Newsflash: Telo Lodge trip 15 had pretty f@#k’n ordinary surf! It happens from time to time. Even in prime time Indo. The Indian Ocean swell generator broke down, the weather was average. Good thing our guests – a bunch of true blue Aussie best mates – were just happy to be here, waves or no waves.

We didn’t even get any photos, really. The guys didn’t care if they had a lens poking at ‘em or not. Superphotographer™ Elise got back from assignment at Pinnacles and shot one session on the last day – and not everyone was surfing. So we don’t have pics of everyone.

Despite all this, we wanna shout out to these blokes – known as the Fat Hatters – ‘cos they’re bloody legends.

Rob Williams // Real estate fella, proud dad and absolute life of the party. Always made sure everyone had a drink in hand, whilst making sure to wake up for the early. Sessioned Max’s Left and Right, and Le Ba like a demon.

Dave Williams // Younger (by 12 minutes) twin brother to Rob. A consultant in the Aged Care game, Big Wave Dave loves to charge, and has a dynamic surfing style, putting his trusty DHD on the rail. Dave never missed a session, often sneaking away to bed as the Fat Hatters fired up for an evening’s revelry.

Scott Stewart // Civil engineer from Brisbane, who engineered smooth, precise lines on his shark repellent board. Always snagging bombs at Le-Ba and Max’s Left.

Sam Bowden // This big fella’s an ex veterinarian, a larrikin of the finest order with a great, swooping backhand style. Very helpful when came to fixing Biggie Smalls’ (Resident Lodge Dog / Mascot) whilst a bit intoxicated. Thanks Bowdy – any tips on how to get the plaster off?

Sam Couper // Known as Coups to his mates and wingman to Rob on the big nights. Had great session at Le-Ba, and a just-the-two-of-us sesh at Max’s Left with Dom. Sam rode his JS Occy / Raging Bull model in the manner it was designed for.

John Luetchford // Every rowdy bunch needs a quiet fella. Someone to provide ballast. A diesel mechanic by trade, and silent assassin in the lineup, Luetchy sat patiently and picked off his waves.

Beau Salter // Growing up in waveless Northern Queensland, Beau might have come to surfing later than most, but he’s been making up for lost time ever since by scouting on the inside and getting his wave count well up. Time spent as a volunteer lifesaver back in the day no doubt adding to his ability to read the ocean.

And a big cheers to the two blokes who weren’t surfing the session these pics were snapped:
Andrew Moore // Moorey to his mates. We nearly lost Moorey at Le-Ba after a big night at the local RSL (Telo style) but in true Fat Hatter spirit he soon recovered and was back on his Hayden Shapes shooter, tearing Le-Ba a new one.
And Tim Sayer // Big Tim! Lawyer and ex rugby player, charged hard but unfortunately copped his board to the ribs at cooking Le Ba early on and was out for rest of the trip – but in true Fat Hatter style, still managed to drink the bar nearly dry with his mates. Speedy recovery mate!
So … it wasn’t the best week for swell, but this didn’t dampen the spirit of this group’s annual surf trip, who put a decent dent in the global stockpile of spiced rum, got reasonably surfed-out at Max’s Left, Max’s Right, Le-Ba, The E.R and Pinnacles, (even when the surf’s average here it’s still pretty bloody fun), and had themselves a good old time. Here’s a few pics from the Andrew Shield archive to remind us how the Telos looks when normal transmission resumes.