After a rather long hiatus from the bodyboarding spotlight, then all of a sudden we receive one of the craziest shots of him. It got us thinking where he's been? So we caught up with him to see.
RT: What are you up to these days?
Mitch: These days are pretty simple, I'm doing a carpentry apprenticeship which means I'm at Tafe once a week and working the other 4 days. Surfing in most of my spare time which isn't half as much as I would like it to be. Living with my girlfriend and chilling with her or some mates.
That recent shot of you at the Zone is one of the craziest slabs we've seen out there.
That wave I almost didn't go. Before this year I had only surfed probably like 12 times in the 6 years prior and was a full time smoker and pretty solid boozer. So to be surfing heavy waves again I was pretty uncomfortable but me and Kerry had been talking and shooting a bit that winter and he knew how keen I was to get a bomb. If he wasn't there then most probably neither would of I.
Do you still have a love for the boog like you did when you were 16?
My love for bodyboarding is more then it ever has been. Looking back it is all the biggest blur to me. Like everything is. I was real young and was just cruising too hard to realise and soak up what I had going on. Now I appreciate every little part of being in the ocean.
Todd Quigley said you could easily be travelling on the world tour in the Top 10. What made you not chase the sport as hard as your peers?
Do you still have a love for the boog like you did when you were 16?
My love for bodyboarding is more then it ever has been. Looking back it is all the biggest blur to me. Like everything is. I was real young and was just cruising too hard to realise and soak up what I had going on. Now I appreciate every little part of being in the ocean.
Todd Quigley said you could easily be travelling on the world tour in the Top 10. What made you not chase the sport as hard as your peers?
I lost the desire to bodyboard after a trip to Tahiti, I think I was 17 or 18. There's a couple reasons for it. Like surfing the biggest barrels of your life and to come home to 1ft shit was hard. And it would be shit for weeks and almost months. The other reason was my friends just started partying and I didnt want to miss any of that, plus I wasn't making money and I never really thought down the track.
Could you see yourself in a coloured rashie again?
Not really. It's a serious joke some of the guys on the world tour. I don't get it. To do manouvers and not give a fuck on how bad it was is so wrong. Now you have guys like Mitch that have to settle for less by doing a pretty average flip where as if he wasn't in a contest he would have done something 100 times better.
Yourself and Rawlins were rivals for a long time, you being a bit younger, did you feel you were in his shadow? You both had the same sponsors, used the same setups and colour ways. Was there always a healthy rivalry?
I was pretty obsessed with Mitch. He was and still is my hero in every way possible. I was never in his shadow, I was just going along for the ride really. Whatever he did I wanted to do.
Could you see yourself in a coloured rashie again?
Not really. It's a serious joke some of the guys on the world tour. I don't get it. To do manouvers and not give a fuck on how bad it was is so wrong. Now you have guys like Mitch that have to settle for less by doing a pretty average flip where as if he wasn't in a contest he would have done something 100 times better.
Yourself and Rawlins were rivals for a long time, you being a bit younger, did you feel you were in his shadow? You both had the same sponsors, used the same setups and colour ways. Was there always a healthy rivalry?
I was pretty obsessed with Mitch. He was and still is my hero in every way possible. I was never in his shadow, I was just going along for the ride really. Whatever he did I wanted to do.
It's pretty lame looking back at it but that's how I thought. He does everything perfect so I'll try and look that good in the water too. It's funny. Never a rivalry either. I was just like a grom surfing with my hero and then we became real good friends. I still want the same setup and color ways as him but.
What do you think of groms these days in terms of riding abilities?
I never really get to surf with many groms, but the clips I've seen on the net some of them groms are seriously tearing, but I think it all comes down to big waves now. All kids can spin and flip. When they look comfortable in big waves that's when you know they have something special.
Also how has bodyboarding changed compared to when you were 16?
It's changed a fair bit, but it also hasn't. Like the venues, the webcasts and some of the riding is going real good, but I still see a struggle in the sport which sucks. Like Novy said the other day, it was hard for him to get enough money for Mexico. That was a comp that almost didn't happen. It sucks to see guys getting nowhere near enough money or respect they deserve. Hopefully the sport will get where it needs and deserves to be.
What has been the single best experience you've got from bodyboarding?
The single best experience was that Tahiti trip I mentioned earlier. This one wave I got at Teahupoo still sticks out like dogs balls. It was so good because Thorto and I were the last ones out before dark and it was a big, crosshore ugly day. I was shitting myself and I asked him not to leave me out there alone, but he laughed and caught one in.
What do you think of groms these days in terms of riding abilities?
I never really get to surf with many groms, but the clips I've seen on the net some of them groms are seriously tearing, but I think it all comes down to big waves now. All kids can spin and flip. When they look comfortable in big waves that's when you know they have something special.
Also how has bodyboarding changed compared to when you were 16?
It's changed a fair bit, but it also hasn't. Like the venues, the webcasts and some of the riding is going real good, but I still see a struggle in the sport which sucks. Like Novy said the other day, it was hard for him to get enough money for Mexico. That was a comp that almost didn't happen. It sucks to see guys getting nowhere near enough money or respect they deserve. Hopefully the sport will get where it needs and deserves to be.
What has been the single best experience you've got from bodyboarding?
The single best experience was that Tahiti trip I mentioned earlier. This one wave I got at Teahupoo still sticks out like dogs balls. It was so good because Thorto and I were the last ones out before dark and it was a big, crosshore ugly day. I was shitting myself and I asked him not to leave me out there alone, but he laughed and caught one in.
So then a couple of guys were waiting on me and a bomb came in, I always have said it was 12 feet. I just remember making my mind up straight away that I wasn't going to go, but the guys were yelling pretty hard. So I paddled for it pretty late, dropped in and just fanged it to the channel as fast as I could. Probably out racing the barrel too. I pulled off and just remember being the most stoked I'd ever been in the water.
Portrait by Alex Gibson
Preview issue 190 here.
Download Mitch Hall's wallpaper here.
Portrait by Alex Gibson
Preview issue 190 here.
Download Mitch Hall's wallpaper here.
