Each month we aim to bring stories from people along our shoreline that inspire us. This month starts with world tour surfer Tully White.
We have been fortunate to watch Tully's graceful and timeless surfing come of age to be one of our favourite surfers to watch on the world stage. This October, Tully heads to Malibu to compete for the WSL World Title and we can't wait to tune in and watch the artistic lines she draws on the world famous point. What really draws us to Tully is her work in promoting environmental initiatives, studying environmental science and working with the likes of Patagonia and Surfers For Climate. We asked Tully what inspires her work and how she sees meaningful change can come about.
I guess to start, you have an effortless, timeless style of surfing. Having grown up in an area that has been home to greats such as Midget, Nat and many more, what first got you into surfing and specifically longboarding?
[TW] Thank you, that is very kind! Considering how much surfing is part of my life now I was a little late to it, only really starting when I was about 13. My family would go to the beach with a few other families every Sunday afternoon and eventually my brother started learning and I copied him, as little sisters do. My first fiberglass board was a shortboard and after its first session it was stolen off the roof racks of our car that day… While saving up for a new board I took to trying to surf a beaten up old mini mal I found in the shed. Soon after, my family went on a holiday to Byron Bay and I fell in love with the feeling of shuffling up and down the board to go faster and slower in tiny Pass waves. By the time I saved up enough to buy a new board I decided to buy a longboard instead! I really went all in from the moment I got my first longboard, with a surfboard rack on my bike I’d cart my longboard to and from the beach as often as I could.
From that, how has the coast and your love for it shaped the person you are today and where your life is heading?
Most people just check the forecast to see if they’re going to need raincoat, but as surfers we become more in tune with natural rhythms like wind, swell and tides and how these factors align can influence our moods and day to day life. This connection brings with it a sense of appreciation and respect for the natural world, that can be so easy to detach from. From a social perspective too surfing gifted me friends of all ages, genders and walks of life that I would chat to in the water and shaped my perspectives on what was truly important. From early on I knew I wanted to combine my passion for surfing and the ocean with some sort of career that helped advocate for and protect it.
We know you are studying environmental science - what are your thoughts on the key areas in our day-to-day that you see we can improve on to help better our footprint?
I’m just over halfway through my Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management specialising in climate change and sustainability. It can be overwhelming trying to reduce our footprint as we live in such a fast-paced world, I like the analogy ‘Surfers for Climate’ use which is that it’s like a point break with heaps of take-off points at different levels of depth. An easy step is seeking to care more about where we choose to spend our money, such as shopping sustainable, local products that are ethically made or produced. This not only backs to the legends making the effort to create these products, but also has less of a milage footprint to get to the consumer. I was stoked to learn about Seashanty making products with seaweed too, seaweed is a very effective way of sequestering carbon due to the rate it grows, which all helps slow climate change.
and...
Where do you want your degree to take you?
Being just over halfway through my degree I wish I had a clearer idea, but I feel like the more I learn the more I am drawn in different directions. I would love to find a way to combine my surfing with a career as an environmentalist. Something I have noticed a huge gap in through my studies is people who translate the incredible environmental discoveries made in labs and published in journals with the public. This would then lead to people being more excited to invest in these potentially climate change reversing discoveries making them viable and on scale to be effective in the way they have already proven to be. That was a little deep… but it blows my mind.
We formed Seashanty as surfers looking at ways to naturally look after our skin from days in the sun whilst also aiding our environment. Do you have any skin routines or rituals that help you prolong your time in the sea?
Skin care for me is a bit basic, I don’t use too many products, I’m a freckly human so wearing sunscreen and zinc is always a must for me when I’m in the water. At the end of the day, I rinse it off using plain old water and then apply moisturiser before bed. I learnt from some of my surfer girl friends on a surf marathon road trip that coconut oil is a miracle cream and I stand by that too.
Lastly, what does a favourite coastal escape look like for you (a weekend or adventure away if you could go anywhere?)
I have a van and love getting some time off to turn into a full surf rat grommet even if it’s just for a few days. For me I can’t go past a sneaky trip North to Crescent Head with good friends and fun waves, it is simple and for sure a little slice of paradise.
Thanks Tully. To watch Tully head to the WSL on Oct 03 and to hear more about the amaizing work Surfers For Climate are up to hit the link.
Thank you to our star photographer Murray Fraser of Sprout Daily for the shots.
