DIMITY STOYLE HAS THAT SPARK

There’s no crossed wires about Dimity Stoyle. This is a gal who knows what she wants – WCT seeding – after all, she’s done it before. In fact, Dim’s got two seasons under the belt, a semi final to her name (at 8-10 foot Cloudbreak, no less) and she’s battled it out with the Tylers, the Stephs, and Sals on tour. So if you’re wondering if this singley slinging, bomber jacketed, disco selector is on the comp trip or freesurf vibe, know this: Dim’s her own woman, with her own spark that’s totally contagious. Between surf comps and dancefloor bangers, Dim shot down the house to roll tape and bring us in on what she’ll do next…

SW: So Dim, what’s been the highlight this week?
DS: Hoy started following me on instagram. Made my day! He’s such a legend.

What’s next for you Dim?
I want to get back on the tour. All the boys on this trip are freesurfers, but I feel like it’s different for the girls. I was on the WCT for two years, and fell back onto the ‘QS. I struggled to get results last year, but I want to give it a good crack.

You’re coming in hot then?
I had a good result at the Manly Australian Open, but there’s more work to do if I’m to crack the top 6. I’m seeded at 13 at the moment

Were you pretty determined as a kid?
I grew up surfing the boards I wanted to ride. Shortboards were my favourite but I also rode longboards and single fins. It hasn’t always been about competing, so I do feel like I’m a little bit different to some of the other girls on tour.

Are the girls on tour into this spontaneity?
Well I might paddle out at Snapper on a weird board. And some of the other girls will ask “What are you doing?” I’ll say “I dunno?! I’m having fun!” Then I might grab the shortboard or a single fin. I’m open to all kinds of surfing. You don’t want to close yourself off.

Has it been difficult to express yourself this way on the competitive grind?
I don’t really focus on trying to be a freesurfer who rides weird boards. I just wake up everyday and see what the waves are like. If the waves are pumping I want to take my shortboard out because I want to try big moves.

Who’s someone who really fires you up on tour?
I feel like all my best friends are on tour. It’s the best scene. Especially all the Aussies like Steph, Laura and Nikki. They fire me up so much! They inspire me to surf the best that I possibly can, but it’s weird because they do contests, which is why I think the highest level of Women’s Pro Surfing is in contests. It’s really exciting to be a part of it. I love it!

But couldn’t you argue that it’s also the only form of Women’s Pro Surfing?
Exactly. If you’re not on tour, there’s nothing else goin’ on. There’s no area for girls to be rad freesurfers.

Is that something you’d like to see happen?
I really hope that in the future there is more of an opportunity for female freesurfers who rip. Because for girls it’s almost like if you’re not on tour, you’re a logger. You’re kinda just posing trying to look all fruity and fun but not really doing much in the water. There’s nothing in-between.

Where’s the jumping off point for freesurfing in Women’s surfing?
Hard to say. I mean companies don’t just give money to girls to go and freesurf. I think it’s forced girls into competing, and that’s why the level of talent is so high right now.

What has been your most challenging moment at WCT level?
I remember my first year competing in Fiji. It was my rookie year on tour and they’d just brought Fiji back onto the women’s schedule. And it was so crazy! It was huge! Everyone expected us to go out there and do something with it and get huge barrels like the guys do. It was the scariest surf of my life, 8-10 foot cloudbreak and we were competing in it. I’d been doing the ‘QS for two years before that, which went from 1-2 foot beachies, not doing trips just chasing points to qualify. Then I qualified and all of a sudden there was this expectation that we were meant to know how to do it. For guys it’s different, they’re sent on freesurfing trips with their sponsors sometimes from as young as 16 years old. Being sent to Hawaii every year. 

Did you ever wig out on the whole pro surfing trip? Putting it all on the line to stay on tour?
I was definitely scared in Fiji, but I ended up getting the best result of my whole career. Steph beat me in the semi, so I finished third. I’m pretty sure I was just following her around in the lineup, I was so scared! It’s like a huge football field with ten foot wash throughs every 15 minutes. You take off on one, and it wasn’t perfect, they’d go all wonky and you wouldn’t know if it’s a good one to pull in on. I was freaking out, thinking “Am I going to headbutt the reef?” Sketchy, but so much fun! I want to go chase waves like that more.

Was it tough to face the reality of returning to the WQS slog?
This year has been tough, thinking about money and everything. I struggled with that a lot last year. Falling off tour really rattles you. It sucks. In my mind I was thinking, “Yeah it’s fine I’ll get straight back on.” It was tough but you just have to push it aside and focus on where you want to be. What makes you happy.

How do you juggle your night job with your day job as a pro surfer?
The two go hand in hand! I’ve been travelling to every event this year, and picking up dj sets during the contests. After the Australian Open in Manly I played a set at Daniel Saan, and it went off! It was so much fun! I played the Roxy afterparty for Steph on the Goldy. I turned up and Hoyo was there boogying. I was losing it!

Are you protective of your tracks? A lot of djs seem to have that going on…
Well, I listen to music for hours. I’ll go online and find so much stuff. Songs that other people have played out, which are still great songs aren’t really the songs that I like. I’d rather play something that nobody has heard before!

[shopify embed_type=”product” shop=”coastalwatch-book-shop.myshopify.com” product_handle=”new-surfing-world-issue-390″ show=”all”]