Australian rootsy, acoustic folk singer-songwriter James Abberley continues a strong 2020 of releases with his newest single 'You're The One'.
The past number of years, Abberley has hit impressive milestones throughout that include supporting the likes of Xavier Rudd, The Waifs, Paul Dempsey, Ash Grunwald and Kim Churchill.Abberley's also performed at a number of WA festivals including Nannup Music Festival and Into The Sun Festival.
Since the return of live music in WA, James has performed a number of sold-out shows across the state. His next gig lands him in Margaret River at Little Village (21 November).
"'You're The One' is about that moment when you are trying to fall asleep, but no matter what you do, you just can't get that person that you love or want out of your head," James says.
"It's amazing to me that you can feel like a slave to your own thoughts."
Here, Abberley dispenses some sage advice for newbie surfers looking to avoid conflict next time they enter the ocean.
1: This one might not make everyone's surf etiquette, list but personally I think this is the most important rule of all. Always wear nontoxic and environmentally-friendly skin protection.
It's important to protect yourself from the sun and take care of your skin, and it is equally as important to look after our marine environment by not polluting its waters with harmful chemicals that can be found in many sun-smart skin products.
2: When you first paddle out, especially if it's a new break that you haven't surfed at before, it's always nice (and much appreciated by the locals in particular) if you don't start hustling for every wave first thing and getting on everyone's radar.
Your time will come, so for now sit and wait for a few waves to roll through, have a chat to the person next to you and get a feel for the line-up.
3: If you are paddling out into the line-up and there is a surfer on the wave in front of you, you must always bail to the inside of the wave (into the white water) to avoid a collision.
This is also important to remember because you don't want to affect the ride of the other surfer. If he or she has a great section in front of them, the last thing they want is to be avoiding other surfers and missing opportunities to smack the lip.
4: When you are paddling for a wave you must always look to your inside. You must make sure that there is no one already committed to the wave before pulling in, as more often than not this almost always results in a broken board and an argument.
This is what’s called (dropping in) and it’s probably the most frowned upon thing you could do in the line-up.
5: Never yell out "SHARK!" unless you are 100 per cent certain. The last thing anyone wants to hear when they're in the water is that word, especially if you live near southern waters as it probably means it's a White Pointer.
Handy tip though: It's definitely the quickest way to the clear the line-up and have the waves to yourself, haha!
