I started surfing when I was eight or nine years old and shaped my first board at 13.

Growing up in my dad’s surfboard factory filled me with this deep desire to create and to be immersed in the surf industry.

Now, 30-odd years later, I feel incredibly privileged to be still doing a job that I love in a part of the world that I love. There is nowhere else that offers surfers what we have on the Great Ocean Road. There’s
a reason why the world’s best come here to surf.

Obviously Bells Beach and Winki Pop are the two best breaks for world-class surfing but beyond that, we have every variety of wave for every kind of surfer, from novice to expert. It’s all compressed into one phenomenal stretch of coastline.

It has everything you could want as a surfer. And I have it right on my doorstep.

Shaping boards forces me to get in to the surf regularly, to test out ideas and stay connected. It’s an essential part of my job. But I’d surf anyway. There aren’t too many other things that could keep me as fit and healthy and happy as surfing.

Similarly, if shaping boards wasn’t my job, I’d still shape boards. It’s my creative outlet. All my boards are handcrafted, many of them custom- made to meet specific needs of the surfer, so for me it’s an art. Surfing and shaping go hand-in-hand.

I think that anyone who wants to try surfing should start with a local surf school. Grab a lesson and get the basics, then go from there. They have the best equipment to get you up and going. You might be hooked after your first surf, or you might take a while to warm up.

There’s a great surfing culture in Torquay so you’ll find everything you need right here, but if you continue on to Lorne and Warrnambool, the crowds thin out and the coast gets more wild the further you venture out. There’s a good spread of waves for everyone and, if you’re prepared to put in the effort, you’ll get the waves you want.

I love this coast and these waves. I still get as excited about surfing on this coast as anywhere.

– Corey Graham — Board Shaper, Torquay