GIVE IT THE FLICK
Words: Tim Baker / Photos: Russell Ord
There’s nothing soft about hard-charging big wave surfer Felicity Palmateer, except for her new line of softboards, decorated with her own striking artwork
Pro surfers often get pigeon holed – competitive animal, big wave charger, artsy free surfer, eco-warrior, Insta influencer. But such one-dimensional caricatures rarely do justice to the complex, flesh and blood humans beneath the façade.
Consider the surfing career of WA’s Felicity Palmateer. After a stellar junior competitive campaign, Flick as she’s universally known, seemed to segue almost effortlessly into an elite big wave career, making the final at Jaws and being nominated for ride of the year in the XXL Big Wave Awards.
On the side, she has always pursued her art, inspired by her parents who are both artists, and taken a keen interest in marine conservation, courtesy of her upbringing exploring WA’s pristine coastline. Along the way she’s racked up nearly 200,000 followers on Insta and released her own quiver of softboards, decorated with her own artwork, through the Surfboard Warehouse.
Flick’s father is a ceramicist and her mum’s a fashion designer, but Flick found her own creative expression in painting. “I started out with water colours and inks. That’s what’s on the board. It’s bright, it’s colourful but it’s not gender specific,” she says. “It’s cool to see people running around with boards with my artwork on them.”
There are three models - a 5’9” fish, a 7’0” mid-length and an 8’0” beginner model. “The fish is really wide and good for little grommies,” she says. “I like surfing it the most because it’s more like a high performance board. You can put FCS fins in them. I’ve ridden that board anywhere from two foot east coast beachbreaks to four foot Margaret River area. … If you want to have fun always take a softboard.”
It’s a far cry from her current obsession with pushing her limits in waves of consequence. “My main focus now is big waves. I’ve had success in the past, I’ve been invited to two big wave events at Jaws, now I’m fully committed. There’s a good group of girls now giving it a nudge, it’s exciting to be a part of.”
Her home state of WA provides plenty of scope for honing her big wave act, even during the restrictions of COVID, from the cold winter swells down south to the heaving barrels of the north-west desert. “I had just a surf trip at the Bluff with family and friends,” she says, clearly cherishing the vast coastline and isolation her home state provides.
“The thing I used to hate is the thing I’ve ended up loving. We’re so isolated, there’s a lot of space. We’re really lucky here and really grateful,” she says.
Check out Flick’s range of softboards here.