Simon Anderson Recreates 1981 Winning Bells Board
COASTALWATCH | ORIGINAL CONTENT
Video by Matt Johnston
Featuring Simon Anderson & Cooper Chapman
With additional footage from Alan Rich archives & Tim Bonython
In 1981 Simon Anderson paddled out at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach with a board that changed the path of surfboard design. He rang the bell that year as the winner of the event.
Cooper Chapman is a Qualifying Series surfer from the infamous North Narrabeen beach in Sydney. He has been working with and riding Simon Anderson's shapes for six years and had never surfed Bells Beach.
Over the last fortnight, Simon shaped a replica of this 1981 winning board for Cooper and the pair made their way down to Bells Beach in the lead up to the 2017 Rip Curl Pro. On the first day of the waiting period, the swell was rolling into Bells and Winkipop, it was the perfect opportunity for Cooper to test out the board and experience the difference in design to the modern high-performance boards he's been riding his whole life.
Read Simon's complete story in THRUST available through the Coastalwatch Store.
VIDEO BELOW, The Final Scene Outtake
Simon gets started on replicating the 1981 board
Simon photographs the original for his records
Cooper and Simon check out the original board
Simon measures the exact dimensions of the original board
Cooper & Simon arrive at Bells Beach on Wednesday 12th April 2017
Carpark comparisons between the original and the replica
Cooper's first wave at Winkipop, Photo by Brendan Boxall
Making the board move, Photo by Brendan Boxall
Simon's paddles out at Winki with Cooper
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