After our recent blowout of the BSR Cable Park in Waco, Texas, we caught up with Chippa Wilson and what he thought about man’s greatest creation. Here’s a little something to hold you over till the edit comes out.

How do you compare a surf trip to Waco compared to one to Indo or somewhere like that?
Yeah there are so many differences from an ocean surf trip to a wave pool surf trip. With the ocean there is always that anticipation of what swell you’re going to get. If you have a good forecast and if it’s
looking good  where as with a wave pool it’s going to be good. You know what I mean. Unless the machine fucks up, which I guess nowadays it’s pretty rock solid. So that’s one difference .In one sense the anxiety of getting waves is gone, but the anticipation of if you’re going to score isn’t there as well.

What’s it like surfing in chlorine and no salt? Is there a difference?
Everyone always talks about that stuff, but for me I don’t think so. Generally you pick it up first wave and you work it up from there. So for me, nah. I don’t think there was a difference. Maybe because I was on a
wider board that was epoxy, which wasn’t my board. Maybe my boards would have been too small, but I lost them all off the roof.

Tell us about losing your boards. What happened?
I have no idea. We rocked up to the house that we were staying on in Raccoon Hollow and I jumped up on the roof and I was unpacking the boards. I hit one of the lads up asking if they took my boards inside and everyone said, “naw.” And I thought it was a joke. Then I found my strap on the tie-downs so, it was the real deal. They were somewhere between Dallas and Waco.

And you lost your other bag on the way from Oz to California?
Aw yeah that’s right. I lost my bag with all my surfing equipment like my fins, leggies, stickers. Everything really, clothes and shoes. I was posted up in Waco for five days with a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and that was it really.

You must have felt free not having to worry about anything though.
Yeah it was pretty sick all I had was a little tote bag and that was it. Everyone else was packing board bags and scrambling when we were leaving and I had nothing. It felt good.

Especially in the heat, yeah?
Fuck it was hot. That was some of the hottest weather I’ve ever felt for sure.

Tell us about shooting that .45 and that shotgun. Was it your first time?
Yeah I shot a little rifle down in southern Australia, but that was nothing. Pretty much a bb gun compared to those things. Me, Nate, and Ozzie were in the van hiding pretty much. Just because we’re scared
shitless of guns you know. I don’t know if I was the first one to jump out and have a go, but fuck it was scary. I was shaking like a kid.

Did you like it though?
Yeah it was fun. I guess that’s a normal reaction. It means you’re not fucking crazy. Yeah I was scared at first too. If you get a gun given to you and you’re hyped and not shaking there might be a problem there.

What would you tell people that are thinking or going out to Waco or somewhere like that?
A lot of people have asked me about it since I’ve been back, yeah it’s a good experience for sure. I mean there’s a lot of hype about fake waves and wave pools now. To be honest it’s a really fun wave. You get
heaps of waves per minute. There’s a couple of different settings. It’s a bit of a buzz for real. It’s only going to get better from here, but that one is pretty sick.

What would you tell people the best way to go about it? How many people to bring and what do you do?
That’s a hard one. We got lucky a few times and had a couple private sessions. I’m not sure exactly how the public sessions go. Do you book it out or what?

Yeah you go on-line and put your name in, get your hour, and pay your hundred bucks. Or you can
try to reserve private time, but it’s probably a grand or two per hour for as many people as you
want.
I say just go and do it I reckon. It’s a lot of fun.

Is it worth flying from another continent over there?
Yeah for sure. One hundred percent. If you like the heat Texas is pretty good too. I feel like in a year there’s going to be a hundred around. You can have one in your back yard in about a year.

What would you say to people that say, “Naw I only surf in the ocean?”
I don’t know. That’s my kinda thing as well to be honest with you. I always prefer the ocean. I’d be right there with’em.

Did you go into it having any new moves on your mind that you wanted to do but didn’t really
pull them off?
Not really. It was a bit weird, not having my normal boards and shit like that. In the end I tried a move that I hadn’t tried in years and years. I only had two attempts at it and the wind was pretty shit for it, but it
definitely got me fired up to do it.

What was that move?
It was just like a backside alley opp board varial. That’s the spot to try it. It’d be cool to go back and have a couple sessions.

Fuck yeah. Has anyone found your boards yet?
Nope. Not even on CraigsList. I had a couple looks. Someone’s hyped though. Probably end up behind a wake boat, so that’s cool.

If someone found them would you want them back or would you just want them ridden?
Oh I want them back for sure. Ha. But their not going to give them back you know, so fuck, I hope they ride’em. -WY