Most Australian surfers live and die by their local break. They learn how to read the take-off zones, assess the tide, swell and wind conditions, and deal with the local crowds. It’s comfortable, easy and regular. But, for those with a little more adventure in their bones, there’s still pockets of perfect uncrowded Australian waves to be found… You just have to search for them.
Torren Martyn is one guy who lives to search for great waves. Growing up in the popular Northern NSW town of Byron Bay, he’s no stranger to a crowded lineup and, whilst becoming accustomed to these local points, he’s also been travelling, searching and scoring uncrowded waves in desolate locations since he was a kid.
His first adventure came when he was eight years old – Torren’s parents took him on a 2-year road trip around Australia in an old Land Rover Defender that he nostalgically refers to as ‘The Red Rattler’. Torren was introduced to both surfing and drawing on the trip – the two passions that would come to define him. He explored the coastal areas of QLD, NSW, VIC, TAS, SA, WA, before heading Due East into the Red Centre, through the inland areas of the Simpson Desert, Uluru and Kakadu as they made their way home to Byron Bay.
The trip sparked something inside him and, whilst he technically still “lives” in Byron Bay, he has spent most of his years since travelling, searching, surfing and drawing.
About two months ago, after returning from exploring Indonesia for a large portion of the last 2 years, Torren approached us with a plan to re-trace the steps of his first holiday, exploring the most desolate and untapped surfing corners of the country, documenting each leg of the trip with his best mate and filmer Ishka Folkwell.
After a little planning, quiver-purchasing and map reading, Torren is off again (in another red rattler) to explore this wonderful country and share it with us in a series of short episodes and a feature film, releasing in July, that he’s chosen to name ‘Lost Track’. Enjoy.
