Introducing James Hendy, the newest member of the team at Rip Curl Indonesia

The times they are a changing here at Rip Curl Indonesia. After six years of dedicated service, marketing manager Clemens Berger is leaving the family to embark on a new chapter in life. Crossing the pond to replace him – crossing several ponds actually – is Mr. James Hendy of Cornwall, England.

James has been working with Rip Curl Europe for several years. When he was offered the position as the new marketing manager for Rip Curl Southeast Asia – and the chance to surf spots like Ulu, Cangu and Keramas on a daily basis -- James did what any red-blooded surfer would do and jumped at the opportunity. So what does a guy from jolly old England know about surfing in Indo? You’d be surprised. James has been coming to the various islands off Sumatra for over ten years now. James’ first assignment in Indo was a tough one: Tag along with the boys to West Sumbawa and surf perfect waves in between watching the comp and getting to know everyone. The following interview took place late one evening over a few Bintangs, after James had scored some good waves and put some much needed bronze back on those shoulders.


Leo Maxam: First off, welcome to Bali, mate.

James Hendy: Thanks, great to be here.

LM: I was admiring some of those frontside carves you were doing out there today. You've got a smooth style. How long have you been surfing?

JH: I've been surfing for 28 years now. I started when I was ten. My dad was a surfer and my brothers both surf. He got us into it at an early age. He started surfing back in the fifties around Cornwall, Newquay and south of there. My dad was from Porthtowan. He was one of the first members of the local surf life saving club and he had one of the first proper Malibus imported from Australia.

LM: What was it like growing up as a surfer in England?

JH: When I first started you felt kind of unique, like you were part of a special crew. Today surfing is surprisingly big in the UK. I've seen it go mental. Now there will be hundreds of people out at our local spots when there's a swell.

LM: Describe your hometown of Cornwall. What’s the surfing scene like there?

JH: Cornwall is in the southwest, right on the tip. It's really busy now. It used to be more just in summer, but with wetsuits so good now it’s crowded year round. Wetsuit sales are huge in the UK now. Surfing is a 150 million pound a year business now. I can’t say how many surfers there are in the UIK off the top of my head, but there are a lot.



LM: How are the waves there?

JH: We pick up loads of swell in the fall and winter. I’ve traveled all over and it’s – well it’s not like here (in Indo) -- but we get some really good days.

LM: I know you’re looking forward to shedding your 4/3 and booties for boardshorts, but what else are you looking forward to about living in Bali?

JH: Just the cultural change and being in a cool emerging market. Indonesia is an amazing region and there is still a lot of discoveries to be made here. From my point of view, bringing my whole family and two kids (daughter, Sunny, 12, and son, Reuben, 6), it's going to be so nourishing for them in the long term. That's a big part of the reason. Also, I would have been kicking myself in a year's time if I didn't go and my friends would have been calling me a dick.

LM: Have much Indo surfing experience?

JH: My first trip to Indo was back in 1996. For eight weeks we explored the waves around Nias and the Hinako islands. I went with friends who had been going there since the late 80s and still go there. It was really uncrowded then, just us really. I remember it didn't get below five feet for six weeks. I remember it was really rough camping. There were no camps and no boat trips back then. We stayed at this one big open losmen, just a shack on stilts on the beach. In our rooms were just tents and mozzy nets. We slept on our boardbags lying under a little damp sarong. There were these little black bush rats everywhere. You would wake up in the morning and the first thing you would do was pick up all the rat shit. We used to get water from the well in the middle of the island. We would fill these barrels and drag them to camp. The water was filthy and we would have to decant it through our rash vests to get all the shit out of it and then boil it for two hours till it was half gone. Only then could we drink it. How the hell we didn't get some hideous diseases I don't know.

LM: How’s your Bahasa?

JM: Rubbish. I know bagus, ikan kecil and ikan bakar. That’s all I know because when we would stay out in the Hinakos the fishing boats would turn up with these huge fish and we would paddle up and say “Ikan kecil, throw us the little ones.” I also remember “Hati hati sublimate” (careful before you die). We would head out to the Hinako islands in these ridiculous old trucks and when we would tell the locals where we were going, they would tell us that.

Nino: Another good one in Balinese is: Seng adalah pess (I don’t have money).

JH: I’ll remember that, it’s easy. Just “sing the piss.”

LM: What’s your favorite brew back home?

JH: Betty Stoggs. It’s a proper Cornish ale brewed by a local company and surfing family. Warm and heavy. It’s a classic if you want a real flowery, hoppy English ale.

LM: How’s Bintang compare?

JH: Bintang is great, especially when it’s boiling hot out.

LM: You’ve only been here in Bali for a few days. What have been some of the highlights so far?

JH: I got picked up at the airport by my best buddy and taken straight to the Bukit to surf five-foot, glassy Uluwatu. It was my first surf there and it wasn’t too crowded either. Unforgettable.

LM: When you’re not surfing, where can we find you?

JH: Spending time with my family or on the golf course. I saw the golf course at Nusa Dua. It looks immaculate, we’ll have to play. My dad is really into golf. He’s the “assistant pro” at our local golf course and of course he thinks he’s fucking Jack Nicklas. I don’t claim to be great or anything. I can hit it, but half the time it goes off to the side. Back home we call it Whack Fuck. Give it a whack, and then ‘aw, fuck.’

LM: How long have you been with Rip Curl and what did you do for them back in the UK?

JH: I was the marketing manager for Rip Curl in the UK for the last five years. I was managing the team, doing all the events, PR, advertising, covering all of that. Before that I was involved with Surfers Against Sewage and before that I built boards, doing sanding and finishing. I came to the industry from a core surfing niche. I didn’t come from a marketing degree background and I feel very fortunate to have been given the opportunities I've been given. I was an established surfer in the UK and I knew a lot of people. I feel like I know what I'm talking about when it comes to surfing. For a company like Rip Curl, it's hugely important to understand the values we build the company on: a lifestyle based around the ocean and surfing. It's not just a marketing tool. It’s a reality and why the brand has been so successful. Most of the people who work for the company -- we're all true surfers. Not too many surf brands are made up of 90 percent true, hardcore searchers, and that’s what I consider myself.