Trevor Hendy’s never-ending quest to find new ways to ride waves and unlock human potential

Words: Tim Baker

Photos: Jarrason Bitton

Many retired, champion athletes are content to rest on their laurels, kick back, stack on a few kilos, pick up a commentary gig or two, advertise air conditioners or hair loss treatments.

 You are unlikely to find Trevor Hendy doing any of these things, deeply engaged as he is in a never-ending ocean adventure that shows no signs of slowing down, as he reaches what most of us regard as middle-age.

 Trevor Hendy is just about royalty in surf life-saving circles – a six-time Australian ironman champion, four-time Uncle Toby’s Super Series winner, now President of the Surfers Paradise Surf Club. He’s also an in-demand corporate speaker and life and wellness coach, and tow partner of choice for the GOAT, 12-time surfing world champion Kelly Slater when he’s on the Gold Coast.

 Now, add stand-up paddleboard designer to that stellar CV. But we’ll get to that.

 Hendy’s life has always revolved around the ocean, but the part it’s played and the way he’s approached it has shifted and morphed significantly over time.  “The ocean was always about freedom, but it got tangled up in the need to win,” he says. “When I went through a bit of a personal life change, I realised the ocean was healing me.  The idea that I was going there to get my victories - it went against the healing.”

 We meet at a health food café in Nobbies Beach, fitting for a man who consumes no alcohol, wheat, dairy or processed sugar and, at 52, appears as fit and vibrant as ever. Piercing blue eyes still shine with excitement as he relates his latest ocean adventures or memorable sessions in all manner of conditions on all kinds of surf craft.

 Versatility and variety seem to be the hallmarks of Trev’s ocean-going life these days. From bodysurfing to foiling, SUPing to kite surfing, wind-winging (a new one for me, involving a hand-held kite and a foil board) and even good, old-fashioned shortboarding, Trev has never met a swell he couldn’t find the right craft to ride.

His recent collaboration with The Surfboard Warehouse provides what he calls “an inter-active toy store for playing with other creators,” to develop new equipment and ideas.

Even the company mantra, “The ocean awaits,” speaks to him on a personal level. “When I was competing, it was still there – I’ll be here when you’ve finished pretending you’re great,” he jokes.

 Now that competitive life is behind him, he’s more interested in the therapeutic properties of the ocean and connecting more people with it. “A lot of healing can be done just by people getting in the ocean. There’s a role there for me to play just encouraging more people to get in the water,” he says. “It’s like having a spiritual bath. I always say, the ocean is emotion … and I come out of the water a better person than I went in it.”

 To this end, he’s designed a SUP, the Atlantis Aura, that can get people started in flat water but guide them into wave-riding as well, a versatile craft that can take people on the full paddleboard journey from the creek to the ocean. “Something super user-friendly. Someone could have it as their first board, go for a paddle on a creek, and just being in the water is enough, but making it that little bit more dynamic and being able to perform and come alive under your feet.”

 This is achieved with a combination of a pronounced nose rocker for late drops, plenty of volume for flotation and stability, and refined tail for manoeuvrability. Trevor has even considered the colour palette to promote relaxation. “There’s this depth behind the design of the thing,” he says.

 Trevor was one of the first wave of tow surfers, an early adopter of everything from SUPs to foils, and loves the diversity of surf craft today. “For a long time, you were a kook if you weren’t on a performance short board. Now you’re almost stifled if you’re just riding a performance shortboard,” he says. “I love body surfing, looking at the way a dolphin looks at a wave. Just when you think you’ve ridden everything, something else comes along … I’ve been around for all these progressions. I want to be able to surf any wave and learn new stuff. It’s opening neural pathways.”

 A diverse array of wave riding toys also helps Trevor combat the growing crowds on the Gold Coast. “All of a sudden, the rest of the ocean opens up. The whole ocean is available to you and there’s more room out there than you can possibly imagine. You’re looking for people to go with,” he says.

 And it’s not just in the ocean that Trevor finds inspiration. In the past 12 weeks, he tells me, he’s done ten short “off-grid” camping trips, with no mobile reception, just to immerse himself in nature. “I’m well-known for finding secret waterfalls,” he says. If he’s busy, he’ll just squeeze in an overnighter, drive somewhere secluded, set up camp, go bushwalking, soak in the stillness and beauty of nature, and return home rejuvenated.

 All this chimes in nicely with Trevor’s current career direction, which is focussed on unlocking human potential.  “It’s all about a whole healthy life, how powerful humans can be when they get out of all the bullshit, the fighting and comparisons,” he says.

His Boot Camps for the Soul see him mentoring other champion athletes, business leaders, well-known musicians, to tap into their full potential. “I talk about moving out of ambition and into purpose, shifting from win at all costs to win on all levels,” he says.

 He also works with the Lifechanger Foundation as a mentor, alongside seven-time world surfing champ Layne Beachley, tennis star Pat Rafter, and Olympic gold medal runner Herb Elliot, to introduce these ideas to young people at an early age, to help them live fulfilling and empowered lives.  The thread running through everything he does is a thirst for self-knowledge and a conviction that we are all capable of more than we realise. “The opportunity exists to have us all be more congruent, open and free and more supportive of each other,” he says.

 It’s a refreshingly optimistic assessment of human nature, something we could all do with a bit more of in the current climate.