Sign up to our newsletter and become a Club Huck member.

Stay informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture

Surfer Rob Bain describes what it's like to survive a tsunami

Red Bull: That One Time — As part of Red Bull's new animated series where people tell their stories, surfer Rob Bain remembers the Indonesian tsunami of 2006.

In 1994, professional surfer Rob Bain and his crew went to film in G-Land, a famous surf break on the Indonesian island of Java. They knew something wasn’t quite right, but they went anyway. One of the team, Neal Purchase Jr., decided not to go at the last minute, and his intuition proved to be right.

The island of Java was hit by a tsunami, submerging the crew underwater and leaving them struggling for their lives. No lives were lost at the G-Land surf camp, but over 200 people perished further west, where three villages were almost entirely flattened by the tsunami.

The second episode in Red Bull’s new series of animated shorts, That One Time, is directed and animated by Luis Stockler, and gives Rob the platform to tell his incredible story.


You might like

Sport

Moshpits & kickflips at the Volcom Garden Experience 2026

Family affair — Last weekend, the skate, surf and snow culture brand hosted a free mini festival in its European backyard of Biarritz. We went along and chatted to legendary artist and surfer Ozzie Wright.

Written by: Isaac Muk

© Alex Williams
Sport

As the Cornwall & Devon coastline gentrifies, what’s left at UK surfing’s spiritual home?

Priced out – Once belonging to anyone willing to be cold and thrown around underwater, the sport is becoming increasingly inaccessible, as second homes and commodification reshape England’s southwestern shores.

Written by: Noah Petersons

Huck 83: Life Is A Journey Issue

How one of the world’s best big wave photographers & filmmakers gets the perfect shot

Staring down the barrel — Sachi Cunningham has built an immersive body of work documenting huge barrels by getting closer to the action than most. Josh Jones speaks to her about her process, finding order within chaos, and the importance of feeling awe.

Written by: Josh Jones

© Tahnei Roy
Music

Jack Johnson’s third act

SURFILMUSIC — Three decades on from his trajectory-altering crash at Pipeline and subsequent music career, the singer-songwriter looks back at his life and work in a new, expansive film.

Written by: D’Arcy Doran

Sport

New film champions women surfers tackling the huge waves of Nazaré

Undercurrents — Filmmaker Maddie Meddings’ latest documentary focuses on big-wave superstar Laura Crane as she helps prepare 16-year-old Imari Hearn to take up big wave surfing.

Written by: Sydney Lobe

Sport

Capturing the spirit of the ’90s surf scene with Volcom

Nineteen 90 Nowhere — The brand’s latest Featured Artist Series collection sees them tap three surfers and artists in Gony Zubizarretta, Seth Conboy and Issam Auptel, whose neo-grunge work blends the rawness of the decade with the present.

Written by: Isaac Muk

You've read articles this month Thanks for reading

Join Club Huck — it's free!

Valued Huck reader, thank you for engaging with our journalism and taking an interest in our dispatches from the sharp edge of culture, sport, music and rebellion.

We want to offer you the chance to join Club Huck [it's free!] where you will receive exclusive newsletters, including personal takes on the state of pop culture and media from columnist Emma Garland, culture recommendations, interviews and dispatches straight to your inbox.

You'll also get priority access to Huck events, merch discounts, and more fun surprises.

Already part of the club? Enter your email above and we'll get you logged in.