It wasn't the clear sky and slight offshore morning everyone was hoping for. Instead, grey-black clouds filled the sky ominously and the waves had a crumble to them. The swell was huge, and to the credit of the crew staying at Lagundri at that time, many paddled out and had an honest attempt at catching something. But the sets were menacing and few paddlers lasted long. It was the 7th of July 2006, just fifteen months since the giant Nias earthquake had struck the island with devastating effect to both man and nature itself.

The locals and a couple of Nias devotees have stories of a perfect giant swell just a month after the March 28th 2005 quake. However just as it's futile to try and imagine what it would've been like to experience the terrifying shuddering of the earth from that night, so to it's a mystery as to what the waves of that April swell would've looked and sounded like.



Teahupoo Nias - July 2006


By mid morning the clouds were clearing and the waves were getting clean. Most of the willing surfers had tried their hand, the majority early birds oblivious to the true magnitude of the swell at such an early hour. This left almost everyone a spectator for the day ahead. I had initially planned to hire one of the small outriggers, as I had done the year before. However the swell had caught the fishermen unawares and most of the boats had been washed far and wide. There was also so much water movement, that no fisherman was going to brave paddling his outrigger out in such a big sea.

I went to a village further inside the bay and hired a decent sized motorised fishing boat. Meanwhile friend and videographer Chris Webb had the intriguing idea of swimming with his camera to get the barrel perspective. This was not before he'd visited the losman of a guy he'd nicknamed 'the mayor', encouraging him to paddle out and take the challenge of the growing swell.

The mayor was 43 year old Australian fireman Glenn Butler. Not to be confused with 'the president', a gregarious and loud Brazilian wave hog who runs the Asu surf camp, or 'the sheriff, a Hawaiian elder statesman and Langundri devotee, Glenn is an inspirational figure, and was clearly the most accomplished surfer on hand at the time.

Even though in his fourties, we knew if someone could catch a set wave on this day it'd be Glenn. Back in August 1988, he'd had one of his best surfing days ever, riding perfect offshore 8-10 foot Lagundri Bay. Only 25 at the time and on the start of a world safari, it just so happened that Erik Aedar and pro surfers Munga Barry and Thorntan Fallander were also on hand to catch the swell.

"It was 8-10 and doubling up and the wave behind was basically climbing on top of the one in front, it was insane, real heavy. The barrel would actually grow as it went down the line, full spitting barrels that you would get blown out of", says Glenn about that swell.



Glenn Butler on a smaller day - Nias - July 2006


He continues, "It was a bit overcast so I don't think too good for shooting. The next day, the sun came out it was still 8-10 ft and still clean offshore, smoking stand up barrels. I'd been out all morning since 6 am, and about 10am this set came through, I can still remember paddling up the wave and looking down the line and thinking this is the wave. I got to the top of the wave, grabbed the nose of my board and threw it down, jumped up and took off, kind of all in one motion. I just couldn't let it go, it turned out to be an incredible pit. That's the amazing thing about that wave, you sometimes just can't believe how deep you can get and yet still get out of that pit".

Four months later Glenn was in Hawaii watching the Pipe Masters, where he ran into photographer Erik Aider. Glenn was told to keep an eye out for an upcoming Surfer Magazine, and he couldn't quite believe his eyes when he saw himself on the March 1989 cover of Surfer Magazine. As an Australian, and more importantly an unknown without sponsors, this was quite an achievement.

In the true spirit of underground chargers who surf purely for the enjoyment, Glenn never thought of cashing in on his piece of fame. He was sent posters at the time, but a year or two later when he tried to get some more, he was told that the poster had been so popular it'd sold out.

Meanwhile the fishing boat I'd hired finally turned up at the reef in front of my losman. Just as I throwing my gear to the captain, Chris came floating past with his video and didn't hesitate in jumping aboard. He'd been smashed and decribed nearly drowning, but was ready to get some footage from the easy vantage of the boat.

As we got to our side on view of the wave, it became obvious as to the heavy nature of the swell. There were only three surfers out, one nearing the end of a wide session, as well as Glenn and a young Australian named Shaun, both of whom had just paddled out.

The sight and noise of the ocean from the boat was an incredible force of nature. We had timed it for the peak of the swell, and there were about six sets that came through that were thick, giant and brutal - Teahupoo is the only comparison that sprang to mind.

Chris and I were spectators, and although we would've like to have seen Glenn or Shaun drop into glory, nor would've we liked to have seen either of them come to grief. Later that night, after watching Chris's video over a few beers, it became obvious that paddling in had would've been virtually impossible.

Not wanting to accept defeat if there was a hint of opportunity, Glenn was resolute, "Shaun is from West Oz (where they get the odd big day) and he said to me they were the biggest, meanest, roundest right hand barrels he had ever seen, I thought yeah it's pretty heavy out here. I do remember paddling for one of the big ones and it just felt like being on top of this huge slab of ocean. It didn't feel like a wave. I started paddling for it and thought if you don't make this it could be over, I just kind of let it go, I had that Clash song in my head 'death or glory'. After that megga set Shaun and I said that's it, let's just go the next big ones and see what happens. When I was out there those 10-12 sets didn't seem catchable, they were just too steep, they had no bottom to them. Pre-earthquake you could've got down them. The reef raising by a metre or so has really changed the wave. Being out there that day was one of those few surfing days you have in your life that you will never forget".

by Paul Kennedy © 2007