Getting good content as a brand these days is hard, all the usual spots have been done and dusted. The Duotone Team head to Western Australia and put the miles in to get the shots, but it doesn't always come easy!

It’s not always sunshine and rainbows, join the Duotone wave team as they cover the whole coastline of WA searching for nuggets of gold on a trip that was as challenging as it was rewarding…

There are times when we have to accept the fact that we are being tested! No matter how well you plan, how much thought and passion you pour into the project at hand, sometimes, you will feel that you are swimming upstream; but that's ok. For if you believe, persist and keep a slither of optimism, and a sprinkle of motivation, good things are bound to happen!

This is the story of our search in Western Australia for barreling waves, epic winds and to shoot the official 2019 Duotone Neo product clip.

The work that goes into the preparation of a shoot is not for the faint-hearted. That being said, it gets the adrenaline pumping, and the final product is, what makes it all worthwhile. But the details and checklist are enough to give anyone the shakes when the day of departure arrives. You buckle into your seat for a far-flung destination; you have to quiet your mind and trust that everything is in hand — not on the office floor!

Finding the right time and destination (that was still in-season) for the 2019 Duotone Neo shoot, and our wave team shredders were almost impossible. While we wrecked our brains, scoured schedules and clawed at potential opportunities. We additionally sent the Neo to St Brandon on the 2019 Dice and Rebel shoot, just incase we were unable to get the shots, we could bank some media that would take the pressure off. Still, we needed to get the likes of Matchu Lopes, Airton Cozzolino, Sebastian Ribeiro and James Carew together on a shoot. Without this, as a brand, we would not be true to ourselves.

Somewhere between the GKA event in Brazil and the next stop in Turkey, we had ten days, and a gruelling travel itinerary of plane hopping for the boys, to the only place we knew could deliver at this time of year; Western Australia. Taking advice from longstanding Team Rider, Sky Solbach, who lived there for seven years and Boards & More CEO, Till Erbele, who hails the destination as a wave board testing paradise, the vision started coming together, on paper that is.

We wanted an adventure; we wanted the swell, we wanted the wind — not much too ask, right? We also wanted energetic team riders, seamless transitions from spot to spot, no creepy crawlies, no moments at the mercy of Mother Nature and certainly no nighttime appearances of bounding Kangaroos. As we learned, some things you can't control!

In the knowledge of everything above, and the anticipated arrival of five, fatigued, jet-lagged and drained — both physically and mentally individuals, Team Manager Philipp Becker had his work cut out for him in preparing for the mission ahead. Making base camp at the house of Duotone Ambassador in WA, he counted out all the kites, boards, bars, harnesses, suits, two pick-ups and one van courtesy of Mercedes Benz, one Jet Ski, a cameraman and a videographer. Four plane rides later, the last rider to appear was Airton, at 3 am, and the mission was set to start the journey at 5 am.

Setting out while still dark; a fine, burning line on the horizon signified the crackling heat of the day ahead. As you could imagine, team spirit was flat, but there was no doubt that the callings of an empty spot with barrels, and incredible waves were fuelling the stoke within; you could feel it!

Sixteen hours of driving, passing up mediocre conditions and crumbly waves in the hope that the next spot would deliver, we saw days turn to nights. Tired bones from travelling, aching muscles still full of adrenaline from the days of competition before, weary heads from the hot sun, and concentration needed to drive the dusty roads of the outback, morale was low.

Pulling in to the chosen accommodation, the briefing of snakes, spiders and dangerous creepy crawlies that come out at night were enough to cause a meltdown. While some braved the dark and closed their weary eyes, others found the hot tub where they could rescue they're aching bodies.

The quest continued day after day, the hunt, the search. We'd been to the very north of WA, the forecast laughing at our efforts. We'd given it our all by this point, made the best out of soul-destroying conditions, tormented by tales of snake bites that will kill you in a matter of hours, slept with the lights on, had the wind pick up only to drop once the cameras were rolling. We all knew the potential; we'd all experienced the epicness that this coastline offers numerous times before. We knew the potential was there; it just wasn't going our way.

Just when we thought it was time to give up, ready to throw the towel in, lost our sense of humour and called it quits, we caught our break!

There are no words to describe that feeling when the sun streaks through the clouds and the grey turned to blue. The wind stabilises, the lines clean up and peaks form. To get the shot, video clip and session, it's a right of passage that Mother Nature dictates. It didn't look like it was going to happen as the riders wallowed around in less than average conditions, that was until, Sebastian and Airton set off on their adventure, rounding the point with media team and jet skis in hot pursuit.

This is when the heart starts to pump harder, and breath quickens at the possibility of paradise lying behind the next point. As they disappeared, Philipp and three of the five riders waited patiently, unable to access the mission crew by foot, deserted in the outback with nothing but time on their hands.

No one knows how long they were gone, the sun is different to anywhere else in the world, but in the distance, two Neo's appeared along with whistles, whoops and pumping fists into the air, a sure sign that something extraordinary had gone down.

As the crew, Sebastian and Airton hit the beach, tales of shacking barrels, steep shoulders, long tubes and chunky walls ensued, and the twinkly eyes of the three who passed up on the session started to turn a hue of green. At last! We had something, and the footage did it every bit of justice.

The theme of long drives and wildlife continued as we decided to end our northbound mission and head back down south to Perth. Transport relied on navigation by the riders; there indeed was no rest for the wicked. If you've never experienced the straight, stretching and seemingly endless roads of the outback, it's something quite extraordinary. At night time, it's as if you stay still with a conveyor belt of surroundings passing you by, often causing you to question, have I seen that before? As the monotony continued, and within a few hours of our destination, kangaroo carnage crept in! Native Australian and international team rider James Carew had come with his van on the trip. He'd warned us about the Kungu-Fu Kangaroo's, but nothing prepared us for this.

Brazilian Sebastian had never seen one before, and as dusk fell, it was his turn to sit behind the wheel. One after the other, they hopped out of the bushes without warning, bounding across the road in front of the cars with nothing but a death wish. Close calls, clips, 360 spins and freestyle aerobatics like never before, it seems that these critters were well versed in the drill and our existence their playtime. With such huge expanses to cover in one day, it's customary to drive at a specific speed limit to avoid other disastrous situations. However, it is inevitable that occasionally, disaster will strike and this time it happened to be James, his van and a bouncing kangaroo that totalled the vehicle. This is not a happy encounter, but it's a reality, and we hope our story will keep you from being surprised on your trip to Australia.

We arrived late at our destined accommodation where the WSL is famously hosted. With the kitchen closed and James understandably shaken, their hospitality was faultless as staff geared into action, raiding the fridges and popping the tops of cold beers to lighten the mood and get us all back on track.

It was a story to remember. The coastline and country are humbling, and when it comes to encounters with Mother Nature, both positive and negative, it is totally out of your control!

We took a chance on this trip, committed to a mission and gave it all we had. We got the shots, although it took blood sweat and tears. We drove the whole coast of WA in 8 days, had a lot of laughs and plenty of silence. We averaged 4-5 hours of sleep, spoke about the hopeful next session, dreamed of that one shot. Laid awake, staring at the ceiling as the worlds most fascinating and dangerous creatures went about their daily routines.

We watched our riders do what they do best, kitesurf, using the 11 and 12m Neo's to get out back and then park them as they surfed memorable waves. We got sunburned, rained on, had wind and saw kites fall out of the sky. No good story is made up of utter perfection, and no shoot from Duotone would be without the team spirit of everyone involved and drive from the guys behind the lens dedicated on giving everything they have to get the shot!

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