Matt keen to have crack at any wave
goldcoastbulletin.com.au
MATT Aldridge charges from two-foot Duranbah to 25-foot plus Uluwatu but it’s the crazy stuff where he is an avowed big-wave psycho.
The 35-year-old is Gold Coast’s version of Hawaiian hellman Mark Healey, a similar fair-headed goofyfooter who inspires Matt.
Aldridge, the brand manager of Pyzel Surfboards for Australia and New Zealand, is a personal friend of the new generation of the Hawaiian North Shore chargers like two-times world champ John John Florence, his brother Nathan Florence and Healey.
Aldridge has been to Hawaii for the past 10 years.
“It’s very special to me,” he said. “I mainly surf at Waimea, Pipe and the outer reefs are amazing when they break, normally about 25-foot plus.”
He started surfing at Port Macquarie in NSW when he was seven years old after his dad brought home a board one day.
“I was instantly hooked,” he said.
He moved to the Gold Coast in December 2006 after losing a really close friend, Michael Branch, and credits the Deane family, in particular the late Wayne Deane, for looking after him.
“For many years I was riding for Wayne Deane who was the master at being able to ride all types of crafts in different conditions,” he said.” I studied what he was doing and learnt a lot from him.”
He now calls Gold Coast home. “This is the best place for progressing your surfing. It has great waves pretty much all year round,” he said.
It was in July this year that Matt was tracking one of the biggest swells ever to hit Indonesia and had to call on myself to fill in for him on his radio surf report to chase the action.
Sure enough a 20 to 30foot swell arrived on forecast on arguably the biggest Wednesday ever seen in Indo.
“It was a big day,” said Aldridge, who prepared himself mentally from the cliffs of Uluwatu.
“We watched it for a bit, watched guys not getting out and washed through to Padang.
“The guys that got out from the cave got 20-to 30 waves on the head.”
So Aldridge opted for paddle out from the channel at Padang Padang, at least 3km from the main take-off at Outside Corner.
“I rode my 9’0 Pyzel Padillac big wave gun,” he said.
“There was a massive amount of water moving, and I caught three waves in almost five hours of surfing.
“It was really hard work, but gosh it was fun,” he said with that mad twinkle in his eye.”
Not surprisingly his favourite saying is: “Whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”
“It’s relevant with surfing, training and life in general, “he said. “The harder you push or bigger you go, the better it is for you.”