Tom Myers’ Wild Ride
A chat with the Aussie fireman and carpenter, who recently claimed big-wave surfing’s ultimate prize.
In August this year, Sydney Fireman Tom Myers paddled into, and made, a huge barrel at his local big wave spot, Queenscliff Bombie. That came just a few months after he’d caught a similar wave at the offshore Manly Reef. As Kelly Slater commented, “Same guy? Almost same looking wave! That’s amazing.”
In September, the second wave earned Myers the Big Wave Challenge Award for Men’s Ride Of The Year, thrusting the working-class charger into the limelight. Seeing it was one of the better surf stories in recent years, Waterways caught up with the Aussie to see how his world had changed.
Tom, what was it like to win the Big Wave Challenge for Ride Of The Year?
It was so unexpected, especially at this stage of my life. I’m 33, we are expecting our third child, and soon I’ll have three kids under 5. And with two jobs, I don’t have the time to scratch my arse, let alone chase swells. So when I saw that purple blob on the charts, I called in sick for work and just went surfing. That’s it all come to this? Well, it’s surreal.
What was it like being on stage, in front of the best big wave surfers in the world?
Just to be mentioned alongside all these legends who have won this award before was so wild. I’m so honoured and grateful for the opportunity. These awards have kept the lights on for big wave surfing, and I’m so grateful just to be a part of it.
What opportunities has it provided?
When that wave was ridden in April, I had no sponsors. I was learning how to sew on YouTube, so I could stitch up the panels on an old wetsuit. Now brands like Florence and Pyzel have come on board to support me, and hopefully that will allow me to travel the world and chase some bigger waves.
Were you sponsored as a kid?
Yes, I used to be sponsored by Quiksilver mainly through my junior career. I did the pro junior series in Australia. I didn’t smash it, but made a few Finals. But I just always loved big waves. I always made sure in my contracts that I scored a trip to Hawaii; that was my primary focus.
Could you have made a career out of surfing?
It was definitely talked about. I knew it was gonna be pretty hard to make the CT, but there wasn’t much of a pathway for a big wave surfing career. Maybe for the Greg Longs and your Twiggy Bakers, but it wasn’t like nowadays, where you’ve got like your Nick Von Rupp’s killing it. By my late teens, I was done with surfing. I did a carpentry apprenticeship, and then I got into the Fire Brigade. So I’ve been a fireman for almost 10 years now.
Did you ever regret that decision?
Well, I’ve landed on my feet and was lucky enough to buy a home. If I hadn’t kept chipping away, I probably wouldn’t have set myself up. On the flipside, I probably would have gotten a lot more big waves and big barrels. But now I guess it’s come full circle, and in the last few years I’ve been just keeping pushing myself more and getting back into it.
How much surfing do you get in at home?
Well, living in Sydney isn’t ideal. I do two 24-hour shifts in the Fire Brigade, and then on the days off, I’ll be on the tools 3 or 4 days a week. I can go entire months without surfing. So that’s why when we have a 3 or 4 days of swell, I tell the missus, ‘Right, this is my time.’ And, she’s super cool and so supportive. I’ve saved all the brownie points and went to Shipsterns before I caught that wave, so I used up a big, big stack of them, but it all paid off.
You’ve caught two bombs at Queenscliff Bombie in the last six months. It’s really put that wave on the map.
Well, it’s one of Sydney’s original big wave spots, in the heart of Australia’s biggest city, but it has been a sleepy sort of decade. That last massive swell was back in 2016, the day the Red Bull Cape Fear contest ran at Ours. I had to work that day, but I saw photos of my mate Sam Jones out at Queensie, in these big, big tubes, so I knew of the potential.
But it isn’t exactly a new wave?
God no. My grandpa was good friends with Dave Jackman, who was one of the first to surf it on modern boards in the early 1960s. But it had been ridden by guys in the 1940s, and by lifesaving surf boats even before then.
What’s changed recently?
With these last big swells, it has turned from a wave where you’d take off on the shoulder and just make the drop, into like a mini-Jaws where everyone’s fully backdooring it and trying to get tubed. The more we surfed on these big swells, the more I realized that it’s so legit.
But it’s not very consistent?
It needs a proper 12-ft or almost 15 ft swell for it to feel the bottom of the reef, from an east direction. That doesn’t happen very often, especially with good winds.
So what’s sort of changed in your world since catching those two bombs?
Even before the awards, it was definitely different, as I was being noticed a bit more. I like to fly under the radar, so it feels weird, but it’s definitely cool. And having people say nice words about you is a good feeling. But I’m the same bloke. I just love my family and love surfing, and I’m aiming to keep my head down. I’m not going to start a fucking YouTube channel or sell my soul to flog vitamins. But the new sponsor support has been great, and hopefully it just means I can catch a few more big waves. It’s been a wild ride!