PUBLIC LECTURE: Friends of UWA Albany Sandwich Seminar

With a global army surpassing 30 million, surfing has escalated from an underground lifestyle into a mainstream colossus. Dr Holt's research investigated a unique population of the surfing culture, the Cape Naturaliste surfing subculture. Located in the South West of Western Australia, Cape Naturaliste is home to the Cape Crusaders. The first wave riders entered Cape Naturaliste’s field through the Yallingup portal in the mid-1950s. These pioneers, the restless products of Perth’s surf lifesaving clubs, were motivated by fun and lured by the search. However, the enduring subcultural vibe was determined by the youth of the counterculture. The subculture was founded on a philosophy of respect, an egalitarian ethos of wave sharing and tolerance. The meteorology, oceanography and biology of the region is inimitable, such ecology shaping subcultural structure and function. The Cape Crusaders are Cape Naturaliste’s local crew. They hold local knowledge, they communicate subcultural capital, they watch and wait for ocean and atmosphere to synchronise – and then they perform.