Some trips at Pinnacles are just fellas surfing. Other times, like these ten days in late July are different: As well as surf-til-you-drop, there’s partners! Kids! There’s beach-walks, coffee, massages, books to be read, lots of laughter, and dancing – lots of dancing.

So before we get to the surfy stuff, here’s some shout outs to “the girl pack” from PNT SuperHost™ (and Max’s Right speed demon) Jayde: “Colleen the absolute crack up; Rene, funny, kind and adventurous; Tara, who doesn’t miss a beat or a surf. Kelly, the glue of the group, bringing everyone together with her zest for everything; Dorte, with her have-a-go attitude and kind nature; Lindsay, the instant mood enhancer with an amazing vocal range. Then there were the youngsters, Ryder & Ellie, both amazing company, great to talk to, a perfect fit in the whole girl gang.”

We could write an essay about how epic this trip was in every way, but this is just one of a kazillion emails in your in-tray, so let’s get cracking.

Matt Biolos // A fella who needs no introduction. Well-travelled surf dad and long-time Telo Lodge regular, now bringing his tribe to Pinnacles. Matt founded … Lost Surfboards back in ’85, and has got time for everyone, from making every staff member feel valued, to offering board advice and custom shooter hook-ups to fellow guests. Matt was stoked to revisit his old friends Le-Ba and The Bubble, where his turns out of the lip had some classic Mark Richards tones. And speaking of classic, the last night saw Matt draw some memorable lines on the dance floor after a few tequilas. … And speaking of dancing, in the same way that dolphins can’t resist the urge to ride a boat’s bow waves, whenever good music comes on, Matt’s wife Kelly simply HAS to dance. A gun interior designer, Kelly was also a speed demon on the Telo Tour scooters. Go Kelly!

Solomon Atherton // Sol came over to PNT from Telo Lodge but brought some injuries along too. Not to be deterred, he enjoyed the surfs he could have, and was excellent conversational company for guests and guides alike.

Michael Pedone // The snake charmer! A man who’s DJ playlist got even the most surfed out human up and on the dance floor on the legendary final evening. A man of balance, Mike didn’t surf every session, and enjoyed his massages and chill time, but admitted to being nicely cooked by the end of the trip.

River Biolos // Supergrom outta San Clemente with a keen connection to saltwater. When not surfing, he’s fishing or spearing, and when he IS surfing, he’s putting his all into every rail turn, and venturing skyward regularly. One session we’ll remember for a long time was at the Bubble, when we all returned to the boat to watch River have it to himself. Hopefully it’ll stay in River’s memory banks for a while too.

Ryder Biolos // Mature beyond her years, Ryder mixed up her days as effectively as she mixes colours in her day job as surfboard artist at …Lost Surfboards. When she wasn’t scoring waves away from the pack, Ryder was snorkelling, exploring and relaxing poolside. Do yourself a favour and check out Ryder’s Insta, her gloriously colourful creations live under the feet of the world’s best.

Dean Grobler // A South African by birth, now living in Denmark, repeat guest Dean’s no stranger to The Telos. SuperGuide™ Dingo describes Deano as “an exceptionally good surfer who was obsessed with GTs! Dean got on very well with all the other guests and was super grateful that there were other ladies around for his wife Dorte to hang with while he surfed. Dorte’s a legend. Boats and things might not be her first choice, but she comes on these trips to support Dean’s raging surf addiction!”

Mike Parsons // Humble, softly spoken guy with an immense bank of knowledge on surfing and the ocean. Former touring professional surfer, now coach, with a rare big-wave pedigree, Mike got thoroughly shacked at GTs and Dislocators, as well as scoring an unreal last session at Max’s Right with no one else out. You could see how much Mike loved scoring waves with his wife and son in the water with him. The stuff of life, you might say.

Grant Parsons // 15 years old shredder who’s super focused on ripping like his old boy. Only got the bug two years ago and is now laser focussed on his surfing. Grant would hit the hay early and be first up next morning, ready to roll. A polite young fella, Grant reckons his favourite session might have been Kindys early on in the trip, where took the clean, rippable conditions apart.

Tara Parsons // As warm and kind on land as she is a demon in the water who absolutely rips on a bodyboard. Tara claimed the wave of her life at Dislocators, and reckoned “I could go home now and I’ll be happy” – a big call from a life-long waverider and competitor. Not shy to bust out moves on the dance floor, either.

Chad Martin // Owner of a huge forehand power gaff.  As owner of a construction company, Chad’s got many achievements to be proud of, but perhaps nothing compares to the stoke of sharing waves with his kids Waylon and Ellie. Perhaps his personal highlight would have been a barrel at Le-Ba, where he fully sent it and emerged intact. Chad’s Wife, Colleen, is a teacher, and was candidate for funniest human on the Island. A true crack up!

Waylon Martin // 12-year-old grom without an off switch. Spearing fish just off the island at Pinnacles and catching countless more on the boat with the help of the captains. His wave count for the trip was by far the highest and may even be a record for any guest to have stayed at Pinnacles. Great kid, respectful and nice to be around.

Ellie Martin // She may be a mellow soul and recovering from a recent snowboard accident but Ellie MORE than kept up with the boys: girl sent it! Ellie rips and is a pleasure to be around. YEAH ELLIE!

Rob Ripley // Time flies eh. Rob’s done a few trips out here with his groms, who are now strapping young men heading to other Indo reaches, like the mythical Desert Point. Rob reckons he’s made lifetime memories out here, and was super stoked to bring wife Rene out and show her what the Telos were all about. His highlight of his trip was definitely Dislocators – being the lone goofy footer on the boat that day – a ripper bloke and a great surfer who deserved the business sale he’s recently achieved, allowing more time doing surf trips. Rene brought her infectious sense of humour to the trip, and unleashed her inner karaoke diva.

Pete Matthews // Pete owns epic surf shop White Monkey at Uluwatu, so is no stranger to Indian Ocean waters, choosing his sessions at leisure, and soaking up the slower pace of life. Scored the novelty wave out the front to himself & showed us all how its done , shredding the Bintang Classic shorey and got nicely barrelled at Le-Ba. Pete’s better half, Lindsay, was a weapon on the microphone, and brought the positivity and energy.

Whew! This has been the longest trip report ever! But it might have been the funnest PNT trip ever. And if we had to say who had the most fun, the fellas or the girls, we’d just have to say …“Yes!” Thanks to all!