STEPPING UP
BEN POULTER
Growing up in Auckland till the age of nine, Ben Poulter like so many surfers first found the love of the ocean while spending weekends and holidays at the family bach at Waihi Beach, his dad Steve was a keen surfer having grown up at the same location and travelled extensively through Indonesia and Europe back in the days of pioneering. Surfing was a big part of the family life and a move out to Piha to be closer to the ocean was deemed necessary. With his other siblings, older sister Alexis and younger brother Sam also becoming involved in surfing the family made a move down the coast so that the kids could attend the Raglan Surf Academy and pursue their dream as successful surfers. With all the family surfing, except his mother Kerina who was the anchor at home looking after the back end of the household while all the others were out playing, the family began to feed off each other and success as surfers followed. Ben soon developed into our dominant junior surfer, winning grom contests and national titles in the U16 and U18 divisions, and at only 18 years he has already represented New Zealand at the World Junior and Open Titles on five occasions. While Ben has excelled in the competition scene his surfing focus recently took a giant leap, when he was lucky enough to be taken under the wings of Daniel Kereopa and Chris Malone who have immersed Ben in a wide range on conditions and begun working on his technique, physical fitness and mental toughness. The results are already beginning to show and Ben is stepping up to the plate.
What got you into surfing? My dad got me into surfing at Waihi Beach. Just pushing me into white water, from there I got hooked and never stopped. Learning at Waihi was great because the waves are very forgiving.
How did you get into competitive surfing? I first started competitive surfing in the Waihi Beach boardriders club comps. I remember my first comp, it was big for me at the time (probably only 3 foot) and I surfed the white wash on my mini mal, trying to jump from natural to goofy. I thought I was killing it, too bad I got dead last. The first national comp I did was at the Mount when I was 10 and have competed in pretty much every comp since then.
As a younger grommet, you were super successful in the competition scene, was this something you focussed on or did it just come naturally?
When I first started competing I would lose a lot, which really pissed me of. After a year I learnt what it took to win heats through the help of coaching and my dad. I have focused a lot on competition and would just try to make smart decisions in heats and give it 100%. This combined with the great support I have had from my parents and my sponsors is the reason why I believe I have had competition success.
Most young grommets that have success in competition, see their dreams as transitioning onto having a go at the World Tour, you have been through the ranks as a uber grom to the pro junior series, is the World Tour something you have set in your sights? When I was younger like any grom my dream was to make the world tour but as you grow older you really need to commit yourself, train hard surf everyday no matter what the conditions and enter every comp you can. I have been doing that for
the last 8 years with great support from my parents and sponsors to send me to contests and on trips. Now that I have left school I have decided to get a job as a carpentry apprentice. I still want to compete as much as I can but I just won’t have as much time on my hands.
Seven years ago you and your family moved to Raglan. Was this move based around the surfing opportunities or business? We moved to Raglan seven years ago so that my sister could attend the Surfing Academy, which was the best decision we could have made. I have just finished my last year in the Academy and it was the best form of schooling I could have asked for.
How does living in Raglan with waves on tap mostly every day of the year help your surfing? Having waves every day of the year is so good for your surfing, there are so many varieties of surf, big and small. Sometimes too many lefts but there are plenty of rights around if you go searching.
Recently two of the legends of surfing here in NZ in Daniel Kereopa and Chris Malone have taken you under their wing. How are they teaching and mentoring you? DK has taught me so much about tow surfing and surfing big waves. His knowledge of the ocean and big waves is crazy. DK has whipped me into easily the biggest and best waves of my life. If it wasn’t for him I still wouldn’t have surfed waves above 6 foot and experienced the rush of big waves. I have also surfed waves that not many other people have surfed, thanks to Dk. Chrissy has helped me out heaps with surfing the ledge. In the past I would paddle out take off on a close out or a wave too small. He taught me what waves to go on and now I get good waves out there, still not as good as the waves he gets no matter how long I wait haha.
DK has taken you out for several huge tow surf sessions now, what were you thinking and feeling on those first couple of times? The first couple of times I went out I was shitting myself, but so amped at the same time because I wanted to get some big waves and the people I was out there with were all NZ surfing legends, so I didn’t want to look like a pussy. Most of all though I was just super amped to get a wave because any wave at that point would be the best wave of my life.
Now you have a few massive waves under your belt and a few beatings, is big wave surfing something you want to continue with and immerse yourself into? Yeah
I definitely want to keep surfing big waves. There’s still so many things I want to achieve surfing big waves, like getting a big barrel or surfing bigger than 15 foot. I still feel like I need to take a massive beating to help my confidence so hopefully without me trying that will happen. Lately I have been training a lot in the pool so I should be able to handle it. A big goal for me is to learn to drive the jetski confidently, do good pick ups, choose the right waves and whip my partner into the perfect spot.
What about big wave paddle surfing? Paddle surfing is something I’m really interested in. It looks like such a challenge compared to towing as you have to take off under the lip with nothing but your own paddle power. There’s no letting go wide like you can when you get towed in. In the future I hope to be able to paddle the waves I have towed and hopefully some new spots down south.
While DK is passing on his big wave experience, Chris seems to be guiding you with fitness, tactics and positioning on waves. These two guys are the masters of these different facets of surfing, is that an honour to have these guys pass on this knowledge? Yeah it’s such an honour to have two of NZ surfing legends helping me out and I can’t thank them enough for their support. Hopefully one day I can repay them by whipping them into a big barrel.
You recently had a week to remember, where you paddle surfed NZ’s heaviest barrel reef, tow surfed a giant left off the west coast, got barrelled at your local the ledge and then only a couple of days later tow surfed a giant right and surfed the biggest waves you’ve ever had, how was that week? That week was amazing, easily the best week of my life. I was super lucky to tow an epic left and right and surf one of New Zealand’s best reef breaks in the space of a week. The left reef break I surfed was hands down the best wave I’ve ever surfed, so perfect it was like a machine. Then towing a chunky left and such a perfect big right hander was amazing. Then I had my best surf to date on the Ledge, my luck just seemed like it couldn’t get any better. It definitely felt weird surfing two foot Manu Bay for the first time after that week.
So where is Benny P taking his surfing in the next few years? Throughout the next few years I just want to chase the best waves throughout New Zealand, get barrelled, surf some epic big waves and just have a fun time surfing cause that’s what it’s all about.