Where are we surfing? Where are we eating? Should we chase the swell to X? No thanks.

“Cause life is just a party and parties aren’t meant to last”
1999 , Prince

Five days left in a 60-day Indonesian visa. Looks to be double overhead and offshore for the rundown till a pre Christmas exit back home. Fuck….you never want to leave but it’s always a good idea to bolt with a bit of fuel in the tank. Always leave ‘em wanting more. Too many seedy expats lurking around Indo carting that chip on their shoulders. Learn from their mistakes. Too many perfect waves is a thing.

Back to Oz and hit the ground running. Fit, tanned and tubed as fuck. The festive spirit is an epic cushion against the inevitable comedown of East coast low period, beachbreak dogshit after a couple of months of proper waves. Catching up with mates and family when everyone has a smile on their face and a beer in their hand. Sure helps ease the pain of returning to reality.

Been a fucken blast though. I try and do a couple of two month trips to Indo each year. The late October till Chrissy trip is a no brainer. My newish home has just come out of a winter run of waves and gotten bogged down in the Springtime terrors. Insipid windswells barely stirring the cool, green chlorophyll-and-White shark ridddled North Coast Pacific. Uggghh. Fella got his leg bitten off whilst I was surfing up the other end of the beach. Surf was terrible. All the motivation I need to get the fuck out of there. Ticket to Indo bought and started soft sand running, stretch routine and push ups.

I prefer to go solo. My lady is more than cool with it. She knows all too well how poor company I can be when I’m not surfing decent waves. She comes and goes between Oz and Indo as she pleases and visits when I’m not burrowed down in some remote surf zone. Don’t get me wrong, she’s loved our shared times living rough while chasing waves, fish and respite from the masses but her mum needs attention these days so extended sojourns aren’t her thing.

I’m also not a big fan of mates coming along. Fuck surfing by committee: Where are we surfing? Where are we eating? Should we chase the swell to X ? No thanks. Way preferable to keep things loose and nimble. You meet way more people and get far more opportunities when you’re a solo traveller.

Virtually every true friend I’ve got I’ve met at some surf spot or another. You aren’t receptive to new crew when you’re wrapped in the group bubble. Too many chefs spoil the broth.

The whole process of heading to the Indisputable Best Waves in the World of Indonesia, with vast swathes of daylight before Australia sitting in second spot, is a blast. It gets real when the quiver gets selected and thrown in the board bag. That’s when the first frisson of thrill starts inching down your spine. A few beers on the flight as you watch the unbelievable vastness of Oz from 40,000 feet. Next thing you’re emerging into the ubiquitous Indo humidity and the familiar throng at the airport arrivals.

I’ve got a little bolthole where I park up between inter island missions. It’s comfortable but not too expensive. I know the staff and there’s some reliable waves nearby. They are mostly Indo B or C grade though they get damn fine often enough to keep me coming back. Low crowds seals the deal. Enough power, current and open ocean intimidation to keep the majority of the dilettante surfy crowd well the fuck away most of the time.

Each trip is its own beast. Sometimes it’s a monastic surf existence. Just trying to get as surfed out and fit as humanly possible. Up well before dawn stretching and caffeinating. First immersion in the silky kiss of a tropical lagoon in the half light of civil twilight. Other times it’s a blur of Bintangs, long lunches and sunset sessions with new friends mixing up the wave sliding.

This trip was a bit of everything. Initial couple of weeks on my own focussed on getting the wave count up. Indo came to the party with an incredible run of surf. Then an old mate turned up. We chased swells and scored an epic stretch of mid range Goldilocks quality. Nothing too big or too small. Just relentless pumping waves with accommodating winds. Kachunk, Kachunk, kachunk. Old mate came a bit underprepared and his body gave out. Then he hit the reef. Then his tiger claw reef cuts got infected. Not an ideal scenario for anyone in the vicinity. He came good in the end and fronted for the best swell yet just as I bolted back to Bali to catch up with my lady.

Waves kept coming. I managed to successfully juggle all the responsibilities of a surfer inundated with epic waves, endless Bintangs and overflowing good times. Now my lady is headed back to Oz and I’ve got a few days left on the countdown.

The usual plan is to give myself over to the Christmas knees up, let the holidaymakers have at it over January then return for another 60-day visa over February and March. Could be flat, could pump. Only one thing is for certain and that’s the Fun don’t done.

Life is short. Hope you’re all getting something good with a big smile on your face.

"I know many of you hesitate to send or take your kids on a surf trip…This is a once in a life time opportunity…in a fun yet safe and controlled environment."

In what you might call the ugliest surf-adjacent story of the year, Sunshine Coast surfer and wildly popular surf coach Connor Lyons has been granted bail after being charged with sex crimes against kids.

Lyons, who is twenty-six, is accused of the indecent treatment of two children over a 14-month period on both the Sunshine and Gold Coasts.

The allegations involve him exposing his penis to the children and engaging in inappropriate physical contact, including an incident during what was described as a “naked massage.” Both alleged victims reported discomfort and asked Lyons to stop.

Police allege that Lyons deceived the parents of the children to leave them alone with him, which facilitated the alleged abuse.

Despite opposition from the police citing Lyons as posing an unacceptable risk to the community, he was granted bail with strict conditions. These conditions include no contact with children under 16, not attending venues frequented by children, and reporting to police three times a week. He is also restricted from coaching children under 17.

The incidents came to light when both alleged victims made complaints within a two-day span in mid-December 2024.

For whatever reason, Lyons’ Instagram account is still active and in light of the allegations ain’t doing him any favours.

 

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Lyons has appeared in the Maroochydore Magistrates Court, where he is scheduled for a reappearance in February 2025.

The police have encouraged anyone who might have experienced similar incidents to come forward.

Lyons is a talented surfer and an occasional competitor on the WQS circuit.

Despite the charges, it’s real important to remember Connor Lyons is innocent until, and if, found guilty.

 

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Live life to the fullest and be beautiful!

Hello and Merry Christmas!

I can’t believe it’s the holiday season already. We’ve been so busy and the time has just flown by so quickly! It’s been a very eventful year for the Robbins family, for sure. We hope you are doing well and enjoying this most wonderful time of year.

We recently moved into our beautiful new house in San Clemente just blocks from the beach. Since we moved in, we’ve seen some of the most beautiful sunsets from our gorgeous back deck. It’s like a tropical fantasy back there with hibiscus, bougainvillea, and palms. Just an explosion of color! The built-in bar and pizza oven is getting some serious use, too, let me tell you.

The kids are stoked to be so close to the beach and the boys are surfing every day. Little Zoe recently started tagging along with them. She says she’s bored with ballet, but she still wears her pink tutu everywhere. Kids sure are funny, aren’t they?

Anyway, it seems like Zoe wants to be a little surfer girl. Don’t tell, but Santa is bringing her a new pink board for Christmas! What a lucky girl!

We’ve been so excited to watch Jaxon and Rex fall in love with surfing. They just keep getting better and better! We can’t wait to see them make the most of everything that San Clemente has to offer. The waves really are awesome here.

Jaxon recently won his first QS heat up in Morro Bay and he’s been shredding the NSSA contests. This year, he started online school, so he can put even more time into his surfing. He’s just so dedicated. We’re sure his hard work is going to pay off and he’ll be picking up sponsors in no time. Who wouldn’t want to support such an amazing young man!

Rex is our little daydreamer, and he’s coming along a little more slowly than his older brother. He likes live in his own world. Just last weekend, we drove to Rincon for a family surf day, and of course, Rex forgot to bring his wetsuit. We do love him, and fortunately, Jaxon brought a spare. It didn’t fit super well, but at least Rex got to get out there and surf.

This past year, Rex won his first ever NSSA event, which was a huge step forward for him. When he focuses, he’s a real winner! We’re confident he’s going to grow into his talent. He’s just going to take his time about it and that’s okay. We have to meet our kids where they are, amiright?

As for little Zoe, well, she’s definitely over her ballet phase. She’s gotten really excited about surfing and always seems to want to do whatever her brothers are doing. Fortunately, they’re pretty patient with her and there’ve only been a few tantrums. Okay, maybe a lot of tantrums, but that’s just growing up!

Zoe looks super cute in her pink wetsuit standing on the front of her dad’s surfboard. In fact, Paul bought a new SUP just so that he could surf with Zoe, and they’ve been getting so many great waves together. They make the whole lineup smile, that’s for sure. Zoe definitely has great balance already and we’re pretty sure she’s going to turn into a beautiful longboarder. Gotta start ‘em young, that’s for sure.

Santa is bringing me a new camera and tripod for Christmas so I can record all our family memories. I can’t wait to show you all the kids’ awesome surf clips. It’s a hard job but someone has to do it! I feel so privileged to support their ambitions and I have to say, hanging out at the beach all day is pretty great.

And as a bonus, since Jaxon started surfing seriously, I’ve gotten so good at Instagram. It’s all about the algorithm, you know. So, I’ve started my own online business, too, and it’s simply thriving! Check out forabeautifullife.com and I’d love to have you follow me on Instagram. It’s growing so fast and I’m so excited to see where it all leads.

Meanwhile Paul has been super busy with his consulting business, but not so busy that he can’t spend time in the lineup coaching Jaxon and Rex. He’s also been helping them figure out their boards and their surfing has improved so much just from getting the right dimensions — I guess, that’s what it is, anyway! Surfing is so complicated! — under their feet. Paul’s just such the perfect surf dad and we’re all so lucky to have him.

Oh, and I almost forgot our awesome family vacation to Baja this past summer. I only got a little sick from eating some raw vegetables, but how was I supposed to go an entire two weeks without kale? That’s just too much to ask. The boys got some fun waves right out in front of the resort and other than the unfortunate kale incident, the food was scrumptious. I especially enjoyed the spa and I’d love to go back next year.

But we’ve also been dreaming of a trip to Indo, so that might mean postponing Baja. Paul’s been scoping out the zones with the best waves and I’m sure he’ll come up with another amazing adventure for us. The boys are excited to push their skills in better surf, so the timing couldn’t be better. I can’t wait!

Santa is bringing the whole family ebikes for Christmas, so we’ll be zipping around town in no time. The boys are going to be at Trestles every day now. It’s going to be so amazing to see their talents develop — and it looks like Zoe is right behind them.

I do hope your family has a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy new year. Live life to the fullest and be beautiful!

Love from the Robbins Family
Paul, Jade, Jaxon, Rex & Zoe