SW: I was driving past the surf the other day and saw a figure emerge out of the bush on the side of the road. I looked in the rear view mirror and went, “Nah, it couldn’t be. What would Davo be doing in Torquay in June ?”
CD: Yeah, I’ve been here for a month.
Thanks for the call.
I’ve been trying to keep a low profile and work on my surfing.
Has it been easy to behave down here ?
For sure. I’ve had a beer now and then at the Bird Rock [where we are posted up for this interview] but I’ve been doing heaps of training and running and Bikrams yoga in Geelong. Pretty quiet. And surfing. Been doing heaps of surfing at Winki, just getting my swerve on for J-Bay, acclimatising to colder water and surfing long righthanders. The waves have been great. Been staying with Titch [local shaper Michael Anthony] and surfing down the coast a lot too with Russell McConachy. It’s been about keeping my forehand swerve on and keeping my frame of mind going from the start of this year, cause things have been going well so far.
So while the rest of the tour has been sunning it in Bali and on boat trips you’ve been bunkered down in cryo-freeze training in Torquay and going to bed early ?
Yep, it’s been good to have a bit of discipline and to be away from the temptation of home. I’ve thought a couple of times about getting out of here and chasing a swell on the Gold Coast, keeping an eye on Coastalwatch and getting calls from my mates who live above the shop in Rainbow Bay up there. They kept ringing me going, “You’ve got to get up here.” I’m like, “Sounds good, but I know what you guys wanna do.” It was like, “Yeah boys, thanks but no thanks.”
You’ve always had to scrap for survival on tour… scrapping to qualify, make the cut, doing a hundred qualifying events. You’re 13th in the ratings, safe from the mid-year cut-off, and for the first time in your career you are actually comfortable right now.
That’d be right, wouldn’t it ? The gnarliest year, the most cut throat year, and I’m having the best year I’ve ever had. When the pressure is on I always seem to and do well. It brings out the best in me. A while ago when I was in debt and needed money I seemed to be able to win contests when I needed to. I just want to have the best year of my career. I want a top 10 finish.
You’ve been on tour 15 years… why are you having the best year of your career now ?
I got a fair bit out of last year; I finished 20th and made my first final and I was psyched for this year. I didn’t go too crazy over Christmas and thought about how heavy the next year was going to be. I trained hard, I got stuck in for eight weeks. I went to the Gold Coast early, I went to Bells early, my preparation has been really good. I’ve had two ninths and a 17th, and I’ve had a 2nd and a 3rd in the only two six-star events I’ve surfed in. If I can get a fifth or a ninth at J-Bay then I’m really hanging with the big boys.
It was 15 years ago that you beat Kelly – the world champ at the time – as a wildcard. Beat him twice actually. Does that seem a lifetime ago ?
For me it’s pretty much forgotten. People tell me about things that happened that day and I’m like, “Did it?” It does, it feels like another life. I’ve had some hard times since then pretty much through my own stupidity and my own mistakes. Everything turned on me but I’ve turned it back around. I’m trying to find my feet again. I know my surfing is there, I’ve got that solid foundation, stuff I can repeat heat after heat. It’s only taken me 15 years but I think I’ve got it sorted. To go from the highs of that Kelly heat to the lows of my life to where I am now… it’s a pretty good feeling to have come out the other side. A year like this had to come eventually but I had to make it happen too – staying out of trouble, keeping my nose clean and trying to stay in a really good place.
And Torquay has been that good place ?
For sure. It’s a small surf town, it’s cold and quiet, there’s plenty of rights, I’m surfing in a wetsuit and there’s no one who’s really going to lead me astray. I’m trying to do all the right things. I’m not staying in Sydney and corrupting myself, just trying to be good and make the most out of these next couple of years. Prove it to myself, and prove it to the people who’ve backed me and who I’ve let down over the years.
What’s your opinion of the surfing seen on tour this year ?
Fuck, Dane at Trestles was going crazy but he ended up blowing it. They’ve got to stuff up occasionally, don’t they those kids? I wanna be there when they do. I think it’s good, everything has to change and it’s great they’ve gone this way with the criteria. I got a couple of waves at Trestles where I did three massive turns, three different turns, and I was still getting nines, so even though I wasn’t doing some giant air they were still rewarding big turns that were mixed up. They don’t want to see repetitive shit to the beach. It’s great seeing Dane and Jordy, they’ve been stepping fucking right up. And Andy is just starting to find his feet and is going to surprise people in the back end of the year.
Who’s going to win the world title ?
Kelly will win the world title this year. Not that I want him to – Kelly, sorry bro, but you’ve had enough – but I’m still backing you. I’m sure Mick will be there, Joel will be there, maybe Taj.
What are your opponents getting this year when they surf a heat against you ?
They’re going to get the new Davo. A hundred per cent attention, a smart heat, a patient heat, and I’m going to try and be explosive as I can. Patience has never been my thing, but I’m trying to play really smart this year...
For full interview by Sean Doherty :
Photo Credit : Kelly Cestari / Asp World Tour
Source : Surfing World.com
