I ♥ Quiksilver

If you ever come across Quiksilver the brand, no doubt Kelly Slater’s face will come along with it. Pro surfer from his teenage years, Kelly continues to be the poster-‘man’ for Quiksilver across the world. As I worked for Quiksilver back in Toronto, we’d loop several videos of surfing competitions or footage of Kelly catching a great wave. It was a hard thing to imagine when it was -25 outside, what it would be like to watch a pro do what he does best, but an impromptu trip with my best buddie and a Wicked Van had myself on Snapper Rocks beach in the VIP bar watching the best surfers, including Kelly of course, surf the 2009 Quiksilver Pro Comp.

Rewind…the weekend began as all my other weekends do; at the Wicked Campers Depot working my usual Saturday shift. This was my week to only work until noon, so I was in pretty high spirits for the day as it was. There had been talk with Carley the night before whether we should head down to the Gold Coast to catch the Quik Pro, but we just couldn’t decide how to get down there. Sam, who’s been working at the event all week was unfortunately working Saturday all day as wasn’t able to bring us down. The Wicked van idea came up and I was pretty sure I could swing us a deal. So to my ultimate satisfaction, I was granted a Wicked Van on Saturday at the “Awesome Employee” Rate! 12pm couldn’t come any slower, I was just so excited to get on the road and down the coast. Now I must remind you, I have always been an automatic driver, and since living here, I have the graces of patient people to teach me the stick. I’m pretty confident when it comes to my driving, but this was going to be my first time driving with no help, a full trip in a standard van. Needless to say, I was a little nervous. But only a few wrong turns ended up being the obstacles on the road, and the trip went seamlessly.

We arrived in Coolangatta late afternoon to catch the last couple heats of the men’s division. I was pretty much as excited at a 13 year old at a Hannah Montana concert. Going to a Quik Surf Comp has been my dream for so long, and to finally see it happening was truly overwhelming…especially when you run into a surfer as big as Dane Reynolds, which Carley and I did!

Fast forward to Sunday…after a cozy sleep in our Wicked Camper, Carley and I rose early to get back to the beach. Sunday morning was Roxy Pro, women’s division semi-finals and finals. It was really great to see some chicks ripping up the waves, and even better to see DOLPHINS! Yes, dolphins, just chillin’ in the water with the surfers. It was my first time seeing 1. Girls pro surf, and 2. Dolphins. But the day gets even better. We meet up with Sam who’s come down for the day and surprised us with VIP passes to the best bar/viewing area. All the Carona and Red Bull you could skull down, and a full view of Mr. Kelly Slater as he surfed his late afternoon heat.

Rewind…When I began working for Quiksilver in Sept 07, it was a dream come true for me. I’ve always been a Roxy girl at heart, so working for the company wasn’t like a job, it was just getting something I loved to do everyday. But it went beyond clothing for me, and probably most of the people there. Quiksilver has truly changed my life and brought be to places I only dreamed of, so it has a big soft spot on my heart, and if you look close enough, it’s probably shaped like Roxy!

So fast back forward to me watching Kelly surfing, and to say it was overwhelming is putting it lightly. A year ago I knew I’d be coming here, but nothing can prepare you for actually accomplishing it.

After the last waves were surfed, I got back in my van, by myself this time, and made my way back to Brissy. By far one of the best weekends of my time here.