CHUNDY DHARSA — WORDS BY KASH BROWN
The Airshow call-up came out of nowhere. One minute I’m packing for some grom comp back home, the next Stace is blowing up my phone telling me to get to Indo for the Quik Air Show. So just like that, me, Hughie and Kanaiya were on a plane and suddenly living the dream in the Quik house. Gym laughs, dodgy massages, too much banter, and not a whole lot of actual “rest and recovery.”
Grommet paradise.
The morning of the Airshow was unreal—light winds, playful little ramps, all the boys warming up and trying to one-up each other. I somehow threaded together an alley-oop in Round One and ended up scoring the highest wave of the round. Straight into finals day. Too easy. Celebrated with a Nasi Goreng and a nap on the daybeds, which in hindsight… was a horrible mistake.
As the nasi settled, my stomach started doing those deep, evil churns. Bali Belly pulled up like an unwanted third umpire. Still had to paddle out for another heat, so I held it together—kind of. Walked up the beach after and Stace tried to get me to run for a social clip, but mid-sprint the nasi made its grand re-appearance in liquid form. Straight out the mouth. Everywhere. Proper exorcism vibes.
And that’s how my Bali Belly era officially began.
A few days later, once the bathroom stopped being my primary residence, the boys sniffed out a swell at G-Land. We jumped on a speed boat, strapped a JetSki on the back, and suddenly we’re in the jungle with Hughie and Kanaiya joining the mission. Afternoon session was windy but still fun—just a tease for what was coming.
Next morning: first real G-Land surf. The waves were big, angry and weird to surf, but it was the warm-up lap. That afternoon I got properly flogged by a few sets and then snuck into a cheeky little tube to reset the confidence levels.
Then it happened.
Pumping G-Land.
The kind you see in edits and assume is fake.
“Goooooood moooooorningggggg Ggggggg-Llllllllanddddd! I’m Kash Brown and we’re here with Quiksilver, about to get in your cylinders.” That’s literally what I said as we paddled out, half-joking, half-manifesting.
And then the joint turned on.
Six-to-ten foot cylinders spitting like they were allergic to surfers. I got blown out of a couple mind-melters and honestly felt like I’d levelled up mid-session. Kanaiya copped a reef cut and snapped his board on his first wave—classic young Chundy initiation. Nate and Khyl were out there stacking the clees and the session was in the books.
Second day of my first ever proper G-Land mission and it felt like I had my own highlight reel playing out in real time. After what felt like ten hours of scoring, the swell ghosted us the very next morning—but we didn’t care. We did a sunset run for photos for the new Quik campaign. Nate was pulling faces in full mad scientist mode messing with water shadows and weird angles. Proper creative chaos.
We had a bunch of Queenslanders in camp and watched State of Origin with them. The shit talk was flying harder than the JetSki.
