If it wouldn't float, he would still get it to float.
00;38;05;00 - 00;38;07;25
Tappa
Thanks. Paddling with a knife or a fin, I totally.
00;38;07;25 - 00;38;09;05
Nev
Yeah, yeah.
00;38;09;07 - 00;38;27;03
Tappa
That's one of my favorite lines I read in Surfing World when I was about, I think 12 and it was Tolbert, Narrabeen, Carl Smith. It was. But yeah, but mate of all is there any favorite shots in this book that I, like or like they're all, that's why you've got so many such. It's such a big book.
00;38;27;03 - 00;38;27;29
Tappa
Is that.
00;38;28;02 - 00;38;50;09
Nev
Yeah. Basically everyone's asked me for years. I mean, how are you going to do book? You go to do a book. And firstly, I had no time to do it. It was only thanks to Covid. Well, for the first time in 30 years, I couldn't travel. So, I was based at Eleanor, at my sister's place, and I opened up a little gallery on the Crumlin beachfront, which went really well.
00;38;50;09 - 00;38;54;14
Nev
But I realized I don't want another summer in Australia. But let me,
00;38;54;17 - 00;38;55;20
Tappa
I yeah, a bit different.
00;38;55;28 - 00;38;56;24
Nev
I on the whole.
00;38;56;27 - 00;38;58;22
Tappa
Autumn maybe, but not the summer.
00;38;58;24 - 00;39;05;00
Nev
But, that allowed me to stop and go through a couple hundred thousand slides.
00;39;05;02 - 00;39;09;21
Tappa
Oh, that just just for me. That's just like a couple 100,000.
00;39;09;21 - 00;39;38;26
Nev
And call that down to 2000 and scare them all. Then go. Go through either half a million digital images and, call that 10 to 10,000. Then I'll put it in a book. Just put it into Lightroom. And then it took me four and a half years to piece it together to make, segues from location to location and surf and then snow and, story started popping out here, there and everywhere.
00;39;38;26 - 00;40;00;13
Nev
But one of my classic ones is, I had these photos of Jerry Lopez from the water, pipeline, around I was around 2003 when this Jerry Lopez pipeline masters. And of course, on the goofy footer. He's being goofy for the pipeline. I just gone, you know, like, every any good thing for these events, you know. Yeah.
00;40;00;15 - 00;40;21;26
Nev
And, was shooting slide film at the time. And so the legend says in the expression session before the final was on, it was about 6 to 8ft, and all the water photographers had swum in to change films for the final. I'm just going off. I'm out here doing a one on one session with Jerry Lopez. Yeah. So I really committed and put myself.
00;40;22;01 - 00;40;34;00
Nev
I got work, but I, got the photos, got an insane barrel from. I was in the barrel with him with 100 mil lens take off to finish going past me, and then, another.
00;40;34;00 - 00;40;35;12
Tappa
Half class, was it?
00;40;35;14 - 00;40;38;19
Nev
Oh, probably from me to you as he went, as he went through.
00;40;38;23 - 00;40;43;00
Tappa
Wow, that must been an experience just without the camera. Like, just to see that.
00;40;43;00 - 00;41;09;02
Nev
Totally. Right. And then, the every shot was pin sharp. I sent it off to one of the big U.S surf mags. Never seen it again. Don't know where it went. So I had half a roll of film with what I call seconds, which I didn't send to the mags because I sent the best ones to them eggs, and they just got put away in boxes because I've been traveling for 40 years, so I've got boxes everywhere.
00;41;09;04 - 00;41;33;08
Nev
Just so happened that, when we could travel, I'd spent ten years living in New Zealand, had a Photoshop there when I closed the Photoshop down, I put everything on a dilapidated wooden lock up on on a friend's farm. And for 20 years that was not opened. It was this stuff in there. I had no idea what was in there.
00;41;33;10 - 00;41;46;09
Nev
So, I, I got the chance to go back just after, as soon as I opened the borders to see if there was any photos worthy. First. First handful, Jerry Lopez.
00;41;46;12 - 00;41;47;29
Tappa
The time capsules. I haven't.
00;41;48;03 - 00;42;16;00
Nev
Time. Careful. Open second one. Burton. Jake Burton from founder of Snowboard Burton Snowboards. I thought they were gone, too. But I did a one on one portrait shoot with him, then an action shoot. So they're both in the book. So they were defining moments. And then, Jerry was here two years ago with tracks doing, the tracks and, doing his surfing movie.
00;42;16;03 - 00;42;38;23
Nev
And I had the photos with me, and, I felt like a 12 year old kid again. I was so fucking nervous. I went up and I said, oh, excuse me, Jerry. My name's Tony, there on the water and said, when did you surf pipeline last? And he gave it a good thought, and he said, during the special session.
00;42;38;25 - 00;42;43;15
Nev
And I said, are these photos here? And they're gone. Wow. So, yeah.
00;42;43;15 - 00;42;49;05
Tappa
You actually captured the last time Jerry Lopez ever surfed pipeline.
00;42;49;07 - 00;42;52;02
Nev
Yes. Wow. From the water.
00;42;52;04 - 00;42;54;06
Tappa
From the water. And mighty you were.
00;42;54;06 - 00;42;56;28
Nev
Why, yes. And they're in the book.
00;42;57;00 - 00;42;57;17
Tappa
Well, and.
00;42;57;17 - 00;42;59;10
Nev
Talk about defining moment.
00;42;59;12 - 00;43;03;00
Tappa
Finding moments is what it's called, isn't it. How many pages is it.
00;43;03;03 - 00;43;07;08
Nev
It's 1352.
00;43;07;10 - 00;43;08;02
Speaker 3
00;43;08;05 - 00;43;15;04
Tappa
Well, I'm, I'm I'm 100% in getting copy. I'm in it. And it's. I was this bored. Here it is. And I know I know now 4K.
00;43;15;06 - 00;43;19;18
Nev
Is a favorite. Favorite band, you know, from our era.
00;43;19;18 - 00;43;41;20
Tappa
Yeah. Of course. Love writing. I but actually, you know how you were saying when, you know, you were doing electrical work to get the money? Dennis tech from Radio Birdman. What a legend. He he's like, he's a, he's a surgeon, a surgeon. Yeah, yeah. And he's, And, a pilot as well. Right. He joined the US Navy when he left Australia when Bourbon broke up.
00;43;41;20 - 00;43;58;29
Tappa
And yeah, it became a pilot as well. So I said your part, but he used to do like three months a year as a trauma ward surgeon. So I'd get enough money to pay in bird man. Yes. So. And like you, he's done the same thing. So it seems to be an honest thing that sometimes you find something that you can get you through.
00;43;59;01 - 00;44;14;19
Nev
You need to show if you want to, if you want to chase it, if you want to hunt it, you know you're not going to get. It's rare to make money out of your passions. You got to supplement it somehow, and you got to make it happen. If you want it that much, you make it.
00;44;14;21 - 00;44;19;16
Tappa
Make this book like how could how can people get hold of it?
00;44;19;18 - 00;44;26;09
Nev
Only through the website hero outcome. Hey, I, to ecom my.
00;44;26;09 - 00;44;33;25
Tappa
That's an honestly, it's a it's a marketing. Right? Is do you have a favorite fight I went to. I had 500 million of them.
00;44;34;01 - 00;45;00;24
Nev
No, I don't, I don't and, I didn't answer your question properly before. Why did I make a book? How did I make it? There's so many incredible photographers out there with so many incredible books. I mean, I've got I've got cabbage full. And, so it was the point of difference. Outside magazine sparked this thought.
00;45;00;27 - 00;45;29;06
Nev
I'm the only snow photographer. He's done 35, 38, 35, maybe closer to 40, back to back winters. So 76 something winters north, south, north south, north south. And so I spend about six, seven months a year in snow. And then I spend the other 6 to 7 months in the ocean. So that's why it had to be surf and snow, because people were saying, well, why don't you do one of each?
00;45;29;06 - 00;45;54;15
Nev
And there's no point of difference. There's so many great books out there. And, to have this much history and based around big waves and big mountains because the adventure stuff. Yeah, not the small wave, the competition stuff, I enjoy it. I got good friends, but I love the social aspect and just being, you know, I got on on belly or snapper or whatever saying all that and it's amazing.
00;45;54;15 - 00;45;59;12
Nev
But I love just being with just with a couple of mates and the middle of I'm fucking okay getting it done.
00;45;59;19 - 00;46;16;24
Tappa
Yeah, mate, it's, I just I'm just like a, I just the, the work is am I know, I even like some of your shots. I say you seem to just have a different look to a lot of other photographers. Do you aim to find to to do that or just you find I look different, like you can.
00;46;16;26 - 00;46;19;25
Tappa
It's sort of like that's a Harry, you know.
00;46;19;28 - 00;46;41;02
Nev
I do look for the point of difference. It's really interesting. If there's 2 or 3 photographers standing somewhere, I won't be anywhere near them. Yeah. You know, in this. Yeah. Pipeline. You've got Sean Davey next year because he's so frickin funny to listen to, you know? There. But even then, it's it'll be you got that social aspect where you catch up with him on the beach.
00;46;41;02 - 00;46;58;28
Nev
And I love meeting other photographers and. Yeah, I love meeting photographers who show respect because if they show respect, you give respect. But there's so many kids out these these days shooting and there's so I don't know, just it's really cliquey. That's what I've found.
00;46;58;28 - 00;47;18;28
Tappa
And we've got a I had a young girl in here, a few weeks ago, Shannon Heyes, and she's, since she's the last two seasons, she started selling pipeline. She does video. Yes. And but she got she got into the pecking order at pipeline, which obviously she's a very respectful young lady. But, it's amazing that, you know, that's what you say.
00;47;18;29 - 00;47;21;27
Tappa
You give respect, you show respect, you get respect back.
00;47;21;29 - 00;47;39;08
Nev
Totally 100%. And what the women are doing in all sports is just phenomenal. And the girls swimming pipeline, I mean, that's that's brutal, you know, and there's a couple of girls out there just giving it a great crack and slaying the shots for sure.
00;47;39;13 - 00;47;42;07
Tappa
And you swim part on as well.
00;47;42;10 - 00;48;04;24
Nev
I have done for. Yeah. And the last time was, year before last when I was there, but I picked my bird with some 60 nicks in two weeks time. Yeah. So I'll pick my battles. It's got to be a straight West swell. It's going to be super clean. And, I'll sit there for a long time and watch the interval and the period before I even hit the wall.
00;48;04;24 - 00;48;08;26
Tappa
So what is the difficulties of shooting pipeline? What is it? The swimmer.
00;48;09;00 - 00;48;30;01
Nev
As a swimmer, leaving the show is fine. You can take up the head, but you can pull on the head and the current takes you out a good part of the way that helps you heal a hell of a lot. But at the end of the reef, you got the sandbank and you got all this water rushing out over the shallow sandbank, and it's just sucking dry almost.
00;48;30;07 - 00;48;51;28
Nev
And then you've got the waves coming in. So you get caught on that and you can't swim it. You are held in one zone. The currents taking out the waves are pushing you down. It's only 1 or 2ft deep. It can be 6 to 8ft just heaving onto a shallow bank. And once you get out that three meters, pass that sand deep water.
00;48;51;29 - 00;49;15;14
Nev
Absolutely fine. Once you're out there, it's fine if you have to take it. If you have to swim under a couple, that's fine. Once you broken, but then coming back in again. You rarely do. You just wait for, when you're out there and you want to come in, you're not waiting for a complete moment of no waves.
00;49;15;16 - 00;49;35;06
Nev
You need to swim in. Went on a smaller one. Take a couple on the head, and that pushes you in across, of the main reef. And you get to the shore. That the scary thing is you really usually, in fact, by the time you want to come in, because you've been out there for a few hours, you can be within 1 to 2m of that shore.
00;49;35;09 - 00;49;51;18
Nev
And that current will just take you back out and take you back through the sandbar again. You're carrying a camera and you're carrying the camera, and then you end up being back out again. And yeah, it's happened a couple of times to most of us. You know, you coming in at the end of the day, it's night time here.
00;49;51;21 - 00;49;52;28
Nev
You have to do a second set.
00;49;52;29 - 00;49;55;14
Tappa
Likes a baguette and yeah yeah.
00;49;55;14 - 00;50;00;21
Nev
You've tried you do I tried it in sunburn. And, you sleep well that night, that's for sure.
00;50;00;23 - 00;50;02;14
Speaker 3
00;50;02;26 - 00;50;12;23
Tappa
Might that that's also a like, you know, that many winters in, in Hawaii and and winters it's like, so you kind of like following winter kind of. But you're going from surf to sni.
00;50;12;26 - 00;50;20;01
Nev
I am, yeah, 100%. Is where is it anyway. Good in summer for surf.
00;50;20;07 - 00;50;22;24
Tappa
Autumn, I reckon. Oh, it always good.
00;50;22;24 - 00;50;46;19
Nev
Yeah. And totally. That's why I get back from Alaska. Early April. So that gives me a, April, May and a little bit of June, to chase waves up and down the East coast to you. And, I've got a trip carry. I've got my ski, I've got my surfboards, camp gear. And that's what I want to do every April, May.
00;50;46;21 - 00;51;04;05
Nev
Looking at the forecast, it's kind of look, it's still not looking good. I think we're getting ten more rain next week. Yeah. And then after that, it's still looking like southerly is up and down the coast. So just bought a ticket to Bali, you know, just, go there and, you know, I go to jail. And if, if, if the swells on or it.
00;51;04;06 - 00;51;04;26
Nev
Yeah.
00;51;04;28 - 00;51;10;08
Tappa
But, where's your favorite place on the east coast to shoot? Is there any spots that that, like a really stick in where.
00;51;10;08 - 00;51;37;17
Nev
I grew up? I mean, we all have our places where we go to. So certainly, forest is beaches, whereas, you know, where where it all started for me and, since the early 90s, late 80s, late 80s, I guess, Bill has been a home for me personally. A lot of the locals wouldn't know me because I'm only around for 4 to 6 weeks at a time, but for me to be in one place for 4 to 6 weeks is.
00;51;37;17 - 00;51;43;03
Tappa
Pretty well my journey. My to Billy Watson's at my that sort of set. You set your right at burly.
00;51;43;10 - 00;52;07;17
Nev
Yeah, totally. But I've seen a lot of stuff. I'm kind of in the woodwork. Yeah, in. Yeah. I'm not in the scene. Yeah. You know, and it's interesting, the book that I got, the, the, the, section on Bill, he's got some incredible waves, but some incredible stories. I mean, that localism and, you know, it was that guy.
00;52;07;21 - 00;52;21;01
Nev
I can't we can probably say his name now. Or maybe we shouldn't, but, a king, he had a kid who's, like, 15 years old back in the late 90s. You you would you.
00;52;21;02 - 00;52;22;07
Tappa
You know, when.
00;52;22;07 - 00;52;45;13
Nev
You read the story, you might go, oh, shit. Yeah. We remember that. You know, the good thing about, like, fights in that, sort of that for, for most part, it's died down because everyone's got iPhones, so I know. Yeah. On the North Shore of Hawaii that shut down a little of that, you know. Yeah. That that's the violence because people are going to court and getting.
00;52;45;16 - 00;52;45;26
Nev
Yeah.
00;52;46;00 - 00;52;50;26
Tappa
Not this one Billy boy that ended up moving away because he was in a bit of trouble.
00;52;50;26 - 00;52;53;22
Nev
Maybe he was the guy I wrote about in the book.
00;52;53;23 - 00;52;55;14
Speaker 3
My,
00;52;55;16 - 00;53;14;28
Tappa
I'll have to have a look and see which one of the lads it is, but, Yeah, but and yeah, there's it's like my 40 years of photography, so I might, I'm, I'm amazed with this, and I can't. Why is it there? I'll. It'll be a wall. Like, it's a book that you're gonna still be able to look at in years and years and years time.
00;53;14;28 - 00;53;42;00
Nev
It is the books. It is a time piece. It's a documentation of the old school through to the new school. Yeah. And the size and nature and look of it is actually, it's it's it's an art piece. You know, it sits in someone's room and you can open to any given page and just change the, the ambiance of the room by what's what what's the.
00;53;42;02 - 00;53;44;05
Nev
Yeah. What photos are being shown.
00;53;44;05 - 00;54;04;01
Tappa
So my you go to you got to be really proud of this. This is an amazing piece of work. And your work, you know just looking at is so good. My and it's a a life well lived. Like I know you said. You know it's hard to make a coin but my for your experiences that's experience is money can't buy in a life.
00;54;04;01 - 00;54;08;23
Tappa
Money can't buy mine. It's must be unreal. You must be very satisfied within yourself.
00;54;08;23 - 00;54;33;12
Nev
Oh, made 100%. You know it's. And this is what I do. The books are very much story driven. The photos behind the images. But also I don't hold back on talking about business and personal successes and failures. Load of failures. You know, it's not a lifestyle for most people in normal relationships. Thankfully, I've got an amazing goal for the last 15 years.
00;54;33;15 - 00;54;58;10
Nev
We, realize we don't have kids. We can't afford a house. We can't take it with us. So let's let's work fucking hard when we need to. We love doing community stuff. I love helping kids out, you know? And we've wherever we can. And, and just. Yeah, just keep the dream alive. Dominate the dream.
00;54;58;10 - 00;55;04;21
Tappa
So is that that's that's the future for might for you. That's that's what you're looking at there. Yeah.
00;55;04;22 - 00;55;25;15
Nev
Basically, even if I had $1 million to buy something, I wouldn't even know where to buy it. Beverly Land for any that that's, you know, if I, if I won. But if I won $5 million next week, I'd spend 800 grand on just something nice. Just that, you know. God, maybe.
00;55;25;15 - 00;55;30;19
Tappa
I probably have to be 3 or 4 million. Three. Three if you want to lift that.
00;55;30;19 - 00;55;31;08
Nev
00;55;31;10 - 00;55;34;10
Tappa
That we might sell it to you.
00;55;34;13 - 00;55;56;20
Nev
But in all honesty, a girl wanted a tiny home, and, I'm happy with that, but I need wheels. So the plan next year is just to buy, road touring camper van. Yeah. You know, with, solar Starlink compost toilet and then just travel, you know, again.
00;55;56;25 - 00;55;58;05
Tappa
That dream might literally.
00;55;58;06 - 00;56;05;23
Nev
If it's offshore here where we're staying here, if it turns onshore, then we got to drive for hours. Just go and do that, you know.
00;56;05;25 - 00;56;08;09
Tappa
And then put the van in storage and go to the sky.
00;56;08;13 - 00;56;23;11
Nev
Totally. Because we've got our work there for four months. Yeah. And then we still want to travel. So that's why I would have bought my van last year, except we decided I still want to go to Germany and, Alaska every year. So, where's.
00;56;23;11 - 00;56;25;19
Tappa
Your favorite snow place?
00;56;25;21 - 00;56;39;17
Nev
I'll look Alaska for sure, because we just do crazy stuff. And, you know, I don't have to be so fit like you do surfing to surf big waves. Yeah, I just need to be ski fit, which is a lot easier than being surfing.
00;56;39;17 - 00;56;41;12
Tappa
So how do you get ski fit? Just by.
00;56;41;12 - 00;57;06;13
Nev
Skiing. Just by skiing? Yeah, yeah. You know, the good thing is Alaska doesn't happen until, March. April. Yeah. End of February. So that gives me all of January and February to ski. And ski really hard. And then usually by the time we get to. Okay, you just in the right health, health space and head space to make it happen.
00;57;06;17 - 00;57;10;08
Tappa
And a space a lot of what you do is a lot of head space, too, isn't.
00;57;10;08 - 00;57;35;04
Nev
It? It is for anything. And surf. You know, any any sport, you know, at that high level. Yes. When I'm standing on the side of a beach, whether the surf, the. You know, if I'm at the edge of the water with my camera game, whether it serves 2 to 3, 4ft to 20ft, I'm scared because you can go out on the three four foot day and you can get dumped into that sand bay so easy.
00;57;35;07 - 00;58;07;02
Nev
And when it's big, you know you can like my butterflies in my stomach, almost fly me out there. But I'm very fortunate that the some reason mentally I'm in a good headspace when shit has happened and I haven't freaked out. I've been, you know, I've been out a few times now in big waves where shit's gone wrong, but I was very fortunate that my mentally I held it together because if I couldn't hold it together, I would never go back out there.
00;58;07;03 - 00;58;13;11
Tappa
Well, here's something for you, Ross Clark Jones when he gets work. Right. Ross, mascots and I got out.
00;58;13;12 - 00;58;18;01
Nev
I grew up with him, but. So. And, don't get into Kyle with you now.
00;58;18;04 - 00;58;21;07
Speaker 3
Oh, I have one once. Well.
00;58;21;10 - 00;58;37;28
Tappa
Cranky saying I did. Tullamarine. It's 13 minutes to drop away out of the airport. Insane I know, but my he said he goes to a nightclub and he's more. And so when he's on the water get into on Iran you guys do this nightclub. I talk to Matt form stern. You know, the, the blond guy. That's that's right.
00;58;37;28 - 00;58;54;20
Tappa
Yes. He makes an omelet. Right. So he goes and he crack some eggs, he goes to the fridge. Cracks me. He said he's never put the cheese on. So what about you? When you're under water and you're copping that wrong on a ranch, do you go anywhere or what? What what what is your mind? Go in that in that moment.
00;58;54;20 - 00;59;13;06
Nev
Oh good question. I just relax. Yeah. Just go. You gotta go with you can't find it now. Impossible. If you thought you're in trouble. Yeah. You just gotta go with it and you just try and relax. And it sounds. It's a lot. He's.
00;59;13;09 - 00;59;13;25
Speaker 3
That. Yeah.
00;59;13;29 - 00;59;32;14
Nev
Yeah, but for sure. And funny you said that Russ got to go to his nightclub. Remember? Trax did a story on these grommets back in the day saying what? You know, they had, like, 5 or 6 grommets, and Russ was most one most likely to grow up on the Gold Coast. And be a nightclub owner.
00;59;32;16 - 00;59;55;28
Tappa
And I still think Mad Wax is the best. I want to go live like I want to shine a pipeline that was got unreal. Yeah, I surfed against Ross once he came up to qualify for the Queensland team and he he actually kind of got an interference. So I went to go right, went to pulling this bow. He took off bottom, turned around me and went left or right I'm out of this little tube wasn't an amazing tube.
00;59;55;28 - 01;00;05;22
Tappa
It was a tube. It day by and I've just gone what happened? What happened there? But yeah, he's a great bike. Ross. And and you know the classic one I saw Ross saw this years Eddie.
01;00;05;24 - 01;00;06;12
Nev
Yes of.
01;00;06;12 - 01;00;17;19
Tappa
Course. And he got, you know, he got his hand cut. Yes. And I say and they saw on him and he's sitting there, I'm thinking he's on the green whistle. He was on the diaries, on a diary.
01;00;17;21 - 01;00;20;03
Nev
Yeah. Mad man. He's a special breed.
01;00;20;03 - 01;00;23;29
Tappa
That one. He an a and a great human to human.
01;00;24;00 - 01;00;25;16
Nev
Yeah, yeah.
01;00;25;18 - 01;00;31;03
Tappa
My, you're a great human too. And thank you for coming to the green room. That has been a pleasure.
01;00;31;08 - 01;00;33;08
Nev
Thank you, Tony Harrington.
01;00;33;08 - 01;00;39;28
Tappa
High fives. This is amazing how little.
01;00;40;01 - 01;00;53;09
Tappa
Oh, wow. Defining moments. That's just some of it. But I'll close it up now and look, look at that. That deserves to be in anybody's house on the coffee table. Say go to.
01;00;53;12 - 01;00;55;06
Nev
Hero.com. Hey. All right.
01;00;55;08 - 01;00;56;05
Tappa
Yep.
01;00;56;07 - 01;00;58;19
Nev
Double arrow. I tell you, a.com.
01;00;58;22 - 01;01;05;20
Tappa
And I tell you what amazing stuff. Do yourself a favor. Is Molly Meldrum with Sy and check it out. Thanks, Harry.
01;01;05;27 - 01;01;09;09
Nev
Thanks to have a good on. Yes. You. You've.