Name: Eden Saul

Age: 31

Vehicle: ‘17 VW Transporter / ‘79 Ford Ranchero

Occupation: Surfboard Shaper

Residence/Local Watering Hole/High Tide spot? Lennox Head, Lennox Hotel, inside Lennox Point aka Brockies

What’s in your quiver? That’s a long list. I just did a cull of boards but still holding probably 70+. Mat wise I’ve got 4 from 4th Gear Flyer. 

What’s in your van? Currently, an Omni 4GF mat, an 11’6, a 9’7, a 5’8 thruster, a 5’2 fish, a few towels, some trunks, zinc, wax and other assorted junk.

What was your first exposure to / experience with matsurfing? Seeing George and Brocky down here out the front all the time. Other local figures around here surfing them out the point. For what’s maybe a bit of an anomaly in the surf world they are pretty common place here..

Did you get the magic right out of the gate or was there a steep learning curve? I found joy in it quickly but took a while to get the magic dialed. When I was waiting for shoulder surgery and coming back in the water after it, I put plenty of hours in on the mat and it was such a joy.

How often do you ride pool toys v bodysurf v boards (boog, stand up, or otherwise)? Not so much recently, we’ve had amazing waves around home and I’ve been surfing my brains out. Mat has gone sidelined.

Recent travels w mat and fins stashed in carry on? Always. They are the best thing ever for travel. Need a pillow on an overnight ferry, you’re covered.  Down days in surf trips, I just had mine in Hawaii and had some fun on the east coast of Kauai mucking about. They are so easy to stash in your backpack it’s silly not to have one in tow.

How did Dead Kooks come about, and/or how did you find your way to a shaping bay for the first time? Just kicking around from when I was young and curious. Started making some pretty rough boards for myself and friends. Got a job part-time in a factory, kind of all progressed from there. It’s still a small operation and keeping me busy and forever having fun with it and learning. I’m pretty grateful for how it’s played out.

On memorable sessions or sudden leaps in progress on a mat... had my ass handed to me out ulu’s a few years back. Had some decent size starting to break off outside corner. I’d had a few beers. Thought I’d take the mat for some big runs on big walls. Didn’t make it around a heavy section and then got dragged the whole way down the point in the whitewash not wanting to let the mat go. Got pretty rattled. Remember it well though. Had some good times at Lennox that really pushing things forward for me.

What do you run for inflation... hard taco

On your dream setup for pool toy riding... inside Lennox is pretty neat, I’ve had some really fun times at high tides Ulu’s.

Does size matter? Size always matters. Just depends what feelings you’re chasing.

How are you passing quarantine time? Gonna try learn some stuff. Been running and keeping busy. Got a pile of blanks to work through. I’ll be fine, apart from seeing friends it’s not going to change my life a whole bunch at this current moment but things are all changing rapidly.

On goals, plans, future endeavors... get through this virus shit, my girlfriend is in Hawaii and not sure when I’m seeing her next, keen to do a lot of surfing this year, ride my bike a lot. Happy to just keep shaping boards and keep things pretty simple.

For more from Eden clicky clicky https://deadkooks.com/